59th Assembly District News

MONEY RACE

Now that the primary elections are over, the November general election for the 59th Assembly District, which includes Claremont, is shaping up. Republican Tim Donnelly will square off against Democrat Darcel Woods.

The money race usually tells a lot, though this year the dynamics may be different. Donnelly won a very close primary race over Chris Lancaster in June. Donnelly's margin of victory was 631 votes and can be viewed as a sign of grassroots voter discontent this year with Donnelly, a self-described "tea party Republican," beating his party's insider candidate. Lancaster spent far more money than Donnelly ($167,000 to $23,500, respectively), but Donnelly still won.

According to the California Secretary of State's records, as of June 30 Donnelly's campaign had $626.78 in cash. The largest donor was Anna McBride in Palm Desert, who donated a total of $3,400.

Darcel Woods' campaign reported raising a total of $22,575 for the period from 1/1/10 to 6/30/10. Woods had $3,789.35 in cash remaining at of June 30. Woods' big contributors were unions:

• Service Employees International Union United Long-Term Care Workers Local 6434 State PAC - $7,800
  
  
• United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund - $3,900
  
  
• SEIU Local 721, CTW CLW State and Local - $3,900
  
  
• Service Employees International Union 121RN PAC - $1,500
  
  
• UAW Region 5 Western States PAC - $1,000
  
  
• California Teachers Association for Better Citizenship - $500
  
  
• United Transportation Union PAC - $500

The money Woods has raised is almost certainly an indication that Democratic Party supporters feel that Woods has a chance against Donnelly. This is certainly a change for an assembly district that has traditionally been a safe Republican seat. With redistricting on the horizon, it's likely that whatever replaces the 59th will be much more evenly divide between the two parties, so if Woods were to get in, she would presumably have an incumbent's advantage in subsequent elections.

A win by Woods might put a crimp in Claremont Mayor Pro Tem Sam Pedroza's long term plans. We suspect Pedroza may have been planning his own campaign in the 59th or its successor district. If Pedroza were ever to get elected from this area, he'd break a long losing streak by Claremont city council members in state legislative races. Sandy Baldonado, Al Leiga, and Corey Calaycay all failed in their bids to get represent our area in Sacramento.

The Daily Bulletin has an article today on the 59th Assembly race that mentions the idea that Woods may be able to appeal to moderate Republicans in the district. However, CMC's Jack Pitney thinks the election dynamics this year favor Republicans, and that may blunt any advantage Woods would traditionally have with moderates over Donnelly:

This is the kind of race where Democrats might have a very strong shot in another year," said Jack Pitney, a Claremont McKenna College political science professor who has said Democrats are battling Republican momentum this year. "But even so, it's not completely out of reach for them."

If Woods wins, she might represent the final vote Democrats in the Assembly need to solidify a two-thirds majority, an important benchmark in California politics. That thinking played a part in the union's decision, [SEIU-United Long Term Care Workers Local 6434 spokesman Wyatt] Closs said.

ADAMS ON SOCIAL NETWORKING

Speaking of the 59th district, current Assembly 59 representative Anthony Adams was quoted in the Daily Bulletin today. You'll recall that Adams chose not to seek reelection after angering Republicans for supporting last year's state budget agreement. Because he was one of a handful of Republicans in the state legislature who crossed the aisle to get the budget passed, Adams drew the ire of a good many Republican voters and would probably have faced a tough primary campaign.

The Bulletin article quoted Adams' comments on the possible regulation of campaign-related content on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook. The Bulletin piece said that California's Fair Political Practices Commission asked one of its subcommittees to look into the issue. The commission will consider the suggestions from the subcommittee next week.

Here's what the Bulletin said about the recommendations (we've included the Adams' quote):

Campaigns would face the same disclosure rules they do now, such as identifying who is financially behind an ad, but, for the first time, they would apply to Internet communication.

The report draws a line between paid political activity and unpaid grass-roots efforts. Political commentary by people unconnected to a campaign would not be affected, nor would sending or forwarding e-mails, linking to websites or creating independent websites.

....

"In order to keep our system honest, we need watchdogs," Adams said. "What these disclosures end up achieving is putting watchdogs, self-appointed or otherwise, in a position to maintain some integrity in the political campaigning area."

Jack Pitney, by the way, was quoted in this article as well.

Calaycay Defeated in Republican Assembly Primary

Recount Territory?

Claremont councilmember Corey Calaycay ran a strong third in the six-man Republican primary for the 59th Assembly district.

With all precincts tallied, Calaycay garnered 7,482 votes, more than 2,000 votes back of Tim Donnelly with 9,659 and Chris Lancaster with 9,619. With only 40 votes separating the leaders, a fraction of a percent difference, it seems likely a recount will determine the winner.

Anthony Riley, expected to run stronger, gained only 3,268 votes. Ken Hunter and Iver Bye received 2,353 and 831 votes respectively.

Results are posted here.

The winner, apparently Tim Donnelly, will face Democrat Darcel Woods in November.

Dear Leader: Dynasty Politics

You'd think we'd have had enough of Dynasty Politics to even entertain the idea of Chris Lancaster, son of former Assemblyman Bill Lancaster, running for a seat in California's 59th Assembly district, a district that stretches from Apple Valley to Acton and includes Claremont. Really. George W. Bush coming after George H. W. Bush, Kim Jong Il succeeding his father Kim Il Sung, and, closer to home Dennis Mountjoy occupying the latest incarnation of his father Dick's Assembly seat (the good old 59th) for six years. And let's not forget Papa Doc and Baby Doc (Jarhead) Duvalier in Haiti a generation ago.

Truly, as Marx said, "History repeats itself; first as tragedy then as farce."

Best we can tell, Chris Lancaster is an empty suit who followed a bit too closely in his father's footsteps, raised taxes in Covina shortly afer he was elected to the City Council, and was recalled for it. Now he poses as a tax fighter but he's contributed to many candidates on what is politely called "the other side"--meaning Democrats in this context, or Big Spenders, take your pick.

Some two decades ago, the California Political Almanac pegged Bill Lancaster, Chris's father, as the "Johnny Lunchbucket" of legislators...content to punch the clock each morning and go home each night." So maybe that makes Chris Lancaster Johnny Lunchbucket, Jr.

This pretty pass is brought to you by the redoubtable Dick Mountjoy, who inflicted his son Dennis Mountjoy on our district for six years, riding the crest of the Mountjoy brand, to mix metaphors and worse. We can't think of one thing, good, bad, or indifferent that Dennis Mountjoy accomplished in Sacramento, and he is thankfully back in private life.

These days, Mountjoy's mug appears in most of Chris Lancaster's campaign flyers and Mountjoy is recording Robo-Calls for Lancaster. Our private theory is that Mountjoy is grateful to Bill Lancaster for retiring from the Assembly in 1992, clearing the way for Mountjoy to run in their common district after the 1990 redistricting. But that's a lot of inside baseball. (By the way, in the image, right, of Mountjoy with Lancaster, doesn't Mountjoy appear to suffer some gastric indisposition?)

Chris Lancaster seems to stand for whatever he thinks will get him elected in the Republican primary Tuesday. Somebody ought to ask him how he stands on Proposition 13. Former Claremont Mayor Enid Douglass asked his father Bill that question in an oral history interview in 1994. He said--this is Bill Lancaster speaking--"First of all, I have to start off with I was very outspoken in my opposition to Proposition 13." [See the page image, right (click to enlarge it), or read the entire four-part interview here]

We understand you can't visit the sins of the father on the son, but we're just saying....

Chris Lancaster has garnered lots of endorsements from the Republican Establishment, which ought to be enough right there to make you leery of him no matter what your politics. In his race against Claremont Councilmember Corey Calaycay, the High Desert's Anthony Riley, and an assortment of third-tier candidates, he has apparently raised and spent the most money. He has enough money to go back on his pledge not to indulge in negative campaigning, sending out an amateurish hit piece on Calaycay last week. This thing misstated Calaycay's position on the No-Tax pledge--got it 180 degrees wrong--and even misspelled Corey as "Cory". It would have been despicable if it hadn't been so unintentionally humorous.

There are other, more serious objections to be made to this Lancaster hit-piece, but of course you won't find them here. Let's just say the entire flyer is heavy-handed distortion.

It's not that we so much want to see Calaycay go to Sacramento. He's nearly alone on the Claremont Council as a voice of reason and prudence. We can't think that the other four members of council would appoint one of Calaycay's fellow-travelers to his seat if it became vacant, and it doesn't seem as if the aforesaid fellow-travelers have another candidate racked up to run next March.

Besides, the California Political Almanac got it right, but nearly twenty years early, when it said of Bill Lancaster, "At some point, he may try to hand off his seat to his son, Chris."

Read it below. Click to enlarge:

Johnny Lunchbucket, Jr.