Rupf

Contra Costa Country Sheriff Warren Rupf, who considered running for the 11th Congressional District himself, has endorsed Lodi grapegrower Brad Goehring in the 2010 Republican primary.

“Brad Goehring is a candidate that understands the nature of the law enforcement mission and the tools we need to accomplish it.  I trust Brad to work with local law enforcement and to be a voice for fiscal sanity and job creation in Washington DC.  I am proud to endorse Brad Goehring for the Republican nomination and as our next Congressman,” Repf said in a prepared release.

Read on for the full release from Goehring’s campaign:

Read the rest of this entry »

Danville entrepreneur Jon Del Arroz has dropped out of the 11th Congressional District Republican primary, according to a statement he sent out a few minutes ago.

His young son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and he and his wife, Samantha, will focus on his treatment and care, he said.

“My son’s diagnosis has changed my plans,” Del Arroz said.  “At this time in my life, the needs of my son rightfully take precedence. Samantha and I love Mateo and are going to do everything in our power to make his life fulfilling.  Running a contested campaign against an incumbent and then serving in Washington so far away from home, is not an option that would be fair to my son or my wife and not one that I would even consider given the circumstances.

“I want to thank everyone who encouraged and supported me in my campaign. It was a tremendous experience.”

That leaves seven declared candidates. (Click here for the most recent declared GOP candidate and full list.)

Robert Beadles

Lodi construction company owner and Republican Robert Beadles has officially entered the 11th Congressional District race.

He is one of eight people who have declared their candidacies for the June 2010 primary and hoping for a shot at ousting incumbent Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, next November.

Beadles has a compelling personal narrative.

Just 32 years old, he owns three construction-related companies, started an olive orchard  and wrote a book this year on how to become wealthy, entitled “Here’s What You Do: You Personal Economic Survival Guide.”

“I’ve created everything I’ve got with my bare hands,” said Beadles, who grew up dirt poor in the Central Valley. “I have always been pretty outspoken on political matters and I’m tired of listening to politicians saying the same things over and over again. I’ve had over 100 people tell me I should run.”

Click through at the bottom to read Beadles’ full candidacy statement.

As one of eight Republican candidates, a field that could expand, Beadles faces the same major challenges as his opponents: Little or no name identification and the glare of an expensive, high-stakes race for a seat that Republicans badly want to reclaim from McNerney.

Beadles says he is willing to put in his own money to the campaign if necessary. Two of the other Republicans, Brad Goehring and Jon Del Arroz, have already done it.

The other candidates include:

Brad Goehring, Clements winegrape grower, http://www.goehringforcongress.com/

Larry Pegram, former San Jose councilman and founder of  Values Advocacy Council, http://www.larrypegram.com

Elizabeth Emken, former vice president of government affairs for Autism Now, Danville, http://www.emken2010.com/

Jon Del Arroz, Danville entrepreneur,http://www.delarroz.com/

David Bernal, former telecommunications executive, San Ramon,http://www.davidbernal.org

Tony Amador, former U.S. Marshal from Lodi, http://amadorforcongress.com/

Jeff Takada, high school teacher in Manteca, no Web site yet

Read the rest of this entry »

Elizabeth Emken

Elizabeth Emken, the former vice president of governmental affairs at  Autism Speaks and a Danville resident, this morning was set to became the eighth declared Republican candidate in the 2010 June primary for the 11th Congressional District.

Click here to read her biography.

The other candidates who have entered the race or say they will run include:

1) Jeff Takada, a high school teacher in Manteca

2) Lodi-area grape grower Brad Goehring

3) Businessman Jon Del Arroz, of Danville

4) Former San Jose Councilman and Values Advocacy Council founder Larry Pegram

5) San Ramon businessman David Bernal

6) Former U.S. Marshal and Sacramento-area Latino leader Tony Amador of Lodi

7) Lodi-area construction company owner Robert Beadles

The growing Republican field reflects the view among many that the GOP, which holds a slight party registration lead, could retake this seat in 2010. Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, pulled off a major upset in 2006 when he ousted Republican Richard Pombo.

UPDATE: Read Emken’s press release and her comments today on her candidacy below. Read the rest of this entry »

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton

Brad Goehring, Republican CD11 candidate

Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, posted a huge fundraising lead over all potential opponents, while Republican contender Brad Goehring reported a substantial head start in what could be a large GOP primary field in the 2010 June election.

McNerney reported total contributions of $816,015 in his third quarterly report filed with the Federal Election Commission. He had $675,822 in the bank as of Sept. 30, the final day of the report. Of McNerney’s contributions, $460,315 came from individuals while $355,254 came from political action committees.

Goehring, a Lodi area grapegrower, leads the GOP pack with $734,482 in total contributions and $423,184 in the bank, according to his report. But much of that money has come from Goerhing’s own checkbook. He has loaned his campaign $650,000 and received other contributions totalling $80,982.

McNerney’s big push to raise cash reflects the fact that he will almost certainly face a tough re-election bid as Republicans try and reclaim one of the seats they lost in the 2006 election. The 11th District is one of a handful of competitive partisan seats in California.

As for the other candidates — all Republicans — who filed reports, here are their numbers:

Jonathan Del Arroz, businessman from Danville: $80,327 in contributions other than loans, $249,905 cash on hand. He has loaned his campaign $230,000. (Click here to see full FEC report.)

Tony Amador, a retired U.S. Marshal from Lodi: $25,575 in contributions, $20,216 cash on hand.No personal loans.  (Click here to see full FEC report.)

Robert Beadles, construction company owner from Lodi: $6,582 in contributions, $1,504 cash on hand. No personal loans. (Click here to see full FEC report.)

Larry Pegram, former San Jose councilman now living in Tracy: $12,954 in contributions, $9,978 cash on hand. No personal loans. (Click here to see full FEC report.)

(6:22 p.m. I updated this blog entry after I had the opportunity to read through the details of the reports. Just what I wanted to do on a Saturday night. I also saw that a summary page I referenced from the FEC site reports net receipts, which lumps loans and contributions together. I changed the numbers to reflect the figures for candidates who have made personal loans to their campaigns.)

Tony Amador

The U.S. Marshals Service has asked GOP 11th Congressional District candidate and its former Eastern District Director Tony Amador to place a disclaimer on his campaign Web site after it received a complaint about his use of photos that show him wearing a polo shirt with the agency logo.

However, the former U.S. Marshall is apparently free to use photos of himself taken during his seven years on the job.

“There is no indication that the photos of Amador’s Web site depicting him wearing USMS articles were taken after he left office,” an agency spokeswoman said in an email. “Amador surrendered his badge and credentials upon his retirement from the USMS. Moreover, there is no USMS policy requiring employees to surrender clothing articles, such as polo shirts, when separating from the USMS.”

Federal law prohibits the use of the likeness of a U.S. Marshals Service badge, logo or insignia in a “manner that is reasonably calculated to convey the impression that the wearer of the item of apparel is acting pursuant to the legal authority … or is approved, endorsed or authorized by the U.S. Marshals Service.”

President George W. Bush appointed Amador in 2002. He retired in August as part of the exodus of Republican appointees after President Barack Obama took office.

The agency has asked Amador, who recently moved from the Sacramento area to Lodi, to place the following statement on his Web site: “Neither the Department of Justice nor the U.S. Marshals Service have any role in, endorse, or support my candidacy, and have no involvement in this election.”

Amador spokesman Stan Devereux said today that the campaign will comply with the request.

This is a curious thing.

In California, law enforcement and fire agencies routinely ban the use of their uniform insignias, logos and badges in political campaigns regardless, although you often see them depicted in generic or uniform-like clothing.

The U.S. Marshal Services’ opinion is in marked contrast to that of the U.S. State Department, which asked Democratic candidate and state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier to stop using photos and endorsement statements from former Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher in his recent 10th District congressional campaign. (He didn’t comply but it didn’t help; he still lost.)

Tauscher is now the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security and banned under federal law from making political endorsements; she gave DeSaulnier her support before she took her new post. A State Department lawyer argued that the use of even a legally obtained endorsement could give the appearance of impropriety.

Former CD-11 candidate Dean Andal has agreed to pay a $9,500 fine from California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, though not for conduct related to his 2008 Congressional race against Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton.

Rather, the wheels of political justice are just finally grinding toward resolution of a complaint from way back in 2004, when Andal was running for a seat on the Lincoln Unified School District Board of Trustees and used campaign funds to attack an incumbent seeking re-election to the nearby Stockton Unified School District board.

Andal and his committee in October 2004 paid most of the costs for – but didn’t put their names on – two mass mailings attacking the record of SUSD Trustee Clarence Chan, who was being challenged by Sarah Bowden; those mailings went out to about 4,000 recipients, and Bowden eventually beat Chan by 1,058 votes.

Andal and his committee also failed to report accrued expenses on a pre-election campaign statement, FPPC staffers say, and Andal, his campaign and its treasurer, Larry Solari, failed to report required information on spending of $100 or more on a semi-annual campaign statement.

“An aggravating factor applicable to all counts is the fact that Respondent Andal had a great deal of prior experience with the (Political Reform) Act. He previously served as a member of the California State Assembly and the California Board of Equalization (not including other public offices he has run for/held), and he was previously involved with numerous mass mailings,” FPPC staffers wrote in the exhibit that’ll be presented along with a proposed order to FPPC commissioners at their meeting next Thursday, Oct. 8 in Sacramento.

“A mitigating factor applicable to all counts is the fact that Respondents Andal, Citizens for Andal, Citizens for Andal-Lincoln Unified, and Larry Solari cooperated with the Enforcement Division of the Fair Political Practices Commission in all phases of the investigation of this matter and by agreeing to an early settlement of this matter well in advance of the Probable Cause Conference that otherwise would have been held,” they wrote.

A seventh Republican has joined the list of candidates looking at running in the June 2010 primary election in the 11th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton.

Jeff Takada, a high school teacher in Manteca, will formally announce his campaign and launch his website in the next few weeks, according to his spokesman Mike Cipponeri.

The intense interest is a reflection of the 11th District’s competitive party registration split between Republicans and Democrats.

The other Republicans who have either entered the race or are testing the waters include:

1) Lodi-area grape grower Brad Goehring has hired Carl Fogliani, the former campaign manager for Richard Pombo, the former congressman who lost to McNerney in 2006.

2) Businessman Jon Del Arroz, of Danville, has on his team Carlos Rodriguez and Dave Gilliard.

3) Former San Jose Councilman and Values Advocacy Council founder Larry Pegram is exploring the idea with well-known consultant Tim Clark.

4) San Ramon businessman David Bernal has a Web site.

5) Former U.S. Marshal and Sacramento-area Latino leader Tony Amador officially entered the race on Sept. 17 at a press conference in downtown Lodi.

6) Lodi-area construction company owner Robert Beadles is discussing a run with the firm of Duane Dichiara.

McNerney

UPDATE 6:37 P.M. In response to the announcement of the protest, Rep. Jerry McNerney’s spokeswoman Sarah Hersh said the congressman has prior commitments to attend events in San Joaquin County on Saturday, including a visit to battered women’s shelter and meeting with teachers. But Hersh said he will make staff available on Saturday at his office to listen to constituents’ concerns, and staff will provide him with a briefing later in the day. LAV.

If Rep. Jerry McNerney won’t have a town hall on health care, the town hall will come to him.

Tri-Valley conservatives who helped organize “tea party” protests of Democratic policies in the past year in the area have announced a rally for noon Saturday in front of McNerney’s Pleasanton office to protest the Democrats’ health care legislation.

McNerney, like many other Democrats, held teletown halls via a telephone conference system rather than public town hall meetings. Although McNerney has been widely praised on both sides of the political aisle for hosting more than 50 in-person Congress On Your Corner events since his election in 2006, McNerney is now coming under fire from critics who say he is dodging his constituents on the controversial health care legislation.

McNerney and his neighbor, Rep. George Miller, opted for the more easily controlled teletown halls last week. The lawmakers pointed to major disruptions in town hall meetings in other Congressional districts across the country, creating what Democrats call a hostile environment orchestrated by right-wing organizations unlikely to foster useful debate on the subject.

Several political science professors at several California universities have called that stance unproductive and unlikely to reassure the many constituents worried about changes in their health insurance.

The Saturday rally is already the subject of discussion on conservative talk radio KSFO and could potentially draw a substantial number of protesters.

Whether or not it will influence McNerney’s unequivocal support of health care reform legislation is a different question.  But unlike most congressional incumbents, McNerney’s re-election is far from certain as District 11 remains one of the few politically competitive districts in the state.

Read on for the event organizer’s press release sent out a few minutes ago: Read the rest of this entry »

McNerney

Goehring

It feels way too early — given the fact that the June 2010 primary is 10 months away — but what can you do but report it?

Declared Republican Congressional District 11 candidate Brad Goehring fired off a challenge this morning to Democratic incumbent Jerry McNerney to hold a health care debate.

If this debate over debates sounds familiar, well, it should.

McNerney unsuccessfully demanded debates with his predecessor, Richard Pombo, back in 2006. Then Republican Dean Andal regularly called for — and never got — a series of debates with McNerney in the 2008 campaign.

The challengers always want to debate. They have nothing to lose. They need the press coverage. And they want the challenger to acknowledge their presence in the campaign.

The incumbents never want to debate. They might say something dumb. There could even be a YouTube moment. And as incumbents, they already have plenty of facetime with the press and the public.

Both sides eventually agree to a couple of third-party sponsored round-tables put on by the venerable League of Women Voters or the local press.

In the meantime, here’s Goehring’s debate demand release.

Read the rest of this entry »