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.

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.

“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?

State Sen. Tony Strickland never misses a chance to vilify government as an out-of-touch, evil entity that does nothing right and only causes problems.

If government is so bad, why does Strickland stay in it? Could it be his government paycheck? Or maybe it’s the government-paid benefits. Those benefits, especially healthcare, far exceed the basic ones he wants to deprive less-privileged — but certainly deserving — people.

No, Sen. Strickland, government is not the problem. It’s self-serving people like you, who either lack the will or intelligence to find solutions.

— Carol Keavney, Letter to the Editor, Ventura County Star, 3/5/10

State Sen. Tony Strickland never misses a chance to vilify government as an out-of-touch, evil entity that does nothing right and only causes problems.

If government is so bad, why does Strickland stay in it? Could it be his government paycheck? Or maybe it’s the government-paid benefits. Those benefits, especially healthcare, far exceed the basic ones he wants to deprive less-privileged — but certainly deserving — people.

No, Sen. Strickland, government is not the problem. It’s self-serving people like you, who either lack the will or intelligence to find solutions.

— Carol Keavney, Letter to the Editor, Ventura County Star, 3/5/10

A public opinion survey this month showed a “toxic” level of negative views about Assemblywoman Audra Strickland just before she launched her campaign for county supervisor, the pollster said Tuesday.

The poll was commissioned by the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. The union supports Strickland’s opponent, 2nd District Supervisor Linda Parks.

Precision Politics, a political consulting firm based in Simi Valley, conducted the poll during the first week of February, a few days before Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks, officially entered the race.

Marc O’Hara, Precision Politics’ owner and founder, said the results show “a very toxic environment for Audra Strickland.”

Herb Gooch, a political science professor at California Lutheran University, said the poll is a “rough indicator” for the 2nd District, because it had a fairly high margin of error. But even taking that into account, Gooch said, Strickland’s negatives were very high.

“If I were running Audra Strickland’s campaign, I’d be worried,” he said. “She’s got a lot of work to do…”

~ excerpted from the Ventura County Star 2/16/10; article by Tony Biasotti

As Audra Strickland’s time in the state assembly draws to a close, and with little to show for it save a steady paycheck, she has announced she will move to Thousand Oaks and run against popular fellow Republican Linda Parks for County Supervisor.  Parks, who enjoys rare bi-partisan support, was elected District 2 Supervisor in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006.

In making her announcement, Strickland blasted Parks as being a “carpetbagger from Berkeley.”   It was a rough start for Strickland with this swing and a miss as Parks has never lived in Berkeley.  In fact, it is Strickland who re-registered to vote in the 2nd Supervisoral District only two weeks ago for the sole purpose of qualifying to run.

Strickland cited support and urging from the GOP Central Committee in her decision to run and has stated that she was surprised by a recent push poll they commissioned which attempted to discredit Park’s record.  It is interesting to note that the GOP Central Committee members include Strickland’s husband Tony Strickland, her mother-in-law, a former staff member and his wife, a business partner, and a businessman who has received more that 1.5 million in business from the Stricklands.

In the past, the majority of campaign funding for Strickland came from outside of her district and included contributions from big tobacco, horse racing, and indian gambling interests.

The Ventura County Democratic Central Committee passed the following Resolution last night by unanimous vote. Members of the Committee feel strongly that in light of the recent activist Supreme Court rulings breaking the long-standing, anti-corporate personhood interpretation of the United States Constitution that the only way to have fair elections is to have publicly-financed ones.

A good example of the problem is the over $7 million dollars raised on the Tony Strickland (R), Hannah-Beth Jackson (D) race for the California 19th State Senate District race which made it the most expensive legislative campaign in California history. Strickland raised $4.3 million to win the seat, and Jackson raised $2.7 million and lost. Over 60% of Tony Strickland’s contributions came from corporations, business leaders and individuals outside of the 19th State Senate District. When one sees numbers like this, one must ask who the elected really represents.

The average politician spends 4 hours per day fund raising to get elected to office.

The full text of the Resolution passed is:

Endorsement of California Fair Elections Act campaign activities in Ventura County
Author: Jay Kapitz
Sponsor: Sandra Kinsler

WHEREAS, The California Fair Elections Act on the June 2010 ballot creates a voluntary system for candidates for Secretary of State to qualify for a public campaign grant if they agree to strict spending limits and take no private contributions.

WHEREAS, Candidates under the California Fair Elections Act would have to qualify before receiving the grant, would have to demonstrate sufficient public support would receive the same amount and would be prohibited from raising or spending money beyond the grant.

WHEREAS, The Ventura County Fair Elections campaign is organizing events including but not limited to awareness meetings, tabling, phone banking, and canvassing in Ventura County,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ventura County Democratic Central Committee shall support these activities.

as reported by Timm Herdt, Ventura County Star, 1/19/10

The chairman of the Ventura County Central Committee on Tuesday all but acknowledged that the county GOP was behind a politically charged telephone survey conducted earlier this month that questioned Thousand Oaks voters about a potential challenge of incumbent Supervisor Linda Parks by termed-out Assemblywoman Audra Strickland.

The survey, known in political circles as a “push poll,” included an array of highly negative assertions about Parks’ performance, including such allegations as she “cut food services for poor senior citizens” and “fought for $100,000 to fund more humane ways to kill ground squirrels.”

Asked Tuesday whether the county GOP was behind the survey, Chairman Mike Osborn responded: “Maybe.” He acknowledged, however, that he had seen the results, which survey firms typically disclose only to their clients.

Does that mean the county party paid for the survey? “I don’t think anybody’s paid for it, yet,” Osborn responded.

The party is not required to publicly report political expenditures made between Jan. 1 and March 17 until March 22.

Parks, a Republican, said she is concerned the county party would be involved in an attack on one of its own.

“It’s really disappointing that they would go after a moderate Republican,” she said. “There’s been a push by the right-wing element to go after moderates.”

She said she is further disappointed the party would inject partisan politics into a nonpartisan campaign for supervisor. “I don’t want to see the Board of Supervisors locked up in the same gridlock we have in the state Legislature,” she said. “I really disdain the thought of having partisan politics on the Board of Supervisors.”

The GOP Central Committee is dominated by close allies of Strickland and her husband, Sen. Tony Strickland. They include Osborn and his wife, Mary; Tony Strickland’s mother, Toni; Chris Valenzano, a former staff member for Tony Strickland, and his wife, Deyla; and Darin Henry, whose campaign mailing firm received more than $1.5 million in combined business in 2008 from the Stricklands.

Parks will be seeking re-election to her third term this year. The election will take place June 8; if no candidate receives a majority in that balloting, a runoff would be conducted in November.

Osborn said he was “pretty pleased with the results” of the survey and hopes that Strickland will decide to challenge Parks. “If it were me, I’d be chomping at the bit,” he said.

Parks angered many Republicans in 2008, when she endorsed Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson over Tony Strickland in their high-profile campaign for state Senate. Parks, known for her advocacy for open space and land conservation, said she based her endorsement on what she considered to be Jackson’s superior environmental positions.

Audra Strickland said last week she has not decided on her future political plans but is keeping open a variety of options. Strickland lives in Moorpark, and would have to move to Parks’ District 2 to run for the supervisorial seat. The district includes the Conejo Valley, the Santa Rosa Valley and parts of the Oxnard plain.

Strickland announced in November that she intended to run for treasurer-tax collector, but those plans were dashed after the Board of Supervisors voted to adopt in Ventura County an optional state law that allows counties to impose professional and educational criteria for the job. Strickland apparently does not meet the standards.

She said last week, however, that she has not completely abandoned the idea of running for treasurer-tax collector. Sources have told The Star that she has sought a legal opinion as to whether her service as an assemblywoman on the state’s Little Hoover Commission would meet the legal criteria. Strickland would not confirm or deny whether she has sought such an opinion.

Strickland must make a decision about her political future by March 15, the deadline for candidates to file in order to appear on the June ballot.