Anytime you find militant right wingers on the streets of the SCV protesting, you're likely to find Bob Kellar
I like Councilman Bob Kellar. Or perhaps I should say I want to like him. Of all our councilmembers, his background is the most varied and the most interesting. Army Veteran. LAPD cop. Realtor. And on today’s City Council, he is perhaps the most accessible Councilmember.
Kellar seems to be the swing vote on the City Council. He’s not afraid to vote against Frank Ferry and Laurie Ender (cf the Mayo hospital expansion). He relentlessly promotes this community and he’s a friend to business and the “little guy” alike.
His mannerisms, ‘aww shucks’ nature and his friendliness are endearing to the community and even on this cynical blog, there is a great deal of like and respect for Bob Kellar.
But inside the heart of Bob Kellar is a militant and fearful right winger. Here’s what he shouted into a megaphone yesterday while at an anti-illegal immigrant rally according to The Signal:
“If we would just deal with the illegals we wouldn’t have a deficit in the state of California,” said City Councilman Bob Kellar, his voice booming through a crackling public-address system. “This is an American problem. We’ve got to take back our country.
“If I sound like a radical, thank you. I consider that a compliment.”
For real? The entirety of the state’s $19.9 billion budget deficit can be blamed on illegal immigrants? He really thinks all those guys who stand out on Railroad Avenue and Sierra Highway on weekday mornings are here to draw public assistance (if that were true, why aren’t they simply begging instead of asking for work)? He’s really against any plan to normalize them, to make them into tax paying citizens? How do you propose we “deal” with the illegals anyway Mr. Kellar?
Fine. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…I guess Kellar is a right wing radical.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. This isn’t the first time he’s cast his lot with the hard, socially-conservative right. After all, Bob Kellar was on street corners in the fall of 2008, waving “Yes on Proposition 8″ signs even though some of the talented civil servants who report City matters to him during Council Meetings are gay and happily married. Even though a significant minority of Santa Claritans want marriage equality (we voted 55-45, much closer than many people thought), Kellar stands out there with the most conservative and divisive people in our community.
And last year Bob Kellar was the only Councilman to show up at the Tea Party rally in April. Here’s a man who has served the public honorably in the military, the police, and at the municipal level casting his lot with militant anti-government folks, the ones who loudly protest any government spending programs but are strangely silent when the handouts go to local businesses. The ones who think that if you work as a civil servant, you’re stealing from the public.
Whenever there is a hard right protest on the streets of Santa Clarita, Bob Kellar doesn’t equivocate, he doesn’t hedge like other councilmembers. He goes all in with the hard right.
Fortunately, Bob Kellar will retire in 2012. Anyone who wants to take his place ought to consider that Santa Clarita is a very different place from when Bob Kellar first came here. Remember what Signal reporter Brian Charles told us before he left?
Considering the redevelopment efforts in Old Newhall, it’s a matter of time before the Latino population in the SCV begins to demand a seat at the table when it comes to dividing influence and power. Will they get that seat and how? Will the SCV ever considered district elections for city council seats. This is an issue I wanted to get into in 2010. I think the issue of minority representation on City Council will begin to surface in the next few years. I also think the Latino population will begin to flex its muscle in the community both economically and politically.
I’d add that among my friends -the thirty-somethings who moved here with their parents, went to college, and came back- few have returned as Republicans, let alone hard right social voters. Most of us have friends who are gay. We realize that the status of millions of illegal immigrants is a problem, and we want a smart and effective solution (indeed we supported President Bush’s efforts in 2006). We’re wary of government, but willing to give it a chance when the free market has clearly failed to deliver. We are the future of Santa Clarita, not Bob Kellar.
So I suppose the problem of Bob Kellar solves itself. I’ll remember him as an honest and effective councilman, but I’ll be happy to see the self-described radical depart in 2012 and retreat to the crank Letters to the Editor section of the paper.
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So did the real Jeff Wilson show up at the rally?
Shame on Josh Premanko for racially profiling the attendees in his report in the Sunday paper.
Jeff:
Reading Josh Premako’s quotes from Roger Gitlin it seemed that he was voicing a moderate approach that a lot of centrists would get behind. (Secure the borders, kick out folks with criminal records, and path to citizenship for upstanding “illegals.”) He also recognized that most of the folks do pay taxes, though generally under someone else’s social security number.
In addition to his anti-gay marriage and immigrant stands, Bob Kellar has this unreasonable and irrational fear of the homeless. But otherwise he has been a rational council member. I think he is like the aging uncle in someone’s extended family who is a wonderful man but you don’t bring up certain subjects with!
It is completely unrealistic to believe liberals could possibly support anyone with traditional values and principles. Meanwhile, deficits and wealth redistribution continues on…
We’re here for your daughters, Bill. In the most un-traditional and un-principled way. Get a new drum, that one doesn’t make noise anymore.
Oh yeah? How is Coakley doing?
Liberalism + Ugliness = GangFung
Take it to the forum.
Just as I warmed up to the guy. A responsible office holder has no business palling around with these crypto-racists. Kellar and I are no longer an item.
Gitlin is for a path to citizenship for existing immigrants without deportation? Isn’t that amnesty? Good for him. I’m all for that as well. I have to think though, isn’t that the kind of proposal these yahoos were protesting against?
traditional values and principles.
Would that include the suppression of minority and womens rights?
Your traditional rose colored glasses are not so rosy for many Americans. Immigrants, legal or not have been a part of this country since we were the first ones!
The Indians should have kicked us out!
The Indians were part of what organized county?
“country”
darn these fat fingers!
Bob Kellar is right. One only need to take their head out of the sand and take a close look at the numbers.
His comments had nothing to do with women’s rights or the rights of minorities.
He clearly spoke of the financial drain illegals have on our country in general and California specifically.
Again, look at the numbers.
The Tea Party movement basically wants the limited government as outlined in the Constitution. The Minutemen want a secure border. The Prop 8 supporters want to uphold traditional marriage. These are all traditional American values, and are part of the foundation that made us the greatest nation ever on the planet. It is very interesting the left considers holding these views as ‘right wing’. Admit it all those on the left, you want to oveturn this nation into your vision of a ‘socialist utopia’.
Jeff – you gloat on the fact it is the younger generations that will accomplish this overturn. Unfortunately your and subsequent generations are the ones who will suffer most if you succeed.
Brian:
This will probably shock you but the Native Americans had no chance to kick us out. This is because the Europeans brough a better culture to this continent. Here’s some history for you – it was not all peaceful and nirvana before the Europeans arrived. Western culture is a superior culture and has led to the most prosperous countries on the planet.
Jeff – you gloat on the fact it is the younger generations that will accomplish this overturn. Unfortunately your and subsequent generations are the ones who will suffer most if you succeed.
Sometimes, such is necessary for the so-called younger “progressive” to experience in order to learn wisdom, but regrettably, they take the rest of us along with for the miserable ride.
I admire Bob Kellar for having the courage to say out loud what others believe but are too gutless to go on record saying. People like to bandy about the word “racist”. Hogwash. I believe Bob is correct in this instance. The amount of money we spend on supporting illegals is obscene. Just read the newsletters from Mike Antonvich for Los Angeles County dollars spent alone. I am Hispanic, speak fluent Spanish, and have visited both Mexico and Spain. I cannot enter either country without legal permission from those governments. For an extended stay I would be required to secure a Visa, report regularly, and follow any other rules those sovereign nations have established. I certainly would not receive any government assistance of any kind in the form of subsidized housing, free education, free health care, food stamps, etc. Why does the United States of America have to support everyone that chooses to come to this country illegally? We don’t provide all that free stuff to anyone asking for it born here? Illegals qualify for many benefits because they can claim no income since many of them are paid under the table and don’t pay taxes. If their children are born here, free everything. There are many illegals that do work and are good people but it does not change the fact that they broke the law coming here without the proper permission and meeting the safeguards in place. Going through the proper immigration channels weeds out criminals, people who have no visible means of support and therefore become burdens, or those with serious illness which cost taxpayers money to treat or even worse puts our population at risk of contracting these diseases. I understand why people want to come to the USA. My parents both emigrated from other countries but they did it legally. They did not expect a hand out but the opportunity to work hard, pay their taxes, and contribute to their adopted country of choice. The contention that the economy would somehow collapse without illegals is ridiculous. Before we opened the floodgates those jobs were done by people in this country legally. People like my parents. If we need to allow more work visas for certain industries, we should do that but don’t continue to turn a blind eye and provide incentives for continuing waves of illegals. Last time the USA provided amnesty it was promised as a cure for the problem. Not even close. This is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with. Politicians need to grow a spine and protect the interests of the American taxpayer. I’m sorry but I am not for amnesty. We need to deport people. Their own governments need to deal with how to house, feed, clothe, educate, medically treat, etc these people, not ours. As for separating families, that is the parents’ choice. They made the choice to enter illegaly so take your children with you or leave them behind. It is not right to allow women to cross the border, have the US taxpayer pay for the birth of their child via MediCal, and then that birth automatically gets mother and child residency or citizenship. We only encourage more of the same. At least one parent of a child should be required to be a legal citizen or resident before the birth to qualify a child born in the US as a citizen. Keep giving people a free pass and more will keep coming. Why not? Enough already…
the younger people in the audience will appreciate this reference:
ALL OF WHICH ARE AMERICAN DREAMS
ALL OF WHICH ARE AMERICAN DREAMS
ALL OF WHICH ARE AMERICAN DREAMS
ALL OF WHICH ARE AMERICAN DREAMS
Jim Farley:
So superior culture (read gunpowder) justify an effective genocide? Hopefully we are a little bit less bloodthirsty now.
BGH:
Every hear of paragraphs?
Tim:
I’m not saying that attrocities were not committed againsnt Native Americans just as were committed against African Americans. These are not things to be proud of in our history. I am saying that it has to be kept in perspective that attrocities were being committed in North America and Africa long before the Europeans came. We also have to note that we are the only nation to fight a war to end slavery.
The net result is that the European culture led to a more effective use of the resources on this continent, that in turn led to the standard of living all now have access to in America.
Tim, Tim, Tim, yes I have but I suppose my passion for the subject matter took over. Perhaps the same as your spelling issues with names. It’s the same problem when I speak on a subject near and dear. I barely breathe. My apologies to all, but especially to Mrs. Wheeler and Sister Mary Catherine my favorite childhood English instructors.
I think BGH makes some good, perfectly reasonable points. I’m not sure why a desire to enforce the law makes one a “radical.” I get that people are desperate for a better life and opportunities in California, but it’s absurd to give 12M people a free path to citizenship simply because they entered illegally while placing limits on the number of people who come here through legal channels. It’s rewarding law-breaking. Legal immigration is the single best way to protect out country from potential entry of criminals, terrorists, etc. and to protect immigrants from being exploited for cheap, unfair labor by agricultural interests and others trying to save money by not hiring citizens.
Also, Mr. J-to-the-Wilson, I think there are other groups in Santa Clarita that are both young and in possession of conservative values (e.g., our large Mormon population; many young couples with kids; young business-persons who will be successful enough to enter the highest tax brackets…). Just because you don’t hang out with them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. So whether the liberals-shall-inherit-the-valley remains to be seen.
IHeart, to clue you in, the families with kids in SCV are Democrats these days. Even the young, rich families on the westside. Oh, I mean ESPECIALLY the young rich families on the westside. I’ve lived here for a very long time and the political demographics among younger people are vastly different then they have been the past.
I suspect you are imagining an archetype, maybe an outdated one. You might be thinking of a small group of friends who were raised Republican and haven’t swayed. The new SCV youngins grew up somewhere else.
The Mormons are still Republicans, and maybe the Grace Baptist set, but even the non-denom budding megachurches are purpling.
Once again, here comes Timmy Myers with his elitist commentary.
Bill Reynolds:
Can I suggest more fiber in your diet? It might unclench you a little.
Bill, I miss when you used to beat up on imaginary Mexicans around here. I trust you were there this weekend?
Mike, I’m open to your criticism of being out-of-touch, but I think there are more conservatives than you think. There’s this sort of liberal, non-confrontational facade that a lot of conservative people adopt when in public or with co-workers or even casual friends. Imagine making a casual political comment to someone you don’t know very well. If you say something like “I wish they’d crack down on illegal immigrantion”, you risk coming off as the small-minded, racist caricature of a stereotypical republican, whereas if you reference the nobility of the illegal immigrant’s plight you seem intelligent, worldly, and big-minded. It’s sort of the default social position in social circles where young people, academic types, environmentalists, hipster-types, or minorities dominate. I will be convinced of a fundamental change in SCV when overtly liberal people start taking political seats, when votes become more liberal (Obama vote not included–that was an event, not a trend), and when our Korean Christian, Mormon, Northpark-Churchian, etc. groups start declining instead of growing.
And please note, Mike, that my young-SCV-family-archetype/stereotype undergoes regular updating (I’m currently on version 4.3) with input from those more in touch with this demographic, such as teachers who must deal with Westridge/S.R. parents on a daily basis.
IHeart, if you want to see a trend, examine the historical patterns in voting registration in Santa Clarita. The Secretary of State reports these figures every few months and you can take some snapshots and see the trend. It’s unmistakable. My guess is that it is more center-left than liberal. It will be a long time before you see this reflected in local office holders, because very few local Democrats have significant name ID.
The Antelope Valley, for example, has gone slightly blue but they are still, in large part, electing the same established Republicans.
I suspect you might go undercover because you come across as a liberal when you aren’t talking politics that lead people to make assumptions about your political beliefs, if that makes any sense. I get it going the other way, so I’ve always heard plenty of Claritans espousing their conservatism quite openly.
The local churches, the Northparks and such, are less conservative, and certainly less political than similar churches I’ve known in the SFV, for what it’s worth.
4.3? I’m running 7.0.1 (yes, I’m an early adopter, so take it with a grain of salt)
Mike, go back to sleep; no one really cares what you think.
Mike, here’s another fact. It is a rule that the younger demographic tends to be more liberal and idealistic. (When I was in college I was first a registered Democrat and voted for Carter for president, what a mistake). As people age and start families they become more conservative as a rule. This is especially true among the ladies. Women without children are largely Democrat, but it shifts to the other side when they start families.
Jim, the nuance here is that young, and used-to-be-young people in the SCV are more liberal and less conservative then they used to be. People my age, 32, mortgage, kids, etc. used to be conservative by now, in general this is happening less than it used to.
This is political science me talking, I’m not making a point further than a sober reading of the trends.
Jeff: honestly? you can’t be serious. The amount we spend on illegal aliens is absolutely RIDICULOUS. You can’t justify that…ever. Just because he is in the minority doesn’t mean he is “radical”. Just because he pointed out out financial implications of paying for people who are criminals doesn’t mean he’s a radical.
I know SO MANY people who came to this country legally. Encouraging lazy, illegal, people to stay here and suck the life out of our resources is ludicrous.
You can’t honestly take a look at our state budget and how much we pay for illegal aliens and say that it doesn’t have a draining, devastating effect on our economy.
While I agree they probably don’t account for ALL the deficit …. they certainly have done their fare share of crippling our system.
As people age and start families they become more conservative as a rule.
Yes. So true. It’s called growing up and becoming sober minded about reality.
Hey Fred, “reading trends”; don’t you find that Mass. Senate race most interesting?
First of all, I never claimed Kellar was racist. Never even used the word.
Secondly, it was Keller himself who proudly claimed the title “Radical.” I didn’t give it to him. Read his own words.
Finally, just about every national survey has concluded that young people identify more with the Democratic party than the Republican. Take a look at this Pew Research poll. See a difference between 2004 and 2008? Why do you think it is that 58% of young people id with Democrats but only 33% with Republicans?
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/813/gen-dems
The incredibly screwed up Iraq war changed my mind about Republicans, and I suspect it changed many younger people’s minds as well, since it was largely our generation who went off to fight and die in that completely unnecessary conflict.
Finally Jim, you really need to get out more. Women become Republicans when they have babies? hahaha.
BR, do you really trust yourself with a semicolon?
On the matter of gay marriage, since it’s been discussed here, this is something that in undoubtedly a generational question. Take a minute to look at this chart:
http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/MT/mt-search.fcgi?blog_id=1&tag=same-sex%20marriage&limit=20
Why do you think it is that 58% of young people id with Democrats but only 33% with Republicans?
Duh… Because they are young. Young generally means “lacking wisdom” about reality. They engage misguided idealism, which is really more along the lines of a Polyannaish naivete as how the world functions. If we all are nice and respectable, then bad people will like us.
They tend to want to be “taken” care of, because they don’t like the idea of “growing up” and being responsible for their own things in life. They want someone else paying for it. That is why they gravitate toward Democrats. The party offers such narcissistic pampering.
Fred, that doesn’t explain why they id’d with Republicans prior to 2004
Fred, your analysis is mind-blowing. Are you describing a cousin you can’t stand or something? I hope you understand that your myriad stereotypes only play out in your own head. People of every age bracket lean Democrat more than Republican. 51-38 for the population as a whole.
“People of every age bracket lean Democrat more than Republican. 51-38 for the population as a whole.”
But it’s more telling to see whether people lean conservative vs. liberal (not synonymous with Rep vs. Dem), and conservatives are winning (40% of American consider themselves conservative, 21% consider themselves liberal):
http://www.gallup.com/poll/124958/Conservatives-Finish-2009-No-1-Ideological-Group.aspx
To be fair, though, the 36% that counts itself as “moderate” probably includes more liberals than conservatives.
Just as a point of reference Jim, the idea that the founding fathers wanted a government of limited powers is an urban myth. The Constitution as it is written is a compromise between those who wanted to continue the extremely limited government under the Articles of Confederation (which didn’t work) and those (like Hamilton) who wanted a very, very centralized federal government which limited voting rights of the masses and wanted a resident elected for life. To insinuate that the Tea Baggers are the ideological descendants and current represetatives of those that founded the country is clearly a misrepresentation.
Jim Farley: The Tea Party movement basically wants the limited government as outlined in the Constitution. The Minutemen want a secure border. The Prop 8 supporters want to uphold traditional marriage. These are all traditional American values, and are part of the foundation that made us the greatest nation ever on the planet. It is very interesting the left considers holding these views as ‘right wing’. Admit it all those on the left, you want to oveturn this nation into your vision of a ’socialist utopia’.
sorry. resident=president.
Greetings; Mike; do; you; really; trust; your; judgement; that; you’re; not; a; Timmy; Myers; molded; elitist;?
Bill:
Does “elitist” mean “educated?”
Look it up, Timmy.
Elitism: consciousness of membership in or allegiance to a select group; includes persons of a special group and/or of the wealthiest class.
That’s you Timmy – you think you’re special. Hah!
Bill, personal attacks are usually a sign you are losing on the issues.
Bill has been fighting an uphill battle since Brown v. Board of Education.