I’m not using the “Breaking News” tag ironically because it’s actually true. The Signal, the sole paper of record in these parts, has endorsed a Democrat. And not just any Democrat (hell, Reagan was once a Democrat), but an activist Democrat from the Antelope Valley.
Yes. It’s true. The Signal says we should vote for Darren Parker next month over serial public employee Sharron Runner for California’s 17th State Senate seat:
Parker has unique qualifications that make him better prepared to work on putting this state back on solid financial footing.
That’s right. The Signal is endorsing a Democrat because we believe he is best qualified and in the best position to be part of a Legislature that tackles the current financial challenges.
We know our endorsement of Parker will surprise some, astonish others and upset a few.
You can say that again. At first I blinked my eyes rapidly in succession. Then I checked the URL. I felt for sure I was being punk’d. Then I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing clearly. And finally, I launched backwards in my chair, arms-flailing, letting a John Stewart-esque “Wha wha wha whatttttt?” fly from my mouth.
But it’s actually true. The Signal says Parker has good experience working with employee pensions, is a small business owner, and has been a dedicated volunteer and activist in the AV for decades.
The Signal editorial board, which made the endorsement, is comprised of Publisher Ian Lamont, Editor Lila Littlejohn, and Leon Worden, the paper’s opinion editor. Worden, though, clearly wasn’t happy with the decision so he published a dissenting view in which he endorsed Runner based on her well known name:
I have absolutely nothing against Parker. He’s an interesting person with a really tough job as head of the Human Relations Commission in the Antelope Valley. I wish him nothing but the best in life and in politics, if that is the path he chooses to take.
But personally, as a Santa Claritan who has seen the dictionary definition of public service from George and Sharon Runner and their legislative staffs over the past two decades, I cannot sit down and shut up and leave you with the impression that I personally endorse their opponent, whoever it might be.
Of course, if Cameron Smyth ever ran against a Runner, I think my head would explode. Short of that, if there is a Runner on the ballot, you know how I’ll be voting.
Anyway this is truly a red-letter day for the 18 or so local progressives who, for decades, have suffered under the yoke of a paper which endorsed anything with an R beside its name. A tip of my hat to you Creekside. I hope you’re ready for all the angry LTEs and cancellation threats.
Loading ...
The last thing this assembly district needs needs is to send a cheerleader for big labor to support a Jerry Brown administration. What has hurt this state in not partisanship, but one party rule under liberal Democrats. Sharon Runner supports smaller state government and lower taxes. The cabal of public sector unions aligned with Democrat politicos must be broken up to make the Golden State shine again. Look at the streets of Cairo this morning and see what the big cities of California will look like if Darren Parker is elected to the assembly.
Shame on The Signal and it’s editorial staff (Leon Worden excepted). Thank God for the activist Tea Party Patriots across the SCV who proclaim liberty loud and clear. Let freedon ring…..Run with Runner.
tea party and liberty and freedom …you are a funny guy, Petz.
“Look at the streets of Cairo this morning and see what the big cities of California will look like if Darren Parker is elected to the assembly.”
I missed you too Petz
I agree with Jeff. Comparing the fiscal irresponsibility of the liberals here in the state to the tyrannical corruption of Egypt is a bit overstated. The Cairo situation has much more attached to it than Demos coddling union hacks and spending public money into oblivion. I would hate to see Petz’s otherwise insightful political observations sullied by irrelevant hyperbole.
Irrelevant or irreverent?
How about “unrelated” hyperbole?
Who was the Governor of CA went Hosni Mubarak came into power?
Hmmm. I think that is what they call a coincidence.
Petz has such respect for Fred that he will accept his constructive comments on their face. While the analogy may have been prophetic and insightful, it was inopportune and digressed from the major point which Jeff introduced.
Petz condems Jerry Brown for his incenderary reference to unrest in the streets of Egypt and Tunisia. Jerry is sitting on his own powder keg in Sacramento and he should not be lighting matches while threatening the GOP minority.
Petz is on the cutting edge of political-social commentary. Such wise insight.
This is indeed good news. I plan to vote for Parker for no other reason than I am tired of dynasty politics, especially among conservatives. The Runners preach how bad government is yet they frantically hop from government job to government job. It’s time for them to get full time jobs in the private sector so they can experience what you can and can’t do in the private sector first hand.
Just because you’re married to George doesn’t mean you can do his job when he’s termed out or elected to a different government job.
For the 4 years when Mr. Runner was in the Senate and Mrs. Runner in the Assembly, the happy republican couple collected two legislative salaries, AND a combined $250,000 in per diem, tax free.
Yes, SCV Poster, I also love Republicans who give speeches about opposing new taxes and sign “no new tax” pledges, and then live forever on tax-funded paychecks.
I can’t find ANY information on how the Mrs. plans to help solve California’s budget problems- other than no more taxes. Anyone have a link to anything with some depth? It really feels like she’ll just be subbing for her hubby- with no thoughts of her own.
There is something I don’t understand. Sorry, I really haven’t followed local politics. My impression of Santa Clarita is that it is made up of many police, firemen, teachers, and people working in the movie industry – that is to say, jobs with very strong unions. So why is it so strongly republican? I noticed a neighbor who I knew had a very good TV job had W signs around even when running for the 2nd term, and I just didn’t get it. Am I wrong about the demographics here? Or have those union people said to themselves, I’m willing to give up my pensions, health insurance, and job security for what I believe is better for the country?
That’s the genius of GOP messaging and the enduring legacy of the Nixon administration’s southern strategy. The main goal is this: Get working- and middle-class people to vote against their own economic self-interest by fooling them into believing that cultural issues (abortion, or school busing, or gun rights or prayer in school) are important. Bonus points for fooling working class people into believing that the liberal academic elites hold secret parties where they mock and ridicule middle and working class values.
And just like that- shazam! Millions vote against their own economic interests.
There you have it… another brilliant political observation from a 30ish union worker with no children who drives an old Suburu and lives in a high density housing project on the wrong side of the tracks. No offense…
What’s funny is that Bill thinks he knows exactly where Jeff lives & works and he’s wrong on both counts.
Jeff’s Subaru is old? Good one!
Bill, aren’t you in line with Oldsmobile and Saturn owners to get an oil change, courtesy Government Motors? Ha!
Sorry, I guess I am too new to all this to understand. Are you saying his ideas are wrong because he drives a Suburu? And where in the world is the wrong side of the tracks in Santa Clarita?
You’ll have to excuse Bill. He thinks anything southeast of the Summit is the “wrong side of the tracks.” Too much chlorine in his pool I think.
RM:
The irony is that the folks in Westridge think of the Summit as a slum.
Bill:
Anyone who drives a ridiculous Barbie Hummer should not throw stones at a Suburu!
Everyone knows that Suburus are for sissies. Having said that, it sure is easy to pull a liberal’s chain. Ha!
And ReaderMa, I don’t have a pool…
Bill:
How do I put this decorously? When someone drives a Barbie Hummer it means they have a personal issue with a personal piece of “equipment.”
Bill is so sexually insecure he attaches other people’s sexuality to the car they drive. Ask any lady what they thinks of a guy driving a hummer and they will tell you he is compensating for something.
What are you compensating for tough guy?
RM thought you were “overly using” the Summit community pool.
RM, should start a little reality thinking for a change.
Hey Lil Natie (tough guy behind your keyboard), I’ll tell you what I am compensating for… face to face.
Hey Bill, how about Nate meets you face to face, but you have to go up to the first black guy you see and tell him your famous joke:
http://scvtalk.com/2010/06/29/june-29-2010-daily-brief/#comment-20092
I love the smell of fresh pwnage in the morning.
Already done it… now what?
Jeff has it exactly wrong-projecting his own predilictions upon his supposed political “opponent.” Nixon was perhaps the first neo con and not a friend of true conservatives As an Alynskyite Jeff knows that the liberal progressive agenda is to align itself with the middle class for the purpose of destroying it. Petz believes the distortion is intentional and strategic.
Yeah, that will be the day! People are blind to how they benefit from all sorts of “socialist” programs but very vociferous in their condemnation of others for benefitting in the same way.
I know a couple of audio engineers who travel around the country doing trade shows and such. Both were formerly employed full time as employees but were let go and made “independent contractors.” Now they fancy themselves “businessmen.” They both decry union employees as being lazy and such. But they have formed an informal group and have fixed prices for their services amongst themselves. To their way of thinking that is okay, but being a member of a union is not. Go figure.
Thanks for the mention, Jeff
For the record, there are six people on the editorial board (you referenced three). They are Ian Lamont, Lila Littlejohn, Morris Thomas, Peter Watson, Fred Trueblood and me. Immediately next to my dissenting opinion in the paper, you will see that Fred also dissented.
Best wishes,
=;->LEON
Leon, you beat me to it. I was all ready to stand up for Fred. I’ll sit back down now.
Leon, I’m on team Parker, but your dissent is a great articulation of your viewpoint on the race. But I can’t quite understand why Fred bothered. He gave us little more than “hey, I disagree!”
Thanks, Mike!
Also, Leon is not the paper’s opinion editor. Peter Watson is.
Hmmm. Todd must be taking the morning off or he would have caught that.
Indeed. I was taking the morning sans computing devices to do a little household cleaning. Glad it was pointed out. Carry on. Go Democrats!
NTT:
You have struck on the great irony of political life in the SCV. The most voracious Repubs seem to draw a paycheck either directly from some level of government OR a business where 90% of the revenue is gathered in from government contracts. I consider myself a moderate, and have NEVER drawn a paycheck from a government or a business where they primary customer was the government.
I will admit, however, that my current private employer in the financial services industry would have been a smoking ruin but for the broad and continuing intervention of the Federal Reserve in the financial section since late 2008.
Isn’t this the same Signal that endorsed the city taking over the libraries?
I don’t know why any of you are taking the Signal’s latest, so called “View” seriously.
Each week the Signal seems to be shrinking in size with more and more articles and columns coming from outside news services. Today, the Opinion page was funnier than the comics. In order to fill 4 pages, the Editorial Board filled 2 with both sides of the issue. In this case, no matter who comes out on top, the Editorial Board was right on?
Is this pandering to both sides or just pathetic?
The latter….most likely.
Congrats to The Signal for doing the right thing.
I wonder whether they will make an unusual endorsement for Santa Clarita’s next Congressional race, once they and the public discover that a certain congress person will no longer support or carry the “stop the mine” legislation to protect Santa Clarita residents from the negative health effects and traffic inherent in that Federal project?
@J, you make statements such as the one above. Please provide corroborating documents that Buck McKeon will not continue to support legislation that will prevent CEMEX from placing a mega mine on the property in Canyon Country.
You also never responded to my previous request:
Coastal Sage says:
January 24, 2011 at 5:57 pm
For those who are interested, Jeff at scvtalk.com, the Signal’s editorial staff, and the SCOPE leaders have full copies of all of the Board of Supervisors documents relating to the ballot measure which created the County of Los Angeles existing library special tax. L.A. County put the measure on the ballot in settlement of litigation with Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, who criticized the County’s collection of the old library tax after Proposition 62 was passed as an embellishment on Proposition 13.
If there is confusion on the Santa Clarita City Attorney’s part, about what the ballot measure approved by the County voters means, it would be because he wasn’t willing to read plain English. The ballot measure put on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors says the library special tax money is to fund the County library system, and than when a city withdraws from that library system the tax money is no longer collected for that city. Any attempt to “read into” that ballot measure any right of any city to collect the County special library tax for itself, with or without the help of the L.A. County Tax Collector, is pure silliness.
Reply
Berta González-Harper says:
January 25, 2011 at 9:45 am
@J you have my personal email address, can you please forward those documents. I would like to review them. Thanks.
On a different topic, what do you think of the proposal to form a partnership between the City, Lewis, and Shapell and buy the former Whittaker-Bermite site?
Reply
Within the 1997 Ballot the first paragraph of the “Analysis of Proposition L by DeWitt W. Clinton, County Council” states “This measure seeks approval of a funding proposal for the County of Los Angeles Public Library, as set forth in a ressolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors on March 4, 1997.”
The intent appears to be in plain english and very clear.
@Al Ferdman, my questions (more than on library issue) were specifically for Coastal Sage. You and I have already had this conversation but for the rest of the folks here is/was my answer to you:
Fri 1/28/2011 11:13 AM
Al,
I will leave it to the attorneys/courts to figure this out. I still believe that the CA Constitution allows for the jurisdiction providing the service to have the ability to collect the money to fund the service. You believe otherwise. Time will tell…
The actual ballot measure also does not list the ability to increase the tax every year according to the Ca CPI up to a maximum of 2% per year or that it CANNOT be collected by any other jurisdiction i.e. City of Santa Clarita. A lawyer (City or otherwise) could also challenge the County’s ability to have raised this tax every year too. This parcel tax is for a service (libraries) in a specific geographic and jurisdictional area (City of Santa Clarita) and therefore both benefit and jurisdiction is determined. Complete rights and responsibilities are other than what is on the actual ballot anyway.
As you say, it does pay to verify, I believe that YOU are misinformed. I have verified my information. I think we have exhausted this topic for now since we are obviously not going to agree anyway.
In any event, LA County has the authority to put its own library tax before the voters in its jurisdictional area, the City may do likewise.
Berta
Text from the Supervisors March 4th resolution referenced in the Proposition L analysis.
“the maximum amount of the special tax shall increase each year by 2%, or the percentage change in the consumer price index for the prior fiscal year, whichever is less. “
@Al Ferdman, please show me where it says that on the actual ballot people used to cast their votes, not the text most people don’t bother to read.
I have already told you what was on the Ballot and what was referenced on the ballot.
Anything more is pure speculation. I will not participate in a discussion of that nature.
Berta, the proof is in the pudding for Cemex. Unless someone else (Brad Sherman, Diane Feinstein, Barb Boxer) push it through it isn’t going to happen.
@Navigator if it is truly up to those three “public servants” to get the CEMEX mine issue put to rest once and for all, then in my humble opinion we are doomed.
When an issue exists where all involved are on the same page and in agreement it’s pretty hard to understand why it can’t get accomplished with a helpful hand from a local politician. This issue should have been “put to bed” 2 years ago. If we can’t get it done on the Congressional level we’ll need to work backward from the Senatorial level. I can guarantee you that Cemex isn’t going to sit on their laurels waiting for much longer. Certainly not past the end of this year.
The Dems are robo calling absentee voters this evening trumpeting The Signal’s endorsement.
Darren Parker is nothing more than a community activist who has done nothing to deserve The Signal’s endorsement , much less our vote.
He is a fan bigger government, favoring inefficient and unproven “green energy” production. As Dennis Prager says “The Bigger the Government…the Smaller the Citizen”. Sharon Runner is endorsed by the Howard Harvis Taxpayer Association.
My information is that he actively opposed placing the the words In God We Trust inside the council chambers of the city of Lancaster.
He divides his community by actively supporting multiculturalism-rather than promoting ” E Pluribus Unum” to unite all Americans.
He challenges law enforcement in the Antelope Valley at almost every opportunity. Sharon Runner is endorsed by Sheriff Lee Baca.
The Signal cannot explain how adding another Democrat to Jerry Brown’s “Amen Chorus” in Sacramento will make state government less partisan. Every state wide office is held by a Dem-the assembly and senate have large Democrat majorities. By my calculation electing this man to the senate will increase partisanship.
It was irresponsible of The Signal to endorse Darren Parker without a voting record when compared to his opponent Sharon Runner. Sharon Runner is not only the most qualified candidate, she most importantly upholds and reflects the American values held so dear in the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys she is called to represent.
Petz proudly endorses Sharon Runner…..and that will get her more votes than The Signal’s endorsement of Darren Parker.
Hey Petz got his talking points memo!
I have always liked Fess Parker
I would enter this debate but Petz already used up all of my good lines against this Big Government loving, law enforcement hating, snuggle bunny for taxpayer funded bailouts of union pension programs.
“Sharon Runner…she is called to represent.” Problem is she seems to think she is called anytime George lifts his butt out of a well-paying job.
@Al Ferdman, you “speculate” all the time you just rebrand it as the “facts”. However, I agree that further conversation is pointless.
Petz says it was unconcionable for Jerry Brown to use the Tunisia/Egypt unrest to leverage the GOP for a vote of tax increases. The people already said NO ! We elect representatives and establish rules and procedures to deal with governance. We must not allow those who do not pay taxes to put another yoke on those who do. Tell Jerry NO !