Placer County Local Elections

The Conservative Case for South Placer County Measure B – Think It Through

Oct 272024

Some of you that read this blog have probably seen this. Why is your intrepid blogger supporting a TAX INCREASE!?

Ask Joe Patterson, James Gallagher, Brian Dahle, Megan Dahle, Josh Hoover, Roger Niello, heck, ask Mike Morrell (he is a former State Senator) – they will all tell you the same thing. In order to get money to fix local roads you have to have a local funding mechanism. (See also transportation tax)

In his rage-filled tirade a local Republican activist outright lied when he said there is enough money to pay for this. No, there is not and he knows it. Ask Tracy Mendonsa, Bonnie Gore, Shanti Landon, Ken Broadway or any of the host of City Council/Town Councilmembers – they will tell you that 85-88% of their money is spent before they even get to make decisions. You can’t pay for Police, Fire and Road Construction with only 12-15% of your budget available after mandates.

It is easy to lie about the circumstances local governments face when trying to build infrastructure.

The big lie against Measure B is that it is easy to live in the “It’s a Tax” intelectually lazy soundbyte world. I tried to engage some people in a discussion of the reality of the situation that has predicated the need for Measure B. Local Government’s money was stolen TWICE by Sacramento. The first time is tying gas taxes to matching local taxes because the supermajority party did this knowing that knee-jerk no tax at anytime for any reason counties would never vote to match the state gas tax funds. Then this allows the second theft to be completed when Sacramento Liberals to send our transportation gas tax funds elsewhere.

It’s not fair – but remember Republicans like Abel Maldonado provided tie-breaking votes to give the 2/3 to create this system and now the dems have the 2/3 they need to expand this system. Until we gain 24 seats in the Assembly with real Republicans and 12 seats in the State Senate with real Republicans this system won’t change. How long do you want traffic jams in Roseville and Rocklin?

But it’s a tax, and we have to vote no is the refrain.

Placer County was eligible for $800 MILLION IN MATCHING MONEY IN 2023. But Placer did not get it because they did not have a matching revenue stream. Are Placer voters proud to know that their gas tax money is going to build $350 Million in eco-housing in LA County? Continue to fund that stuff by voting no on B – because you know, it’s a tax!

$119 Million was sent from Placer County’s gas tax to fix the port of Oakland while you sit in CA-65 for an extra 30 minutes a day stuck in traffic!

But – It’s a tax!

Let’s look a measure B another way. If you knew you could spend $1 on building something and get another $5-$9 in matching state and/or federal money would you do it? How many of you bought taxpayer-subsidized solar for your house? It is basically the same concept – but somehow that feels different than a 7.75% sales tax rate.

What self-respecting fiscal conservative would not want to take a dollar and make it $5 at least? Sometimes, that dollar could even be $9 or more depending on how many grants the county could hit at a given time!

But – It’s a tax!

In my lifetime as a Republican activist and paid consultant, I have supported exactly three tax measures. Measure D built Westpark High School. Measure E built a ton of stuff for Sierra College and was the product of a significant compromise with political leaders. It was slimmed down considerably and now there is this measure. In each case the above facts were true (85+% of money being spent, other sources of money coming open, etc.)

People rag on the Placer County Republican Party and the Republican Party in general as being the party of no. It is because in circumstances like this where there is a clear nexus for Conservatives to bite the bullet, instead of listening to reasonable arguments, soundbytes and tirades carry the day. Placer County deserves better.

Get the facts. Vote yes on B.

P.S. for those of you that wonder – where I live the sales tax is 8.265% and we have freeway and local road construction everywhere. It is glorious. US395 near where I live is being widened from 2 lanes to 4 lanes + aux lane uphill and 3 lanes + aux lanes downhill and redone interchanges. This would have never happened had Washoe County not been able to get matching federal money… all the projects you see on I-80 in the Washoe County Area are the same nexus. Think it through and ask yourself what kind of world you want in your own area!

Placer County Loses a Giant: In Memory of Aldo Pineschi

Placer County Development, Placer County Local Elections 8 Responses »

May 302024

If you have lived in Placer County any length of time, you know Aldo Pineschi.

To call him a giant in Placer County is an understatement. If you were involved in any local Chamber of Commerce, Local Government Board, Local Commission or Local Charity you knew this man.

I first encountered Aldo in 1997 when I joined the Roseville Chamber of Commerce. I knew him then as another one of those establishment democrats from old Roseville that ran everything.

What was fascinating is that well-known conservatives like Tim Leslie (and Staff – Robert Dugan, John Allard and others), Bonnie (then Mertus) Gore, John Doolittle (and staff), Kirk Uhler, and others all loved the guy and worked well with him. How could this be I thought? Aldo is a Democrat.

A few years later there was an ill-fated tax measure on the Placer County ballot. Bonnie, Kirk and a couple others convinced me of the merits of at least meeting with Aldo to hear him out on why he was working for the developers to pass the item. At the time, I was the President of the Placer County Republican Assembly.

What I found is that Aldo is a thoughtful man. While he is a political animal, in the years I dealt with him he was as forthright and transparent with me as anyone I know in the political arena is. I chose to look at Mr. Pineschi through the lens of others that respected him and worked with him as I was trying to reconcile why this democrat had so much infulence and goodwill in Dark-Red Placer County.

Over the years, I developed a friendship with Aldo and others to the left of me in the local political scene. Aldo was one of those that helped me realize democrats are human beings, just wrong. Amazingly, Aldo was a democrat who had been left behind by the LGBT, open borders, anti-America fever base of the current dem party.

It’s not fair that Aldo died young. It hurts a bit to write this because I had actually grown fond of him as a human and viewed him as a political ally in many cases. Moreover, we had the ability to speak candidly and exchange information that benefitted both of us.

There are many others in the Local Placer Political Scene that have deeper connections to the man and I have marvelled at what I have been reading as the news of his passing has spread.

Someday, we are all going to die. People loved him, becuase of who he was and what he did. Seeing what is being said about Aldo should be a goal for all of us to make sure our legacy is anywhere near as impactful as his was.

RIP Aldo.

From the Placer County Registrar Regarding Mail Your Intrepid Blogger Received About My Voter Registration

Placer County Local Elections 3 Responses »

Jan 172024

I got an email back from Placer County Clerk-Recorder Ryan Ronco about a couple of Postcards I got here at my command post 5,140 Feet in Elevation.

The email is posted in its’ entirety. This is valuable information for ANYONE that cares about election integrity.

Hello Aaron –

Sorry for my delayed response – I was back east last week to (PERSONAL DETAILS REDACTED) and I’m catching up with emails.

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Yes, this post card is the result of my office finally being able to cancel your voter registration.

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Back in September of 2020, we moved your record to the inactive voter file after we received undeliverable election mail returned to us in advance of the November 2020 election (as a reminder, voters in the inactive file do not receive vote-by-mail ballots, voter information guides, or other election mail – more on this topic below). In accordance with federal law, after two consecutive federal general elections without any contact from the voter (in your case, November 2020 and November 2022), we can move the voters from the inactive file to the cancelled file. Your record was moved from the inactive file to the cancelled file on December 6, 2023, which was the last day we could cancel voters from the inactive file before federal law forbids cancellations of inactive voters within 90 days of a federal election.

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I believe in the Right On Daily blog you mentioned that you contacted my office when you moved so that your voter registration would be cancelled. I’m absolutely not doubting you did that – you are one of those very few registered voters who would ensure your record was cancelled in your previous county of residence after a move (if everyone did that, there would be no need for an “inactive voter file”). However, I don’t have a record of that correspondence. According to our records, we moved you from the active file to the inactive file because we sent you something (probably our residency confirmation postcard that we send before the primaries in Placer County) that came back as undeliverable.

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As I mentioned above, voters in the inactive file do not receive voter information guides, vote-by-mail ballots, or other official election mail from my office. They might still receive political mail from campaigns if the campaign purchased my data before we moved the voter to the inactive file and if the campaign did not pay for periodic data updates. They also might get some official mail from my office depending on WHEN we move the voter to inactive status – our data is usually sent to the vendors who print our vote-by-mail ballots and our voter information guides (two different vendors with two different production schedules) about 60 days before an election, so there could be some people who were active when we sent the voter file to the vote-by-mail ballot printing/mailing vendor and then they become inactive a few days later once we receive and process a piece of undeliverable mail. I know that you mentioned in the Right On Daily blog that one of you received a ballot (according to the new homeowner at your previous address) in the November 2020 election. Assuming it was in fact a ballot and not some other piece of mail (I don’t know where that person may have lived before moving into your old house, but some voters mistake the “Sample Ballot and Voter Information Guide” as the official ballot if they came from a state that has no voter information guide), it would have been the last ballot received at that address for the Park family – once a voter is on the inactive file, vote-by-mail ballots are not printed and mailed for subsequent elections unless the voter returns to the active voter file.

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By the way, if we are contacted with an official form that allows for cancellation (like a death certificate, a United States Post Office change of address postcard, or a “Voter Action Request Form” from my website), we are able to bypass the inactive file and immediately cancel the voter. Therefore, there aren’t a lot of dead people laying around waiting for cancellation – once we get word that they are deceased (which I get directly from the county and state since I’m the County Clerk and the keeper of the county vital records), they are cancelled from the active voter file.

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That is probably more information than you wanted, but I have been meaning to connect with you about your post for quite some time now (just way too busy, unfortunately). Please let me know if my explanation is unclear and I’d be happy to take another stab at the answer.

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Hope all is well. My best to you.

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Sincerely,

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Ryan

There are a lot of useful facts in here from an ethical and trusted County Clerk. Make notes. Thanks for reading.

Placer SUP D4 Update: Suzanne Jones, Placer County’s Swamp Queen? Look At All The Democrats She Appointed to Key Positions!

2024 Elections, Placer County Local Elections, Suzanne Jones 7 Responses »

Jan 082024

Whoops. Your intrepid blogger has been told that the leadership of the Placer GOP is actively seeking to re-open the endorsement question in Placer’s 4th Supervisorial District.

As a public service to my readers and friends on the Placer GOP, your intrepid blogger has done some digging… and have found out a lot of interesting things about the erstwhile “Republican” Supervisor Suzanne Jones.

The most important appointment a Supervisor Makes is their Planning Commissioner. In the case of Suzanne, her choice is one that the Placer Business community is constantly at odds with: Daniel Woodward who is a Registered Democrat.

Planning commissioners are responsible for Re-Districting, and have a lot of say in what gets built where. In the case of Woodward, he has been a constant roadblock to anything resembling infrastructure and future development. And, he is reputed to be a progressive liberal democrat as well. This is a direct attack on the way of life you enjoy in Placer County!

But wait – There’s More!

Mental Health, Alcohol, & Drug Advisory Board – Suzanne Jones Appointed: Lisa Cataldo – Green Party.

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This is the largest portion of the county budget there is! Think of this, Suzanne Jones appointed a far-left activist to the department that runs homeless programs. Does this person support unlimited Marijuana Grows in Placer County? (fyi: The Green Party Platform supports legalizing drugs) We all know that the far-left of California have made the homeless problem into a severe mess and one of their own was helped into a position of power by Suzanne Jones. This is a direct attack on your way of life.

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Why did Suzanne Jones pick this person with the amount of power this position has? She put a far-left activist in a department with a budget in excess of 1/3 of a Billion Dollars!

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Civil Service Commission: Tameka Usher – American Independent

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This commission has influence over labor union contracts with public employees. Research shows that Tameka is a career bureaucrat with extensive government experience. From a fiscally conservative perspective whose side will she be on? Based on my research, it looks like Government.

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Here is another – the Placer Library Advisory Board: Donja Marie Garvey – Democrat.

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To those of you concerned about pornography in libraries, the party that calls any attempt to review and scrutinize books for content “book banning” has one of their own on the Placer Library Board. Can you trust this person to stand up for parents? Why didn’t Suzanne Jones talk to the American Council for example for a recommendation before appointing a liberal democrat to the library board?

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Now – as to the rest of her appointments:

Granite Bay MAC:

Virgil Anderson R

Nick Johnson R

Gary Flanagan R

Amber Beckler NPP

Kristine Johnson D

Sandra Harris R

Christopher Hill NPP

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The Granite Bay MAC has historically been a roadblock to development and progress in Granite Bay, but this group is frequently overridden by the Board of Supervisors (Think about the recently built senior living facilities for example). While Sandy Harris is a Republican, my experience with her going back years is she is virulently anti-growth and has a penchant for supporting liberal Republicans and non Republicans for office.

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Amber Beckler – registered as an NPP has been a mainstay based on what I have seen, at campaign events for the few Democrats that Placer County had in office (before Suzanne Jones started appointing a bunch of them). She was part of the anti-Republican coalition that supported Suzanne Jones for office in the first place.

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Rounding out the list…

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Older Adult Advisory Commission: Karen Flanagan R

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Assessment Appeals Board: Adam C. Brown R

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Parks Commission: Virgil Anderson R

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14 total appointments: 7 Republicans, 3 Dems, a Green, an AIP and two NPP, one of which is known to favor democrats openly. Worse, the two most powerful positions a supervisor can appoint feature a Dem and a Green.

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Suzanne Jones is not a Republican. Fraud Alert Issued. Defend Placer County’s way of life, fire Suzanne Jones now.

Right on Daily Update: Endorsement of Jeff Moss for Placer D4 Supervisor + Other Fun Stuff! (AD01, SD01, etc)

AD-01 Race, Placer County Local Elections, SD-01 Race 4 Responses »

Dec 272023

It is very simple. I have known Jeff Moss for 20 years. While I have not had a ton of interactions with him in that time, what I remember well is he has been on the right side of every issue conservatives care about. The most memorable one for me is when he was a part of dealing with the Fire Unions and their demands for pay and benefits that would have forced huge tax increases on the residents of the district.

He has also been at odds with the leftists, NIMBY’s and Enviros. The fact that the community was able to so quickly rally around him is further indicative of the life he has lived.

With regard to Karen Henson who I am un-endorsing in favor of Moss. She had ample time and opportunity to make a campaign for herself. She failed to do so. I liked her, a lot.. but she is not a good or viable candidate. It is purely that.

AD-01 – the two democrats, five republican nightmare scenario that was constantly used as a reason why endorsements had to be made never materialized.

Only Tanessa Audette, Heather Hadwick, Mark Mezzano and Melissa Hunt filed for election. While I am drawing a retainer from Heather Hadwick, allow me to as unbiased as I can offer an analysis:

Tanessa is from Bethel Church in Redding. This Church is a gigantic block of voters in AD01 and it appears that Tanessa believes she will get them all (or most of them). Remember, both Dahle’s got over 80% of the vote in Shasta County and it was believed that Bethel was the reason. While Tanessa still works for Brian Dahle, she is not Brian Dahle and those kinds of phenomena rarely transfer to non-family member candidates. Bethel is also a lightening rod in the community and is a source of controversy.

As I filter through the information about Tanessa, she’d like to believe that the four county GOP endorsements she has were about her, but they were more about anti-Dahle sentiment than anything. (El Dorado could be an exception to this)

My main concern about Tanessa is when she is fully vetted, it is not going to end well. How far do her opponents and detractors go in their efforts to stymie her campaign?

Mark Mezzano is a candidate that should have been formidable. He has strong support in Shasta County from several on the GOP there. It appears that many if not most of Melissa Hunt’s core supporters have jumped in to Mark’s camp. That said, time and again, I have been treated to stories about Mezzano meeting stakeholders and fumbling time and again. Mezzano’s failure to advance to the top tier is 100% on him. He has a resume and would otherwise be qualified were he not saddled with the flaws he has as a candidate.

Melissa Hunt. She hates Les Baugh. She reportedly has launched in to tirades in public and on the phone when people have attempted to talk to her about her campaign’s failure to launch. Anyone that hates Les Baugh has a screw loose. It is clear that she filed for the election to give everyone the middle finger. When she finishes 4th in March she will most likely get even angrier.

Heather Hadwick. I work for her. She is the Bomb. I can’t be objective in my comments about her because I think she is a fantastic and overqualified candidate. She is also working very hard doing the things a candidate needs to do in order to be formidable.

Absent my bias, it is clear that Heather Hadwick is the front-runner because the people I know that do not support her are opposed to her for reasons outside of anything directly related to Heather, her platform or resume.

My guess is Tanessa and Heather are the two that advance to the fall melee.

As a side note, Doug LaMalfa endorsed a series of candidates for Supervisor in Shasta County. All are part of the “Anti-Bethel” crowd and to the best of my knowledge all are hostile to the Dahles. Nice to see there are still tribes in the North State.

Speaking of the Dahles, Megan Dahle and the troubled David Fennell are all that filed for the SD-01 Tilt. The race goes to the November Runoff and Fennell gets hammered worse than the Niners got by the Ravens on Christmas. Twice.

Party Time.

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