Comments on: Contra Costa at impasse over district maps

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:36:53 +0000

Tom:
Do you have a suggestion of a sign for me to hold on July 26?

By: Tom Benigno

Tom Benigno — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:51:35 +0000

Ralph:
To answer your question yes. Come on Ralph you have run for office before,just to give you an example. Have you ever tried putting your signs up, on private property, and later find out that property owner supported another candidate. That might be a poor example but, the lines are drawn to help get their candidate of choice elected. It’s called INVESTING in the future. We should have sign farms, where everyone gets the same exposier. Check out Modesto some time.

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:47:07 +0000

Tom, do you think the “volunteer citizen’s task force” received some of that special interest money? According to campaign law, political contributions and expenses are supposed to be reported.

By: Tom Benigno

Tom Benigno — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:12:25 +0000

Hello again Ralph:
The real experts in redistricting are the lobbyist who put up special interest money, to direct the lines of the districts.
California was once the 6th largest economies in the world is now 27th. The state should file bankruptcy fire everyone and start over. We would save enough money in one month to pay down our California dept. It sounds drastic but so is going hungry.

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:33:33 +0000

Hello Tom,
I’m a reporter for WC Patch now, but on this subject, my Editor has been doing the reporting. Lisa seems to have more experience on the subject of redistricting.
If I remember my Latin, “Gallia es Omnis Divisa in Partes Tres,” , so why can’t CA. In some ways, we seem to be in “The Decline and Fall of the American Empire.”

By: Tom Benigno

Tom Benigno — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:02:36 +0000

Hello Ralph:
How are you doing, I have not seen your comments on this blog for a while. If you didn’t know I have been doing some writing for another paper trying to get the word out on this mess we call recession. The district changes will help some of the new candidates, but it won’t help the economy for the U.S. especially in California. The state should be divided into three different states, that would help get ride of the Sacramento machine they call the legislature. As we can see the special interest Southern California controls the state. Redistricting wont help us in the North, or Central California. Take care.

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 03:02:37 +0000

Lisa, you were great on the subject of redistricting on “This Week in Northern CA” tonight on KQED.

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:36:09 +0000

Edi, that’s why I have “public” in quotes. The Public isn’t engaged because they don’t understand the implications of district lines. Heather Gass, who spoke in favor of 6, is organizer of the East Bay Tea Party that meets in Danville, the only CC city left that has more GOP than DEM registrants. At their June Meeting they had a Lesbian Democratic speaker.
BTW, did you note the CA Senate sent Brown a bill that will shift the Presidential Primary to June, thus increasing turnout in the Primary, plus AB459.

By: EdiBirsan

EdiBirsan — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 01:08:42 +0000

A little point correction for Ralph’s comment. THE PUBLIC did not like proposal 6. An ad hoc group prepared proposal 6 and organized a determined effort to steam roll the process with 6-10 supporters. I believe that there were actually more people who tried to create their own versions of the district and some of them got to be posted on the district making web site of the county, but were never really discussed and were hardly mentioned at all. Additionally in the 14 workshops that were held, there was hardly any real size of attendance (Concord had 25 people- others that I attended had 7-10-17-11) and many of those were repeat individuals- like myself.

The reality is that THE PUBLIC has not really been heard from and for the most part has not gotten themselves engaged in the process of the COUNTY redistricting.

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:39:48 +0000

Under Proposal 15, Jim Davis, Gary Agopian (again) and Jim Frazier would challenge Glover, while Tomi van der Brooke, Piepho’s former chief-of-staff, (who switched Parties), would challenge Uilkema. Under Proposals 16 or 17, the 3 guy challengers would run against Piepho.
Correct?