On March 9, 8:30 pm, Mighty Cash Cats will debut at Ventura’s newest and coolest venues, Oak and Main, 419 Main St, Downtown Ventura. Oak and Main is next door to Johnny Cash’s 1960’s office that he shared with his manager, Saul Holiff.
Opening the show will be the Linda Ronstadt Tribute, Silver Threads doing a set of Linda’s greatest hits. Linda is back on the charts with her “Live in Hollywood” album.
Johnny Cash spent most of the 1960’s living in the Ventura suburb Casitas Springs and his office was located in downtown Ventura at 434 E Main St, next door to Oak & Main. He wrote some of his biggest hits while living in Ventura.
The Mighty Cash Cats cover all six decades of Johnny Cash’s career including fun Johnny and June duets. They have toured in the USA, Europe, Ireland, France, Israel, and Asia.
“Michael J. sounds just like ‘The Man in Black,’’ Leticia Blumette is the June to his Johnny, and when harmonizing with Michael, puts these Cats on top. They are the best Johnny Cash Tribute.” Bill Locey, Ventura Star
“If you never had the chance to see Johnny Cash and June Carter perform live, and then cheer up, the Mighty Cash Cats’ Michael J and Leticia are filling the void.” Will PhoenixLA Examiner
Legendary LA Times music critic, Robert Hilburn, called Mighty Cash Cats’ show, “Wonderful!”
The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that “The Mighty Cash Cats are as close as you can get to the real thing.”
The Jerusalem Post confirmed that in a review of their concert in Israel: “If the audience closed their eyes during Michael J’s show they, no doubt, thought that Johnny Cash had managed to find his way back to the terrestrial bandstand.”
Mighty Cash Cats
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LEARN ABOUT TEACHING PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS AT THRIVE CONEJO-HOSTED EVENT, MARCH 14 WHAT: A community event called Transforming Classrooms: Today’s Best Teaching Practices. The audience will learn about Universal Design for Learning, an approach for teaching all types of students, with a hands-on, interactive lesson incorporating UDL techniques. A panel discussion of other best practices like Co-Teaching and a Q&A will follow.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 14, 2019
6 to 8 p.m. (Reception with refreshments begins at 5:30 p.m.) COST: FREE – Seating is limited, so RSVP today at thriveconejo.org . WHERE: Art Trek
703 Rancho Conejo Blvd., Newbury Park, CA 91320 PARKING: Free parking is available in the building lot and nearby. THRIVE CONEJO: THRIVE Conejo is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to advancing inclusive education within the Conejo Valley Unified School District to benefit ALL students of ALL abilities.
Thrive Conejo
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At the 3-5-19 Oxnard Council meeting, the Council revamped the Citizen Advisory Group structure, established a tourism marketing district, omitting small hotels at their own request, approved a thirteen home development in the Wilson neighborhood, and agreed to the Villa Las Brisas Renovation Project for farmworker housing.
They also commended 4 businesses for their “Green” practices and celebrated St. Paul’s Church’s centennial.
Oxnard Green Business Commendations- 2019. Photo: Dan Pinedo/CitizensJournal.us
D-1- Report from Ventura County Watershed Protection District on Oxnard Projects (10/10/10) RECOMMENDATION: That the Oxnard City Council receive and file a report on the status of joint, collaborative projects between the City of Oxnard and the Ventura County Watershed Protection Agency from Gerard Kapuscik, Strategic Resiliency Group Manager, Ventura County Watershed Protection District. Legislative Body: CC Contact: Alexander Nguyen Phone: (805) 385-7430
D-2- Citizen Advisory Groups Ordinance (10/10/10) RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve the first reading by title only and waive further reading of an ordinance amending Article II of Chapter 2 of the Oxnard City Code related to Citizen Advisory Groups. Legislative Body: CC Contact: Alexander Nguyen Phone: (805) 385-7430
Nominations are now by council voting district. Attendance requirements were made tougher. MacDonald wants discretionary excused absences. Objections to background check were addressed by City Mgr. Nguyen as necessary to screen out sex offenders.
The main public concern was “nepotism,” since nepotism was forbidden except for existing CAG members- in this case Roy Prince, husband of Mayor ProTem Carmen Ramirez. Council rejected it since he was already serving before the new ordinance. Ramirez mentioned that her husband is a qualified architect, valuable to the council and that she wants to know whose job supposedly was threatened by him, as resident public speaker Alicia Percell mentioned. She also wants more younger residents. Mayor Flynn suggest that the threat was hearsay, even though Percell said she heard it first-hand.
There were mixed opinions on the nepotism rule. A broader discussion emerged on nepotism in general in the city ranks. Mac Donald says OK as long as one was not supervised by the other. City Manager Nguyen said he would manager with or without a nepotism rule, but was more concerned about the 50% shortfall in CAG applicants. There was no opposition to CAG members finishing their existing terms.
It was clarified that all CAG members would be able to finish their existing terms.
Only about 35 applicants have been received, with only one more week before the deadline. Some existing members were/are unaware that they need to re-apply to extend their tenures.
Voted with language to soften meeting absences with excused absences. Madrigal- no, Ramirez- abstain. 5-1-1
Main meeting started 45 minutes late.
F-CEREMONIAL CALENDAR
1. Presentation of a Commendation to Saint Paul Baptist Church on the Occasion of Their 100th Anniversary. Friday and Saturday events upcoming. This was the first African-American” church in Ventura County.
2. Presentation of a Commendation to Oxnard Certified Green Businesses: Janitech Cleaning Solutions, Honeycup Coffee and Kitchen, Heritage Coffee and Gifts, Bibo Bakeries USA, Inc. They were lauded as environmental stewards, commended by the CA Green Business Network.
G- PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
Larry Barberini- Lauded 12% decrease in violent crime reported. Wants to know how Oxnard stands in the County, particularly in violent crime. Also wants to hear about drones. Murder rate is up- 12 to 15. Thanks to council for moderating the oil and gas proposal (to eliminate halting landside production). By 2050 we will still have 70% of our energy from fossil fuels, which is cleaner now. Favors employees paying more of their pension contributions- more reform needed. $70MM unfunded liability
Jackie Tedeschi- AAA Westways publication touted Oxnard tourism this month.
Daniel Chavez, Jr.- Re VC Star pensions article, unfunded liabilities, what to do. He also suggested finding a new “revenue stream,” recommended marijuana, whih he doesn’t like, but says it is the will of the People. Says Port Hueneme already has dispensaries- donated 100 beds to homeless shelter, due to MJ tax money (actually aclabor union did this). Emulate PH model. 3 medical, 3 recreational dispensaries recommended by him. Previously asked for budget cuts and more $ into operational reserves.
Pat Brown- We need to stand up for our own rights on the harbor vs Ventura County- we should have more say. Also concerned about the state of Oxnard boulevard, which looks “trashy.” Need monthly plan update.
Julie Miller Kolbacher- Earth Day is coming up 4-13 in Plaza Park. Will have Metro Water District booth there. Carwash development in front of her house has been a problem. Issues with noticing to community on workshop and other events. She has not received letters. Relying upon developers to send notices- change procedure?
Tina Rivera- Invite Ventura Regional Sanitation= join us in promoting Ronald McDonald room at Ventura County Hospital. Will be a walk for it on April 7, 7 am ant San Ventura State Beach. Need donations. Didn’t say how to contact.
H-1- Resolution Declaring Results of Majority Protest Proceedings and Establishing the Oxnard Tourism Marketing District (5/5/10) RECOMMENDATION: That City Council: 1) hold a final public hearing, 2) declare results of the majority protest proceeding, and 3) adopt the Resolution establishing the Oxnard Tourism Marking District. Legislative Body: CC Contact: Ashley Golden Phone: (805) 385-7882
18 businesses affected. Small hotels objected to the new assessment, saying they won’t benefit from it. Consultant says they were in conversation with the hotels for 3 months. Collected 7 petitions from hotels representing most of the budget (but not all hotels). Wants to start assessment district April 1. Based on input, want to change boundaries to stop small hotels/motels from being included. Recommend that only hotels with 55 or more rooms- 9 such businesses, which would reduce revenue by $20,000.
Public Comment
Pat Brown- Favors. Says we all benefit from tourism $.
Alcia Percell- Repeated 1-14-19 comments. OK if businesses agree to pool marketing funds, but why is the city affected? 7 hotels wanted it, others don’t- objectionable to compel the others to join. Disproportionate benefits result. Should government be able to say how you will market your business? Violates compelled speech SCOTUS ruling, violation of First Amendment. You risk a civil rights suit. It’s a tax, not a fee.
Rafael Macia- Represents Channel Islands xxx (couldn’t hear). Doesn’t see how it benefits his company. Clients are mainly local and are in agriculture and construction. Please remove us from this program as it will only increase costs for guests.
Small hotel owners had their say to protest at the previous hearing and were presumably satisfied with the modifications to the district boundaries.
Council/staff comments:
Madrigal- favors
Basua- Supports- a great thing for the city, hope more tourists will come
Ramirez- Tourism is the future of Oxnard. What about legal/constitutional issues (raised by Percell). Nguyen- on books since 1994, used statewide, not declared unconstitutional. No such successful challenges.
MacDonald- Sits on commission, glad they took comments submitted. Supports.
Perello- Supports. Changed ordinance should satisfy Mr. Macia. Perello feels it gives small motels a pass. How will this affect short term rentals? City of Oxnard was subsidizing this in the past.
MacDonald- takes objection to the language: “getting a pass on this.” Small hotels should already be paying “T.O.T.” hotel bed tax.
Perello- if we take TOT $, does this give short-term renters a foot in the door? City Atty Fischer: will be dealt with at a future meeting.
Flynn- Everyone will benefit from tourism- some more directly than others. Might ameliorate needed budget cuts. Is anyone not going to come to Oxnard because of this “tax?” Guests will pay the tax. An absolute no brainer- supports 100%.
Vote- 6-1. Dissenting- Perello- no. Should have addressed short term rentals.
H-2- Appeal of Planning and Zoning Permit No. 18-500-01 (Special Use Permit for a Planned Development); 18-300-05 (Tentative Tract Map for Tract No. 6009); and 18-535-01 (Density Bonus). Heritage Homes Development Project, Located at 130-184 North H Street and 838 Palm Drive. (10/10/10) RECOMMENDATION: That City Council: 1. Adopt a resolution upholding the Planning Commission’s approval of Planning and Zoning Permit No. 18-500-01 (Special Use Permit for a Planned Development Permit), subject to certain findings and conditions set forth in Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-35; 2. Adopt a resolution upholding the Planning Commission’s approval of Planning and Zoning Permit No. 18-535-01 (Density Bonus Permit), subject to certain findings and conditions set forth in Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-37; and 3. Adopt a resolution approving Planning and Zoning Permit No. 18-300-05 (Tentative Tract Map for Tract No. 6009), subject to certain findings and conditions set forth in Planning Commission Resolution No. 2018-36. Legislative Body: CC Contact: Ashley Golden Phone: (805) 385-7882
Appeal of project approval via 2 petitions. City position- uphold Planning Commission approval. Commission had approved 5-0-2 (absent).
13 units on 1.49 acres, 1653 sq ft on much reduced plots with smaller setbacks, density bonus, all in a single family zoning, near convent and multi-unit dwellings, including 3 low income units.
Applicant- Henry Casias- Important for Oxnard and downtown district, have worked on this with neighborhood Council on architectural style, design, Wilson neighborhood historical style, which he says they emulated. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths.
Flynn recused self- lives nearby.
Perello- who appealed? Can they speak? Answer- staff did the appeal. Perello- did you inform the Planning Commission that you were appealing. I saw a petition with 45 signatures opposed.
Public Comment:
Gary Blum- Resident of Wilson Neighborhood and Chair. Developer has been very proactive. Pleased with it.
No requirement for developer to work with Neighborhood Council. but he did. Have worked with Casias on other projects. Developer worked with them. Heartened by petition and letter.
Mr. Fleisher- Thought that appeal would be based on petitions, but instead it was something I never heard of before. Neighborhood approved.
Mr. DiChecko, architect- Surprised by appeal, but comfortable with it. Others wanted apartments there but Henry (developer) wanted single family housing, compatible with neighborhood. There were 5 separate public participation efforts. Smaller houses permit more families in Oxnard, address housing crisis, affordable, more “sustainable” housing. 13 instead of 9 houses.
Barbara Macri-Ortiz- Housing Accountability act says that 20% should be affordable. City can help with down payments. Want priority for those who live and work in Oxnard.
Miller-Kolbacher- Like parking, design. This requires special permission, because it is non-conforming. Allow residents to know why a special use permit is required. Not understandable, understandable to the public.
Pat Brown- Likes historical design. Tiny in size. Look almost like attached houses. We needs lots of affordable housing.
Council/staff comments:
Lopez- Some area residents oppose on aesthetic reasons. Agree with Macri-Ortiz.
Perello- Appreciate parking solution. What is “attainable housing?” Like Kolbacher comments. Need more transparent/understandable process. Macri-Ortiz comments good. Can we restrict to live/work in Oxnard?
MacDonald- Petitioners opposed to density bonus. Cannot oppose these state law provisions. We have very little leeway on this. Supports. Like rendering.
Basua- Re: Oxnard resident preferences. Don’t think this is permitted. Put this question to rest. Private money involved. Supports.
City Atty Fischer- City offered redevelopment funded projects have this latitude. Would have to look into this private one further.
Nguyen- Yes, private project., but doesn’t prohibit developer from providing such options- choice of developers.
Madrigal- Thanks for providing this, for not doing more apartments, for eliminating the eyesore on the site.
Ramirez- thanks for getting approvals. Would be great if Oxnard families could buy these. Reasonable project- thanks, support it.
Vote- 6-0-1 (Flynn recused)
I- REPORT OF CITY MANAGER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/SECRETARY
Nguyen- Happy Fat Tuesday.
Council comments
Lopez- international Women’s Day.Went to own Redwood Council & Southwinds meeting. Went to Ventura AIDS walk. Cases going up. A local non-profit will do testing, etc.
Perello- Oxnard Job Fair coming up. Consider Patterson, Vineyard areas for DUI stops- problem area. Labor actually donated Port Hueneme homeless beds.
Ramirez- working with SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) on a housing needs assessment. How to find housing for people? Did Read Across America” at 2 local schools. Going to SCAG meeting.
Basua- Congratulates Santa Paula High for CIF championship.
Madrigal- Rose Park neighborhood meeting. Elm School grand opening on Saturday.
Flynn- Also congratulates Santa Paula HS on CIF championship. Working with Southwinds neighborhood on parking, living conditions. Working with Lopez and neighborhood council on neighborhood health and safety to eliminate unsafe conditions- aging housing stock and seniors in area. Working on CALPERS impact on general fund- MUST address in order to maintain levels of service to the public.
M- INFORMATION CONSENT AGENDA
M-3 has wrong agenda attachment- drafts only.
Vote- 7-0 to accept. See details in agenda.
N-1- Exception Finding for Villa Las Brisas Renovation Project Located at 1700 East Fifth Street. (5/10/10) RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council find that the proposed renovation of Villa Las Brisas farmworker employee housing facility located at 1700 East Fifth Street is needed in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare and qualifies for the exception under Oxnard City Code (OCC) Section 16-511, “Exemptions.” (The Housing and Economic Committee approved 3-0). Legislative Body: CC Contact: Jeffrey Lambert Phone: (805) 385-7882
Excerpt: The facility is designed to house up to 500 farmworkers who are mostly employed through the H2A Visa program designed to provide seasonal agricultural workers with safe and sanitary housing, transportation, and food. No families reside at the facility. The new owner and applicant, Reiter Affiliated Companies (Reiter), is a family-owned Oxnard-based local farming company and is voluntarily upgrading the facility. “
It wan’t clear how this will be paid for and how much it will cost. Somehow, it wasn’t mentioned during the meeting that the city is on the hook for part of the expense. Main costs will be borne by owner.
“The permit application fees, deposited to General Fund Planning and Zoning Fees (account 101- 4101-555-7381) will cover staff and expenses related to reviewing the project and public notifications, which is included annual operating budget of General Fund Development Services Planning Department.”
Presentation was waived by council. Perello is concerned with flooding history. Adjustments will be made to deal with this, per City.
Flynn- It is just down the road from City Action, which wants to convert to house the homeless. Nearby businesses using chemicals could endanger the residents, but it has pre-existing use.
This is a non-conforming use grandfathered, due to unique circumstances.
Public Comments
Pat Brown- Same concerns on environmental issue,. but property needs to be developed. Aftermarkets deserved to have a nice place to live, warm in winter, cool in summer.
Mark DiChecko- He is project architect- available for questions.
Barbara Macri-Ortiz- This existing structure can legally be retained, enhanced, repaired. The exception is one room changed into restroom for women.
M. Barahas- Renovate with quality for farmworkers.
Vote- 7-0 to approve
George Miller is Publisher/Co-Founder of CitizensJournal.us and a “retired” operations management consultant residing in Oxnard
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Two things signal spring every year in Ventura County. First, flowers start to show their little heads. Second, the California Strawberry Festival reveals its poster contest winner.
Aaron Trask with winning poster
During its annual luncheon at Yolanda’s Mexican Café at the Oxnard Harbor on Tuesday, March 5, the 36th annual California Strawberry Festival kicked off with a poster reveal in which a giant strawberry under construction rises from elongated rows of berries to announce the coming festivities in May.
Its graphic feel is by design. Winner Aaron Trask from Glendale, who works as a graphic designer at Dragonfly Design Group in Burbank, paid tribute to his background and interest in 3D illustration and animation. More important, however, he paid tribute to his daughter Catherine’s love of strawberries.
“I wanted the design to capture the attention and imagination of my 2-year-old daughter,” said Trask. “She loves strawberries.”
Trask, who grew up in Sherman Oaks and attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has been a designer for more than twenty years. One of his specialties includes 3D illustration.
Trask entered with the encouragement of his wife Casey and his mother-in-law Melanie Yorn.
“I heard about the strawberry festival from my best friend, my mother-in-law,” he explained. “She lives in Thousand Oaks and goes to the strawberry festival every year. So, she said, ‘Hey, I got a job for you.’”
To attract his daughter’s attention, he included brightly colored illustrations and designs that had lots of contrast.
“It’s something that a young child would gravitate toward,” he said, “and something an adult could appreciate.”
Picturing the festival in his mind, he wanted to pique people’s interest. “My poster gets at the anticipation of the festival itself,” he noted.
For Trask, it’s the first art contest he’s ever entered. Imagine the moment when he learned he was the winner.
“My mother-in-law cried when I told them that I had won,” he said. “The whole process from start to finish has been a family affair.”
(l to r.) Aaron Trask, two-year-old daughter Catherine and wife Casey Trask
Mike Thompson, the festival’s board chair, insisted that the festival was always changing and upgrading itself. Thompson felt that Trask’s poster was best representative of that attitude.
“What I’ve experienced in my years on the board,” said Thompson, “has been a willingness by a group of people to make change. In my mind the festival has always been in a state of change, and that’s reflected in what we see here today in the artwork.”
For Mayor Tim Flynn, the festival has come to represent Oxnard. When he travels and mentions the city of Oxnard, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is the strawberry festival.
“The strawberry festival is the gift that keeps on giving,” Flynn shared with the audience. “A lot of what people think in Ventura County and across the state about the city of Oxnard is in part because of the strawberry festival.”
Tim Flynn, Mayor, City of Oxnard
This year the festival will continue to expand. Thompson is anticipating more than 200 arts and crafts vendors, 50 food booths, a build-your-own strawberry shortcake booth, and Strawberryland for Kids with rides and attractions.
The dates for the festival are May 18 and 19, 2019 at Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 South Rose Avenue, in Oxnard.
General admission is $12. Seniors 62 and over are $8, and children ages 5-12 are $5. Kids 4 and under are free. Active military and dependents with ID are $8.
The hours for both days are 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Free Park and Ride “Strawberry Express” shuttles are available with pickup locations off the 101 freeway. Parking onsite is $10.
Tickets are available for purchase in advance online via the California Strawberry Festival website. For toll-free information, call 888-288-9242.
Searle Creative and California Strawberry Festival MascotCalifornia Strawberry Festival 2019 Winning Art Poster
Photo Credits: Tim Pompey
Tim Pompey, a freelance writer who has done lots of local affairs and entertainment/cultural writing, lives in Oxnard. Tim is also a fiction writer (Facebook Page). You can learn about his books on Amazon.com: amazon.com/author/booksbytimpompey.
Mrs. Parsley loves to tell stories to children. In her little house in Okafor, Florida, she writes them herself. Then, in a twist from her own past, Mrs. Parsley and her young friend Terence go on an adventure to rescue children held captive at the Mossel’s farm deep in the Big Cypress Swamp. Down the Blue Pole Road, across the Midnight Ferry, past the Milky White Magnolia Trail, and through the Crossing of the Gnome, magic, danger, and a wee bit of fun await them as they carry out their mission. Who will travel with Mrs. Parsley as she reclaims her past and discovers a new future—for Terence, for the captured children, for herself?
Mrs. Parsley and the Tale of Mossel’s Farm On Amazon
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New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a peculiar claim Tuesday on Twitter when she said the media targets her personal life more than they do other politicians, but she can handle pressure well because she grew up “the only daughter in a Latino household.”
“You know, when I got to [Washington,] D.C., I was told that it’s considered ‘off-limits’ to report on a member’s family, love life, etc.,” she tweeted. “Unsure why that consideration is suspended for me. (Also for those who ask how I learned to handle pressure, try being the only daughter in a Latino household).”
The post links to an article by The Hill titled, “Ocasio-Cortez’s mom hopes she gets married soon.” The piece describes an exclusive interview The Daily Mail did with Ocasio-Cortez’s mother, Blanca, who said she hopes her daughter gets married to her boyfriend “soon.”
But do the media really go out of their way to report the personal details of Ocasio-Cortez’s life more than they go after the details of other politicians’ lives?
Lindsey Graham is featured on the cover of the Washington Blade. Photo/The Daily Caller
Targeting big names on Capitol Hill and in the White House seems to be common practice for the media. While the speed of news has increased significantly in recent years because of the general expansion of the internet and social media, the press has been deeply involved in the personal lives of politicians since the Kennedy era and the expansion on television.
But to be fair to Ocasio-Cortez, we’ve compiled a list of a few headlines written since President Donald Trump took office that prove she is not the only politician the media is interested in learning personal details about:
“Is Susan Collins Married? Does She Have Children?” — Heavy
“Melania Can’t Wait to Divorce Donald Trump and Punishes Him With Her Fashion Choices, Omarosa Claims” — Newsweek
“Breaking News: Lindsey Graham Might be Gay!” — 93.1 WIBC
“Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders Married? The New Press Secretary Has Taken On A High-Profile Role” — Bustle
“Rosie O’Donnell apologizes to Melania Trump for autism speculation” — CBS
“Even Barron Trump Has A Fidget Spinner Now” — Newsweek
“Inside the Trump-endorsed marriage of Mike Pence, who calls his wife ‘mother’ and refuses to dine with other women” — Business Insider
“Karen Pence to teach at school that bans gay students, parents, employees” — Politico
“23 Mildly Cringey Details About Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Relationship” — Cosmopolitan
“3 things to know about Ashley Kavanaugh” — Fox News
“Paul Ryan’s Wife & Kids: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know” — Heavy
“Marco Rubio’s and Ted Cruz’s Wives are Both ‘Unapologetically Pro-Life’” — Washington Post
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By Stephen Frank, California Political News and Views
Democrats’ demand Trump make public his tax returns and every email, letter, memo and whisper he ever uttered. On the other hand California Democrats are looking to protect. They prefer to protect the corruption of government. IN the case of SB 615 it is supposed to be about protecting cops. Read it carefully. It protects every corrupt deal made by Guv Brown, Mayor Garcetti and the connection between lobbyists and government.
“Under SB 615, however, fees would only be awarded in the impossible-to-meet-standard of a “knowing and willful” violation of the law. So, for example, a government official who responds to a request by saying, “I know state law requires a response within 10 days, but I am choosing to ignore that and will respond to you whenever I feel like it,” would qualify. For all other violations, the requester would be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars in order to exercise their so-called right to access government records.
In other words, SB 615 would require anyone requesting information to bear the cost of forcing the government to comply with its own transparency law.
This would allow governments to freely hide records from public view, secure in the knowledge that ordinary citizens could never bear the enormous financial burden of filing a lawsuit, at their own expense.”
SB 615 hides government corruption—why are the Democrats promoting this concept? Because they do not believe in honest government. If they did, they would not force workers to pay bribes to work for the government, right?
Stephen Frank: Is the the publisher and editor of the California Political News and Views. Mr. Frank speaks all over California and appears as a guest on several radio shows each week. He has also served as a guest host on radio talk shows and is a full time political consultant. http://capoliticalnews.com/
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First lady Melania Trump delivered remarks at a town hall on the opioid crisis Tuesday and challenged the media to give more coverage to the epidemic than “idle gossip or trivial stories.”
I’d also like to take a moment to challenge the media to cover this very real issue as often as possible. In 2017, we lost at least 72,000 Americans to overdoses — that’s 197 lost American lives per day — more than eight lost-lives-per-hour. I challenge the press to devote as much time to the lives lost — and the potential lives that could be saved — by dedicating the same amount of coverage that you do to idle gossip or trivial stories.
The first lady received a standing ovation at the end of her speech, according to the White House press pool.
First lady Melania Trump holds a town hall in Las Vegas on opioids: "My husband and his entire administration are committed to fighting the nation's opioid epidemic … it is the worst drug crisis in American history" https://t.co/xQSfDfugp5pic.twitter.com/iaIlKrTGWm
Trump addressed the media again during a question and answer session with Bolling, asserting, “I wish the media would talk about more and educate more, especially the children.”
Christian baker Jack Phillips and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission (CCRC) have resolved a legal dispute that set Phillips’ religious beliefs against the state’s public accommodations law.
The deal, announced Tuesday afternoon, provides that the Commission will close an ongoing anti-discrimination probe of Phillips’s Masterpiece Cakeshop if Phillips withdraws a federal lawsuit alleging state officials were subjecting him to a concerted campaign of harassment.
“After careful consideration of the facts, both sides agreed it was not in anyone’s best interest to move forward with these cases,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “The larger constitutional issues might well be decided down the road, but these cases will not be the vehicle for resolving them.”
The Supreme Court found that the Commission’s first action against Phillips was infected with anti-religious animus. The June 2018 judgment was 7-2. The case arose when Phillips refused to create a custom wedding cake for a gay couple, Charlie Craig and David Mullins.
The Court did not decide whether business owners can claim a religious exemption to public accommodations laws, a provocative question that remains unresolved.
The state issued a second probable cause finding against Phillips three weeks after the high court’s ruling. In that instance, a prospective customer called Autumn Scardina filed a complaint after Phillips declined to create a cake celebrating a gender transition, consistent with his beliefs about the immutability of sex.
Phillips believes Scardina made other requests for custom baked goods, including cakes featuring dildos and images of the occult.
“We hope that the state is done going along with obvious efforts to harass Jack,” said the Alliance Defending Freedom’s (ADF) Jim Campbell, who represents Phillips. “He shouldn’t be driven out of business just because some people disagree with his religious beliefs and his desire to live consistently with them.”
Though the state’s case is now closed, the Colorado AG says Scardina can still file a lawsuit against Phillips. Both sides will pay their own attorney’s fees.
ADF said their case was strengthened when they found evidence that the CCRC failed to heed the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy condemned Commissioner Diann Rice for comparing Phillips’s stated religious objections to defenses of slavery and the holocaust.
At a commission meeting shortly following the Court’s decision, Commissioners Rita Lewis and Carol Fabrizio expressed support for Rice and her sentiments. ADF only recently became aware of those statements. Lewis and Fabrizio still sit on the Commission.
The CCRC ratified the state’s agreement with Masterpiece Cakeshop by unanimous vote Tuesday morning.
One Colorado, an advocacy group for LGBT rights, noted the agreement does not affect enforcement of Colorado’s public accommodations law.
“Despite the mutual agreement between the State of Colorado and Masterpiece Cakeshop, the law is still the law. No matter who you are, who you love, or what you believe, Coloradans across our state — including LGBTQ Coloradans and their families — are still protected under Colorado law from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations,” said executive director Daniel Ramos.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a top aide appear to control an outside PAC credited with being the central force behind her June 2018 primary victory.
One former Federal Election Commission member thinks there would be a “serious investigation” if a complaint were filed, noting that the probe could potentially result in civil penalties or even jail time for Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff.
A second former commissioner said there were possibly “multiple violations of federal campaign finance law.”
Justice Democrats ran campaigns for Ocasio-Cortez and 11 other Democrats, but the New York Democrat was the only one to win her general election.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti obtained majority control of Justice Democrats PAC in December 2017, according to archived copies of the group’s website, and the two appear to retain their control of the group, according to corporate filings obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. If the Federal Election Commission (FEC) finds that the New York Democrat’s campaign operated in affiliation with the PAC, which had raised more than $1.8 million before her June 2018 primary, it would open them up to “massive reporting violations, probably at least some illegal contribution violations exceeding the lawful limits,” former FEC commissioner Brad Smith said.
Ocasio-Cortez never disclosed to the FEC that she and Chakrabarti, who served as her campaign chair, controlled the PAC while it was simultaneously supporting her primary campaign, and former FEC commissioners say the arrangement could lead to multiple campaign finance violations. The group backed 12 Democrats during the 2018 midterms, but Ocasio-Cortez was the only one of those to win her general election.
“If the facts as alleged are true, and a candidate had control over a PAC that was working to get that candidate elected, then that candidate is potentially in very big trouble and may have engaged in multiple violations of federal campaign finance law, including receiving excessive contributions,” former Republican FEC commissioner Hans von Spakovsky told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
And fellow former FEC commissioner Brad Smith told TheDCNF that if “a complaint were filed, I would think it would trigger a serious investigation.” He also noted that such a probe could potentially result in jail time for Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff, Chakrabarti.
Republican election attorney Charlie Spies told TheDCNF: “It looks like the campaign and PAC are under common control and the PAC was funding campaign staff and activities as an alter-ego of the campaign committee, which would be a blatant abuse of the PAC rules.”
Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti could face prison if the FEC determines that they knowingly and willfully withheld their ties between the campaign and the political action committee from the FEC to bypass campaign contribution limits, according to Smith.
“At minimum, there’s a lot of smoke there, and if there are really only three board members and she and [Chakrabarti] are two of them, sure looks like you can see the blaze,” Smith, a Republican, told TheDCNF. “I don’t really see any way out of it.”
Justice Democrats stated on its website from December 2017 until two weeks after Ocasio-Cortez’s June 2018 primary victory that she and Chakrabarti held “legal control” of the PAC, and corporate filings obtained by TheDCNF show that the two still serve on the three-member board of Justice Democrats on paper.
Political committees are affiliated if they are “established, financed, maintained or controlled by … the same person or group of persons,” federal election law states.
Justice Democrats’ website on March 23, 2018. (Screenshot/Wayback Machine)
Smith said: “The admission makes it open and shut if someone wants to file a complaint with the FEC. I don’t see how the FEC could not investigate that. We’ve even got their own statement on their website that they control the organization. I don’t see how you could avoid an investigation on that.”
And if the FEC concludes that Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign and Justice Democrats were operating as affiliated committees, “then anyone who contributed over $2,700 total to her campaign and the PAC would have made an excessive contribution,” which is a campaign finance violation, Smith told TheDCNF.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign and Justice Democrats raised a combined $4.6 million during the 2018 midterm election cycle, FEC records show. There’s a maximum five-year prison sentence for anyone who knowingly and willfully receives a collective $25,000 or more in excessive campaign contributions in a single calendar year.
Justice Democrats raked in far more than $25,000 from individual contributors of over $2,700 after Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti took control, according to FEC records.
“If this were determined to be knowing and willful, they could be facing jail time,” Smith told TheDCNF. “Even if it’s not knowing and willful, it would be a clear civil violation of the act, which would require disgorgement of the contributions and civil penalties. I think they’ve got some real issues here.”
Spies, who served as legal counsel for Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign, said: “There are a bunch of well-funded groups on the left that file complaints on much thinner grounds than this against conservatives and Republican candidates. I hope that these so-called non-partisan groups file complaints and treat this with the same urgency that they would if it were a conservative candidate.”
JUSTICE DEMOCRATS WENT ALL IN ON OCASIO-CORTEZ’S PRIMARY CAMPAIGN
Ocasio-Cortez credits Justice Democrats for recruiting her to run for Congress in May 2017. She tweeted that the group got her campaign up and running by helping “with all that stuff a normal person would need (what forms to fill out? etc).”
Ocasio-Cortez paid a combined $27,293 to Justice Democrats and to what was effectively its predecessor, Brand New Congress LLC, for administrative, staffing and overhead services from the time she declared her candidacy to her shock primary victory, according to FEC records. Ocasio-Cortez only began paying her staffers directly through her campaign beginning in March 2018, according to her campaign reports. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Campaign Slapped With A Fine For Not Providing Proper Workers’ Comp)
Justice Democrats supported Ocasio-Cortez throughout her entire primary run. The group, which Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti appear to have legally controlled for much of her campaign, hadraised more than $1.8 million by the time she ousted incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley.
Ocasio-Cortez was the only Justice Democrats-sponsored candidate to win her general election. She was also the only Justice Democrats-sponsored candidate to hold legal control of the PAC.
The other 11 candidates propped up by Justice Democrats lost their respective races, according to The New York Times.
Justice Democrats staffers said there were discussions to go all in for Ocasio-Cortez as early as June 2017.
Justice Democrats’ goal was for one of its sponsored candidates to defeat the incumbent, co-founder Corbin Trent told The Washington Post in June 2018, and former Justice Democrats staffer Max Berger tweeted that they established that goal in 2017.
But the PAC was advertising that it sought to replace numerous Democratic members of Congress with progressives.
OCASIO-CORTEZ AND CHAKRABARTI OBTAINED LEGAL CONTROL OF JUSTICE DEMOCRATS
Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti, who served in multiple leadership roles within her campaign including campaign manager, were serving on the board of the Justice Democrats as early as Dec. 2, 2017, according to an archived copy of the PAC’s website.
Justice Democrats’ board of directors on Dec 2, 2017. (Screenshot/Wayback Machine)
Cenk Uygur and Kyle Kulinski of The Young Turks network were also on PAC’s board in early December 2017, but Uygur was forced out of the organization Dec. 22, 2017, after what Chakrabarti called “extremely disturbing sexist and racist statements” Uygur made in the early 2000s were unearthed.
We are deeply disturbed by recent news regarding @cenkuygur & David Koller. Their language and conduct is horrifying and does not reflect our values at Justice Democrats. We would be hypocrites to not act immediately and ask for their resignation. Here is our official statement: pic.twitter.com/WYqawLtuGo
Kulinski announced on YouTube the following day that he was resigning from Justice Democrats due to the PAC’s “venomous” Twitter statement urging Uygur’s resignation. Kulinski said he had “strong disagreements with the staff” of Justice Democrats, but added that the PAC’s candidates had “nothing to do with this.”
Board members Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti were left in control over Justice Democrats after Uygur and Kulinski’s departures, according to an archived version of its website saved on March 23, 2018, by the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
“Justice Democrats PAC has a board consisting of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Saikat Chakrabarti that has legal control over the entity,” the Justice Democrats website read that day.
Justice Democrats then reported that Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti were “governors” of the organization in a document submitted to the Washington, D.C. Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs on March 28, 2018. A third listed governor was the PAC’s treasurer, Nasim Thompson.
Justice Democrats’ two-year report submitted to the Washington, D.C. D.C. Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs on March 28, 2018. (Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs)
A governor of an organization incorporated in D.C. is any person “under whose authority the powers of an entity are exercised and under whose direction the activities and affairs of the entity are managed,” according to the D.C. Law Library.
The Justice Democrats’ website continued to state that Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti held “legal control over the entity” for weeks after Ocasio-Cortez’s shock primary victory over Crowley on June 26, according to a July 10, 2018 archive of its website.
The Justice Democrats’ website currently states that Alexandra Rojas and Thompson hold legal control of the organization, but the PAC hasn’t filed documents to Washington, D.C. where it’s incorporated reflecting the change, meaning that Ocasio-Cortez and Chakrabarti currently retain majority control of Justice Democrats on paper.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Saikat Chakrabarti listed as governors of Justice Democrats on March 4, 2019, at 12:17 pm. (Screenshot/DCRA)
Politico reported Jan. 16 that Chakrabarti resigned from the board, and Justice Democrat’s website no longer listed Ocasio-Cortez as a board member as of Aug. 8, 2018. TheDCNF received the corporation filing document still showing both as governors on Feb. 25. The D.C. government website showed the same as of Monday afternoon.
Ocasio-Cortez’s office and Justice Democrats did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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