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CA-26: Julia Brownley Flip Flops on Support for Israel?
Screenshot from DavidCruzThayne2012
According to the press release from fellow Democrat David Cruz Thayne:
Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica), a candidate in the Congressional District 26 race, asserted at a Monday night candidates’ forum: “As I said once, I’ll say it twice, and I’ll say it again, I will defend Israel and oppose nuclear proliferation…and will work hard in Congress to protect [the relationship between the United States and Israel].”
But in recorded remarks when speaking with Democratic Party activists just last month, Brownley repeatedly stated that she “would not support Israel” if it determined to use force in its attempts to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.
“The duplicity and double-talk of career politicians like Julia Brownley on this issue should concern all voters in the district,” said Alex Thompson, campaign manager for Democratic candidate David Cruz Thayne. “She is playing the same old political games of telling different groups of voters what they want to hear instead of what she really believes. And since she has lived in Santa Monica the past 25 years, how are Ventura County voters supposed to know which is the real Julia Brownley? The voters of Ventura County deserve better.”
Here is the video:
Unless this video is widely disseminated, I see a very limited impact on this race.
In the meantime, California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley has been racking up the endorsements of national and state Democrats.
If there was ever much doubt that Assemblywoman Julia Brownley is the choice of national Democratic leaders for an open Ventura County congressional seat, recent campaign developments should have pretty much erased it.
Late last week, the House Majority PAC, which is raising and spending money to elect Democrats to Congress, began running a cable television ad supporting Brownley, a Democrat who moved from Santa Monica to Oak Park for the race. The group spent about $156,000 on the ads, which are scheduled to run for a week.
On Tuesday, California’s two U.S. senators, both Democrats, announced they were endorsing Brownley. Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Brownley “a champion for education in California.” Sen. Barbara Boxer said Brownley could be counted on “to protect California’s environment, women’s health and Medicare for our seniors, which have been under unprecedented attack by the extreme right.”
There are three other Democrats in the race—Realtor/entrepreneur/CEO Albert Maxwell Goldberg, Oxnard Harbor Commissioner Jess Herrera and independent small businessman David Cruz Thayne.
Now, all Brownley has to do is make sure that David Cruz Thayne does not siphon off enough votes from Democrats to enable NPP Linda Parks to sneak into second place.
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CA-26: Democrat Super PAC Up With Ad for Julia Brownley
California Assemblywoman, Julia Brownley, is on air with her first cable television ad. But, it is paid by a federal Super PAC, The Democratic House Majority PAC.
Timm Herdt has the details, including the cost of the television ad buy: $140,000 for a week.
Here is the ad, embedded below:
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CA-26: Linda Parks Again Refuses to Say With Which Party She Will Caucus If Elected to Congress
Screenshot from Linda Park’s latest television ad
In a puff piece interview Timm Herdt tries to discover with whom Linda Park’s will align in the Congress – either Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi or Republican Speaker John Boehner. Parks previously refused to say with whom she would caucus and elect as Speaker.
In her campaign thus far, Parks has sought to straddle questions about her partisan leanings. Originally a Democrat, she changed her registration to Republican in 1996, then switched again to “no party preference” just before entering the race for Congress.
She has declined to say which party she would caucus with if elected, who would get her vote for speaker, and even which presidential candidate she will support in the fall.
“I might caucus with Republicans. I might caucus with Democrats. I might caucus with both. I might caucus with neither,” she said in her remarks at University Village. “I will have the ability to choose, based on the issue. What we have right now isn’t working.”
In other words, I don’t know, and won’t tell you until I am elected and then I will decide.
This will not play well with Ventura County voters.
Congress is a partisan place and Congressional voters base their vote on issues and ideology – not the political whims of a Democrat turned Republican turned No Party Preference POL.
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CA-26: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Hits Linda Parks in Republican Framing Mailer
The DCCC has released its first attack mailer and it is not against the Republican, Tony Strickland, but against NPP (No Party Prefeerence) Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks. Timm Herdt over at the Ventura County Star has more of the story.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee yesterday posted on its website this attack mailer against independent candidate Linda Parks in the 26th Congressional District.
As you can see, it’s a fairly heavy-handed piece that seeks to link Parks with “Washington Republicans” and urges Democrats to “stop the Tea Party. Vote No on Linda Parks and the Republicans.” It features campaign buttons that show her paired with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin.
A spokeswoman for the DCCC said Tuesday that the piece is in the mail, but I have received no reports as yet from anyone in the district who has received it.
A very interesting framing of Linda Parks as a Republican.
She is anything but a partisan GOP’er and would be considered a RINO at best. Many in GOP circles actually like Democratic Assemblywoman Julia Brownley better – as Brownley would be vulnerable in future elections due to the swing demographics of this Congressional District.
I, especially, like this part of the mailer with photos of campaign buttons of Linda Parks and Sarah Palin.
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CA-26: Linda Parks and Her Cable Television ONLY Campaign Strategy
Screenshot from Linda Park’s latest television ad
Timm Herdt over at the Ventura County Star interviews Linda Park’s strategist George Gorton regarding her campaign media strategy.Political strategists have historically just about all come to the same conclusion about how to campaign in Ventura County: mail, mail and more mail. So it is intriguing to see the approach that Supervisor Linda Parks of Thousand Oaks is taking in running as an independent in the 26th Congressional District. She and her consultant, George Gorton, have decided to put nearly all their resources into cable TV.
Public documents from Time Warner show that Gorton’s partner Garrett Biggs on April 5 signed a $202,200 contract to air Parks ads on Ventura County cable systems through Election Day. The current schedule shows spots slated to run nearly every day through May 13, presumably with more to be scheduled later. They are placed on a wide range of cable channels, including ESPN, the Food Network, Fox Sports, MSNBC, HGTV, the Discovery Channel and the History Network.
“It’s a pretty significant buy,” Gorton told me yesterday.
I know George Gorton from his days with Pete Wilson and his successful campaigns for U.S. Senate and California Governor. All of Gorton’s Wilson campaigns were very successful and almost all of the media was on television, broadcast and cable. So, a television only strategy is not unusual for Gorton.
And, certainly this strategy is not unusual for Linda Parks who will be campaign cash challenged as compared to Republican California State Senator Tony Strickland and Democrat California Assemblywoman Julia Brownley. A direct mail campaign to all of Ventura County potential voters would be cost prohibitive for Parks – especially since she is a NPP (No Party Preference) and cannot mail to only Republican or Democratic households with the same message.
Here is Park’s latest ad, embedded below and it features many of her supporters from City Council and Supervisor campaigns (very low production costs and value):
What is surprising to me, is not the Park’s strategy. This is the same media campaign that her mentor and my former neighbor successful Thousand Oaks City Councilwoman Jaime Zukowski used to beat an incumbent Thousand Oaks Mayor Robert Lewis over twenty years ago. What is surprising is that neither Strickland nor Brownley have responded with ANY cable television ads of their own.
Parks has been on for over two weeks and nobody has gone “on air.”
As far as internet ads are concerned, I have seen little activity thus far for Parks. She will likely do some and I will let you know when I see them appear.
And, I bet when Brownley’s and Strickland’s consultants get around to reading Herdt’s and my pieces, they may actually produce some responding or even negative television ads. At least they should, especially Brownley, if she doesn’t want to finish third to Parks or Strickland in June.
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CA-26 Video: David Cruz Thayne Releases First Online Ad
Daivd Cruz Thayne is up with his first online web ad.I have embedded the video below:
It is pretty much a biography and tells of his early years as a South American immigrant to the United States.
Thayne is one of four Democrats running for two spots against Republican State Senator Tony Strickland and NPP (No Party Preference) Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks.
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CA-26: Tony Strickland Sponsored Reusable Grocery Bag Bill Slapped Down by California Senate Environmental Quality Committee
A reusable grocery bag
Photo Credit: LA TimesYou remember the FLAP?Not a good day for California State Senator Tony Strickland who is aspiring to be Ventura County’s newest congressman. Timm Herdt over at the Ventura County Star has the details.
While saying they agree with the need for greater public awareness about the importance of regularly washing reusable cloth grocery bags, members of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee rejected a bill Monday that would have required warnings about potential food contamination on the bags.
The bill was defeated 4-1, with only its author, Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, voting in support.
While Strickland said his bill was “about food safety and public health,” environmental groups assailed it as an attempt to needlessly alarm consumers about an option promoted as an alternative to single-use plastic bags, which have become a source of litter and ocean pollution.
The bill was just mean-spirited, stupidity on the part of the Republican Strickland. The plastic and paper bag manufacturers are pissed off because many California cities are banning their products and forcing the use of reusable bags.
What is Tony Strickland thinking?
More Nanny State and government mandates because your business supporters haven’t been getting their way and business is being impacted?
Now, I have problems with banning plastic and paper bags as unnecessary NANNY STATE regulations – but to hit back and require EVEN MORE stupid state regulations?
Tony Strickland knows better than this and lucky for him that this bill was slapped down early and can easily be forgotten before the June election.
Now, Tony about that other stupid move in endorsing Patricia McKeon and throwing your friend Scott Wilk under the bus…..
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CA-26: Linda Parks Fights Back Against Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
Remember on Friday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee dropped an 80 page opposition research bombshell on the Ventura County Supervisor running for Congress.
The report is here.Well, Supervisor Parks is not taking it without a response and a website has emerged. It is here.
This is an example of what a modern campaign MUST do – rapid response to address opponents and surrogates – this time it is the Democratic Party.
So far, Park’s campaign has been up to the test.
But, how this will play out when the direct mailers start to hit Congressional District households remains to be seen.
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CA-26: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Drops OPPO Bomb on Linda Parks
Thanks to my fellow reporter, Timm Herdt with the Ventura County Star for the heads up.If there was any question which candidate is of most immediate concern to Democrats in the 26th Congressional District, it has been answered on the website of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
In the section highlighting key races in California, it cites the 26th and promises that a research book on Republican Tony Strickland will be posted in May. With independent Linda Parks, however, the Democrats are in a bigger hurry to go on the attack.
But, what a bomb – like a 80 page bomb. You can download it here – it is in a .docx Microsoft Word format and takes a while to load.
Just an example:
Moved Supervisor office to more expensive Downtown storefront location after City of Thousand Oaks decided not to renew her city hall Office lease (2007)
In 2007, Parks moved her Board of Supervisor office to a more expensive Downtown storefront location in Thousand Oaks, after the City of Thousand Oaks had decided not to renew her city hall office lease. At the time, the city was paying $3,915 for the 1,700-square-foot storefront location, with a 3% annual increase built in the lease. In comparison, the county was paying $2,784 a month for the City Hall office, with no built-in increase. As of 2007, the county reportedly paid at least $34,000 to upgrade the storefront location to equip the office with a kitchen, bathroom and interior walls. The Ventura County Star reported at the time, the initial cost to renovate Parks’ new office was expected to increase. The payment was coming out of Parks’ $711,000 office budget, which also covered staff salaries. (Ventura County Star, “Supervisor Parks liking new digs,” October 30, 2007)
You get the idea, especially if you have ever read an OPPO or Opposition Research Report before. It is a treasure trove of information that can be washed, rewashed and spun anyway an opposing POL can manage.
Go ahead and check it out.
I am sure you will see many of the points in the coming weeks, especially in your mailbox.
The fact that the Democrats have so extensively prepared their OPPO research sort of lays waste to the claim that while Parks is much more moderate than Tony Strickland, the Party views her as a suitable alternative in a top two election environment.
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CA-26: Who Can Out Nanny State on Grocery Bags Tony Strickland or Julia Brownley?
A reusable grocery bag
Photo Credit: LA TimesCome on Tony, you don’t have to out Nanny State Julia Brownley.As a growing number of California cities and counties have adopted local ordinances banning the distribution of single-use plastic bags in the name of reducing litter and ocean pollution, Sen. Tony Strickland is concerned about a different threat at the grocery checkout line: reusable cloth bags.
Strickland, R-Moorpark, believes those bags are a threat to public health because of the possibility of cross-contamination of bacteria from produce and that from meats and poultry. He wants to see a label printed on every reusable bag sold in California that reads, “WARNING: Reusable bags must be cleaned and disinfected between uses to prevent food cross contamination. Failure to do so can cause serious illness resulting from food-borne pathogens.”
Strickland proposes that label in Senate Bill 1106, which would also require grocers to conspicuously display the same warning near where reusable bags are sold.
“The goal here is public safety,” he said. “Consumers have a right to know that if they don’t wash them they put their health at risk.”
Sorry Tony.
But, your contention that there is a health hazard here is just plain stupid.
I know you are doing this to punish those communities like Los Angeles who ban plastic bags. But, the rest of California doesn’t need MORE NANNY STATE to tell us when to clean out our reusable bags.
Now, I have problems with banning plastic bags.
However, more government regulation to cure government overreach is NOT a solution.
You should know better.
Drop the bill.
Find another contrasting issue upon which to run for Congress and beat Julia Brownley.
