Inland Empire Progressive

I was listening to the Political Hour podcast hosted by Mark Westwood the other day, but (for those interested) can as well listen to the program on the radio Tuesday's at KCAA 1050 on the AM dial. Mr. Westwood was interviewing the Inland Empire regional director for the Obama for America campaign. She was commenting on how different walks of life come to support the President in his reelection efforts by paticipating in phonebanking or taking road trips to battleground states. However one thing in particular stuck out. She said that Democrats from normally Conservative parts of Riverside County have been excited to hear from a fellow Democrat. They were excited because they thought they were the only ones who were Democrats in the area and were glad to here from someone with the same values contacting them. I laughed because that is way some Democrats felt in San Bernardino...

If Pete Aguilar defended his superiors’ engagement in this type of banking activity, imagine what he will do for Wall Street… Loose standards and easy money. That’s the basic premise of what happened  at Arrowhead Credit Union. Larry Sharp, Mayor Pete Aguilar, and others might have used bank funds inappropriately for lobbying and election influence. The housing market was hot in the Inland Empire. But restrictions on how Credit Unions made loans prevented them from lending to non-members. This is why they needed the PAC, for influence. Pete Aguilar as the Vice President of Governmental Affairs at Arrowhead Credit Union, led that effort. However, in the end it did not end well. Arrowhead Credit Union was fined multiple times for faulty record keeping and extremely loose credit standards. This is why one small business owner left. Ineptitude by Arrowhead Credit Union led to the arrest prominent African-American Pastor T. Elliot of Mount Zion Baptist Church. Mr. Elliot sued, but ...

Listen: Election 2012: In Inland Empire, Economic Distress May Drive Voters: The California Report | The California Report *Correction: The 31st is where Rep. Gary Miller is running, not the 35th. From redistricting to Ontario Airport, the talk in political circles is about two words: Local Control. With so much talk about local control, how is it that we, the residents of the Inland Empire, are now in the process of becoming renters to Orange County and LA interests.  Right now foreclosed homes are being auctioned off to outside interests for the highest bet. These outside interests may be thinking that they are helping by providing employment. But what is the cost? Local residents have little to no say in shaping the future of the Inland Empire. The building industry is heavily backing Rep. Gary Miller in the 31st Congressional District race. I wonder if the loss of local control was the price that was paid.

Another article in a series revealing the true nature of Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar. Why did Pete Aguilar choose to run as a Democrat? Pete Aguilar has many questionable, unscrupulous, and disreputable relationships with corrupt Republicans that other Progressive Democrats and I find very unsettling. These are just a few of Pete’s Conservative Pals that I have recovered: Jerry Lewis Republican politics in the Inland Empire begins and ends with one man, Jerry Lewis. Mr. Lewis’s corruption is well known, but since he hails from a safe district that brings in the pork (earmarks), he was never seriously challenged. Pete Aguilar knew Jerry Lewis through Larry Sharp the former CEO of Arrowhead Credit Union. During the Lobbyist Copeland Lowery scandal, Redlands Councilman Mr. Aguilar defended the lobbyist by giving the rational that public officials have no relationships with other public officials.  How can they not? They sit on many boards and commissions together.  Mr. Lo...

Rep. Joe Baca’s love for golf is a legendary in Inland Empire. However, try as I might, I have never witnessed the Congressman in golf pants or seen a photograph of him in them and probably never will. However, I have seen photographs of him sporting Dodger Blue throwing fastballs across home plate. Also being a member of the Blue Dog Coalition whose stated aim is: Blue Dogs advocate for mainstream American values, a commitment to fiscal responsibility , and a strong national defense. Rep. Joe Baca’s “concern” for the deficit is also advocated in almost every press release that concerns the budget. What do the Golf and Deficits have in common and why do I mention them? Well as the post implies these are the concerns of the wealthy. Incomes above $250,000 are the majority of those who play golf. With a median income of $50,000, cities represented by Rep. Joe Baca simply do not have the leisure time or prosperity to play rounds of golf. Don’t let me get started on the wasted water ...

  In the Inland Empire, unemployment is one of the highest in the nation standing at approx. 13%. In the city of San Bernardino, scores of houses sit underwater or in the process of foreclosure. Some remain abandoned with squatters and other vagrants sometimes moving in and becoming “residents”. Personally, I won’t buy a house because Single Family Homes (SFH) do not create wealth, can be abused easily (used as ATMs), and are an antiquated form of property that is a waste of space. I might be in the minority on this one, but living through and seeing the consequences of the housing boom and now the bust has turned me off to SFHs. In addition, big banks, investors, and governmental entities sit on mortgage loans whose value are inflated, inaccurate, and speculative. Because of the way Mortgage Backed Securities, Derivatives, and other financial products were packaged and sold I have severe doubts as to the true value and ownership of any housing mortgages held by MERS or any of t...

Colton Sinkhole (Video provided by Inland Newpapers Group) (Link Removed) This is what happens when we continue to cut spending and don't invest in necessary infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. This sinkhole in Colton is one example, but throughout the Inland Empire we can see (and feel!) the degradation of our streets literally before our eyes. Temporary fixes like the one shown in the video are just that: TEMPORARY. Our society cannot continue to repair our infrastructure on patchwork basis. We need dedicated revenue streams if we are going to go foward with any type of long term engineering projects. My concern is that when the Spring showers come our streets and bridges will become to damaged to drive on.

During my afternoon break at work, I usually walk around the compound for fresh air and exercise. On Friday, I discovered this Kangaroo Rat lying dead in the grass. This is not the first time I have seen a Kangaroo Rat running around Omnitrans. I spotted one a couple months back and was astounded that I was looking at a creature on the Endangered Species list. If they are running around Omnitrans, I'm sure there are more of them than we think there are.

Excited about the upcoming elections this year. With less than 60 days to go I am fired up and ready to work hard and win!

I just wanted to say that Progressives Democrats in the House Rule and Blue Dogs suck!! Progressive Representatives Anthony Weiner (NY), Alan Grayson (FL), and Raul Grijalva (AZ) deserve the respect and admiration of Progressives around the nation. Even though some are in swing districts facing difficult fights (Grayson), have taken on their own state (Grijalva), and have on occasion have gotten a little angry (Weiner), these Progressives have shown backbone by calling Conservatives out on their obstructionist tactics. My own " honorable" Congressmen, "w orking " Joe Baca, being the Blue Dog Devil that he is has shown no leadership in the Inland Empire and gets bitch-slapped by the surrounding Conservatives in the area. Where was he on immigration, health care, energy, and financial reform? While he did vote for some of these things, he has not shown the kind of leadership necessary in the District. Where are you Joe Baca? Why are y...

In 2008, California more than any other state helped elect Barack Obama President of the United States. We canvassed in the harsh desert terrains of Nevada and Arizona. Also, we made over 3 million calls, the most out of every state! However, much to the chargrin of the California State Democratic Party, that victory did not translate into the much of the down ticket flipping of Republican seats because of the intense focus on getting Obama elected. Now, in 2010 the importance of activating these grassroots networks and applying that laser like focus to our own state cannot be ignored or marginalized. Organizing for America (OFA) should not be relied on to heavily contribute to victory in 2010. Every swinging Progressive in every county should be going all out making calls and knocking on doors to encourage the 1st time voters and persuade elusive independents to vote Democrat in November. Three is the magic number and we can do it, if we hit the streets hard and fast. The Inla...

In 2010, the Inland Empire will finally go from being the bastard cousin of Democratic Party politics to a nascent power player in the setup to 2012. Why do I say this? First, many Congressional districts and Assembly districts in the Inland Empire went for Barack Obama in 2008. The flurry of Progressive activism in this area was euphoric and in it lay the beginnings of a new foundation. Secondly, we have recieved peripheral attention from major Democratic power players such as Barbara Boxer who announced her 2010 senatorial bid in Riverside County and Gavin Newsom who came to the Inland Empire during his exploratory bid for Governor. Finally, the Progressive faction in the Inland Empire is finally achieveing the organizational structure to compete against the Blue Dog faction which has consistently won and whose performance has been circumspect in the California Legislature and Congress. While much work remains. I remain optimistic about our prospects in 2010 and beyond. If we h...