Yesterday’s column analyzing the local races drew some interesting responses both on and off the site. I was reminded that money is not the only variable for determining who wins election. I agree. I was reprimanded for not looking more deeply into the races.
As I was told off line, “[A] conscientious American voter, how can you choose wisely by ignoring someone that is more capable of good choices…”
As I was told in a comment, “Do you, David, recall Julie Partansky, John Munn and some others…who WON due to the fact that they were NOT beholden to the special interests. MOST of the ones with the BIG warchests get them by BUYING ads in newspapers and schmoozing with the media…..people in the media and developers are the ones who have a VESTED interest in many of the things that you personally support… they then give MONEY to those who will repay their investments….”
One of my favorite comments was, “One sees the TYPICAL LIBERAL slant, while Dave Greenwald DISMISSES the REPUBLICAN Schaup, for BEiNG a Republican…. and his FAILURE to bring up that DODD was a REPUBLICAN for most of HIS career and when he could NOT win against Mariko Yamada, he CHANGED parties….and then went up against Dan Wolk and Don Saylor…..”
Let me take the last point first, since it is easy to dismiss. Charlie Schaupp is a Republican running in a district that is about 65 percent or so Democratic. That means that, while he might finish in the top two in the primary as he did in 2014, he’s not going to win, barring something really unforeseen. So if I’m dismissing his chances, it’s because of the demographics and party identification in the district.
Bill Dodd was a Republican in 2012 and (Correction: Bill Dodd’s campaign said that he did not support Mitt Romney as previously reported – he supported Obama in 2008 and 2012). He then changed parties and ran for Assembly, knocking off Democrats Dan Wolk and Joe Krovoza (not Don Saylor who is running this time). He has been an Assemblymember for a year and a half.
Some people are bothered by him being a former Republican. Some aren’t. My assessment of the race is that he is the prohibitive favorite, and that’s independent of whether or not I’m going to vote for him or Mariko Yamada.
I do agree with those who point to a Julie Partansky, who was able to win on a shoestring budget. While the recent campaigns of Joe Krovoza and Robb Davis and Brett Lee had more money spent on their behalf, I think they won those campaigns on the ground.
This is the most important takeaway message here – money, especially in a small town like Davis is not necessarily decisive. But as I pointed out to some via email, you can have the best ideas in the world and, if you cannot get those ideas to the voters, you will not win.
One way to get those ideas to the voters is to have a lot of money and buy ads, send out mailers, and saturate the voters with your message. Another way to get those ideas to the voters is to organize, have the people power to walk and knock on every door. You can win that way, but it takes a lot of work, effort, and support to do so.
Again, I think Joe, Brett, and Robb won because of those kinds of efforts.
But money is still a factor. As big a supporter base as someone like Bernie Sanders has, he has been competitive because he has raised $220 million. He was able to translate that grassroots support into money through the collection of millions, in small increments for the most part.
Money matters in another way as well. In the case of Dan Wolk – we expect that he has powerful contacts through his mother, his support from 2014, and the prospect of him winning in 2016. So when we see him struggling to raise money, that is something that we flag. It may not make a difference and it may not mean what we think it means, but it is notable and something to watch. Despite that struggle, we still pick him to be a finalist, so there is that as well.
Finally, I want to talk about the Vanguard itself. We are an alternative media source. We have a good sized audience these days and we have an open invitation to allow candidates to submit op-eds. That’s a way they can tap into our audience and get their message out.
Some campaigns have utilized this. Others have not. That’s fine. But the opportunity is there and the offer stands.
The council race was always going to be an uphill battle for Matt Williams. As one person writes, “Matt Williams’ potential contributions to improving the city are not getting much attention. He’s got good ideas, he’s very bright and perceptive about city issues.”
The problem that Matt has, and I think he would be the first to acknowledge it – he has not built the campaign organization to walk and knock at every door. He has not been able to take advantage of the free media offers and engage the public.
It may be that, even if he had done that, facing two incumbents and a strong challenger in Will Arnold, it would not have been enough. But we will never know.
Will Arnold is a formidable force. That was driven home when he announced and had a huge crowd show up, most of whom have not been engaged in the community. And let’s give Will Arnold credit, he’s lived in the community, he has worked on behalf of the Blue and White Foundation, he has served on commissions like Parks and Rec, he has worked on the water measure and two council campaigns – he has done more than most people when they throw their hat in the ring.
Will that make him a good councilmember? I think we’re about to find out. Is he being a little more vanilla than I would like? Absolutely. But right now, I think he’s going to finish first, unless something changes in the last month.
I will add this point at the end, I am very concerned that the Davis City Council race has not gotten more interest in the community, because I think most people are unaware just how precarious things are for the city right now and I think this council is going to have to deal with some pretty severe problems.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
I agree and would add that the multiple slick mailers in a town like Davis are more often seen as negative, not positive sign for the candidate. We have already seen one candidate with a big war chest send multiple mailers and it turns me off. I have become more knowledgable to turn them over and see if the campaign sent them or another group (supposedly without the candidate’s knowledge), but generally it is a negative for me. Can you comment on that for Davis VS bigger cities?
SODA
“We have already seen one candidate with a big war chest send multiple mailers”
These slick mailers are a negative for me also and end up immediately in my recycle. Another aspect of this approach that I dislike is that they are typically devoid of any real content. Statements like “working for you” or “I get things done” from a candidate that I know is most certainly not working to promote issues that matter to me is not conducive to winning my vote. At the least, when stating that they “get things done” they might want to provide a list of their actual accomplishments.
Vanguard: And let’s give Will Arnold credit, he’s lived in the community, he has worked on behalf of the Davis Schools Foundation, he has served on commissions like Parks and Rec, he has worked on the Water Measure and two Council Campaigns – he has done more than most people when they throw their hat in the ring.
Do you mean the Blue & White Foundation? I am unaware that he was involved with DSF.
Fixed. My bad. I was thinking BW and wrote the other.
“In the case of Dan Wolk – we expect that he has powerful contacts through his mother, his support from 2014, and the prospect of him winning in 2016. So when we see him struggling to raise money, that is something that we flag.”
Dan’s fund raising has been okay. Its Aguiar-Curry who has had the big corporate IE money come in. I guess they figure if she can cut a deal with PG&E she is the best bet for them.
Funny you bring this up because I remember a line from the Enterprise and I paraphrase:
Aguiar-Curry got Winters the PG&E traing facility, Dan Wolk got Davis milk in kid’s meals.
I would add that while the Vanguard has been trying to chip away at Saylor and especially Wolk who has been the target of the endless drip drip drip of Vanguard sputum, Aguiar-Curry has been getting monetary support from some truly oily corporations and education reformers. So whether its because of David’s differences with Dan on local issues or its because Aguiar-Curry has bought ad space on the Vanguard, David has been supporting the person that is least likely to take on big oil and other monied interests through the use of his bully pulpit and its impact on those who don’t see through what he is doing.
The Vanguard ran a full article on Aguiar-Curry that showed where the money came from. I don’t know where you get the idea that he supports curry but I don’t see it from that article.
There is really no defending Dan Wolk’s fundraising unless you’re a blind loyalist
Really? It depends on whether you think Dan voted for the Cannery because it was the right thing to do or if you think Dan voted for the Cannery to get campaign cash. The reality is the former, he voted for the Cannery because it was the right thing to do.
Now compare what New Homes donated to Dan’s Assembly campaign to what Chevron and Ed Voice are giving to Aguiar-Curry. Its something like 100 times larger.
Actually you missed my point, but I can see why. What I meant was his fundraising levels are quite low.
I missed the last article on campaign money, so I’ll add my input here…
It does and always has bothered me that the “war chest” articles we read are front-page news. In any important race, we are regularly told how much money a candidate has, how much the candidate has spent, and how much more money the candidate intends to raise. Those who raise relatively little money are generally dismissed. Those who raise a lot are seen as the front-runners.
I mean, it makes sense, right? If a candidate has huge support, people are more likely to throw money at him or her. To me it ends up feeling like the amount of money raised for a campaign is an indication of voter approval. While it might be inadvertent, that’s how these articles on campaign funds tend to read. Who here doesn’t believe that the candidates with more money have a better chance of winning than the candidates with less money? And of course that should concern us all. The candidate with the most lawn signs (or in the case of Dodd, the most mailers!) wins!
Why does it feel like votes can be purchased with lawn signs and glossy mailers? Doesn’t that mean that the rich voters have more leverage in elections than do the un-rich?
I decided that we can fix a lot of what ails us with a simple change in the election procedure – and this will work from local to federal elections. Send as much money as you wish (up to the limits of course!) to your candidate of choice leading up to the election. It is just collected, and none of it is spent on lawn signs and mailers. On election day, we count it all up, and declare the winner (candidate with the biggest pile of money). Then (and this is key!) each candidate chooses which charity or charities receives all the money that was raised and NOT spent on yard signs and mailers. (I’d be willing to add a list of acceptable local improvements that can be funded as well – bike paths, parks, schools, libraries… that sort of thing).
In the end, we pick the winner pretty much as we do any way – by money. And then instead of wasting that money on holding the election, and on “campaigning” we use it to directly and immediately improve our situation instead of waiting around for the winning candidate to (potentially) start making our lives better by first… figuring out how to raise money for the budget.
(hey, if the votes are influenced by the mailers and lawn signs and mud-slinging, we’re in much bigger trouble than if we agree to simply elect people based on the money they can raise).
darelldd
“Doesn’t that mean that the rich voters have more leverage in elections than do the un-rich?”
I suspect that you did not need this series of articles to come to this conclusion. There is nothing cynical in my statement, just a recognition of our current social and political reality.
I love the idea of spending the money raised on specific causes or projects. However, you do realize that the printing industry and makers of lawn sign posts are going to be distraught over this suggestion ! Imagined economic ruin.
Tia – you suspect correctly. This just seemed like a good place to say it.
This is why I’d be a terrible politician: I’d never even considered the hardship I’d be placing on the families of the hard-working lawn-sign makers! Economic ruin, indeed!
Can you just imagine though? Instead of politicians yammering on about all the good he or she *will* do once elected… the candidates can actually DO some immediate good with the money that people have sent to the campaign. The amount of time/energy/money wasted on campaigns *and* elections is disgusting. The campaigning does nothing to help us, and is mostly used as a last-ditch effort to merely sway the votes of the uniformed. The waste is especially evident when so much of it is mud-slinging (local elections generally excepted… certainly this round).
While I’m in Supreme Ruler who can Make These Decisions mode: If we have to keep the current fundraising/campaign model (yeah, I suck at being Supreme Ruler too) Then here’s my next ask:
When campaigning, candidates are prohibited from speaking about any aspect of the other opponents or their party and affiliations. Each candidate may only speak about his or herself, and what he or she stands for and will accomplish. In short – zero mud-slinging allowed.
Darelldd wrote:
> When campaigning, candidates are prohibited from speaking about
> any aspect of the other opponents or their party and affiliations.
> Each candidate may only speak about his or herself, and what he or
> she stands for and will accomplish.
I have a hard time with any limits on free speech and want to put in another plug for what I would do as “Supreme Ruler” (unlike Darelldd I think I would make a great Supreme Ruler).
Any candidate that takes campaign cash will not be able to vote for any issue related to the people or groups that gave the cash. If the Cannery developer wants to give money to a candidate or fund a PAC we won’t stop them, but when it times to vote on the Cannery any candidate that got money or PAC support from the Cannery developer will have to recuse themselves and sit the vote out.
darelldd
“When campaigning, candidates are prohibited from speaking about any aspect of the other opponents or their party and affiliations. Each candidate may only speak about his or herself, and what he or she stands for and will accomplish. In short – zero mud-slinging allowed.”
Wow ! Where can I sign up to be your Vice Supreme Ruler ?
I like people who THINK and CHALLENGE the norm….
THAT is rarely EVER the ones who get the press and the time and so forth.
I KNOW why I DOn’t like the 2 faced WOLK and I KNOW why I can TRUST SAYLOR>
I LIKE LEE very much…
But, I truly hope that in the days of YORE>>>>since the OTHER three are SO alike that one ONLY votes for MATT>>>>
THAT is HOW to do it……. THAT is how to get MATT more votes than the OTHERS>>>>each of whom WILL split the mainstream votes and the palsy walsy VOTES>….. and the DEVELOPER votes and SO FORTH>>>>
I knew RIGHT Away that MATT was a thinking person and NOT beholden to anyone but those who could TRULY argue the CASE>…..not attorneys perhaps – but THOSE stakeholders who CARE>
Thus I don’t really CARE about the OTHER 2 slots…
I ONLY care about getting MATT elected…. VOTE for Matt and let the others lie as they will.
Marina Kalugin (Rumiansev)
OLD friend of Julie Partanksy (RIP) and John Munn….and Sue Greenwald (any relation here?)
OLD friend of DEANNE QUINNE and Deborah Nichols-Poulos
Founding member of PACE>>>>on the board of the RICCI fight…
ON the group that got MEASURE J through after we lost RICCI….
And, so many issues where the UNDERDOGS WERE elected… and there were UPSETS all over…
Have a good day… Off to cause some more havoc at my more than 24/7 career lifetime JOB at UCD>>>>
Saylor is as two faced as anyone he practically bankruptedDavis, supported the massive Covell Village and shutdown the Human Relations Commission. I’ll take my chances with Wolk.
Wolk, although he is a brilliant whatever, so I hear, is truly mediocre and stupid at the BASIC level…….no COMMON SENSE….and so forth…
Wolk thinks the toxic substance FLUORIDE will HELP children…by having THAT in the DAvis water…. THIS is NOT about FLuoride as the DENTISTs in TOWN who KNOW the truth will NOT SPEAK Out … THEY accept Delta Dental –
and THAT makes THAT case closed around HERE>>..
ONE HAS to vote for the lesser of the evils who HAVE the backing of BIG money…
In THIS case it is SAYLOR>>>>>
While I was against Saylor’s support of Covell Village I have to give hime kudos for shutting down the divisive HRC. I can’t vote for Wolk either, I also see him as two faced as evidenced in the way he handled the firefighter issues and soda tax (even though I’m against those types of taxes).
Let’s send a message (I plan to)… vote for Cecilia… (of all the ‘knowns’, am willing to vote for an ‘unknown’, knowing I can act differently in 2 years…). Just wish she had gotten her message out sooner…
Saylor had his hands far deeper in the pocket of the firefighters than Wolk. I think it was tens of thousands according to the Vanguard reporting.
Describing someone as two faced is blunt. Saying he is stupid is kinda mean spirited. and un-kind.
Sometimes I also say unkind things.
I’m working on that.
me too, sisterhood, I guess not very well today….
I usually try to say what was DONE was stupid not the person is…. my bad….
Now that I am RETIRING rather than fighting elder abuse issues trying to keep my elders ALIVE no thanks to the big HEALTH unions in this STATE….and no thanks to changes to MEDICARE since Obamacare……I will have MORE time, though perhaps NOT more money, to fight alongside those in THIS town who CONTINUE to FIGHT>>>>.
People like DON SAYLOR, Sunder, MARIKO YAMADA, Matt Williams….
I missed the passing of SO many friends last year as I had NO time to read the ole davis rag…
Many of THE best teachers….. Like Peterson and I am blank on the names of the others…Joanne Moldenhaur…and this one who lived around the corner when we were on Bates drive…..who spotted MY brilliant son in kindergarten… she was a substitute teacher doing MORNING kindergarten and was a neighbor. It was people like THESE teachers who struggled in the Earliest years to keep my 2 brilliant sons CHALLENGED before they got to go into GATE…..
Each is NOW dead….due to the stress of SEEING what is going on in TOWN…..that most IDIOTIC of superintendents and no one with a brain on the School Board, save SUNDER>….
Deborah Nichols-Poulos is VERY ill….and it is, my friends, also DUE TO STRESS>>>>
THEY EACH understood what the GATE attack and the COMMON CORE was truly doing to Davis CHILDREN>>>
NOT ALL have the opportunity for Peregrine, St. James and Sac privates….NOT all have the means or whatnot for DSIS….
I DID as a single and lowly paid mother for MOST of my career at UCD>>>..only BECAUSE of the choices I made……BOTH of my sons ended up HAVING to take SOME classes at DSIS…
I HAD to make that happen….
Marina Kalugin (Rumiansev)
I like women and I like Winters…..the PUSH POLL for DODD was ALSO a push poll for or against Cecilia.
It was ALSO a PUSH POLL for WOLK>
It WAS against Yamada and SAYLOR…..
will post when I am done with meetings for the MORNING>
As I think THROUgh it MORE you may recall GETTING such polls during the election period…
I WAS targetted and I answered it several times over the months…
I suspect it was EdVOICE behind IT …… no proof yet, but anyone who can do such investigations and has the time……PLEASE email me to the email I used on the DV……I don’t POST it due to too much spam already.
You can also do a preliminary email to me to my UCD>..but do NOT Leave ANY important info..
Election fraud is BEYOND belief in this country now…
Thank you.
In the LOCAL elections one CAN get elected due to SWEAT equity….the further OUT you go the MORE difficult it is….
The references to Julie Partansky are interesting… here’s my take…
In the first CC election she participated in, there were 3 seats open… there were a number of candidates in play (5 or 6 as I recall)… the way it was, there were many candidates who were supported by some folk, opposed by others… Julie was a bit “quirky”, with one of her main “issues” being not paving the gravel alleys north of Fifth. She was “different”.
Julie was obviously not particularly “political”, but was a genuinely nice person.
My theory is that she was the ‘third choice’ of a LOT of the voters… but, if you are the third choice of many voters (for many it was ‘throw-away’/’this could be interesting’ votes)… guess what? As Julie showed, if you are the ‘third choice’ of enough voters, you can become the highest vote-getter, and out of nowhere, you become not only a CC member, you become Mayor Pro Tem! [I refer to this as the ‘Partansky effect’]. Julie’s second term was HERS, not a fluke… she had earned it!
Lest someone mis-understand, I disagreed with Julie on so many things, so agreed with her on others… I met with her many times, at a professional level… my one regret is that I never got to hike the Sutter Buttes with her, in spring, when the wildflowers were in full bloom (she’d actually be my first choice to experience that with!)… I loved the way she looked at the world, particularly the natural world… away from “issues”, she was a wonderful, gracious, perceptive person. I miss Julie… but am so glad I got to know her, at least in a small way..
hpierce wrote:
> Julie was obviously not particularly “political”,
> but was a genuinely nice person.
For those new to town that never met Julie can see her on the video below:
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/x8gy2p/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-tunnel-vision
David Greenwald said . . . “The problem that Matt has, and I think he would be the first to acknowledge it – he has not built the campaign organization to walk and knock at every door.”
I do acknowledge David’s criticism, but to me that isn’t the key challenge in this campaign. The conversations we really need to have don’t happen as sound bytes on doorsteps.
The Sacramento Bee used the term “collegiality” in their endorsement article, and consistently in the candidate forums the two incumbents have hammered home a “we get along with one another” theme at every opportunity. The incumbents have also reinforced Mayor Wolk’s Davis Renaissance theme at every opportunity That makes sense if you want to get reelected … emphasize the positives and downplay the negatives.
Talking realistically about the serious challenges we face isn’t sexy. Many of my strongest supporters and closest advisors have cautioned me about being too candid about fiscal responsibility, saying “that is too Republican a message in this Democratic town.”
Knocking on doors is very important, but I think a more important factor is whether people value “kumbaya” over an honest message about the City’s fiscal realities that lurks underneath the veneer of collegiality.
My campaign isn’t about veneer. It is about whether you believe doing the same thing over and over again will produce a different result. Unfortunately I don’t.
The real meat of my Why do we have a lawsuit now with the Nishi project? message to the Chamber last Thursday was The reality is that we have broken down our communications. We have opened the door.” If we don’t change the processes that have created those broken down communications we will continue to throw away taxpayers money and make bad land use decisions. Cannery has proven to be both … a bad land use decision (that keeps on getting worse and worse) and a $1 million per year give away for 30 years thanks to the Council Subcommittee hiding the plans for a CFD in 2013 and the whole Council approving that CFD in May 2015.
Either the community wants to be honest about its future, or it wants collegiality/kumbya. The next 30 days will tell.
Matt Williams: “Cannery has proven to be both … a bad land use decision (that keeps on getting worse and worse) and a $1 million per year give away for 30 years thanks to the Council Subcommittee hiding the plans for a CFD in 2013 and the whole Council approving that CFD in May 2015.”
Couldn’t disagree more. Let’s just leave it at that…
Why is that? Expensive housing and a give away on the CFD and then they keep coming asking for more.
nameless
“Couldn’t disagree more. Let’s just leave it at that.”
I am unclear which portion of Matt’s statement you are disagreeing with. I know for a fact that at least one potential decision maker was kept strategically in the dark about the CFD from a direct conversation with this individual.
Matt,
Very articulate (and pleasantly short) discussion. I thought kumbaya was pretty dumb even as a kid sitting by a campfire. We’d be better off if the current city council had spent its time in meetings making necklaces from clover blossoms and singing Puff the Magic Dragon in three part harmony.
My default position is to always distrust politicians (a position strongly supported by the facts of history). I suppose at this point, I distrust you less than the rest. Oink!
Matt said “and the whole Council approving that CFD in May 2015.”
Matt, I know you are well informed enough to know that though the council as a whole approved the CFD, the whole council did not vote in favor of it, Brett and Robb voted against it, to me that is not the whole council approving it.
As for getting out anyone’s message, every means adds to the cumulative affect of more people knowing that you mean business not as usual, which should be attractive to many many people. Forums that reach many people at once of course are most effective.
You are right Donna. “Council as a whole” Brett and Robb voted against the Cannery CFD give away. Lucas, Dan and Rochelle voted for it.
Matt is trying to sell Yes on Nishi. Some old same old. And that is AFTER he tells people he would not have voted for it to be on the June ballot … because it was not ready. Was he for it before he was against it? Yes, by his own words. None of this makes any sense to me or most of my political colleagues. It means we have zero idea how he will vote when on the CC, because he tells people he was against something … then when it really matters, switches his vote like he did with A? This situation is unfortunate, and probably dooms his candidacy. But maybe he can still out-work Lucas or Brett. Time will tell.
As far as I know, he was for knowing more before he decided, rather than having to guess about what we would get when it comes to many unresolved details. The biggies are 1) the housing we need but is it a suitable place for people to live? and 2) the business revenue we need but will it actually generate net revenue and 3) TRAFFIC issues I’d venture to say are unmitigatable so do we decide to live with it? However now there is 4) per recent Enterprise piece, will they build it anyway and not be part of the city?
Interesting assessment Michael, but it isn’t a surprise that you have trouble relating to my problem solving approach. Your approach is “shoot first, ask questions later.” My approach is “ask questions first …” Your approach is rooted in passion. My approach is rooted in a dispassionate assessment/collection of the evidence.
My dispassionate look at the Nishi application in February told me that there was more evidence that needed to be solidified.
My dispassionate look at the June 7th decision is that a “No” vote kills the project for at least ten years, probably longer . . . and a killed project means higher rents all across Davis because of the supply/demand curve for housing, as well as a substantial increase in mini-dorm conversions of SFRs in family residential neighborhoods.
Its too bad (and a bit strange) that you don’t want Council members who take the time to do their homework before they vote.
Ah… old jedi/litigator mind trick… who was your Yoda, Me H?
Matt
“It is about whether you believe doing the same thing over and over again will produce a different result. Unfortunately I don’t.”
Unfortunately, I could not agree more. It is not that there has been no growth, either population or business since I first arrived in Davis in 1979. There has been a lot of growth, and yet we are faced with enormous infrastructure needs and a marked housing deficit. So why, with all the growth that we have had, do we see growth as our only way out when it has not succeeded to date ?
Dear Matt, you are the epitomy of kumbaya in your personae, …and yet much more ready to truly dig in and shovel it when that is needed…… that is why I am one of your biggest fans…..I hope that doesn’t backfire for you……..
when I first meet someone, whether in person, online, on the forums, or elsewhere…..I am a really astute judge of character…..that is not one hundred percent….but the first time I saw Matt’s name somewhere or saw him in a meeting I knew he had substance…..
many people do not appreciate people of substance….I do….
I like the young folk. also….they remind me of my sons….and other students who I work with on a daily basis….
hopefully we all continue to learn every day…..
ps substance has nothing to do with age nor experience….and neither does kumbaya… it is more about not being afraid to learn and challenge or change one’s mind as often as needed when the hard issues surface…….
and it also includes taking time every day to reflect on what is going on in the now….
David …”Charlie Schaupp is a Republican running in a district that is about 65 percent or so Democratic.”??? …. Check your facts. The 4th Assembly District is 44% Democratic, 25% Republican and 23% NPP (no party preference). Unless you are counting NPP as Democrats your numbers are a bit off. Never-the-less, if I ‘top two’, I will likely have a ‘hard row to hoe’ in the General Election due to the 19% Democratic advantage. Even at that, I too feel that the ‘Candidate’ is more important than the ‘Party’ to the swing voters that usually decide elections. However, this election cycle may be different than any other election we have seen in our lifetimes. Semper Fi
Charlie,
Important point. I’ve been a NPP for a very long time and find it amusing how many people actually seem to believe the world divides neatly into two parties – especially when there is so little fundamental difference between the two parties.
This year, I’ll be looking for a “None of the Above 2016” bumper sticker for the presidential race (could the choices possibly suck worse?) and focusing on local issues only – without bothering to take note of which party a candidate claims affiliation with.
NPIV wrote:
> I’ve been a NPP for a very long time
It warms my heart to read:
“New state voter registration figures continue the trend of the fastest growing segment of the California electorate registering without any political affiliation”
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/registered-705269-percent-california.html
that is nice….be sure though if you want to vote absentee you send in your request for the party you want to vote for……the republican is closed and one would need to reregister…..if you are a NPP, and don’t request the correct ballot in advance..you will have to show up at the polling place to get the correct ballot….
Actually only the President vote on the GOP side is closed…the rest of the ballot is open. This is because you actually voting for a slate of delegates to the National Convention and the GOP only wants GOP voters voting for their delegates…It is the same with the local GOP central committee. It’s not a direct election for President but rather a vote for Republican convention delegates. The Democrats choose to make theirs open to NPP…the GOP did not. If you want to vote for the GOP Presidential delegates you can have until May 23rd to mail in the change or just go to County Elections in the County Admin Building on Court Street in Woodland.
And, in CA, the NPP is the fastest growing… folk on the two ends of the bell curve should note that…
Thank you Dave….. I did NOT even have time to READ your commentary prior to my above rants.
I spent my mothers day ONLINE too much yesterday and only a half hour at WHOLE EARTH…because THIS got ME so mad….and many of the OTHER things that have gotten to me while I was NOT looking in THIS town….
If I were to vote for THREE, which I do NOT recommend as it WILL work AGAINST MATT>>>
I could flip a coin on the ones BESIDES MATT>
I forgot it was KROVOZa……UCKKK>….in the last race….and the ONLY reason Dodd won is because the Krovoza and Wolk split the difference…
PS> KNOWING the Wolk and the Krovoza as well as I DO<<<< I EVEN voted for Dodd….
HE had the push polls EVEN then….
I would NOT EVER have voted for HIM against MARIKO>>>>>>.
And, as I SAID sometimes one votes because THEY don’t have the time to truly GET IN DEEP>>>>
DO NOT DISMISS MARIKO>>>PLEASE>>>>> SHE WILL WIN>>>>SHE HAS THE PUBLIC WALKING AND CALLING>>>>>>SHE NEEDS MORE FREEBIES>>> I HAVE LITTLE TIME>>>
Please stop yelling.
I get told that all the time lately…be thankful you are not part of my family, my staff, my faculty, my Dean’s office..and we are NOT FB friends and you are NOT on my EMAIL lists and ……. I will try to tone it down….. but really real life is MUCH stranger than fiction and one cannot make all THIS stuff up…
watch for the serial, reality show to be about LIFE…in Davis, on campus, as an immigrant.. and so forth….it will mostly be about those who I have tried to help and why and how, the ones who were murdered and the ones who are still barely alive… and like Dallas and KNOTTS landing, but unlike the Truly rich and the REALLY famous, it will be about the grassroots folks who MAKE things happen behind the scenes….
My brilliant son #2, a Regents scholar, high potential early admit FINALLY graduating after many years with HONORS in Mechanical Engineering….has finally found HIS calling…..
AND NO-ONE saw the WRITING on the wall on the CFD?????
Just ONE week after the idiots on the council majority were celebrating….the jerks on the Developer side were back crying THEY couldn’t do it.
SAME developers as WOODBRIDGE and SAME crap construction at current MARKET RATES>….
NOT ANYTHING a true Davisite could afford…..and there you have it…
Those who don’t KNOW the history and those who THINK THEY know best or who get THEIR wheels greased…..continue to get what they deserve….. NOTHING>>>>…
[moderator] No name-calling, please.
Everyone here saw the writing on the wall on the CFD. The Vanguard reported it extensively and most of the readership agreed that it was a huge problem.
Marina
“NOT ANYTHING a true Davisite could afford…..and there you have it…”
A question for clarification. Please define how much money precludes one from being a true Davisite ? If one is worth $ 250,000 can they still qualify ? How about $ 500,000 ? Maybe a million ?
And we should ban outright lies/mis-information, such as,
BUT that MIGHT offend MARINA to POINT out THAT was an IGNORANT stateMENT or a FLaT-Out LIE!
i THINK we can ALL sEE how MarIna” will POst. AS is HER RiGHt…
ALWAYS follow the MONEY>>>>>it will lead to the SAME people trying to run THIS town….Unfortunately, measure J did NOT apply to the CANNERY>…and as a result DAVISITES are priced out…and garbage is sold as CUSTOM $million plus homes…RUSH they will to put up the finishing touches on the wood beams which are soaked rotten due to THESE latest rains…..Mold will occur once the developers are PAST the warranty period….ask MY NEIGHBORS behind MY fence…..Their TRULY expensive house had TOXIC MOLD>>>some years later…And, due to health issues, more than 3 families bailed prior to the fixing of the mold.
Marina wrote:
> RUSH they will to put up the finishing touches on the wood beams
> which are soaked rotten due to THESE latest rains…..Mold will occur
> once the developers are PAST the warranty
If the wood got wet last week in the rain it will dry out quickly once the roof is on and the weather gets warmer (and it gets as hot as an oven in the attics)…
P.S. If you don’t believe me buy a 2×4 at Hibbert and hose it off before putting it in your attic. Next year go in to the attic and you will find a dry 2×4 without any mold (not moldy “soaked rotten” wood)…
Same kind of issues with the old old popcorn ceilings and asbestos. (Newer ceilings okay.)
sisterhood, toxic mold is way deadlier….and builders should know better and they do….but without a competent structural engineer to stand over and inspect, that is what happens….
it is no different than the bolts in the NEW bay bridge that are already failing….too bad my dad was not around to do that inspection……..RIP Nicolai N Kalugin, GFDS partner and a true perfectionist….
I think the money in politics whine is overblown in many cases.
Money pays for two things in campaigns: media advertising and campaign labor. It is arguable, as has been demonstrated in many elections, that ground-game campaign labor is the more powerful asset. This is why a small labor union like the Davis firefighters has been so effective getting their man/woman into the CC to do their bidding.
Some people have no time because they are working 16 hour days 365 days a year to make money. They have money and can use it to help their candidates and political causes they support. There are other people that have time but not money, and they spend their time the same way.
Neither is less good than the other.
The criticism should be directed at the politicians that would reward either of these contributors (money or labor) instead of leading for what is in the best interests of the electorate.
PS> There have been times when I have voted for Schaup also…because I did NOT trust those the dems were trotting out…or those who I found were NOT who they claimed to be….and so forth…fortunately in CA the local and state are open…..as I do support the BEST of the bunch….and sometimes it is a very sorry bunch…. but NOT this time….each race has at least ONE truly decent person running…and that has NOTHING To do with party lines..
Frankly, Did YOU get the push polls…if not, you don’t know how devious the MONEYED side can be…
Says someone who truly has NO time and yet, spent ALL of her precious time in between working and sleeping trying to MAKE a difference in MANY campaigns, MANY issues and not get fired for posting on THIS forum truly SENSITIVE information….. more open and honest than anyone but ME would DARE to do…perhaps save my new pal Jerry…. of course, he only has ONE issue and I have the whole town and planet…
I am glad I didn’t know about this site last year…. LOL or I would TRULY be dead….
OK…I have no problem sharing this. Here is the deal: I found out at the State GOP Convention about 10 days ago at IE money then was $300K for Aguiar-Curry. It is PG&E, Chevron, Realtors and others that want her in the ‘top two’. They have spend a lot on polling…and will keep polling, both real polls and push polls, to ensure Cecilia is in ‘top two’. When the polling shows she is slipping they will spend more IE money…That is why it’s now at $500+K. They did the same for Dodd last time. Last poll numbers I heard was Wolk and I are on top, followed by Aguiar-Curry then Saylor (almost a 4 way tie)…then way back is Kropp. I am not sure how or whom they are going to spend their IE money on except to build up Cecilia in the polls…and attack ads. But I don’t know if the attack ads will be aimed at Wolk or me or all of us. All these monies supporting Cecilia are normal GOP backers. Frankly I gave one of the Realtor lobbyist hell about it and he said “Look, everyone at this Convention is greedy”… I responded, “No most the folks here want to do the right thing…It’s you, the special interests, that are greedy ones’. He paused for moment, a bit shocked I would be so bold with and looked me with a sharp eye and said “Yes, your right…But that is how this works”. For what it’s worth the IE money will keep pouring into this race until the special interests are sure Aguiar-Curry is in the ‘top two’. Semper Fi
For better or worse, the Democratic Party rules California. Voters looking for fiscal sanity from the legislature are better served by voting for fiscally conservative Democrats who are able to work within the one-party system to effect change, then to vote for a Republican, who will be forced to sit on the sidelines.
***Correction: Bill Dodd’s campaign said that he did not support Mitt Romney as previously reported – he supported Obama in 2008 and 2012***
No wonder I have voted for YOU Charlie…….it is NEVER about the party affiliation for ME>>. LOL
Now that I know this, I will ONLY vote for YOU…. and, once done with some MORE UCD work….I will find my documentation on the PUSH POLLs…
Wolk and Saylor will split the difference…..
and yes, PGE WANTS someone who WILL back the MASSIVE new towers to be built THROUGH Winters AREA….
SIGHHHHHHH……Now THAT is making sense ALSO… The huge NEW PGE training center going in in Winters….pushing along the housing prices there right now…..buy while you still can…
The PUSH polls are Pro Cecilia…pro Dodd – pro Wolk …
Mariko Yamada was NOT mentioned –
I received at least 3 -4 on the topic from the same company…. no mention of Mariko Yamada after the very first one….
Saylor is an afterthought….
Only to try to push HIM out…..
Docs later ….after five or whenever…
AND< do the DODD guys have some EVIDENCE to back up their statement?
And, really, he voted for Obama a SECOND time….. my my….
Here is some more info on what is actually going with these independent expenditures. Back in December I attended GOP Trail Blazer training. One of the speaker that talked about what they call the ‘3rd House’ (Lobbyist and PAC’s) was the lobbyist from the Association of Realtors. When I introduced myself he said “Oh you’re the fellow that ran against Dodd last time and running against Cecilia this time”. Now bear in mind this is back in December 2015. He went on to say “Yes we spend a lot of money to get Dodd elected and he has really disappointed us by now jumping to the Senate”. It was then I realized that political forces were already lining up behind Aguiar-Curry (he knew her by her first name) to again keep Walk from getting the top two and forcing me into another situation where I would have to run against a Democrat being help by independent expenditures the way Dodd was last time. They want to keep Wolk out of the ‘Top Two’ again. It was pretty clear then and has come to fruition now…
And on polling, my sources told me in the Senate race Coppes and Yamada are leading followed by Dodd. This means that Dodd will spend the ‘Max Amount’ from his war chest over the next 3 weeks to get into the top two…and well as the GOP leaning independent expenditure groups to protect the large investment they made two year ago into Dodd’s election to the Assembly. If Dodd doesn’t ‘top two’ he is out of office and they lose their investment.
BTW…I just got my first IE mailer in the mail today supporting Aguiar-Curry…It is all about her being a farmer–paid for by ‘Keep California Golden’ (A GOP leaning group). It would be interesting to ask Cecilia just how much money, if any, she earns as a farmer. Or is she only receiving cash rents? Does she have ‘capital deprecation’, actual farm costs, does she file a ‘Schedule F’ with the IRS or similar schedule? I made about $33K last year from our family joint ventures (which is down because of the drought). Perhaps someone should find out if she’s really a farmer.
Semper Fi
After reading all this stuff, I’m almost ready to vote for you, Charlie!
Don I have tried to explain things as accurately as I can. BTW the Realtor Lobbyist actually told us he selects who and who is not elected to the Assembly and State Senate. That is why the ‘Third House’ is so damn powerful…expenditures like you are seeing for Dodd and Aguiar-Curry. He joked that his wife doesn’t believe he really as that power. In all honesty there is corruption on both sides of the aisle…I am just especially hard on the Republican side. I expect honorable conduct from Republican, as I am one, and will accept nothing less. We work for the voters…not the lobbyist. Semper Fi
Mr Schaupp… I believe you’d do much better in June, if your “party” allowed the ‘independents (NPP) ‘ to vote in the Republican primary… Kasich might have done much better if more state Republican parties allowed open primaries… that ship has sailed, and unless you’re really lucky in the Democrats splitting their votes (where NPP folk can vote), I see no way you’ll be in the General Election come fall… you ought to talk to your party if you are REALLY interested in serving… right now, I see you as a snowball in a really hot place… a lot of us are NPP’s for damn good reasons…
I understand your point. Indeed it will be hard for Republicans ‘down the ticket’ like myself to gain support of the NPP voters. But like I explained. The Primary is about delegate selection and more than just a vote for a President. The delegates selected by the winning candidate in each congressional district are for our National Convention. These delegates also also decide our National Platform and other major issues. We only convene the National Convention once every 4 years. That is ‘the thinking’ on why its ‘closed’ for delegate selection to only GOP voters. The Democrats decided to open their delegate selection to NPP but they also have over 500 appointed ‘super delegates’ put in there by elected party members to maintain control of items like their national platform. The GOP does not allow this…In the GOP only each states Chairman and their National Committeeman and National Committeewoman get appointed to attend and, in California, they must vote for whom-ever wins the GOP primary (on at least the first two ballots). All other delegates are elected by the voters…and much more is at state than just the ballot for President.
And, DON>>> That would be the correct thing to do… It appears that a similar ploy was done with Dodd last year…and he won after those Davis boys split the difference .
It really appears that the one we don’t want in more than anyone else is cecilia…. too bad too bad….
My hubby and I were going to bail Davis for Winters…..and then too much stuff is coming to light…we are now bailing for Capay…..but I am really NOT leaving… not really – too much still to do here…
PS> my hubby is also making a point to tear up the fancy flyers that are left on our doorstop of the various things we do not support…. and leaving them in a pile on the walkway…..you know the ones for Dodd and the ones for yes on A…. we will be also putting the ones for Cecilia on the pile also…..
That is to stop those folks from even bothering at our house…..LOL ( I had to ask when my friend said HUH?)