This is the guy the OC GOP recruited to run against Assemblyman Jose Solorio this year
The Republican Party of Orange County finally found a candidate to run against popular incumbent Assemblyman Jose Solorio, in the 69th Assembly District, which includes the Cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim. The GOP candidate is a fellow named Robert M. Hammond.
The 69th Assembly District has a population that is 74% Latino. Over 50% of the registered voters are Democrats. Only 28% are Republicans. And 18% are registered as Decline to State voters.
So of course the OC GOP recruited an Anglo candidate to run against Solorio. That didn’t work out too well in 2006, when Ryan Gene Williams, who now calls himself Ryan Trabuco, got only 34% of the vote. Nor did it work out in 2008, when Cam Mangels got even less votes than his predecessor. Mangels ended up with just under 29% of the votes.
Tim Whitacre: The face of the OC Republican Party, in the 69th Assembly District
So who is running in the 69th Assembly District to represent the area on the Republican Party of Orange County’s Central Committee? Well, only two candidates are Latino. One is the notorious anti-immigrant Minuteman Lupe Moreno. The other is Theresa Contreras.
Lupe Moreno: The face of the OC Republican Party, in the 69th Assembly District
The other candidates include the aforementioned Hammond, as well as: Cuong Cao, who is allied with the very anti-immigrant Assemblyman Van Tran; Nam Pham, who says he is a community volunteer (he came in last place in 2008, when he ran for the Rancho Community College District’s Board of Education, according to Smart Voter); Scott Carpenter, a legislative aide to Assemblyman Chuck DeVore; Brett Franklin, a former member of the Santa Ana City Council; Thomas A. Gordon, an asbestos inspector at L.A. Unified; the aforementioned Mangels; Lupe Moreno; and Tim Whitacre, who recently failed in an attempt to recall Assemblyman Anthony Adams.
Thomas A. Gordon: The face of the OC Republican Party in the 69th Assembly District
Wow. Do you think that group represents the people of the 69th Assembly District? It is no wonder the Republican Party is dying when this is the best they can do…
Art…You should pull papers and run again! What % of the GOP in the 69th is Latino? Can’t they find any Hispanics to run for Central Committee? What is the racial makeup of the Democratic Central Committee in the 69th? Are the Dem.’s doing any better? I think they should have a rule/law that in Santa Ana and the 69th all elected officials should be at least 75% Hispanic, like one of four grandparents being Latino. They should try to recruit candidates at Dale Dykma’s Lincoln/Juarez center. Does Lupe count as being Hispanic? Art, it’s time for you to re-register as a Republican and pull papers! The GOP needs you my Latino brother!
P.S. Whenever I see fotos of these three they have their eyes closed. Why?
Tim whitacre got kicked out of his home and lost his business. He moved back with his family in maryland so he is technically no longer a member of the central backass committee. Cuong si cacao is an idiot. Arturo, run, amigo!
Why run, Jose is a decent assemblyman. He’s done lots of good things for the district and deserves another term! Screw the OC GOP, let’em crater.
Vern,
Very true. And I will never ever return to the GOP. The last thing I want to do is be part of that carnival sideshow!
pocket pool,
It is weird how often these pelones close their eyes when I pull out my camera!
So Thomas A. Gordon is running against Mr. Solorio?
I met Robert Hammond at the Downtown Inc, event this past Wednesday night. He seemed like a nice guy with an honest and genuine desire to improve things, and I feel I connected with him because of our mutual US Marines background.
However, in my opinion and based on my lengthy discussion with him that night, he NEEDS to immerse and strengthen himself in the fiscal and budgetary issues of California, especially since he mentions at his website, “We need a state representative with a BUSINESS background who understands how to be honest with what the people entrust to their representatives and the common sense to not spend beyond the limits of our state budget”
I visited his website, and I searched his background, but I have also NOT seen anything yet, that reflects that BUSINESS background. (At a basic level, I know that our State is in shambles – VARIOUS SEVERE DEFICITS – for examples, Annual Budget DEFICITS, Pension DEFICITS, Retirement Benefits DEFICITS.
I think, every local, county, state and federal INCUMBENT elected official/politician will HAVE to explain What they have done to REDUCE or ELIMINATE the DEFICITS, What their plans HAVE been to create jobs or bring jobs to the district and state of California; and What their FUTURE Plans are to accomplish the same.
We also need to understand their past actions for education, the environment, etc, as well as their plans going forward.
Nice catchy simple slogans will NOT do the “trick”. We need forums and comprehensive debates between the various candidates. And INCUMBENCY or party label, should NOT be a guarantee of Re-election.
Furthermore with respect to Robert Hammond, he mentions four keys ares in his website:
1) TAX “Breaks”: Tax breaks imply tax Eliminations of Taxes, Tax CUTS/Deductions; and tax Credits. Tax Credits are “actual” Cash outflows which required inflows.
He will have to explain or clarify how he intends to either eliminate/reduce INFLOWS, while he may be intending to provide OUTFLOWS.
And balancing this with the VARIOUS SEVERE DEFICITS.
2) EDUCATION: Mentions mandating having students learn how to start a business. However, while this is laudable, he will need to demonstrate a broader comprehensive approach for failing schools (of which we have many in our District). His educational background should be beneficial to him in this area.
3) Property Taxes. Proposes rolling back properly taxes for everyone to Prop 13 levels. Will need to demonstrate some kind of analysis to demonstrate how this is beneficial in the long-run given that schools rely and depend on local property taxes.
4) Legislature and “per diems”. I agree on improving this area.
And in my opinion, I think that ANY incumbent demonstrated to have “abused” in SUBSTANCE this scheme, doe NOT deserve reelection.
“Fed officials profit from per diems too”:
http://taxdollars.freedomblogging.com/2010/03/02/federal-lawmakers-profit-from-per-diems-too/52523/
“State lawmakers use their office” to duck the issue/questions:
http://taxdollars.freedomblogging.com/2010/02/26/surprise-state-lawmakers-try-to-duck-uncomfortable-question/52101/
just my two centavos!
Francisco Barragan (my personal opinion and not that of nay group)
profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscobarragancpacia
Question,
Thomas is running for the Republican Central Committee, in the 69th AD.
The guy who is running against Solorio is a fellow named Robert Hammond..