Inland Empire Progressive

The African American Community has long been a solid and formidable voting bloc in the Inland Empire. They will definitely be turning out for the 2012 election season to help re-elect President Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress. Renea Wickman has earned the endorsement of two African-American city leaders from San Bernardino in the race for the 31st Congressional District. City of San Bernardino Endorsement Press Release

The 31st CD race is shaping up to be an act of Dem on Dem violence. Dr. Rita Ramirez-Dean, Pete Aguilar, and Renea Wickman are competing for this seat. Rita Ramirez-Dean spoke first. She talking about Education (her strong suit), Jobs, Veterans, and defending Social Security. Pete Aguilar went after the Do Nothing Congress and fixing a broken Washington D.C. He also went after Republicans Miller and Hutton. Mr. Aguilar stressed his work as mayor: standing up to the Redlands Tea Party and maintain a balanced budget. Renea Wickman spoke about creating jobs by eliminating oil and insurance company subsidies and reinvesting those saving to Green Jobs, High Speed Rail, and Internet access. On Foreign Policy she wanted to build a global middle class. She also would not raise the retirement age on Social Security. This fight was essentially between Renea Wickman and Pete Aguilar. There were 2 No Endorsements, both from the Redlands Area Democratic Club. Pete Aguilar received 46% of the ba...

The biannual Democratic pre-endorsement caucus, which is held in Claremont because of its centrality to L.A., I.E., and O.C. areas was held today. I arrived at the caucus 30 minutes late, but I didn’t miss that much. So here are the events as they transpired and some opinions on them. AD 47 Joe Baca Jr. VS. Cheryl Brown I missed the first half of this race between Joe Baca Jr. and Cheryl Brown when both gave their speeches to the delegation. The Latino Delegation in this AD broke heavily in favor Baca Jr., but Ms. Brown did well for herself. The result was 57% to 42% in favor of Joe Baca Jr. The final vote count was 29 to 21 with provisional ballots included. This is going to the California Democratic convention because no one got 70% of the vote, but Mr. Baca Jr. received above 50%. AD 52 Norma Torres Norma Torres received the endorsement of the Democratic Party. No one contested her race. Ms. Torres spoke on engagement with the community, her work on housing, and welcomed Fonta...

Martha Vasquez, 22, Highland Park, July 2011 Photographer: Gabriel Louis Acosta, The Sun With all the pressure that the Latinos have been under from both visceral extremists on the Conservative side, and an aggressive deportation policy by the Administration, it was only a matter of time before folks become radicalized. (Note: This policy was later amended to ensure more accurate deportation screening) What puzzles me is why are Inland Empire Democrats taking a middle of the road position and moving to the Right? The Progressive position is that the undocumented citizens deserve clemency under the law! The Latinos of the Inland Empire helped build it. They have paid in full their debt to society through hard work, long hours, low pay, and other laments. They deserve to be released from the bondage of second class citizenship and brought more transparently into the law. There have been more than one protest in the streets of San Bernardino about the need for immigration reform...

Mayor of Redlands Pete Aguilar won the endorsement of the Fontana Democratic Club for the 31st Congressional District. He won in a run off against Rita Ramirez-Dean. Two challengers showed up to the event: Renea Wickman and Dr. Rita Ramirez-Dean to present their case. The other challenger Russ Warner did not show up to the event and is rumored to have droppend out. He was probably under pressure from D.C. people and a realization that he is not as stong in the East Valley as he is on the West. I wonder how much pressure the other candidates are coming under. Mr. Aguilar, either a Baca plant, Republican plant, or a genuine recruit by the DCCC is trying to walk and chew gum at the same time by fundraising and trying to build an organization. His history at the Arrowhead Credit Union has me wondering about his credentials and his connections. Is he just another Good Old Boy with intentions to carve up the Inland...

Lindsey Graham calls CFPB ‘Stalinist’ - Robin Bravender - POLITICO.com The independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is what gives this government agency its strength. By having Congress oversee it the CFPB is more subject to partisan influence. Progressives will passionately protect consumers and in a preventative manner if need be. Conservatives will let the “free market” decide and will Monday morning legislate whatever crisis happens to appear when the shit hits the fan; and it will when you let the “free market” ride. In San Bernardino, we see payday lenders or euphemistically the alternative banking system take advantage of consumers by making loans at rates as high as 300%. I know because I had to use them from time to time to cover cash shortfalls. Living on the margins is tough and one slip can land you into poverty, but I have my youth for now. But, I despise having to borrow against my next check and will ensure that the lending works to my advantage. The ...

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.

In 2008, people from all walks of life came together in a historic moment to elect our nation's 44th President, Barack Obama. It was a euphoric moment for all, especially for Progressives who after years in the wilderness stormed back with a resounding triumph and a mandate for change. However, the bliss was short-lived as Conservative obstruction hindered, delayed, and blocked the President's agenda that Congress was pursuing. Wall-Streeter called Obama to the carpet about his policies and soon after the Tea Party was born. The health care reform battle in 2009 was the culmination of this, as misinformed folks stormed town-hall meeting across the nation accosting Senators and Congressmen alike. This rage caught the Progressives flat footed as we made the assumption that the American people wanted a more activist government. Though they have waned a bit recently, they are pretty active locally in Redlands and Chino Hills.

Eric Cantor July Slides Back during the debt debacle, Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor presented his caucus with the slide above outlining the ongoing negotiations between the President and the Speaker of the House.  The slides above show that despite the best efforts of the Dems to come to a compromise, Republican fanatical adherence the anti-tax mantra prevented them from governing and making any kind of deal. The chart below out shows the consequences of the conservative fanatical adherence to cutting spending instead of deal making. Now the negoation leverage lies with the Dems with the Dual trigger of expiring Bush Tax cuts and military spending cuts.

Adelanto is in the High Desert and is split into 2 sub-areas. New Adelanto and Old Adelanto, which is by the Air Force Base out there. There is also a detention center, but I can't recall if it's federal or state. All I know is that it is hot as hell out there during the summer and cold as hell during the winter. I know Old Adelanto to be a lot tougher area because it is heavily in poverty and the African Americans and Mexicans can't seem to get along. I think it's the heat. Registration for Adelanto Dems increased by 183 Dems in 2011. This is a 5% increase from last year. The spike started around May and is upward trending. Last year was relentively flat and was probably due to the Conservative wave that was moving around the country at that time. I remeber the Tea Party being very active in Redlands, Chino Hills, and the High Desert. That was also a great year for California Democrats. We gained an Assembly seat inching us close to the 2/3rds needed to have sup...