Your intrepid blogger took the short trip down the hill to Placer County. Remember, from my perch at 5,150 Feet, the artillery of Right on Daily can reach anywhere in California.
Let me preface this by saying I am going to go into more depth on Placer SUP D2, CA-03, and AD-05 as the Election Season plays out.
It is roughly 115 miles from my perch at 5150 Feet in elevation to the Acton Academy in Roseville. When the road is clear, the drive can take as short as 1:35 to complete (especially when Megadeth, Anthrax, etc. is in the satellite radio). I will remind the readers of this blog that The day I stop writing about (and working in) California Politics is the day I die. I lived in Placer County for 23 years.
The Committee deferred an endorsement in SD04 despite allowing three candidates to speak – this is due to the entry of former Congressman George Radanovich into the race. They also deferred AD01 (Megan Dahle) to the next meeting, but it is my guess that they will not endorse regardless of her participation or not. Please note – I like Michael Gordon in SD04 a lot. I got a chance to interact with him and he appears to be a compelling candidate.
I also obtained a copy of the candidate questionnaires used as a part of the process. There were a few noteworthy items that will be addressed as appropriate.
The evening started off with AD05. Joe Patterson crushed the field 33-2. I will write in more detail later, but the high points are as follows:
Jason Paletta – came across as insincere and flippant. He showed his lack of experience by calling on the committee not to endorse any candidate. He might as well have put a Justin Trudeau mask on and waived a white hankie. Paletta has grossly overshot in choosing to run for major office his first time out of the box.
Joe Patterson – showed up, looked the part, gave a concise presentation, and nailed the questions asked of him.
Jonathan Zachreson – after 25 years of doing political work, few Republican candidates make me want to run them over with a tank on first impression. Meet Zachreson. The man lied at least three times I can discern and his candidate questionnaire features a whopper the size of Newsom’s hairdo. (Note: This nimrod also voted for Newsom in 2018) The two holdouts on the Placer GOP have drunk this man’s Kool-Aid, I don’t fault them. Con Artists are exactly that, artists and it has taken years of being in political war for your intrepid blogger to get good instincts in smoking these people.
To those worried about this guy, never fear, your intrepid blogger is on the case and there is a brand new barrel on the political 155 in our Northern Nevada HQ. To Mr. Zachreson, it would be in your best interest to suspend your campaign.
AD03: James Gallagher. Man, what a transformation. When I endorsed Gallagher in his very first race, I departed from the team that I had been a part of. It was a personal risk, but I had been told that Gallagher was a solid human being and a reliable conservative. Gallagher came up in the Nielsen-LaMalfa-David Stafford Reade Crew, it was hard to separate years of political war with the crew to see through.
James went from being a pudgy-cheeked country bumpkin ag attorney / small county supervisor to a polished statesman. This is not bad for a man who turns 41 next month. (I still can’t believe I have 10 years on that guy) James has also charted his own course, such as endorsing Kevin Kiley when most others in office are going to take Scott Jones. (keep reading for the CA-03 summary)
I told James to his face that I am proud of him for his transition. I know someday he will replace Doug LaMalfa in Congress. For now, the State of CA gets to have him as Assembly Minority Leader for the next 5 years. On another note, I interacted with Curtis Grima, Mr. Grima is Gallagher’s Chief of Staff and he is managing Joe Patterson’s Assembly Campaign. Grima looked fantastic and healthier than I ever remember him. He has lost 130 pounds.
Attorney General – Eric Early was endorsed unanimously despite his campaign being broke and others on the ballot with far more resources.
Board of EQ – Ted Gaines was endorsed unanimously for his final term in State Level Office.
US Senate – I am not sure why James Bradley sent a representative to speak on his behalf at the Placer GOP. He laid an egg. Everyone in the activist community knows Mark Meuser and hysterically, Bradley’s crew tried to grandstand on election integrity and Newsom’s mandates. This is spectacularly stupid when Meuser has participated as an attorney in 4 successful challenges to Newsolini and countless others related to elections.
Meuser was endorsed Unanimously.
CA-03 came up. When it started, I leaned over to the soon-to-be Placer Sheriff Wayne Woo and told him “30-3 Kiley” before the show. It was 30-5.
I have written a lot about Kiley over the years. Kiley is a talented public speaker, charismatic, and under the age of 40. This is a lethal combination and is going to require a tremendous amount of resources for McClintock, LaMalfa, McCarthy and others to overcome.
I was actually quite surprised at how well Sheriff Scott Jones did. The man came across as clearly conservative, grounded, and was almost as fluent and articulate as Kiley. Jones had to know he was walking into a meat grinder and performed as well as anyone could have expected. It is also clear to this blogger that Scott Jones is as ready as anyone to go to Congress.
Please note that your intrepid blogger has not endorsed in this race. This race will be the classic, activist versus establishment race. Interestingly, there is not much difference between the two on the issues.
SD06 Roger Niello. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made in politics was supporting Ted Gaines over Roger Niello when Niello ran for State Senate the first time. Roger is and has been a statesman and his answer to the Placer GOP about his vote for Prop 1A including a detailed and reasoned response showed his thoughtfulness and grasp of issues. Niello talked about Crime and Homelessness as his agenda. Niello is one of the nicest men I have ever met in politics, it is hard to get mad at him when you disagree with him! I am thrilled to see that Niello is going to get into the State Senate, many could learn lessons in civility and statesmanship from him.
Remember, Roger Niello is also one of the most approachable people I’ve ever seen in partisan office. Niello was endorsed unanimously.
Placer DA – It was a great experience to meet Morgan Gire in person. If you read this blog, you will remember when I helped take down Jeff Wilson and others looking to come take over the Placer District Attorney’s Office. Gire ended up getting appointed to fill the vacancy. He was unanimous.
Placer Sheriff. Wayne Woo is a stud. He was endorsed Unanimously.
Placer County Clerk – Ryan Ronco was endorsed unanimously. It appears Ronco has drawn an opponent. Anytime an unknown communist files for office, you have to wonder if George Soros is trying to buy a seat. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Placer County Supervisor District 1 – Bonnie Gore was endorsed unanimously. Please allow your intrepid blogger to issue this warning. Anyone dumb enough to run for Placer SUP D1 will receive the Jack Duran treatment because I care.
Placer County Supervisor District 2 – I will be writing a lot about this race over the next 4 months. The Central Committee took the position of not endorsing.
This leaves Paul Joiner and Shanti Landon. The contrast between the two is amazing. Some may draw parallels to the CA-03 race, but that would be to over-simplify the race.
Paul Joiner is in his 60’s. The man is fit and handsome for his age, but he is in his 60’s. Shanti Landon is in her early 40’s is attractive and vivacious.
I have been friends with Joiner for over 15 years and this is another of the contrasts. Joiner is running on his deep family ties and connections to the establishment in Placer County. His top endorsements are a who’s who of Old White guys (exception: Kiley). Ironically, Shanti enjoys the support of almost everyone in office at the local level, but many of Shanti’s endorsements are newer to the area as well.
I’ve made my choice clear and why (Shanti). The Paul Joiner versus Shanti Landon race is going to be a barn-burner and the choice is clear. There are some clear ideological differences between the two that your intrepid blogger will explore in the coming weeks and Mr. Joiner’s long record in public office should also be looked at as well.
Finally, in the second and final installment from the Placer GOP endorsement evening, your intrepid blogger will follow up on this night. There are some neat stories and insights specific to AD-05 and SUP D2 from the evening that will basically set part of the narrative for the next 4 months as these races play out.
