A Modern Media Mantra: With Questions @jayrosen_nyu, @GregMitch and @LATimesrainey WON'T Answer

Things America agreed upon in earlier times;
Today which freedom to defend by the Fourth estate
 depends on which Political side you're on

I might not be that old (Born in 1970 when it was bad for Presidents to spy on the public and use the IRS against Political enemies. Times change), but I remember when Newspapers had multiple editions during the same day.

I remember three main TV stations and PBS.  

I remember reading about Race Riots in Boston (near Harvard) due to placement of kids from African-American neighborhoods.

However, I also read generations of newspaper writers that had no Ivy education and understood the people who they interviewed; 

Partisans say this; Not Reporters 

It did not take a degree from Harvard or Yale to understand Human nature.  

First the Mantra (written by Yours Truly) with Annotations, 

then the questions that are never answered by "Media Analysts":

A Media Mantra for the Modern Age (2014 Edition)

The job of a Reporter is to inform, not weigh in or judge;

The job of a TV Reporter is to inform, with sight and sound, but not with judgement;

The job of a Radio Reporter is to inform, with sound, but not weigh in,

The Partisan Press can be partisan, but hypocrisies are fair play here;

   It is the role of the Old and New Fourth estate

to keep the Partisans Fair.

The Role of the Old Fourth Estate is be Against those in Power,  

 Whichever Party is in Power,

The Old Fourth estate 

prays for Camelot with Every Democrat;

    And Watergate with Every Republican;

The Role of the New Fourth estate is to keep an eye on

    The Old Fourth estate;

The Old Fourth Estate should not Collude or bend any knee

    For ANY President, Senator or Governor.

The New Fourth Estate must learn protocol and diplomacy

   to get information from People in Power;

Even ones they do not like.

When the WHCD and WHCA 

 Laugh with those currently in office,

And excuse things that made them angry

Under the Last Administration.

There is No Fourth Estate;

There are No Reporters

  There are only Barbarians.

And since I might confuse those with Ivy educations working in the Eastern Newsrooms,  here is the annotations (or Cliff note's in my day):

Reporters: The baseline of who meets the people involved in the stories and then writes those stories;

Partisan Press: i,e. MSNBC, Daily Kos, the Nation from the Left and National Review, Weekly Standard, Fox News (evening) and Talk Radio for the Right (and multiple Blogs such as this one);

Old Fourth estate: Newspapers, TV and Radio News Stations, and Fox (daytime). 

New Fourth Estate: Bloggers, macro and micro; the general public watching the reporters.  Or to put it simply: Quis custodiat ipsos custodes?

WHCA: The White House Correspondents Association
WHCD: The White House Correspondents Dinner aka "Nerd Prom"

The Current Administration: The Obama Administration (D)

The Past Administration: The George W. Bush Administration (R)

Partisans: Those who fight for and against candidates and ideologies. 

It is the Partisan's job convince the public to vote for their candidate, using the information gleaned from Reporters. 

 This is not the Reporters Job! (Put this in the AP Stylebook)

Barbarians: When Rome fell, they took over.  Or the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

 That is the endgame by not following the Mantra. 

***************

Do I have your attention Mr. Rosen, Mr. Rainey and Mr. Mitchell?

Here are my questions, any shirking of the answers confirms the End of the Mantra (A self-fulfilling prophecy, but only YOU can break it!):

How Messrs. Press, Mitchell and Rainey see themselves.
Yes, the image is correct

I.

Republicans have always felt the media actively work against our candidates (1964, 1992 , 2004 and 2012 are the Prime years they complain about).  With the rise of Fox News (evening) and Talk Radio, these activists felt they had a voice and support from News Stations.

Election Time is coming. Partisans are watching the Fourth Estate

My first question:
What has the Old Fourth estate done to mend fences with Republicans?  Why is only Fox News attacked (and by the most Powerful Man in America) and their audiences spat upon by the Old Fourth estate? 

First question, subsection A)
If fences are not mended, what do members of the Old Fourth expect to happen? 

II.

Even with High end degrees, the modern Reporter from a National Newspaper understands little to nothing about protocols, people or the differing branches within the GOP. It does not take a genius to figure out if someone likes you or not.

 There have been many stories I knew from my time in DC how Reporters like hanging out with Democrats and very warily (say, like any writer of The Atlantic magazine or the NYT -- which has not endorsed a Republican for President since 1956) visit Republicans in social settings unless they had to.

Do you have any on the ground Tea Party or GOP person as a contact?

Also, with this current Administration there is a fluidity between the Old Fourth estate and the White House,
In 2008, there was the "Journolist," and the Media Rape of Governor Palin (which no reporter, columnist or Media analyst stood up to Andrew Sullivan AT ALL.).  

My Second Question: 
When the Democrats needed an Emmanuel Goldstein, the New Yorker wrote up a story on the Koch Brothers, yet there are no stories about corrupt Democratic financiers?  Look how Leland Yee was discovered, not through any Journalist of the Old Fourth estate!

And here is the most important question, which I think an answer is deserved:

Second Question, subsection A) 
Where are the modern Woodward and Bernsteins during the First Democratic Administrations or even the First Obama Administration? Or even when the Democrats hold Power in Government? 
(No News Reporter ever cares if Minority Leader Pelosi or Majority Leader Reid are corrupt. At all.)

III.

James Fallows of The Atlantic and Media Matters  are on a crusade to silence Republicans from ever appearing or have their voices heard in the Media. This borders into 1984 and Eastern Bloc Secret Police territory. In a country that prides itself with the Bill of Rights, the quiet watchdog of the media turns into a poodle when it comes to the Democratic Party/ 

If it is bad for a GOP President to do something,
why do Democrats in Power get a free ride doing the same thing?

Third Question:  
In a bicameral Two party system, why does Fallows' call for censorship not wake up the Watchdogs of the Fourth estate?  Fallows is promoting China Communist Government tactics in America.

Third question, subsection A)
 If Reporters daily lives allows them to NOT interact with people and activists from one of the two major parties in America, why should they be trusted to report the News?

All the Major Media read and watch the same things to inform them. Epistemic Closure indeed!

Every major reporter follows the lead of the New York Times (No endorsement of Republicans for President since 1956), the Huffington Post (Founded by a Liberal), Media Matters (a Liberal check on the press), and the Daily Show (Holds Republicans accountable, not President Obama or Democrats in Congress).  See a trend, yet? 

Third Question, subsection B)
In stories about Republicans, why does the Fourth estate have NO Republican contacts? 

I have seen more wrong stories by the Old Fourth estate about Republicans then I have lived.  If Reporters cannot get intra-party Politics and personalities correct, why are they there?

Gentlemen, that is your Homework assignment. 

Please write your answers on your respective platform. No claiming false dichotomy or any weasel word cop-out.  The major media is not trusted by half of American Political activists, step up. 

The Right side of the line is doing more for First Amendment rights then you gentlemen (or the Left)

Republicans on the Modern Media. You are too scared to talk to us.

Ignoring concerns on the Right is the De Facto act when questions are put to the media.  Some of us around the country are saying "No more,"

MY question to my audience:  Your thoughts on the Modern Media Mantra?

Wagging the Dog: The Fall of Cantor and Whipping the US Chamber of Commerce

First some news:

Now, some local news from the Washington Post (which follows Beltway and Leadership Primary Races):

"By Tuesday night, he had suffered a defeat with few parallels in American history. Historians said that no House leader of Cantor’s rank had ever been defeated in a primary.

"That left stunned Republicans — those who had supported Cantor, and even those who had worked to beat him — struggling to understand what happened.

"Several said they believed that Cantor had mismanaged his campaign, with a strategy in which he was too aloof and his tactics too aggressive. In Virginia, some Republicans perceived him as having grown removed from his 7th Congressional District, spending too much time on national fundraising and Washington infighting.

“'Cantor’s field effort was nonexistent. You didn’t see a heavy Cantor presence at Shad Planking, one of the premier Virginia GOP events, and the movers-shakers in the group he works with, YG Virginia, did not have the staff to fully compete,' said Andrew Xifos, a Virginia Republican organizer. 'Brat was always an afterthought to them, even as they spent a lot of money. Central Virginia politics was changing around them and they did not see it.'
...
"Brat was boosted for months by conservative talk-radio hosts, including Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin, who touted him as a contender to their listeners and drove small-dollar donations into Brat’s coffers. 

"Unhappy with what they considered a too-hesitant-to-fight GOP, they championed Brat as a fellow warrior for an ideological cause, lifting him with the GOP’s base as he hovered under the national radar.

"When Election Day came, the turnout was high: About 65,000 people voted, which was up from 47,037 two years ago (when Cantor captured 79 percent of the vote).

"After the race had been called, Brat spoke to cheering supporters in the atrium of a nondescript building at an office park. He told them that he had won by adhering to conservative principles.
...

"If this is the end of Cantor’s political career, he may become a cautionary tale on Capitol Hill. He had tried to please both of the GOP’s warring wings, the staid establishment and the confrontational tea party movement.

"In the end, that approach brought him power, but not enough loyalty to keep it.
"The dour and businesslike Cantor had embraced confrontation enough to alienate some establishment types — in particular, by showing pique in negotiations with President Obama over a budget deal.

"But he also had made moves that alienated the party’s confrontational wing. Cantor, for instance, had championed a Republican version of the Dream Act, which would enable some illegal immigrants who entered the country as children to qualify for in-state college tuition rates. Although he never brought the legislation to the House floor, his support for the idea irritated staunch opponents of immigration reform.

"For other Republicans in Congress, the message of the defeat was that if you try to play both sides of the intra-party divide you will lose. But how Republicans can govern without bringing both sides together remains a question."

----

And finally, a Beltway Blogger and friend, RS (this post is by Subcomandante Smitty):

There were warning signs that kept piling up. In April, Brat supporters vastly outnumbered Cantor allies at local GOP meetings. Then in May, tea party fueled activists knocked off Cantor’s choice for local GOP chair in Cantor’s home base of Henrico County. 

But Cantor’s aides consistently brushed off the challenge, telling reporters and fellow GOP aides that the contest didn’t merit the media coverage it was getting

Brat severely trailed in fundraising, pulling in $200,000 this cycle compared to Cantor’s $2 million.
...
The AP gets to the heart of it:
Much of the campaign centered on immigration, where critics on both sides of the debate have recently taken aim at Cantor. Brat has accused him of being a top cheerleader for “amnesty” for immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. Cantor has responded forcefully by boasting in mailers of blocking Senate plans “to give illegal aliens amnesty.”

And so the toppling of Cantor will lead to a gut check for the GOP: go all “scorched earth” and run amnesty through despite the base, or deal with the reality that those spiffy Progressive ideas have all the appeal of a dirty diaper outside the Beltway.

Time to ask: What happened and why?

The story written is part of another story told, the battle between the donor class vs the Volunteer class.  It is playing out on the National level

Here is a song for the analysis:

In President Ford's biography, he mentions how in every generation there is Regicide within the Republican House Leadership ranks (see Gingrich, Speaker and Boehner, Speaker). With the threat of Regicide of Boehner, this was counterattack from the outside forces, also bringing up the one issue that could wag the dog.

The donor class takes the volunteer and staffers for granted.  

The second tale behind this story.

How many times have Republican activists and electeds supported the US Chamber of Commerce from attacks from Democrats and this current Administration?  

To be an activist or Elected, from the ground level it is a simple philosophy which I addressed here.  The economy, no matter how much happy talk the Administration and the media puts out, still sucks. And to throw out an Amnesty Bill, which every Republican activist is opposed to at this minute into the mix?

Whisky Tango Foxtrot William Donohue?  Ever heard the word "Diplomacy?"  Until the economy gets back to under 5% unemployment, why should you push an agenda that helps the Democratic party?

The Donors think they own the Republicans; The Tea Party came about as a rebellion against the Establishment in DC forgetting the public. What just happened last night was a reminder who is wagging the dog.

Rep. Cantor's former job was House Whip.  His job, was to make sure the votes are there for victory (Or take your Francis Urquhart/Francis Underwood).  The donors have forgotten to wine and dine the volunteer and staffers who count the votes.

Mr. Donohue thought he was wagging the GOP (there are local parallels in this, but another post), but it is the on the ground folks (especially the VAGOP) who have been heard.

If the Activists wish to control the GOP, we need to plan a siege of the Donor class unless they help and listen to us.  

This is the First Step to whip the US Chamber; the second step us to speak to their local affiliates and ask them to come visit every County GOP office and offer to help. 

My question: Will the US Chamber of Commerce and the Donor Class listen to the Volunteers and Activists now?

Drop Your linen and Start Your Grinnin': Bringing Together the CAGOP + RPLAC for November

If I was in charge post-Primary 2014, here is what should be happening and said:

First, I promise "NO KUMBAYA!" The song gets on my nerve and most of us are professional enough to know that this song below is our theme:

Second, every Statewide Primary (legit) R Candisate should have a public and private meeting with their fallen opponents.  Their Staffs and volunteers should also meet and get together. Discuss tactics against the Majority D's and their allies in the Media.  Get everyone pointing in the same direction.

 Pizza is always good to get people together.  No wars have ever started over Pizza.

[Subsection for Mr. Kashkari: Congrats from JSF in the Valley!  Though I use New Media, I forgot that  Air Forces (i.e. Commercials) defeat Ground Forces.  YOU must publicly reach out to Donnally to stop a Civil War from occurring fast.  I want to help, don't confuse warnings with opposition.  
[I know the stakes, many do not.  This is Politics; You might be at the Top of the Ticket but if the Loyalists on the Ground are ignored or not in your circles, this will be Election 2010 (and 2012) all over again.
[Trust me, some bitter volunteer feeling deja vu (and they are many and legion), might do more harm against you then Governor Brown's dirty Tricks.  Know the best activists in ALL 52 County and tap their brain trust.  Much better then Ivy League]

In each county, do the same. If Primary opponents get together and create strategies (along with staffs and volunteers), we have the beginnings of a United front.

But like the poor Marines in Aliens, they weren't out of the woods when the set up a base.  The place was still ready to blow. (Thanks Bishop!)

Third: There are three major branches in CA Republican Politics.  If I was Chairman, I'd bring the County leaders of those branches (CRA, RLC and Reagan Caucus) to discuss bringing their respective groups together for November.  This is NOT a convention but a private meeting to get everyone in line with one thought:

If ONE California Republican is attacked,

ALL OF US punch back.  

[Note to Mr. Kashkari: If any of the Down Ticket candidates are being unfairly attacked by the media (not the D's), defend them.  Loyalty goes both ways.  As a former New Yorker, my one worry is if you can take Governor Brown's dirty tricks.  Please, prove me wrong]

Fourth: Our quiet Donor Class.

They have an outright disdain for our volunteers, yet without us on the ground in all 52 Counties, there would be NO Republicans in Sacramento or DC.  I humbly request the presence of the Donors to find the Pragmatic Activists within each County Party.  Meet them and plan for the future.  Donating one cycle at a time leads no one to victory.

[Note to Mr. Kashkari: Whitman's and Romney's staff (the same people) ignored the people who had years and years of On the Ground experience.  When Reagan won in all his elections, he TOOK Los Angeles County. Find those activists. Wine them and dine them.  And get the donors to love these unsung heroes]

Fifth: This all has to be done under six weeks.  If we have a unified front, nothing can stop the California Republicans from shaking the world before 2016.  We have 55 Electoral Votes in this state, if the RNC and every R POTUS candidate wants us, they have to fight with us!

[Note to Mr. Kashkari: Rallies and Fundraisers in all the 52.  Bring in big names from out of state. If they do not help you or the down ticket candidates, let the County Chairs know.  Make Los Angeles the battlefield once you Unite with Donnally's forces. Thank me after you win.  You haven't crossed the finish line yet.]

Finally, there are some people who claim to be in the GOP who will never be satisfied with who the candidates actually are or if you veer from their closed version of the Party.  Don't follow them.  We are the People who are the David's against the bureaucratic Goliath of Sacramento and DC.  How to win CA and LA are future posts this summer.

This is not a simulated drop -- let's get out there and win!

[Mr. Kashkari, next time you are in LA, contact this only Goth Blogger Republican.  I don't want another Whitman or Romney. We need to fight]  

My question: What are doing to unify for November?



.

May 2014 Rule 5 Tip jar Post (One Gothy Muse I met + One Surprise Muse)

'The Valley is back on.....thank you all for being patient.

Note I did not ask (or take...or get...) any Tip Jar requests during this time.  However, good news is that the Valley should be up and running Full Time soon.  For now, it remains on in the Dead of Night.

Please hit the Tip jar for this month...the goal is $300.  Thanks.
(Or go to the Sidebar and donate. Thanks! ---->)

Now, another beautiful Muse I have encountered in the Goth world, her name is Malice (Alice) McMunn. She is sweet, has a wicked sense of humor and is the woman you want having your back in Bartertown.

Before we go forward with this beauty, please hit the Tip Jar. (Some of this will help me take her out to dinner in July; She is also good friends with another Gothy Muse I think is beautiful: Kat Von D).

Meet the Saint of Los Angeles Rock and Roll,

The Goddess of the B Movies,

 and the Holy Spirit of Tattoo Art!

Malice McMunn!  

From Wikipedia! (Alt. Models)  Photo by  © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

Covers of books!

In Rolling Stone Magazine!

Wasteland Weekend

Tough, but a big heart

@thekatvond bahaaaaaaa! ❤❤❤❤🙈 pic.twitter.com/aGqb6jyyax
— Alice Mcmunn/ (@Malice666Mcmunn) June 3, 2014

 Two Muses with one Picture!

My Favorite Picture of Malice

Malice, contemplating the Universe. 

And her Publicity picture!

Follow this wonderful Muse on Twitter (NSFW), and Facebook.

Here is her website (sans PayPal), also NSFW.

Instead, find her dancing at Goth Clubs and Cheetah's Hollywood. (NSFW)

Please hit my Tip Jar.

Thanks for reading the Valley.

Onward to November!

California Primary Endorsement Post #2 -- City of Angels (and one in SD and SB)

"Hip" Map of LA

Here we go!

A quick Reminder for Endorsements:

RPLAC = Republican County of Los Angeles;
CRA = California Republican Assembly (From the Right); and
RLC = Republican Liberty Caucus (Libertarian and Ron Paul Supporters).

***Also, these are my endorsements.  Though I am part of a few Republican organizations, these choices are my own and do not reflect on any group. *****

First though, I am going to travel south to a contested campaign.  Because I don't like the way he has been treated by some Social Conservatives (This person is particularly homophobic -- Reagan's Eleventh commandment does not matter; Only HER vision of what America used to be.)  I'm a Goth and don't take kindly to people not wanting people in my culture [Goths] and District [Reagan's old Home District has West Hollywood where I have many friends] out of the GOP.

After DeMaio's office was attacked, rather then stand behind each other, Jorgensen did not say anything.  This is not cool.  

I endorse DeMaio in CA52 (SDGOP)

And my friend John A. wanted me to give a shout out to a candidate in San Benandino:

I endorse Lesli Gooch for CA-31 (SBGOP).  She is a Pragmatic Conservative, we need more like that in DC.

State Assembly Districts

Now, welcome to LA!

Here are the Assembly candidates (not all endorsed by RPLAC) and any asterisks means I can vote for them.

AD 36 (Palmdale) -- Suzette Martinez
AD 38 (Santa Clarita) -- Scott Wilk (RPLAC)
AD 43 (Burbank) -- Todd Royal
AD 45 (W. SFV) -- Susan Shelley (RPLAC and she is a good friend. Vote for her!)
AD 46 (Sherman Oaks) Zachary Taylor (RPLAC)
AD 48 (West Covina) Joe Gardner (RPLAC)
AD 49 (Monterey Park) Estrela Siergist (RPLAC)
AD 50 (MY District) Brad Torgan (RPLAC) Vote for this guy, he rocks!*
AD 52 (Ontario) Dorothy Pineda (RPLAC)
AD 54 (Culver City) Glen Ratcliff
AD 55 (Diamond Bar) Ling-Ling Chang
AD 57 (Whittier) Rita Topalian (RPLAC)
AD 62 (Inglewood) Ted Grose (RPLAC)
AD 63 (South Gate) Adam Miller (RPLAC)
AD 66 (Torrance) David Hadley (RPLAC)
AD 70 (Long Beach) John Goya (RPLAC)

SD 18 (SFV) Ricardo Benitez (RPLAC)
SD 20 (Ontario) Matthew Munson (RPLAC)
SD 24 (East LA) William Morrission (Good friend of mine, please vote for him!)
SD 32 (Whittier) Mario Guerra (RPLAC)
SD 34 (Huntington Beach) Janet Nguyen (RPLAC)

And we return to the Big Map for a Big State!

OK! My favorite races to follow!

Let's walk in LA to see all the different districts!

CD 23 (Kern)  Rep. Kevin McCarthy (RPLAC)

CD 25 (Santa Clarita/Palmdale) Steve Knight  -- This seat is where "Buck" McKeon is retiring. A lot of hard words and backstabbing is occurring here.  To keep the past in the past (as it were -- more on the dead at another time), I endorse Steve Knight.  (But I will happily work with Tony Strickland if he wins).

CD 26 (Ventura County) Jeff Gorrell (RPLAC)

CD 27 (Pasadena) Jack Orswell (RPLAC)

CD 29 (East SFV) William Leader (RPLAC)

CD 30 (West SFV) Pablo Kleinman -- Another harsh campaign fr a vote rich territory.  My rule remains the same, my choice for the primary, the winner gets my support for the General.  In this heavily Jewish area, Kleinman represents the area well.

CD 32 (West Covina) Arturo Alas (RPLAC) -- I am happy to support him! Go Alas Go!

CD 33 (MY Home district -- Waxman's old district and Reagan's home district)
Elan Carr.  No one else matters.  He is legit, his campaign is strong and no amount of re-districting should make any seat safe for any party.  The House is still going to be Majority Republican.  If the Westside and Beverly Hills want a voice, vote Carr!*

CD 37 (Culver City) Adam King (RPLAC)

CD 39 (Fullerton) Rep. Ed Royce (RPLAC)

CD 43 (Inglewood) John Wood (RPLAC)

CD 47 (Long Beach) Andy Whallon (RPLAC)

And finally, here comes the Judges! (AL RPLAC endorsed)

Office #61 LA County Dayan Matthai
Office #76 LA County Allison Matsumura Estrada
Office #87 LA County Steven Schreiner
Office #107 LA County Joan Chrostek
Office #117 LA County Judge James Pierce
Office #138 LA County Donna Hollingsworth Armstrong
Office #157 LA County Andrew Cooper
Office #157 LA County Arnold Mednick

See you at the voting booth!

California Primary 2014 Endorsement Post #1: Tops of the Ticket

Let's take it from the Top and move down ticket.


First some music:

***These are individual endorsements. These endorsements are not from any Organization from which I am a member.  They are mine, and mine alone.  Asterisks are those Ballots that I can vote for. Enjoy the ride!****

Notes:  

RPLAC is Republican County of Los Angeles County;

CRA is the California Republican Assembly (From the Right); and

RLC is the Republican Liberty Caucus (Libertarian and Ron Paul supporters)

Governor's Race:  Assemblyman Tim Donnally (Endorsed by RPLAC, CRA, RLC)*
This race has caused a little chaos down among the activists; But for me, it is the Honorifics in front of Mr. Donnally's name that helps. He has run campaigns, he has moved among the ground forces.

In the battle between Establishment DC Republicans vs. Local Control, Donnally has taken the time to work the Ground.  Kashkari flew in with his funds and DC backing.  As we saw with Meg Whitman and Governor Romney, that is not enough.  

Lt. Governor: Ron Nehring (RPLAC, CRA)*
I have known Chairman Nehring on and off since SUNY-Stonybrook.  He is a solid leader and would be the best person in Sacramento to keep Gov. Brown (D) in check if he wins; And he can help Gov. Donnally (R) if he wins. In other words, the Valley calls voting for Nehring a win-win!

Secretary of State: Pete Peterson (RPLAC, CRA)*
This is the race where California Democratic Party hypocrisy was exposed in Assemblyman Leland Yee.  (Follow the links for the whole story)

With a Democrat, a former GOP now a NPP [No Party Preference] candidate, all that is left is Pete Peterson. When you go NPP as a candidate, I think "Someone who stands for nothing, etc." As an active partisan, you understand the system then you make it better.

AG: Former State Senator Phillip Wyman (Endorsed by RPLAC, CRA) *

Treasurer: Greg Conlon *

Controller: Mayor Ashley Swearengen (Endorsed by RPLAC, CRA)*

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Lydia Gutierrez (RPLAC, CRA) She is a dedicated school teacher and a friend of mine.  This one I want you to pull the lever for. *

Insurance Commissioner: State Senator Ted Gaines (RPLAC, CRA)*

Now the Tops of the Los Angeles Ticket (after a musical Interlude):

Prop 41:  Yes (in theory), No (due to reality). *
With the spotlight (finally) on Veteran and VA problems, the calling for Bonds for Housing is good.

California can handle the first half (raising the funds) of the equation easy, but when it comes down to following through, I need only drive by Skid Row or walk along Santa Monica Promenade and Venice beach to know of promises broken by the State (including the Federal Mammon).

I endorse the idea, but the follow through failing again does not bring me hope.  

Prop 42:  Yes, yes and YES! *
Local Governments (City and State) are the closest to the people.  If there is no way to keep our local candidates honest, within a one Party system, an Assemblyman Leland Yee appears saying one thing ("Guns are bad,") and doing another (Gun smuggling with criminals)

What our officials say in the Governmental sphere is important.  It is who they are.

Sheriff -- The only legitimate "R" is corrupt; so I had to find a candidate who is not corrupt who errs on the side of treating "Law and Order," by the book: I endorse Bob Olmstead. *

Assessor -- I endorse wholeheartedly (since I have met him many, many times): John Morris (RPLAC)*.
He will clean out the corrupt office of the assessor.  While he might be a prosecuter, he can delegate and has a good sense of who is right and honest.  Both LA papers (the Times and the News) Endorsed him as well.

Finally, who is in charge of tax collecting? Meet your Board of Supervisor member:

District 2  -- George Runner (RPLAC, CRA)*

Enjoy Nostalghia as we enter Part 2; Local LA candidates!