Ferial Masry, Candidate for 37th Assembly District is saluting MANNA of Conejo Valley at her campaign kickoff on May 2, 2010.

Ferial’s perseverance has been years in the making and now she has an Open Seat! High School Civic & American Government Teacher at Distinguished San Fernando Valley School. She is a grassroots activist, small business owner, labor member, neighbor, friend, mother, wife, committed community member, and she has name recognition.

ADMITTANCE: Bring several dry goods or canned food, your dancing partner, shoes and noise makers. Free ample parking. Open to the community. Great Networking! Free hors d’ oeuvres, Desserts & Drinks! Ventura County 2010 Candidates, Propositions, Voter Registration & Special Guests. Opportunities available for campaign endorsements and fund raising.

LOCATION: Casa De La Senda Clubhouse, 3780 Cabrillo Avenue, Newbury Park, CA 91320
Date: May 2, 2010
TIME: 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
RSVP: Ventura County (805) 498-7608; LA County (661) 295-9318

Sponsored by Friends to Elect Ferial Masry for (California’s 37th) Assembly District, 2010.
FPPC ID # 1321069 http://www.ferialmasryforassembly.com
POB #19244, Newbury Park, CA 91320‐0213; MasryforASSEMBLY@GMAIL.COM;
Ventura County: 805‐498‐7068 or Los Angeles County: 661‐295‐9318
Financial Contribution limited to $3,600 per person. Contributions are not tax deductible

Ventura, CA – Thursday night, 3/25/2010 The Democratic Club of Ventura and Ventura County Democratic Party presented “2010 Democratic Candidate Town Hall” at the Topping Room, E.P Foster Library, 651 Main Street, Downtown.

Forty-five people attended the town hall meeting hosted by Helen Conly, Vice President and event coordinator. The program opened with political consultant and local software business creator David Maron, who was emcee.

Sheriff hopeful, Geoff Dean assured the audience that “political persuasion or party won’t be the catalyst behind him giving out future arrests. Criminality is not parceled out by whether or not you are a republican”, said the avowed Republican candidate.
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Written questions from the audience were also asked by Maron.

Next was Ferial Masry with a fifteen-minute presentation. Masry expressed the need for California, the 6th largest economy in the world, to strive to become the state where business owners create products and services that can be used globally, to educate and prepare our students to be the 21st century work force instead of going to foreign countries and to reconsider green initiatives that supplement sustainable energy resources and careers.

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The 37th Assembly District includes the following cities: Acton, Agua Dulce, Camarillo, Canoga Park, Castaic, Chatsworth, Fillmore, Los Angeles, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak View, Ojai, Piru, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Somis, Thousand Oaks, Val Verde, West Hills, and Westlake Village.

As opposed to prior advertising, the program wasn’t televised although some of the content was captured by Todd Hoover a videographer from the Santa Clarita area.

Other participants were Ed Summers and Peggy O’Reilly, both running for Treasurer; Jim Dantona, running for County Clerk. For more information regarding the 2-1/2 hour town hall see: http://www.youtube.com/user/crazycatherder#p/u

Yesterday we reported that Tony Strickland will pay a $3,000 fine for violation of state campaign law.  Today we hear that Audra Strickland, soon to be ex-assemblywoman, appears to be in violation of the city ordinance prohibiting campaign signs earlier than 45 days prior to an election [TOMC 9-4.2304(d)].  Yesterday an Audra Strickland for Supervisor sign was spotted at the ExxonMobil gas station at 45 N Reino in the Newbury Park neighborhood of Thousand Oaks.

We’re sure that it is just a coincidence that the first sign to appear is on the property of one of her campaign donors, but careless disregard of the law seems to be a recurring theme with Audra and Tony.  Candidates need to keep in mind the best interests of the community and not on what will leverage a degree of political advantage in a contentious campaign.

Republican Tony Strickland will be fined $3,000 for violating state campaign law.  The fine stems from a negative attack mailer against then-opponent Hannah-Beth Jackson in 2008.  Strickland, a career politician, failed to disclose the source of the mailer.  According to the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Strickland should have known better stating the omission was, “at worst intentional, at best negligent.”

Strickland, who has been fund raising for former Goldman Sachs board member Meg Whitman, wants to trade in his senate seat for a run for State Controller.  Given his history of reckless, even illegal campaign practices, some would question his suitability for higher office.

It’s one of the challenges for the former eBay CEO, a Republican who’s marketed herself as a Sacramento outsider ready to deliver a “new California” as she seeks to succeed Schwarzenegger in the state’s top job. Meg Whitman has hired some of Schwarzenegger’s top advisers even as she attempts to distance herself from the governor, whose poll numbers are at a historic low as California wrestles with a $20 billion deficit.

Two months before the June primary, Whitman is taking shots from critics on both sides of the aisle, who argue that her campaign is a rerun of Schwarzenegger’s first bid for public office seven years ago.

~ excerpt from a piece by Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle 3/29/10
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/28/MNID1CLPKU.DTL#ixzz0jdtvtfnY

On Tuesday, Meg Whitman issued MEG 2010: Building a New California, and she laid it on the line about taxes: “We simply cannot afford a big, across-the-board tax cut that would irresponsibly grow the state’s already over-sized debt level and drop our bond rating to junk status.”  Instead, we should totally eliminate the state tax on capital gains.

We should do so because “California is one of a few states in the country that doesn’t tax capital gains at a lower rate than traditional income. This is double taxation at its worst. California’s tax treatment of capital gains is a major impediment to capital formation and investment in new jobs. We should align California’s tax treatment of capital gains with other competing states.”

Her statement has a nice read, but in actuality forty-one states tax capital gains at the exact same rate as “traditional income.” Only nine tax capital gains at a lower rate.

Meg’s statement in not only misleading, but is an outright deception on her part.  Sounds like Meg is already taking advice from her pick for Controller – Tony Strickland.

The House of Representatives just released this list of benefits for our 24th Congressional District that are included in the pending health care reform bill.  Elton Gallegley (R) has indicated that he will vote against this bill.

a) Improve coverage for 476,000 residents with health insurance.
b) Give tax credits and other assistance to up to 106,000 families and 15,000 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
c) Improve Medicare for 95,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole.
d) Extend coverage to 35,500 uninsured residents.
e) Guarantee that 9,300 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
f) Protect 1,000 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
g) Allow 47,000 young adults to obtain coverage on their parents’ insurance plans.
h) Reduce the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $26 million annually.
i) Provide millions of dollars in new funding for 54 community health centers.

~ Source: House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce

http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/health_care/districts/new/CA24.Gallegly.pdf

Ventura, CA, Arnulfo “AC” Carbajal announced today that after careful consideration, he has decided to withdraw from the race for County Clerk/Recorder and endorse Jim Dantona.

Carbajal explained that he was motivated to run for County Clerk/Recorder in late 2009 after he saw that the only declared candidate lacked the non-partisanship necessary to effectively run the county’s elections office.  Carbajal described his motivation for running: “Every candidate and every voter must trust the integrity of the elections office and must be 100% certain that the person responsible for elections is independent.  In good conscience, I could not sit by and let an officer in the Republican party take control of this office without voters having a choice.”

AC Carbajal is a registered Democrat but has never served on the central committee or in any position within the party and has never raised funds for either party.  He has always believed and acted independently of either party.

Carbajal went on to explain his reasons for stepping aside.  “When Jim Dantona entered this race, I investigated his experience and credentials much like I investigated Mark Lunn.  Jim Dantona has never served on any party central committee and has truly been an independent voice in Ventura County politics.  In addition, Dantona has excellent experience in elections, management and serving the community.  When I realized that we shared a deep respect for independent elections, I decided that the stakes were too high to have three candidates in this race.  For these reasons, I have decided to step aside and support Jim Dantona.  I intend to work hard for him and for the people of Ventura County to elect the most independent person in this race who will best protect taxpayer dollars.

Jim Dantona is an independent small businessman who runs a legislative and governmental consulting firm.  An dedicated youth advocate, community leader and philanthropist, he founded Baseballers Against Drugs in1989, helping over 60,000 young people to fight drugs and gangs and stay in school. The organization was awarded the 2003 Volunteer Organization of the Year and Dantona was honored by the FBI with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.

“I am honored to have AC Carbajal standing beside me in this race,” states Dantona.  “We are both passionate about protecting the American democratic process as we have both seen examples in the county of Election Day mistakes, needless delays of election results and poor investments of our hard-earned tax dollars,  With AC’s help, I will fight for a county-wide voter outreach while working to prevent voter fraud.”

Ventura, CA, Arnulfo “AC” Carbajal announced today that after careful consideration, he has decided to withdraw from the race for County Clerk/Recorder and endorse Jim Dantona.

Carbajal explained that he was motivated to run for County Clerk/Recorder in late 2009 after he saw that the only declared candidate lacked the non-partisanship necessary to effectively run the county’s elections office.  Carbajal described his motivation for running: “Every candidate and every voter must trust the integrity of the elections office and must be 100% certain that the person responsible for elections is independent.  In good conscience, I could not sit by and let an officer in the Republican party take control of this office without voters having a choice.”

AC Carbajal is a registered Democrat but has never served on the central committee or in any position within the party and has never raised funds for either party.  He has always believed and acted independently of either party.

Carbajal went on to explain his reasons for stepping aside.  “When Jim Dantona entered this race, I investigated his experience and credentials much like I investigated Mark Lunn.  Jim Dantona has never served on any party central committee and has truly been an independent voice in Ventura County politics.  In addition, Dantona has excellent experience in elections, management and serving the community.  When I realized that we shared a deep respect for independent elections, I decided that the stakes were too high to have three candidates in this race.  For these reasons, I have decided to step aside and support Jim Dantona.  I intend to work hard for him and for the people of Ventura County to elect the most independent person in this race who will best protect taxpayer dollars.

Jim Dantona is an independent small businessman who runs a legislative and governmental consulting firm.  An dedicated youth advocate, community leader and philanthropist, he founded Baseballers Against Drugs in1989, helping over 60,000 young people to fight drugs and gangs and stay in school. The organization was awarded the 2003 Volunteer Organization of the Year and Dantona was honored by the FBI with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.

“I am honored to have AC Carbajal standing beside me in this race,” states Dantona.  “We are both passionate about protecting the American democratic process as we have both seen examples in the county of Election Day mistakes, needless delays of election results and poor investments of our hard-earned tax dollars,  With AC’s help, I will fight for a county-wide voter outreach while working to prevent voter fraud.”

“Because we all love California too much to let it fail.” Something Meg Whitman likes to say every few minutes on TV.  She spends her millions trying to convince Californians to trust her better judgment and believe that she can bridge the divide.  Then she goes and taps Moorpark’s own Tony Strickland to run for State Controller on her slate.

State Controller, you say?  I know I want someone in that job who has a track record of being owned by big tobacco, indian gaming, and health insurance companies. Someone who literally has taken his party’s lead on halting bi-partisanship in Sacramento and who is ready to give up his state Senate seat after just completing his first year.  A career politician who has virtually no record of accomplishment.

Doesn’t that make you feel a lot better about her choice?  What on earth was Meg Whitman thinking when she made this decision?