Los Angeles County is one of those places that regularly holds elections in odd numbered election years. Most of these are school board and water boardelections, but an inceasing number of citieshave consolidated inrecent years.

Adding a special election to the November ballot bringsthree to four times as many voters to the polls than would normally participate. This drives up costs and brings interesting results.

Interestingly enough several Asian-Americanincumbents lost theirelections this November. Did race play a factor? Did high Latino voter turn out have an impact on these low-profile races? See the story here.

The sad fact is race does play a factor in many of these races, whether Asian, Black, Latino etc…

One former Monrovia School Board Member who is white (and of course a liberal)sent an email to friends asking them tocastonly one vote (Bullet Voting) for Clarence Shaw, the only candidate of "non-European" background. Clarence Shaw was the tope vote getter.

Can you imagine the outrage if the email… Read More

There is no commentary today as I enjoy day 4 on the Big Island with the family. Though the news links are updated for today, and click here for the Commentary Week In Review.

Aloha!

Jon… Read More

Well, I’m back from 10 days of limited electricity and no hot water as an international election observer in malaria-infected Liberia. On October 11, Liberia had their first presidential election since the ousting of President Charles Taylor, the former rebel that staged a coup d’etat of former President Samuel Doe…followed by Doe’s mutilation, torture, and murder. The U.S. and other African leaders demanded Taylor’s resignation in 2003 and he now resides in luxurious exile in Nigeria (where I observed the 2003 presidential elections).

None of the 22 candidates standing for election on October 11 received 50% of the vote and while California voters were considering a slew of initiatives, Liberians were choosing between an illiterate former soccer star and a highly-educated longtime public servant. Which brings me to this writing. I really didn’t think I could find a way to make… Read More

As I enjoy my third day here on the Big Island with my parents, it is amazing that I am sitting outside at 4:45am, and the weather is so balmy. There are some people washing down the pool deck who are wondering why there is a guest out here at this hour. Funny, I was wondering the same thing!

Here is the week in Review:

EXCLUSIVE: Dan Schnur – Governor, you win California by being…you! Interview with John Lewis, arcitect of OC’S Measure D defeat. Ken Khachigian – Looking forward (Governor, take some notes).

JON’S DAILY COMMENTARIES: Sunday: The Hollywood Fantasies of Sorkin and Reiner.… Read More

Okay, Schnur, Steinberg, Khachigian, Hewitt. Listen up. I’ve read all of your analysis. I respect your opinions, your knowledge, and your insight.

How do we get 500,000 voters in California to change their mind by next November? Arnold doesn’t get re-elected unless this happens. The same “highly regarded” teachers, firefighters, police officers, and nurses will all be carpet bombing the Governor next year. Does LA County and the cluster of Bay Counties suddenly retreat and vote for the Governor? And if so, exactly why? You say that the boyish Westly and stiff Angelides will be putty in Arnolds hand? Really. We elected a stiff in 1998 named Davis. And do we have the poltical creative talent to pull this off? If so, can you all give me a recent example of a big win that didn’t involve beating the worst Governor in California history with a charismatic celebrity? Let’s try to keep the example within, lets say, the past 15 years.

Do I resign us to defeat? No. But the suggestions and advice I’ve been reading all week don’t add up to 500,000 votes changing their minds, and I don’t have the answer. I… Read More

Greetings once again from the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii. I am here for a week of R&R with my mom and dad, and enjoying every minute of it. Today by the pool, I ran into some folks from San Francisco, who had been here almost a week. I asked them if they had voted in the special election. Their response was a very cynical, "We didn’t think our vote would matter." We all agreed that it was a good thing for all of those darned political tv commericals to be off of the air…

Tonight we had drinks at the beautiful Mauna Kea Hotel before enjoying a nice dinner. Here is a photo of the three of us! "FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE, SOCIALLY MODERATE" IS A MYTH I keep hearing over and over again from folks that the GOP, especially in California, can only win if we present a fiscally conservative, but socially moderate face to the… Read More

Dana Point Councilwoman Diane Harkey lead the effort for her city to endorse the Cal Board Patrol Initiative. On a 5-0 vote last night it passed.

Harkey a co-chair of the initiative, is also a top contender for the 35th Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. John Campbell just after his Dec. 6 Special Election win for Congress.

The number one issue among GOP voters in the 35th is illegal immigration–Harkey has a pretty good head start on capturing the credibility on that important issue.

Assemblyman Tom Harman, also in the race for the 35th has endorsed the initiative.… Read More

With State Senator John Campbell running as the Republican nominee in a Congressional District that is so overwhelmingly GOP in registration that he is a shoo-in (the special ‘general’ election for this House race is in early December) – it means that the contest has already begun for a yet-to-be-called special election to fill his 35th State Senate seat. (Support the FR and click Campbell’s ad to the right, just for kicks.) Like the 48th Congressional District that was vacated by it’s incumbent, Chris Cox, when he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as W’s appointee to be Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the 35th District is safe, safe, SAFE GOP turf. So all of the action is the primary. The first candidate to jump into the race is Assemblyman Tom Harman, who represents a sizable… Read More