This photo was taken in June on election night. Man, has the landscape changed since then.
This race sucks.
I helped elect Greg Janda to the Rocklin City Council for pay. I worked for Bill Halldin twice for pay (the second of which was electing him to Rocklin Council). I know Ken Broadway personally and helped his second race for City Council. All are supporting Trial Lawyer David Bass.
Pete Constant, Matthew Oliver’s (Matt is on the Left side of photo) campaign dude is a personal friend. (Pete is on the right of this photo) The Placer GOP is full of friends and allies and they are excited to help Matthew. Joe Patterson, whom I endorsed early for AD05, helped elect to Rocklin Council several years prior and who is soon to be our Assemblyman has endorsed Oliver.
This race detonated when Matthew Oliver posted an ill-advised meme depicting money changing hands in exchange for legislation. It was up for an hour before getting pulled down – that is all it took to set off a firestorm.
Bill Halldin and Ken Broadway are two of the finest men I know in politics. I’d vouch for their character and I am offended by what Matt did. However, Halldin, Broadway and others are reputed to be going to the ends of the earth to bury Matthew Oliver. There has been one of the most robust whisper campaigns I have ever seen in a local race.
David Bass has made no secret that his primary nexus for running is his personal hatred of Matthew Oliver. Jill Gayaldo (a trump-hating liberal democrat who re-registered DTS) has also been at the forefront of attempts to derail Matthew Oliver.
Your intrepid blogger is working to confirm some of the most extreme stories I have heard, which include legal threats, threats made by city staff and/or sitting councilmembers against local businesses, and attempts by candidates and/or supporters to mess with the employment of their political foes. God help any of these people if I get witness(es) on the record or some actual proof of any of this stuff.
David Bass himself has left a paper trail of treats, legal threats and generalized rage against anyone that he thinks is getting in his way. His behavior is equally as bad as Matt Oliver’s.
To everyone involved, these sorts of tactics are not worth it. Stop. Do not wreck your own reputation over a stupid City Council race.
I get why so many people are reacting viscerally to Matthew Oliver, his candidacy would be scantly different than mine would have been. Imagine what I’d do to a municipality while running for office! It has taken me 20+ years to get the filter I have now.
This is why I will never run for office. I made a decision years ago that my lane was influencing who got elected versus being an elected. It has worked with devastating effectiveness. When I cut a video, it pisses people off. When I write a blog, it pisses people off (Right Scott?). My very existence offends a lot of people. Why in the hell would I run for office, it would be a zombie eruption of everyone I ever rolled in a past campaign.
The only person that can beat Matthew Oliver is Matthew Oliver. His opponent(s) have made the race uber-personal and they are not talking about the future of Rocklin. The whole discussion is Matthew Oliver.
Then, without warning Matthew Oliver doubled down on his charges of corruption on a post from Rocklin Mayor Bill Halldin that was made on 9-15-2022. Halldin expressed his irritation that Oliver posted something implying that Halldin had endorsed him, below is how Oliver responded:
It is clear that Oliver has chosen a course for his campaign. It is also clear Bass has as well.
Matt has pushed his envelope so far that some of his known Republican endorsers are having second thoughts. Where does Matt’s chosen course take him?
Oliver is a Republican. Bass is not. So there’s that part as well. Oliver has something like $100K to spend. Bass? Certainly not that much. Oliver enjoys the support of the GOP base, Bass’ loudest boosters are a collection of Rocklin Communists.
I will not stop being friends with everyone involved post election – to all of you, please discontinue trying to pull me in to the middle of this. I have spoken my peace to many of you personally, you are grown adults and you can do what you wish with my advice. Thanks for your friendship and support over the years. And with this blog I am refusing to take a position on or participate in the Rocklin City Council race.
That’s it, I’m done. Have fun Rocklin.