Vikki Chavez, the widow of the late Concord Councilman Michael Chavez, has re-entered the competition to replace her husband on the City Council.

Chavez had withdrawn her name and did not participate in Monday night’s public forum where the City Council questioned the applicants. Nineteen people signed up but only 17 participated after Chavez and another prospective councilmember dropped out.

In Chavez’ letter to the city in which she asked to be reconsidered, she said she did not attend Monday night because it was her late husband’s birthday. Michael Chavez died suddenly on Aug. 4 of a heart attack.

It’s unclear whether the City Council will permit Chavez to re-enter the field when they meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to select a replacement. (Click here to see the City Council agenda.) She didn’t participate in the council’s public forum and permitting her change her mind after the fact could open the council to charges of unfairness.

But at least one advocate for open space within the future use of the Concord Naval Weapons Station clearly prefers Chavez.

“We would definitely be interested if Vikki came back in,” said Kathy Gleason. “We were so happy to have Michael, a real person, one of us, on the council.”

In a lengthy phone call with Rep. Ellen Tauscher this afternoon following her White House debriefing about her fourth trip to Iraq, she once again expressed her continued dissatisfaction with the pace of political progress there.

(Tauscher posted a very interesting web diary during her trip. Click here to read her entries.)

“It’s very apparent that the Iraqis have woefully abused the military surge and the modicum of security that it has provided,” said Tauscher, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairwoman of its strategic arms sub-committee. “The military surge was promised as an opportunity for the Iraqis to have a political surge but they have not redoubled their efforts for any significant political reconciliation, which is the only way to stop the civil war.”

Tauscher led a three-member delegation to Iraq and they spent 36 hours on the ground in Baghdad over the weekend meeting with four of the top five Iraqi government leaders, U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

She was joined by reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Jon Porter, R-Nev.

Tauscher has stayed away from Baghdad for the past two years, convinced there was little new to see. But she decided to return in advance of Petraeus’ planned September report on the status of the military surge to Congress. In addition, a 70-page report assessing the military and political conditions in Iraq by the General Accountability Office is scheduled to be delivered to Congress next Tuesday. And a second report, by an independent commission of military experts, is being drafted.

On the heels of these reports, Congress is expected to debate another war funding supplemental bill.

“September is going to be the perfect storm on Iraq,” Tauscher said.

A trip to Baghdad for a member of Congress is a hyper-security event. Tauscher wore body armor, a helmet and rode in armored vehicles, an uncomfortable experience in the 115-plus-degree heat even for trained soldiers. She slept in the military’s version of a VIP dormitory and was under guard nearly every single minute of her stay.

In Tauscher’s web diary, she repeatedly makes the point that she will never complain about the pizza-oven heat, the heavy clothing or the tight security.

“These brave soldiers are wearing evening gear, long sleeved uniforms AND carrying their equipment, water, and weapons,” she wrote on Saturday. “I’m leaving tomorrow night and they have weeks or months to serve and survive. God bless them all.”

But it is a war zone and there are no guarantees of safety. The military compound where Tauscher slept came under a mortar attack at 4 a.m. Sunday. She awoke but thought the noise came from the air conditioner and fell back asleep.

During the delegates’ whirlwind of meetings, Tauscher said she told Iraqi leaders they must do more to resolve their sectarian conflicts and reach a consensus government.

“They responded with a litany of excuses, including the fact that it is dangerous and hard and at different moments, they blame each other,” Tauscher said. “It’s like a bad divorce with everyone pointing fingers.”

Tauscher says she expects Petraeus to ask Congress to give the military surge more time despite evidence that the U.S. cannot physically sustain the troop levels in Iraq.

“He will say that the military surge has had some success — he will claim more success than I think he can — and he will say that the risk of leaving is too great,” Tauscher said.

Back in Washington, D.C., Tauscher debriefed with Gen. Douglas Lute, the White House official assigned to handle Iraq issues.

In addition to her general observations, Tauscher said she recommended to Lute that the U.S. close down the so-called “Green Zone,” a heavily secured area of Baghdad that houses Iraq’s parliament.

“I call it the ‘Green Zone Fog,’ a dangerous group-think area where the diplomats and the government and military officials all use the same clauses, nouns and inflections,” she said. “It’s all air conditioned, all security all the time and it’s just the wrong optic. The Iraqi parliament needs to get out of the Green Zone so their constituents can see them.”

She also called for the U.S. to vacate Saddam Hussein’s old palaces, particularly Camp Victory where Petraeus has his headquarters.

“Those optics are wrong, too,” she said.

The U.S. has run out of good options in Iraq and continuing on the current path will only increase the risk to national security, Tauscher concluded.

“Leaving Iraq is going to have significant repercussions but staying doesn’t assure that the Iraqis get their act together or that the region steps up to help stabilize Iraq,” Tauscher said.

To that end, Tauscher sent a letter to President George Bush calling for a “Cairo Reconciliation Summit in October with the United Nations, European Union and the Arab League to provide a forum for sectarian reconciliation and confidence building measures for the Iraqi government.”

UPDATE: ThinkProgress also did an interview with Tauscher. Click here for the link.

Former Antioch Finance Director John Tasker sent out an email today criticizing the dual role of Guy Bjerke as Antioch’s paid economic development director and as a volunteer member of the Concord Planning Commission.

The issue surfaced today primarily because Bjerke is also one of 19 people who have applied for an opening on the Concord City Council created by the death of Michael Chavez on Aug. 4.

Tasker, in the email addressed to Antioch City Manager Jim Jakel and widely copied, questioned where Bjerke’s loyalties will lay if economic development plans conflict between the two cities.

It’s unclear why Tasker, who retired recently, has sent this email or if he is supporting another applicant for the city’s opening.

And Tasker also doesn’t say that it is common for elected officials to work in adjacent government agencies.

Off the top of my head, I can think of a half dozen and there are undoubtedly more.

Concord Councilwoman Laura Hoffmeister works as a planner for the city of Clayton. Martinez Councilwoman Lara DeLaney works for Contra Costa County. Antioch Mayor Don Freitas directs Contra Costa County’s clean water consortium. Antioch Councilman Brian Kalinowski works for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department. Martinez Councilwoman Janet Kennedy works for the city of Antioch.

Here’s the letter:

Jim Jakel
City Manager
City of Antioch

Sincerely,
John Tasker

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t assume that every Republican in California favors a proposed ballot initiative that would alter the way the state allocates its Electoral College votes in the 2008 presidential election.

California GOP Vice Chairman Tom Del Beccaro, also the chairman of the Contra Costa GOP, has posted an article on his web site, Political Vanguard, that urges Republicans to resist the lure of instant gratification.

By way of background, the proposed ballot measure calls for California to scrap its winner-take-all method and award its 55 Electoral College votes based on the winner of each congressional district.

Backed by several former aides to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, it has attracted nationwide attention among critics who say it could hand the presidency in 2008 to a Republican. If this system had been in place in 2004, President George Bush would have received 22 of California’s Electoral College votes.

But Del Beccaro warns that a short-term political gain could severely undermine one of the nation’s key protections against the tyranny of the majority.

“As a practical matter today, the Electoral College prevents the Democrats from winning the presidency by the popular vote of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, etc. – all to the exclusion of the red, fly-over states,” Del Beccaro wrote. “…. We may well be better off practicing philosophic toleration lest we lose not only the Electoral College but the stability of our traditions, a prospect which cannot be what our Founders had in mind when they crafted such a measured Constitution.”

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Alamo, left today for another trip to Iraq as the leader of a bipartisan congressional delegation and the chairwoman of the House Strategic Forces sub-committee of the Armed Services Committee.

She is joined by reps. Jim Moran, D-Virginia and Jon Porter, R-Nevada.

The delegation will meet with U.S troops and commanders, U.S. and Iraqi officials and members of the Iraqi Parliament.

Prior to her departure, Tauscher issued the following statement in a press release:

“In less than a month General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will report to Congress on what if any progress has been made by the Bush administration’s troop surge policy. I am traveling to Iraq ahead of this report so that my colleagues and I can get a first-hand view of our troop status as well as the political environment in Iraq.

“Anyone familiar with the bravery and efficiency of the United States military could predict that a surge of twenty thousand troops would increase security for a period of time; a military strategy alone isn’t a wise or sustainable policy.

“I’m going to Iraq to look for any signs of a political surge - signs that the Iraqi Parliament and military are ready to take control of their own future. Only when we see these signs can we be fully confident that any real and lasting progress has been made toward stabilizing Iraq.”

Nineteen people will compete for an appointment to a vacancy on the Concord City Council including Vikki Chavez, the widow of Councilman Michael Chavez.

Michael Chavez died unexpected on Aug. 4 of a heart attack, leaving an opening on the council after serving just seven months of his first term in office.

The applicant list also includes three City Council candidates who came up short in the 2006 election — Chuck Carpenter, Ron Leone and Harmon West.

Concord Planning Commissioner Guy Bjerke has put his name up for consideration along with a Ursula Luna-Reynosa, a member of the city’s advisory committee for the Concord Naval Weapons Station planning process.

The others who have put in their names are apparently political unknowns who have little or no experience in Concord politics:
Edi Birsan
Keith Brown
Robert Bruce
David Current
Robert Hoag
David Kahler
Robert Kosloff
Roy Larkin
Michael Pelosi
William Seaver
Chris Tang
Susan Walls
La Shawn Wells

The big question is which of these candidates can get three votes from the four sitting councilmembers?

And perhaps the bigger question is, how many rounds of votes is going to take to narrow the field to to one?

With 19 people to interview, this is going to take a while.

The interviews are set for Monday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1950 Parkside Drive in Concord. Come early for a seat. It looks like the place is going to be really crowded.

Sen. Tom Torlakson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, is a very busy man this week.

Now that the deadlock on the state budget has been resolved, Torlakson’s committee has only a few weeks to hear more than 300 appropriations bills before the Legislature adjourns next month.

The legislator from Antioch has been so busy running the committee that staff is bringing him his meals at the dais and he takes very few breaks.

Of course, that might also have something to do with the fact that Torlakson probably doesn’t want to hand over the gavel to the committee’s vice chairman, the conservative GOP Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks.

Who know what the committee might vote on while Torlakson is in the bathroom?

Vernell Crittendon, the retired spokesman for San Quentin State Prison featured in a lengthy recent New Yorker profile, says he might run for Contra Costa County supervisor next year.

If he does, the Pinole resident would come up against incumbent Gayle Uilkema of Lafayette, who has vowed to seek re-election.

Crittendon has no complaints about Uilkema but says regards himself as a public servant and believes skills he gained in his professional lend themselves to public office.

“I believe I have something to offer to the citizens in Contra Costa that could make a difference in their lives,” Crittendon said. “My passions are family, our next generation of youth and getting a handle on crime and violence.”

The state Senate has passed ACR 62, which names the new Benicia-Martinez span after Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez. The old span is named after Miller’s late father.

The bill has already passed the Assembly, which means it’s now headed for the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger where it will await his signature.

Let’s hope Schwarzenegger doesn’t dilly-dally.

The bridge officially opens to traffic this weekend and the ceremony might sound funny if the emcee has to keep calling it “The Bridge We Think Will Be Named The George Miller Bridge Unless Gov. Schwarzenegger Thumbs His Nose At the Idea.”

UPDATE:
Here are details about Saturday’s opening ceremonies provided by Caltrans’ public affairs office.

Opening ceremony, drive-through procession and community celebration marking the completion of the new span of the $1.2 billion Benicia-Martinez Bridge. Includes unveiling of a plaque dedicating the bridge in honor of Congressman George Miller (Martinez), who will speak at ceremonies in both Martinez and Benicia, and will lead the inaugural drive across the bridge. We are expecting this to be a festive, colorful event with a number of classic vehicles participating. This is also a chance to see FasTrak® open-road electronic tolling in action (though no tolls will be collected during the inaugural drive). Due to safety and security concerns, participation in the inaugural drive-through is limited to dignitaries, the media and members of the public who registered in advance and received a special placard.

Save Mount Diablo holds its annual “Moonlight on the Mountain” fundraiser Sunday and one of the auction items sounds especially attractive: A week in a two-bedroom Kauai condo, donated by former Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla and his wife, Pittsburg School Board Trustee Laura Canciamilla.

The website list of auction items reads: “One Week Kauai Condo - One week (7 days, 6 nights) in two bedroom/two bath oceanfront condo at the Makahuena at Poipu Resort, within walking distance of beautiful beaches and outstanding dining.”

With Joe Canciamilla’s state Senate campaign coming up next year, he probably figures he won’t have time for a Hawaii vacation.

I suppose that rules out a generous bid on the item from his opponent, Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord.