For those unfamiliar with the California Republican Assembly endorsement process, it is bottom up. This means that local units endorse locally not the state. Any unit that has ANY part of the district in their boundaries can participate. Gerrymandered districts make this interesting. As a past president I know this makes things interesting. Sometimes the locals defy prevailing wisdom. I have seen a great conservative do something to enrage local delegates and lose the endorsement and I have seen local units find a gem that no one in Sacramento is talking about. And as always it takes a 2/3rds vote of the delegates to be endorsed.
CRA held their Los Angeles endorsing convention Saturday in Pasadena. CRA President Celeste Greig presided.
Below is the list of endorsements. There were some good presentations. Star Parker running against Laura Richardson for Congress is always awesome to hear. She was of course endorsed. The one surprising race was the 59th AD. The San Bernardino County part of the district was invited. And the Hesperia unit I’m told decided not to send delegates. Anthony Riley, Ken Hunter and Corey Calaycay didn’t show.
I don’t know is it was an organized boycott or not, but in the political process there is an important lesson in all of this. If you don’t show up or boycott your side usually loses.
The delegates there endorsed Chris Lancaster. Obviously Dick Mountjoy’s support is really critical in some of those LA units. Tim Donnelly and Iver Bye did make presentations. They sounded solid conservative themes, but Lancaster was the big winner.
ENDORSEMENTS FOR CRA LA COUNTY CONVENTION (any spelling errors below are Peggy Mew’s not mine for a change)
LA COUNTY ASSESSOR
John Dortch
CONGRESS
26th CD David Dreier
27th CD Mark Reed
28th CD Merlin Froyd
29th CD John Colbert
30th CD David Benning
31st CD Stephen Smith
32nd CD Ed Schmerling
33rd CD James Andion
35th CD K Bruce Brown
36th CD Pete Kesterson
37th CD Star Parker
39th CD Larry Andre
STATE SENATE
20th SD Suzy Evans
24th SD William Morrison
26th SD Rabbi Nachum Shifren
28th SD John Stammreich
30th SD Noel Jaimes
ASSEMBLY
36th AD Steve Knight
37th AD Jeff Corell
38th AD Cameron Smyth
40th AD Dennis De Young
43rd AD Sunder Ramani
44th AD Alvaro Day
47th AD Lady Cage
49th AD Brad Taylor
50th AD P J Mellana
52nd AD Gwen Patrick
53rd AD Nathan Mintz
54th AD Martha Flores Gibson
58th AD Garrett May
59th AD Chris Lancaster
CENTRAL COMMITTEE
44TH AD
Peter Amundson
Steven Johnson
Elaine Klock
Gene Masuda
Peggy Mew
John Quintanilla
Julie Vallante
53rd AD
Patrick Kit Bobko
Bob Holmes
Kimberlee Mac Mullan
Richard Montgomery
John Parsons
Julius Wilson
54th AD
Deborah Berger
Alex Burrola
John Cozza
John Fer
Davina Keiser
Dave Najar
Nancy Sciortino
59th AD
Linda Boyd
Carolyn Gonzales
John Gordon
Paul Gray
Jamie Menetrey
Jim Meyer
Joseph Salas
April 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
It’s too bad that the CRA didn’t bother to even let Ken Hunter know about the event. Otherwise, Ken would have been there to let the Republicans know about Lancasters’ deficiencies:
1) donates money to Democrats
2) recalled for raising taxes
3) fined by FPPC for not reporting $8000 recieved from another politician just before voting in favor of the politician’s special interest projection
While Lancaster may say #2 and #3 happened years, #1 didn’t.
Even more surpising, is info from Lancaster’s website. With all the news about how the state is going bankrupt because of Union pensions, Lancaster actually supports giving Union public employees 87% pensions at at age 50. How many taxpayers have lucrative pensions like that?
“I support defined benefit plans – including th 3% at 50 retirement benefit” from Lancasters website, his answers to endorsement questionaire from public employee Union.
Lancaster boasts that he has the backing from public employee Unions. When it comes to a choice of raising taxes to protect the Unions or cutting spending, who will he support?
When the Unions and the Democrats vote to protect themselves at the expense, where will Lancaster be, with the Unions or the Republicans?
To learn more about a candidate who isn’t backed by the Unions, go to KenHunter.com
John Wurm – Ken’s campaign manager
April 15th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I have e-mailed the CRA and each of the directors of the CRA, with no response.
It is strange that a “Republican” Assembly would endorse a candidate who donates to Democrats.
I thought we were supposed to be defeating Democrats, not donating to them.
April 16th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Candidate Forum at Lake Arrowhead Country today, in order of appearance:
Corey Calaycay – talked mostly about his family, business and political background.
Ken Hunter – will slash taxes, spending and regulations. said he was hard on his opponents, but would be harder on any Rino defectors in Sacramento, linked Riley and corruption by donations to Riley of Colonies money and linked Adams to Riley by donations by Adams to Riley, said Adams betrayed the voters
Iver Bye – spoke about his faith and constitutional issues
Tim Donnelly – emphasized immigration and his border work
Chris Lancaster – talked about ethics in government, Prop 8, and that he made a mistake 17 years ago when he raised taxes
Anthony Riley – no show
John Wurm – Ken’s campaign manager
April 17th, 2010 at 12:00 am
There’s another event on Monday, a debate in Claremont. I’ll post another report on Tuesday. It’d be nice if we could resolve the issue about why Ken wasn’t made aware of the endorsment event. I will contact Corey Calaycay to see if he was invited.
For more info on Ken’s common sense campaign to get California working, visit KenHunter.com. He’s the Rino Hunter
John Wurm
April 18th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Interesting that Riley didn’t make the endorsement event either. I don’t know if he was not informed or just decided not to show.
I still haven’t heard from CRA. I can only assume they are too embarassed at endorsing a Republican who supports Democrats. Maybe they didn’t know that when they endorsed Lancaster.
It isn’t a mystery why the Democrats run the state or why the Tea Party is so popular. When Recall Adams endorses Riley who got money from Adams and the CRA endorses Republicans who donate to Democrats, the average voter can only conclude that Republicans don’t know what they are doing. The result – California is on the way to becoming the Detroit of the Left Coast, an economic disaster zone. When it happens, we will only have ourselves to blame.
Our only chance is to elect candidates like Ken Hunter. He is hard on his primary opponents, but will be even harder on the Democrats and Rinos in Sacramento.
Visit KenHunter.com
April 19th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I will check w/ Corey Calaycay on tonight’s debate in Clarmont, where everyone was invited to see if he got the word. It be nice if the CRA would contact the Hunter campaign with an explanation.
Maybe they tried and got the wrong number or it was lost in the mail?
The lack of response is as disturbing as the not getting an invitation.
Without an explanation, one can only assume the worst.
April 19th, 2010 at 12:00 am
I will check w/ Corey Calaycay on tonight’s debate in Clarmont, where everyone was invited to see if he got the word. It be nice if the CRA would contact the Hunter campaign with an explanation.
Maybe they tried and got the wrong number or it was lost in the mail?
The lack of response is as disturbing as the not getting an invitation.
Without an explanation, one can only assume the worst.
April 20th, 2010 at 12:00 am
Mountain View Republican Club Candidate Forum in Clarmonte 4/19.
All Candidates except Anthony Riley came. Riley has missed 3 events in a row. He seems to have taken himself out of the race. Perhaps Hunter has another Rino trophey for his wall.
The event was very well attended and maybe the best so far of the campaign. The Mountain View Club has some fired up Republicans.
Corey Calaycay – His home court. Talked alot about his city council experience.
Iver Bye – Constitutional themes and his faith.
Ken Hunter – Said his goal was a Republican majority for the Assembly. Proposes to cut all taxes to 5.5% to get businesses back to California. Illegal immigration bad for the state and bad for the illegals. Said Unions have crippled the state’s budget.
Tim Donnelly – related almost every problem in the state to illegal aliens(his term). Said he wouldn’t go on a “full frontal assault” against the unions because they are too tough.
Chris Lancaster – Talked about faith and ethics, supported Prop 8, stop state from raiding local govt.
All agreed on AB32, taxes and spending too high.
Calaycay confirmed to me that he had been invited to CRA endorsment event. Apparently only Hunter was not invited.
April 21st, 2010 at 12:00 am
Ken has gone on record opposing needlessly attacking illegal immigrants. His most recent letter to the editor was published in the Hesperia Star.
At the last 2 candidate forums,Tim Donnelly blamed legal “aliens”(his term) for 90% of California’s problems. We lose focus on figting high taxes, spending and over regulation when we use that highly charged rhetoric. Illegal immigrants didn’t vote for the record tax increases, it was white Democrats and white Rinos. Why irriate 20% of the voters with false attacks and using out dated terms with overly negative connotaions? I can only assume that Donnelly is either pandering for votes or he really has it in for Mexicans.
Donnelly is hurting the Republican party with his vitrol. I don’t want to be accused of being a racist just because I am a Republican who opposes benefits and jobs for illegal immigrants. Republicans can be against illegal immigration without being falsly blaming the illegal immigrants for 90% of our problems.
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:00 am
The Hunter campaign is having to fight the perception that the “mountain candidate” is a racist. Ken is from Lake Arrowhead and Tim Donnelly is from neighboring Twin Peaks. We are getting e-mails telling us to stop the racist rhetoric. We want everyone to know that it is not us.
Donnelly is spreading false information about the incarceration rate of illegal “aliens”(his word). His website says one 1/3 of all state prisoners are illgal “aliens”. It really is no higher than 16%. Donnelly repeatedly uses the term “aliens” to refer to Mexicans.
Donnelly is needlessly antagonizing an important voting block. All Republicans risk being tarred with this.
Maybe somebody can put out the word.