Reader calls for Houston to stop e-mail blasts
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 at 12:37 pm in 2008 June primary, Contra Costa County, Contra Costa politics.
Times’ reader Jeff Eddings copied me on an e-mail (see below) he sent to Assemblyman Guy Houston, R-San Ramon, asking the state legislator to cease those electronic blasts.
Houston has been sending out electronic public safety and education messages to his e-mail subscribers in the past few months.
Many believe that Houston, who terms out this year, is unfairly using his taxpayer funded office to help bolster his campaign for Contra Costa County supervisor against incumbent Mary Nejedly Piepho.
Some folks may not like it but Houston’s actions are a legal component of the powerful incumbent advantage. He’s barred under Assembly rules from sending mass mailings 60 
days prior to an election but the restriction does not include e-mails.
Here’s what Jeff wrote:
Assemblyman Houston-
Please stop sending these emails out. No, I’m not asking to unsubscribe — I’m asking you to cease this gross misuse of taxpayer money to send out emails that are a laughably thin facade over what is clearly a campaign message.
This is the first I hear from you for as long as I have subscribed to email updates, and while I certainly cannot stop you from campaigning for a supervisor seat after being termed out of the Assembly, this series of emails is coming at the expense of the taxpayer, and frankly, it’s shameful.
As a “representative with a demonstrated record of fiscal responsibility,” (from GuyHouston.com) I would say this hardly falls in the category of “fiscal responsibility.” If you truly wish to “always put the interests of average citizens first” and “pledge to represent [me] with integrity,” (ibid) you won’t resort to skirting campaign finance loopholes like this to get yourself elected.
For the record, I’m no supporter of Supervisor Piepho — I’m merely a citizen of Contra Costa County who abhors government misappropriation and theft, whatever the manifestation.
Jeff
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May 13th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Oh Lisa,
Your Biased campaign against Guy Houston continues. Blah Blah on Sunday. Now Blah Blah on Monday. What is Tomorrow Dinner with the Piephos!
Love Renegade
May 13th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
It depends on what’s for dinner, Renegade. I’m partial to a nice, barbecued salmon … as long as it’s not an endangered Chinook, of course.
But seriously, I have more on the subject of Houston’s correspondence with his constituents coming Wednesday on the blog. Are we having fun yet?
Love to you, too,
Lisa v.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Every day is fun on this blog. You give me plenty to talk about. But you do seem to have a special bit of vitriol for Houston.
Tee it up and let it fly!!
Love Renegade!!
May 14th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Nope, there’s not an ounce of vitriol in my soul.
Some candidates just give me more material than others.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Lisa:
You have always been fair. The extremists who think Guy Houston should be elected have suddenly put aside their love for term-limits. This guy has been living off the public trough for too long and has gotten a little too arrogant with his use of public funds at campaign time. He had to give money back because he exceeded the PAC limits for his supervisors race so now he is spending money from his state legislative and Assembly campaign accounts to sway the voters.
He did a poll and decided he should be pro-labor, anti-development, and pro-tax (SR Schools). This is totally inconsistent with his record. Mr. Dublin never saw a development he did not like and now, after collecting a bunch of labor money, changed his mind again on PLAs.
It is time for him to go!