DCCC Trying To Force Some Rich Candidate From Orange County On Santa Clarita

Blue America is matching every dollar up to $5,000 for Lou Vince

Just when we thought the DCCC was finally going to cave and support a real Democrat for Congress, they discovered yet another way to lose in California's newly blue 25th District. This time, it is a Beverly Hills lawyer, Brian Caforio, who has absolutely no idea what issues are even important to the people in the district but who was "given" the district by the DCCC. He lives in Orange County.

Instead of supporting Lou Vince, the grassroots-backed candidate who has been endorsed by the local Democratic clubs (as well as by Blue America-- you can contribute to Lou's campaign here), the DCCC has parachuted in a wealthy lawyer because he claims to be able to raise large amounts of money. Sounds like a perfect fit for Steve Israel’s DCCC. No surprise, when the DCCC hatched this scheme, they neglected to talk to a single local activist and unsurprisingly, this week, the Simi Valley Democratic Club and the North Valley Democratic Club, two of the largest clubs in the district, voted unanimously to endorse Lou Vince over Caforio, the DCCC having already pressured Maria Gutzeit to get out of the race.

And, to add insult to injury, the “we don’t get involved in contested primaries” DCCC Western Regional Political Director actually sent Lou an email to say he was making calls to California Democratic Party delegates to encourage them to not submit their pre-endorsement ballots for Lou. He wants to be able to funnel DCCC money to Caforio and Lou winning the CDP endorsement would dash those hopes.

Meanwhile, the progressive Democrat in the next district, Ted Lieu, has been giving Lou Vince advice and helping him with his campaign. "Lou is the clear choice in this race," he said. "He will work tirelessly for the residents and represent them best in Congress. I know I look forward to working with him on the issues that matter most in Washington, whether it be tackling climate change, fighting for the middle class or making sure that we stand up for progressive values whenever they are threatened in Washington. I whole-heartedly endorse Lou Vince for Congress."

As we've said before, Lou is the best bet for taking the Simi Valley/Santa Clarita/Antelope Valley district. A police lieutenant and a veteran, Lou matches the profile of the district perfectly. The hard-working families of the area have already made it clear that they don’t like carpetbaggers. Last cycle, Tony Strickland outraised Steve Knight 5 to 1 and claimed he was the chosen one. Yet, Steve Knight trounced Tony Strickland in the general election because Strickland was a carpetbagger, just like Caforio.

The stakes could never be higher for CA-25. The Porter Ranch gas leak is inside the district and Steve Knight has been noticeably absent. Knight and his Republican Neanderthals want to do away with the EPA, the very agency that should have prevented this disaster. Rather than supporting an agency that keeps us all safe, Knight wants to get rid of it and allow corporations to self-regulate. I think we’ve all seen how well that has worked for Porter Ranch.

While Knight stays cozy in DC, the DCCC has scripted Caforio to hit the issue, claiming he cares about our health and the environment. Problem is, he doesn’t even know what the other environmental problems are in the area and there are plenty. In fact, Ed Begley Jr. and RL Miller, chair of the California Democratic Party environmental caucus, two of the most important environmental activists in California, have endorsed Lou because of his environmental stances.

Yesterday Lou told us that: "The 25th district has numerous environmental issues due to years of Republicans pushing through the agenda of the developers who bankroll their campaigns. The Porter Ranch disaster is just the latest case in a long line of environmental damage that needs to be undone. While Steve Knight continues to have a minimal visibility on the issue, another one of my opponents has been seeking to profit politically from the disaster. With no connection to the district at all, he believes that by snapping some pictures with an unpopular Congressman that he 'knows' the environmental issues. Yet, he hasn’t said a single word about the upcoming Chiquita Canyon Landfill Expansion, which will site the largest dump in the United States within 500 feet of an elementary school in a primarily Latino community. Where is Bryan Caforio on Chiquita? Where was Bryan Caforio 2 months ago? The answer is not in the 25th District."

If Bryan Caforio wins the primary, the DCCC will undoubtedly lose in the 25th District once again, a long pattern of bungling for them. It’s not often we have a candidate like Lou run for an office who could truly have a huge impact on the House floor. Having a former cop stand on the House floor and call for criminal justice reform would be a powerful ally for all progressives in the chamber. Not to mention having a Marine veteran calling for common sense gun measures. Lou certainly has the credibility to speak out on those issues.

That’s why we want to make sure Lou has the support he needs to win this June. That’s why we've decided to go all in for Lou. Blue America will be matching every contribution made to Lou’s campaign, thanks to two anonymous donors, on this page this week up to $5,000.

This is our chance to get a true blue progressive in the House and show the DCCC that it is the grassroots that really matter and that they should start fighting Republicans, not progressive Democrats.

Why Pelosi's DCCC Has Lost Several Dozen House Seats In Recent Cycles

Schneider (New Dem) & Dold (R)-- same gray flannel suit garbage

It shouldn't surprise anyone that DCCC Chair Ben Ray Luján endorsed Hillary Clinton yesterday. Corrupt conservatives stick together-- and who cares who Luján endorses anyway? His silly statement claimed that "Hillary embodies New Mexico values. She puts people first and will roll up her sleeves to change their lives for the better." Yeah... More impactful is how Luján continues to put his fat finger on the scale to advantage Republican-lite candidates over progressives. The DCCC used to keep out of tightly contested primary races, or at least they claimed they did, so that local Democrats could make their own choices. Now they don't even pretend to be neutral. In Illinois' 10th district, for example, where conservative and much-disliked New Dem Brad Schneider-- defeated in 2014 when Democratic base voters stayed home in droves to protest his backing for the Boehner agenda-- the DCCC kicked the more progressive candidate, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, to the curb to line up behind Schneider. If the idiot Luján has his way, Schneider will once again face Republican Robert Dold, the guy who beat him in 2014, and either lose to him again or win on Bernie's or Hillary's coattails and then lose the seat in 2016.

"Brad Schneider," mouthed Luján insipidly, "is a proven leader on progressive issues that matter to Illinois voters: fighting for common sense gun violence reform, standing up for a woman's right to choose and protecting seniors' health care. As a former member of Congress, Brad has the track record, relationships and resources to proudly take back Illinois' 10th district in 2016." As a former member with a track record, voters can clearly see that Luján is flat-out lying about Schneider who is the opposite of progressive. Progressive and the opposite of progressive are not the same (as we discussed the other day)-- but, then again, no one ever accused Luján of having a functioning IQ.

Both Chicago dailies endorsed Rotering this week, the Sun-Times editors announcing that it is time to move on from the see-saw battle between the two conservatives, Dold and Schneider. "Our endorsement goes to Nancy Rotering, the mayor of Highland Park, who took a terrific stand against gun violence by pushing through a municipal ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. A federal appellate court upheld the ban-- an important symbolic step toward sanity in our nation’s gun laws-- and the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to the law. Now Rotering is pushing a similar statewide ban in Illinois. This is leadership. Schneider, for his part, disappointed many supporters-- now former supporters-- when he unwisely opposed President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Whatever enthusiasm we had for Schneider’s candidacy waned as well."

The more conservative, and historically pro-Schneider paper, the very corporate Chicago Tribune, decided to abandon him this time around. "Rotering," they wrote, "who says her No. 1 legislative priority would be combating gun violence, impressed us with the passion she would bring to that perennial lost cause. As mayor of the North Shore suburb, she passed an assault weapons ban meant to invite a lawsuit from the firearms lobby. The measure survived legal challenges all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and has become a model for other municipalities, she says. She's spoiling for a fight at the federal level... Both say changes are needed to preserve the Affordable Care Act, but Rotering-- who has a master's degree in health services management, worked in benefits analysis for General Motors and has practiced health care law-- would likely bring more to those discussions. Our endorsement goes to Rotering."

The DCCC isn't just getting it wrong--and jeopardizing Democratic wins-- in Chicagoland. Their Rahm Emanuel/Chris Van Hollen/Steve Israel-inspired policy of butting into local primaries on behalf of conservative candidates has been devastating to the Democrats, who have lost dozens and dozens on House seats since the DCCC started undermining progressives. And this cycle, under a vapid moron as chairman, it's worst than ever. A few weeks ago we told you about Luján's primitive racism in central Florida. In fact... let's go over it again... it's that stunning:

This week the East Orlando Post reported that FL-10 voters are furious that the DCCC is interfering in their congressional primary on behalf of the incompetent conservative candidate, Val Demings to the detriment of beloved civil rights heroine Geraldine Thompson and highly-respected former Florida Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe. Demings may be seen as an easily-controlled shill by DC powermingers but she is not well-liked by many central Florida Democrats. Jacob Engels reported that Demings "suffered a tough loss to Republican Dan Webster in 2012 [and] angered many local Democratic voters and activists when she dropped out of the Orange County mayoral race at the last minute in 2014, leaving the party with no one to challenge long-term incumbent Republican Mayor Teresa Jacobs."

Regardless, an insider close to the DCCC told us that Demings earned the respect from running a campaign in a tough race against Republican statesman Daniel Webster. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan recently held an event for Demings in Central Florida, signalling DC insiders determination to hand the crown to the former police chief.

"We are not handpicking a candidate, but Chief Demings has earned the respect of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and others on capitol hill. She seems to have the support locally."

Former Florida Democratic Party Chairman and serial entrepreneur Bob Poe, who is one of the candidates challenging Demings for the nomination, grew up in Florida's 10th district as a teen working at a gas station.

"This race is ultimately going to be decided by the voters in the 10th Congressional District and not a small group of power brokers in Washington," said Poe.

He continued by pointing to the fact that the party has far too many other "too close to call" races on their hands that have no contested primaries, and should be focusing their efforts there instead of in Florida 10.

"The DCCC should be spending their limited resources to defeat Republicans, not fellow Democrats."

Mr. Poe has spent the past three decades as an entrepreneur in the marketing and communications industry-- a sought after show-runner and ideas man. He has raised nearly $300k in the three weeks since he announced his bid.

A Democratic aide, who once worked in the office of Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi told the East Orlando Post that Poe does not have the right racial makeup for the district.

"Simply put, Poe can't buy this race. The hill has decided that we want Chief Demings, come hell or high-water. Thompson and Fahmy are not options either. They should wait their turn."

State Senator Geraldine Thompson, an African American civil rights icon, is also a candidate seeking the Democratic nomination. Thompson has served in elected office for 10 years in the area, and like Poe, she is determined to not let Washington dysfunction determine who the candidate ultimately is.

"This type of behavior signals a total disregard for the people in our district. To not allow a level playing field by openly supporting one candidate over the other three is flat out wrong. The Democratic party is supposed to be a big tent. I have been breaking down barriers and obstacles my whole life.

"While the open bias with which they are treating me and the other candidates is disappointing, I am not deterred. In this race is an openly gay man, a proud Latina woman and a veteran African American female elected leader. We are insistent that the people in the District will decide... not the Washington elite." Thompson told us on break from committee meetings in the Florida Capitol.

A donor familiar with the endorsement process and patterns of the DCCC told us that there is not really any rules against the committee supporting one candidate over another, but admitted that most of the time it is preferable to let the people decide.

"It is a little perplexing to see how they are handling this. Endorsements and support from Washington are in large part meaningless to the majority of voters. We have races that have no primaries and are extremely tough roads to victory against Republicans in the general election... why not focus on those?," the top bundler for Democrat candidates confided via text message, echoing Bob Poe's sentiment about smart allocation of precious party resources.

Fatima Rita Fahmy, a lawyer and former stockbroker who moved to Central Florida from Brazil when she was just five years old, is another Democrat making a run for congress in Florida's 10th district. Fahmy calls the DCCC's behavior "next level arrogance."

"They want to impose their will and I will push back hard against those movements. I am in total agreement with Mr. Poe and Senator Thompson, it shows a horrible disconnect between the power-brokers and everyday people."

Fahmy crashed a Demings event Monday morning where DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján was in attendance and publicly called attention to the committees unusual financial and structural support for a candidate who is facing a primary from other credible choices.

So, the DCCC claims that Poe, who is white and gay, "does not have the right racial makeup for the district" so they're stepping on a progressive African-American state senator and a Latina so they can support a conservative religious nut who also happens to be African-American. The district is 27.1% voting age African-American, 22.8% voting Hispanic, 44.3% voting age white and I was unaware Pelosi countenanced this kind of racial game-playing. The DCCC press secretary for the Southeast, Jermaine House, actually said, "We will never support Poe because he's white." I'd like to hear Pelosi defend that like DCCC statement. On top of that, the DCCC is complaining Poe "can't buy this election" when the hallmark of the DCCC in the last decade has been to always favor wealthy candidates over middle class candidates. The hypocrisy is overwhelming.

And Luján's disgraceful perfidy doesn't stop there. Right now the DCCC is working to guarantee another term for Tea Party Republican Steve Knight, but steamrolling the local Democrats in Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley and working to install some random self-funding candidate from Orange County in place of local progressive Lou Vince, an Agua Dulce councilman and a policeman. The biggest local newspaper in the district, The Signal ran this OpEd last week from David Barlavi, a local Democrat, disgusted with the DCCC's shenanigans.

Lou Vince has been fighting for progressive values here in the 25th Congressional District for years. Lou ran for L.A. County Sheriff in 2014 on a progressive platform. Over the last year, Lou has been fighting as our strong, local, progressive candidate for Congress. Lou has been phone-banking and door-knocking for a year.

Lou has attended countless Democratic meetings and been pounding the pavement for a year. He has earned the endorsements and support of every Democratic Club in the 25th District-- some unanimously.

He’s earned the endorsement of our state’s California Democratic Party with the vote of more than 80 percent of our Democratic delegates. Lou has the endorsements of many prominent Democrats, both locally and state wide.

But most importantly, Lou has earned the support and confidence of local residents in the 25th. Lou is a Marine, an LAPD lieutenant with 21 years of service, a local town council member and a wonderful family man and father of four great kids.

Lou has lived in the 25th for over a decade, knows our issues, and cares deeply about our/his community.

Why, then, would the Washington elites parachute in a Johnny Come Lately, unknown carpetbagger into our district to jeopardize the Lou Vince campaign?

Here’s why:

Remember when the DCCC political elite in Washington did not support Lee Rogers for Congress? The DCCC didn’t support Lee in 2012 when he raised good money, and they didn’t support Lee in 2014 when he raised nearly $400,000.

Therefore, it’s logical to conclude that the DCCC supports issues, not as they contend, “fundraising ability.”

So why did the DCCC abandon the 25th in those last two elections and not support Lee Rogers? It is clear to me that it’s because the DCCC opposes progressive politics.

So let’s be honest witch each other here in the 25th. When the DCCC comes out of nowhere and parachutes in a wealthy, unknown, inexperienced lawyer from outside of our district, the message is clear.

The DCCC is not concerned about Lou Vince’s fundraising ability; they are opposed to Lou’s progressive politics.

The second important question is whether the DCCC is concerned about Lou Vince losing the general elections in November. Absolutely not. We all know 2016 is the year Democrats can defeat the Republicans and turn the 25th blue.

Democrats will have record turn-outs in June and November. The DCCC has not parachuted in a carpetbagger because they fear Republicans; they have forced a carpetbagger on us because they fear Lou Vince’s progressive politics.

Finally, why this particular out-of-towner? Well, to put it bluntly, he’s rich, with rich friends outside of our district. Now, there is nothing wrong with being rich, but those rich out-of-district friends have funded this out-of-town campaign.

Yes, he has raised a lot of out-of-town money all at once, but his well in the district is dry. He has little support from local Dems.

Lou Vince has raised campaign funds from more than 600 local contributors. That is a strong grass-roots campaign.

The carpetbagger has come in with bags of outside money, rented a place in Valencia, and proceeded to try to make us think he cares about our local issues and concerns. Absurd!

We need to nip this issue in the bud. It goes against our Democratic values in the 25th to parachute an unknown, out-of-town candidate into our district to undermine the already-existing, strong, year-long grass-roots Democratic campaign of Lou Vince for Congress.

A carpetbagging campaign itself is an affront to Democrats in the 25th. Add to that the big money bags thrown on us from outside the district, and the urgency becomes clear.

Make no mistake about it; this is a slap in the face of Democrats in the 25th.

Let’s not find out the dark truth in July when it’s too late. Let’s not unnecessarily sacrifice a real and local progressive. An honest-to-goodness, home-grown, 25th district Democrat, Lou Vince.

Please write to the DCCC and ask them to withdraw their candidate from our district and put their support behind Lou Vince for Congress. Their address is:

430 S. Capitol St. SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
Phone: (202) 863-1500

If Pelosi had any interest in winning back the House, all it would take is a competent, uncorrupted staff. Too much to ask for? Nope. Banish people like Steve Israel, Chris Van Hollen and Ben Ray Luján from the building and appoint someone who knows how to win and wants to win-- a Keith Ellison or a Mark Pocan or Ted Lieu or Matt Cartwright, not another loser crony from her own circle. Enough of this loser bullshit!

A Bruno Mars Signed Guitar... For A Lou Vince Contributor This Week

Before moving to Arizona, Lee Rogers, last cycle's progressive Democratic candidate in CA-25 (Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles), worked with local Democratic clubs and progressive activists to find a candidate who could win the newly blue district. The locals were excited about Agua Dulce councilman Lou Vince, a former marine and ex-L.A. police officer.

If you think all former marines and ex-L.A. police officers are conservative, you haven't met Lou Vince, a dedicated progressive, and not just on the easy issues. "The banks that were too big to fail are even bigger now," he told us this week.

We need to re-implement the Glass-Steagall Act so that Wall Street can't gamble with Main Street's money. It's not right that Wall Street caused the Great Recession, didn't face any penalties, and is now richer than ever. We need to send a cop to Congress to keep Wall Street in line and put handcuffs on the bankers if necessary.

This week, Blue America is trying to help Lou raise campaign funds. Bruno Mars signed a guitar for us to give away as a thank you for one randomly selected Lou Vince contributor. The autographed Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster is a one-of-a-kind that Bruno, a Hawaiian Jewish Puerto Rican superstar, signed specifically for this giveaway. So far he has won two Grammy awards and has sold over 100 million singles and albums.

Unlike the Tea Party Republican incumbent, Steve Knight, or the conservaDem also trying to run, Lou Vince is committed to doing something on climate change, which he calls "one of the most pressing issues of our time."

I am undoubtedly the most committed to protecting and safeguarding our environment to ensure our children and grandchildren have a sustainable future. The nation needs to follow California's lead and seriously tackle climate change on the federal level.

The fundraiser will end next Sunday when we select one lucky winner. It doesn't matter how much you contribute, just that you do. In fact, if you're strapped for cash and can't give, just send a postcard to Blue America PAC at PO Box 27201, Los Angeles, CA 90027, and let us know that you want a chance to win the autographed guitar too. Otherwise, this is the page to contribute on.

This Bruno Mars video for "Just The Way You Are" was been viewed over 600 million times on YouTube-- and it's not even his biggest song or video!

Why The DCCC Is Anathema To California Democratic Activists And Progressives

Lou Vince was the pick of 82% of CA-25 party leaders, despite corrupt DCCC boss Steve Israel

Yesterday, Gallup released a survey showing that voter identification with the Democratic Party has sunk to an all-time low, just 29% (slightly better than the GOP's 26%), as more and more people view themselves as independents (42%). Americans haven't abandoned the party of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; the party of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt-- on every level-- has abandoned them. The Democratic Party is now nearly as much a subsidiary of Wall Street as the GOP is. As Pelosi has grown less and less capable of leading and as Chuck Schumer has consolidated his control in the Senate, the congressional wing of the party is basically in thrall to an ugly combination of K Street and Wall Street. The party is next-to-worthless as a vehicle for social change or for fighting to protect the interests of ordinary working families. Today caucus goers in Iowa will decide if the party is indeed the Clintons' corrupt self-serving establishment or still part of a vision for a better nation for the millions of families who are not wealth elites.

Back in December, we looked at why grassroots activists have had their fill of the DCCC and have been increasingly telling corrupt and incompetent Beltway party bosses to stay out of their states. Today everyone reviles the DCCC and identification with the Democratic Party itself is disintegrating because of the likes of Rahm Emanuel, Chris Van Hollen, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Steny Hoyer, Steve Israel and Ben Ray Luján.

Sunday, Javier Panzar, writing for the L.A. Times, looked into how Beltway Democratic Party hacks are destroying the party in California. He focused on the tremendous victory local Democrats in the Santa Clarita/Ventura area had this weekend in humiliating Israel, Luján, Zoe Lofgren and Pelosi. The clueless party bosses had invented a candidate from Orange County, some rich lawyer named Bryan Caforio, and decided to impose him on local Democrats. Woah-- did that ever not work! Yesterday the state party rejected the DCCC's demands that the party not endorse local candidate Lou Vince. 82% of the party delegates pre-endorsement vote went to Vince despite a month of hysterical calls from DCCC headquarters. In a huge slap in the face of the corrupt DCCC only 6 delegates voted for Caforio (out of 50). Vince will be the official Democratic Party candidate no matter what incompetent Beltway types like Israel, Luján and Pelosi want.

Democrats are eager to oust Knight, a freshman who earned negative headlines and represents the 25th Congressional District in north Los Angeles County and Simi Valley. But first the party's establishment will have to make peace with those local party activists who are upset with Caforio's late entry into the race, his lack of roots in the area and the quick support he has received from national Democrats.

The rift in the 25th District and an ongoing dispute between Democratic party leaders and locals in the Central Valley congressional seat offer an inland California flavor to what is a national trend this year: grassroots activists bucking the establishment.

Caforio raised $138,835 before the year ended, less than a month into his candidacy, according to federal campaign finance filings. He already has been endorsed by six members of California's congressional delegation and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Four members of Congress or their leadership PACs have contributed to his campaign [including Eric Swalwell, Alan Lowenthal and Zoe Lofgren].

But local partisans are upset that Caforio, a trial lawyer who attended UCLA and Yale Law School, and his wife only recently moved into the district from Los Angeles. Caforio was not registered to vote in the district until late November.

When the Simi Valley Democratic Club made its endorsement in the race two weeks ago, all 15 voting members chose Vince.

"There was a lot of negativity about the new guy. He is a carpetbagger," said Jodie Cooper, the club's executive vice president. "[Vince] really made a concerted effort to meet with people and then all of a sudden this guy comes in with money?"

...Despite the grassroots support, Vince, who currently serves as a police watch commander, has struggled to raise the money needed to take on an incumbent. His only congressional endorsement has come from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) and that was before Caforio became a candidate. Still, Vince's list of supporters includes local officials and numerous activists.

"When it comes down to it, our volunteers are going to be the ones knocking on their neighbors' doors," said Vince's campaign coordinator John Casselberry Jr.

Some Vince supporters, like state Democratic Party delegate Patricia Sulpizio, said they could end up voting for Caforio if he makes it through the June 7 primary and Vince doesn't. But they are disappointed that members of Congress and party leaders are coalescing behind a candidate locals don't know or seem to be endorsing in large numbers.

Vince supporters have accused the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee of meddling in the primary race, which officials have denied.

"You can buy a seat in Congress if you have money or if you have friends and associates with money, and that is really disturbing to me," Sulpizio said.

Local Democrats in the Central Valley also have been frustrated with the national party in recent years, said Mark Martinez, a politics professor at Cal State Bakersfield.

Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) has trounced Democrats for two cycles in the 21st Congressional District despite the party's 16 percentage point edge over Republicans among registered voters. Prominent locals told the Fresno Bee in December that part of the blame fell on the DCCC for micromanaging failed 2014 candidate Amanda Renteria's campaign.

Fowler City Councilman Daniel T. Parra is challenging Valadao in the primary, but he also has not raised much money. Democrat Connie Perez made a big splash when she entered the race but dropped out less than a month later, in part, Martinez said, because of frustrations with the DCCC over campaign staffing.

"What you have here is people who think they are masters of the universe," he said. "They are good at reading numbers but they aren't good at reading people."

The DCCC reputation is so bad in the area that Bakersfield lawyer Emilio Huerta, who entered the race in early January, has been telling voters he was not recruited by the group.

"It's unfortunate that [the] DCCC doesn't have a good track record here in terms of running successful candidates," Huerta said. "They don't take advantage of local clubs or local committees. They bring their playbook to the table and ignore us local folk."

This is Caforio's FEC report. After looking at reports like this for over a decade I can tell you with a straight face, I've never seen anything like it. There isn't one single contribution from the district (other than the money he and his wife gave from their newly rented apartmentin Valencia). But-- literally-- this DCCC plant couldn't get a single person living in the district to give him a dime! Blue America has endorsed Lou Vince, as well as 2 other progressive California challengers who have no support from the DCCC, Nanette Barragán and Bao Nguyen, all three of whom can be found on this page if you are inclined to support independent-minded reformers rather than DCCC hacks, who always lose.

Message From Lee Rogers

Lou Vince

Dr. Lee Rogers was the Blue America-backed candidate for Congress twice in the Antelope Valley, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita area. He scared Buck McKeon so deeply that McKeon retired from Congress and is now working as a lobbyist. Even after McKeon raised the white flag, Steve Israel and the dysfunctional operation he's turned the DCCC into still managed to screw up the race, leaving Democrats without a candidate. So people have been stuck with a right-wing ideologue, Steve Knight, who has been making a terrible impression with his constituents and is likely to be a one-termer. Lee feels confident that 2016 will be the year the district flips from red to blue, but he's worried that a DINO could grab the seat instead of a real Democrat.

Blue America has endorsed Lou Vince. Lee penned the letter below to the other progressive organizations that endorsed him, which he is urging to back Lou.

I was the nominee for CA-25 in 2012 and 2014. I am a champion of the progressive cause and I was endorsed by PCCC, MoveOn, DFA, PDA, BlueAmerica, PFAW, and the Stonewall Democrats among others. CA-25 is a changing district. It is D+1 and becoming more Democratic. The district went for Obama slightly in 2008 and Romney slightly in 2012. It is the last remaining district in Los Angeles County not represented by a Democrat. Unfortunately, there has not been a strong Democratic organization active in the district.

Progressive groups should be involved in CA-25 for a couple reasons. First, CA-25 will eventually be a Democratic district. But whether or not CA-25 sends a progressive to Washington, depends on us. There are other Democrats running, but they are conservative Dems.

Please consider these points:

• This district is now winnable by Democrats more so than it has ever been. The 25th is now D+1 and we are very close to expelling the last Republican Congressman from Ventura and Los Angeles counties from Congress.

• With competitive CA State Senate races on each wing of the district (SD27 – Simi Valley/Porter Ranch/Stevenson Ranch and SD21 – Santa Clarita/Palmdale), there will be a very strong effort to further increase voter turnout for these races, thus strengthening our turnout as well.

• Maria Gutziet is conservative Blue Dog Democrat that does not stand for real progressive values like Lou Vince. As a member of the Newhall Water Board, Gutzeit has proven to be a reliable vote for the developers and business interests, rather than standing up for progressive ideals and residents of the 25th District.

• Rather than allow a DINO to go to Congress, progressive organizations need to stand up and give Lou a fighting chance to give the progressives one more voice in Congress.

• In 2015 Q2, all Democrats had pitiful fundraising, Maria Gutzeit $36,000, Lou Vince $14,000, and Evan Thomas didn’t report. If Lou doesn’t have the support he needs and Maria advances to the general election, voters in the 25th will have a choice between Republican and Republican lite.

CA-25 is an opportunity. Let’s not waste it!

Sincerely,

Dr. Lee Rogers

We Can Help End The Knightmare In Santa Clarita, Simi Valley And The Antelope Valley

Having failed to find a "suitable" conservaDem to run in California's CD-25 (Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and the Antelope Valley), the DCCC finally seems to be yelling "uncle" and offering their support to progressive candidate Lou Vince-- but with a caveat: They're indicating they will fund him if he can show then he can fund himself!

We know that sounds odd, but... it's the DCCC. They're like a bank-- they only give money to candidates who don't need it! So progressives have to think about ponying up enough money to show that Lou could run a respectable campaign without the DCCC... and then they'll kick in... or so they say They've never helped any other Democrats who have run in this district.

So why support Lou? We've been trying to make a case for him all year. He is just the kind of candidate who can win in the just barely blue L.A./Ventura district which has been represented by neanderthal Republican Buck McKeon for as long as anyone can remember and is now being misrepresented by Tea Party crackpot Steve Knight. Lou is a cop and former Marine with four kids (2 adopted) and a Masters Degree in Criminology, Law and Society from UC Irvine.

But under that blue uniform beats the heart of a true progressive! His website, lists  progressive positions on everything from combating climate change to reforming our banking system to mass incarceration and immigration. We asked him what he thinks is the most important issue for Santa Clarita, Simi Valley and Antelope Valley residents. This is what he told us:

Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time. If we do not act quickly and decisively, it will soon be too late to take effective action. This is why I applaud President Obama's decision to oppose the Keystone XL project. This is a major victory for progressives and anyone who cares about a clean, sustainable future. But this is just the beginning! We have a race in California's 25th where the difference couldn't be more clear. I will stand up to any issue that poses a danger to our environment and our planet. Congressman Knight has proven time and time again to be more concerned about the interests of fossil fuel companies, not the actual people in his district. We need your help if we are going to work towards a Congress that moves to address climate change, rather than ignore it all together like Congressman Knight prefers to do.

This is a great opportunity to not only pick up a seat for the Democrats but to put a true progressive in it. Lou has been endorsed by two of our favorite hard-working California progressives-- Congressman Ted Lieu and State Controller Betty Yee-- and by Dr. Lee Rogers, who ran in both the last elections. And, of course, by Blue America!

Let's elect Lou Vince! You can donate to Lou Vince's grassroots campaign here.

Congress Divides Into 2 Camps-- Those Supporting Military Families And Those Supporting Predatory Lenders

Lou Vince-- progressive congressional candidate for CA-25

The Military Times super-serves a very specific readership. A few days ago they went into overdrive because conservatives made it clear that there is an expansion of legislation Elizabeth Warren has pushed that they want to destroy-- protection for military families from predatory lenders. House Republicans sensed they had the opportunity to wreck that. It's coming up on election time and they are eager to show Wall Street they will throw anyone under the bus, even military families being systematically victimized, on behalf of the generous banksters. Republicans, they reported, were "attempting to stall a sweeping Defense Department policy change that would give troops more protection from high-cost debt."

Last September, defense officials proposed new rules that would expand the types of credit covered by the maximum 36-percent interest rate that can be charged to service members and their dependents.

The new rules, which have not yet been published in the Federal Register, would apply to most forms of credit, including credit cards, deposit advance loans, installment loans and unsecured open-end lines of credit.

..."This is a clear attempt to delay" the final rule, said Tom Feltner, director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America. "The final rule has already been well-researched by DoD."

As previously mandated by Congress, DoD has already reported to lawmakers on the need to expand the implementation of the Military Lending Act-- a full year ago, in April 2014.

"We're hoping members of the House Armed Services Committee will stand with service members on this and not with payday lenders," Feltner said.

Yesterday, after a good deal of noisy press scared the crap out of the GOP, the delay was narrowly defeated in the House Armed Services Committee. Only 5 Republicans stood up for the troops and their families and crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats. Republicans Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Steve Russell (R-OK), Rich Nugent (R-FL), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) and Chris Gibson (R-NY) were the only Republicans on the committee willing to stand up to the extremists and greedballs. Some endangered GOP incumbents who are fighting for the political lives-- Bill Shuster (R-PA), Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Steve "I'll drop your ass" Knight (R-CA)-- jeopardized their own reelections by screwing over military families.

House lawmakers narrowly voted to remove controversial language delaying new rules on payday lenders from their annual defense authorization bill early Thursday morning, calming concerns from advocates who saw the move as potentially undoing financial protections for military families.

By a 32 to 30 vote, members of the House Armed Services Committee stripped provisions from the legislation that would have delayed Defense Department plans to expand the scope of the 2006 Military Lending Act by requiring a new report due next spring on DoD's rule-making procedures in that regard.

Opponents of the clause said the rules are already long overdue, and accused supporters of giving predatory lenders a new opportunity to victimize troops.

"Each day we delay, we put more service members in harm's way," said Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who led efforts to remove the provisions.

Joe Heck (R-NV), chairman of the Armed Services Committee's Military Personnel panel, is worried that the Pentagon is putting too much effort into protecting military families and not enough effort into protecting payday lenders-- perhaps as many as 40,000 of them who make a living by ripping off active-duty servicemen and women and their dependents. Joe Heck and his GOP cronies want to make sure their businesses are not trampled on just because they're crooks. Heck voted to slow down (kill) the process. "This has already been a long and drawn-out process," said Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA). "We're not allowing (troops) to fall victim to predatory lenders. We know they're out there." Heck maneuvered to call the vote at 4 AM yesterday, but he failed to persuade the 5 Republicans to switch their votes and crap on the troops.

Yesterday, progressive former LAPD officer Lou Vince declared for the House seat that right-wing fanatic Steve Knight accidentally won last November. CA-25 is now a Democratic majority seat and Vince has a better than ever chance to win in this northern L.A. County/eastern Ventura County district. Knight, one of the most ideologically motivated extremists in the whole Congress, voted against the fighting men and women and their families. Lou would have voted with the bipartisan majority that defeated the attempt to kill the regulations. "I'm relieved a handful of Republicans crossed the aisle and helped the Democrats save the day for military families. Protecting the men and women who are on the front lines protecting us is not a partisan issue, and Steve Knight needs to explain to Simi Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley voters-- regardless of party-- why he decided to side with the payday lenders instead of our own military families. This is the first day of my campaign, but I'm ready to vow right now that when I'm in Congress I will never take the side of bankers and Wall Street and campaign donors over the interests of the ordinary struggling men and women of this district. Never."

Lou, a Marine veteran himself, found himself very much in agreement with other congressional vets on the committee, like Seth Moulton (D-MA), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Tim Walz (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mark Takai (D-HI) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). Gallego told his own constituents in Phoenix why he felt so strongly about the legislation. "Military members and our families are more vulnerable to predatory lenders. I voted to strike the Republican provision that would delay implementation of new rules that seek to protect military members and our families. Every day that we wait to implement regulations, more military families get saddled with outrageous loans they can’t afford. It’s a shame that Republicans would rather cater to special interests and give in to the banking industry than side with our men and women in uniform. Above all else, we need to protect the men and women who are putting their lives on the line for our country’s freedom and safety."

Los Angeles County Voters Are Getting a More Progressive Option for Sheriff

The most populated county in America has seen a lot of problems with its Sheriff’s office over the past few years. L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca has morphed from a law enforcement professional to a thoroughly greasy politician, and his lack of leadership in the department led to a prisoner abuse scandal in the county jails, according to the county’s Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence.

Now a Los Angeles Police Department supervisor is stepping up to challenge Baca in 2014. Lou Vince, a progressive by nature and temperment, is an 18-year veteran of the force and a leader in the department. The California native holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration as well as a Master’s Degree in Criminology, Law and Society. He’s handled major operations and worked on opening new police divisions in L.A.

Vince also has an admirable personal background. A former Marine, he and his wife have four children, two of which were fostered and adopted through the County Department of Children and Family Services. Lou and his family currently live in Agua Dulce, a rural part of northeast L.A. County, where he's an elected member of the Town Council.

But most importantly, Vince would be a more progressive Sheriff than the one we have now. He pledges to reform the Sheriff’s Department and prevent the sorts of abuses seen in the county jails. He says he will develop more alternative sentencing options for minor, non-violent offenders to limit overcrowding in the jails. A former DARE officer, he also wants to better prioritize resources to target serious crimes rather than minor drug offenses like cannabis possession.

Vince has a keen awareness of the importance of civil liberties and maintaining public trust. Unlike Baca, he opposes the use of U.A.V.s (drones) flying overhead and spying on residents. He tells DWT that, “any cost savings, when compared with a manned aircraft, is not worth the erosion of public trust. As Sheriff, I would not use them.”

So can a progressive win a law enforcement post? That’s the question L.A. voters will have to decide next year. We'll be following this race closely. You can learn more at Vince's website.

Who Will Protect Social Security From Paul Ryan? Not Trump-- And Not Any Corrupt Conservatives From Either Party

Over the weekend, the NY Times speculated that the "early optimism" in the Clinton camp for an easy landslide win against a Trump campaign weighed down with so much baggage "is evaporating." The hopeless party hacks and mercenary lobbyists who control her dull, utterly conventional campaign have no idea how to fight Trump. "In the corridors of Congress, on airplane shuttles between New York and Washington, at donor gatherings and on conference calls, anxiety is spreading through the Democratic Party that Mrs. Clinton is struggling to find her footing. While she enjoys many demographic advantages heading into the fall, key Democrats say they are growing worried that her campaign has not determined how to combat her unpredictable, often wily Republican rival, to whom criticism seldom sticks and rules of decorum seem not to apply." Today one of the world's most brilliant men, Stephen Hawkings told a British TV audience that Trump is a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator." Does anyone doubt what Trump's pre-adolescent respond is likely to be?

In any case, Bernie would make a far more formidable opponent to Trump, and not just because independent voters-- as much as 40% of the electorate-- find Bernie the most appealing candidate at a time when they find Hillary and Trump about equally unappetizing. Bernie is a credible opponent for the Establishment Trump and Hillary personify. When Daniel Marans excoriated Trump for his flip-flops and lies on Social Security, he outlined a field of attack that Bernie would use effectively and with fluency against Trump that probably couldn't be carried off by a candidate like Hillary who's lives in a space halfway between Bernie's and Trump's. If Bernie is an FDR Democrat and Trump is an opportunist with fascist tendencies, Hillary is an Eisenhower Republican, all positions going back to each of the candidates' upbringings.

Marans reported that at their May 12th fence-mending meeting, "Trump supposedly told House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) he supports cutting Social Security but will not admit it publicly because it would hurt his election chances, according to a report in Bloomberg Business Week."

“From a moral standpoint, I believe in it,” Trump said of cutting Social Security. “But you also have to get elected. And there’s no way a Republican is going to beat a Democrat when the Republican is saying, ‘We’re going to cut your Social Security’ and the Democrat is saying, ‘We’re going to keep it and give you more.’”

Trump’s professed opposition to cutting Social Security and Medicare has been both a hallmark of his campaign and one of his greatest departures from traditional conservative ideology. And Ryan, who repeatedly criticized Trump before the mogul effectively secured the GOP nomination, has made proposing dramatic reductions in the popular social insurance programs a defining feature of his congressional career.

Many conservative House Republicans told The Huffington Post shortly after the May 12 meeting that that they were unconcerned about Trump’s public posture on the programs. Several members interpreted him as wanting to extend the solvency of Social Security and Medicare solvency through some combination of the benefit cuts and other reforms that conservatives favor.

Trump policy advisor Sam Clovis had already appeared to reverse course on May 11, indicating that Trump would be willing to consider cuts as president.

Of course, what Trump reportedly said to Ryan is consistent with what he told Fox News host Sean Hannity back in 2011.

“Things have to be done, but it has to be done with both parties together,” Trump said at the time. “You can’t have the Republicans get too far ahead of this issue.”

Trump may very well be running his campaign according to beliefs he espoused years ago: Social Security and Medicare must be cut, but telling people that should be avoided, because it is too politically unpopular.

“It is really clear: Donald Trump would 100 percent go along with the Republican donor class position of cutting Social Security,” said Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, a group that promotes benefits expansion. “He openly says he will lie to the people about it because he knows that the people are against it.”

“In his eyes the ‘moral’ thing to do is to steal people’s hard-earned benefits and not talk about it,” Lawson added.

Social Security, the United States’ public retirement, disability and life insurance program, faces a funding gap beginning in 2034. Without congressional action to either raise the program’s revenues or scale back benefits there will be an across-the-board benefit cut of approximately 20 percent.

The Democratic party has adopted steadily more progressive positions on Social Security in recent years, arguing not only that the shortfall should be closed entirely through revenue increases-- such as lifting the cap on earnings subject to Social Security taxes-- but also that benefits should be expanded to address a growing retirement income deficit.

Of course the first congressional candidate we went to for some insight was Eric Kingson, Syracuse University professor and founder of SocialSecurityWorks. Eric is the progressive candidate vying with 2 random establishment Democrats to take on Republican freshman John Katko. (Needless to say, the DCCC, Pelosi, Schumer, Israel, Gillibrand and the rest of the Democratic Party shitheads are supporting the conservative Democrats.) "No surprise, Donald Trump is now telling Speaker Ryan that he's willing to cut Social Security," Eric told us today. "What else would you expect from the political sociopath who's captured the lunatic fringe and what's left of the Republican Party? He knows that Americans-- conservatives moderates and progressives-- do not want to see our Social Security cut. So he simply lies and says he won't do it. It's the same game many Republican representatives play, like Representative Katko in my district. But when Speaker Ryan demands their vote to cut Social Security, they'll gladly give it."

Bill Ostrander is another Bernie-supporting progressive, like Eric Kingson (above) and Lou Vince (below), who is adamant about protecting and expanding Social Security.He's running for the open seat in Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo against a gaggle of conservative establishment candidates from both political parties. This morning he told us that "Given that Donald Trump inherited more wealth from his father at a young age than most people earn in a lifetime, and has never suffered from want, he is uniquely unqualified to offer perspective regarding social security. Those among us who choose, or are often confined, to our communities less skilled jobs and services, are still filling necessary functions of our community and deserve to have a basic financial safety net of dignity, gratitude, and access to health care. The contempt and lack of compassion shown to our elderly is not only economically short sighted-- the cost will not go away but be born elsewhere, it reveals a lack of social maturity among us."

Lou Vince, in the district next door, is the progressive opponent to Social Security and Medicare slasher Steve Knight in a district spanning northern L.A. County and eastern Ventura County. Lou is the official nominee of the California Democratic Party but is being violently attacked by a now tragically unhinged Nancy Pelosi and her whacked-out and fully destructive DCCC on behalf of some rich conservative guy the DCCC parachuted into CA-25 from Orange County. Lou has been vocal about protecting Social Security and Medicare from Republicans and from conservative Democrats who make common cause with Republicans. "Steve Knight," he told us, "is one of the biggest dangers to Social Security in Congress. He went so far to say Social Security was a mistake at a recent debate with me. Not only did I disagree, I called him out for his belief that Social Security is an entitlement. It's no such thing. It's an earned benefit that our seniors worked hard for and paid into. With the likes of Congressman Knight in office, Social Security will always be under threat. I will be a steadfast defender of Social Security and attempts to undermine it, like the idea of 'chained CPI' which is just another way to take money from our seniors. I also stand for raising the payroll tax cap so that everyone pays their fair share."

Protecting Social Security-- and Medicare-- isn't going to be easy. That's why it's absolutely essential that we elect members of Congress who are unequivocally committed to doing just that. No one gets on this list unless, like Lou Vince, they are:

Prisoner Abuse Scandal in L.A. County Jails-- Guest Post From Sheriff Candidate Lou Vince

In 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a report in Federal Court giving L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca’s department a scathing review for his deputies’ treatment of prisoners. A New York Times article that year summed up the report:

One inmate said he was forced to walk down a hallway naked after sheriff’s deputies accused him of stealing a piece of mail. They taunted him in Spanish, calling him a derogatory name for homosexuals.

Another former inmate said that after he protested that guards were harassing a mentally ill prisoner, the same deputies took him into another room, slammed his head into a wall and repeatedly punched him in the chest.

And a chaplain said he saw deputies punching an inmate until he collapsed to the ground. They then began kicking the apparently unconscious man’s head and body...

“This situation, the length of time it has been going on, the volume of complaints and the egregious nature are much, much worse than anything I’ve ever seen,” said Tom Parker, a retired F.B.I. official who led the agency’s Los Angeles office for years and oversaw investigations into the Rodney King beating and charges of corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. “They are abusing inmates with impunity, and the worst part is that they think they can get away with it.”

But perhaps most troubling was the Sheriff’s denial of the problem. He “repeatedly dismissed any suggestion of a systemic problem in the jails, saying that all allegations of abuse are investigated and that most are unfounded.”

Last year, the County-appointed Citizens’ Commission on Jail Violence cited Baca’s lack of leadership as a key reason why the abuse was happening.

Now the candidate challenging Baca in the 2014 race for Sheriff, LAPD Supervisor Lou Vince, who we first met last month, tells us his thoughts about the abuse problem and what he will do to solve it in his second DWT guest post.

If you agree with Lou’s plans for reforming the LA jails, be sure to visit his website-– LouVince.com. Don’t forget, campaigns aren’t free, and Lou will need your support to make those reforms he talks about below. You can make a contribution to his campaign by clicking here.

The L.A. County Jail System: "The Largest Psychiatric Hospital In The Country" 
-by Lou Vince

The episodes of prisoner abuse at the L.A. County jails are wholly unacceptable. Someone who has been arrested for or convicted of a crime can be reasonably expected to serve time as part of his or her debt to society. But it is not reasonable to expect them to face guards who callously beat them.

Marty Horn, the former Commissioner of New York City Department of Corrections and a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in his testimony to the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence (CCJV), told the commissioners that “Sheriff Lee Baca inevitably pays more attention to street patrols that are more visible to the public than to what happens in his jails.”

Patrols are important, but the jails are one of the Sheriff’s primary responsibilities, and in a jail system that has been suspect of problems for over a decade, it is unthinkable that the Sheriff could be so dismissive of this part of his job.

The good news is that there are solutions to the problems in the jails, and after years of studies and reports about the problems, it is time to implement the solutions.

One of the biggest problems is overcrowding in the jails. High density of inmates in the County facilities puts deputies on edge. Due to a number of factors, the jails are operating beyond a reasonable capacity, and they can’t do it indefinitely.

I will discuss the challenges of jail overcrowding further in a future guest post, but for now, I will say this: the challenges are not insurmountable. With “virtual incarceration” methods, new data collection initiatives, and conditional, post-conviction release bonds for non-violent offenders, we can sharply reduce the County jail population.

Another major problem in the County jails is the mental deterioration of prisoners with mental illnesses who are receiving little to no services while incarcerated. This problem is directly linked to violence in the jails.

The Los Angeles County jail system has been described by many experts and commentators as the largest psychiatric hospital in the country. The popular social movement of “De-institutionalization” of some years ago has turned into what some mental health experts now term “trans-institutionalization” because our society has transferred the population that once resided in psychiatric hospitals and mental institutions to our jails and prisons. 64% of jail inmates suffer from a significant mental health problem.

According to the opinions of Dr. Terry A. Kupers in a 2008 ACLU report, few inmates in the L.A. County jails were receiving mental health treatment and about 350 per 2,000 inmates were receiving only medications while being subjected to severe overcrowding or isolation but no mental health programming.

Additionally, in tours of Men’s Central Jail, Twin Towers, and the Inmate Reception Center he encountered a significant number of inmates who were either never diagnosed or were discharged from the caseload and transferred from mental health housing, administrative segregation, or disciplinary housing into the general population.

The connection between jail violence and mental illness should be obviously clear. Add jail overcrowding and you have a recipe for increased rates of violence, psychiatric breakdown, suicide, a loss of impulse control, temper flares, and increased noncompliance with rules and regulations.

Also of great concern was the fact that it was found that these mentally-ill inmates were rarely seen by psychiatrists and were being managed by Deputy Sheriffs who had no training in handling psychiatric patients. Deputies react to behaviors exhibited by the mentally ill. They become gruff, which is interpreted by the inmates as being “disrespected” and they, in turn, become angry. Their anger can and does result in being punished and so the anger escalates. Staff reacts and so the cycle continues.

As Sheriff, I would lobby the County Supervisors to mandate the Department of Mental Health to evaluate the need for substance abuse and mental health services among pre-trial and sentenced offenders, in both the incarcerated and community-supervised population, and develop a plan to fund and provide such treatment and services both in the correctional facilities and the community.

Finally, there is the problem of those deputies guilty of prisoner abuse. The old saying that it only takes “one bad apple” to ruin the bushel comes to mind. While prisoner abuse is not widespread among the deputies in the jails, it is well known that there are “cliques” of deputies who proudly engage in unprofessional behavior. There are also reports of deputies being instructed to abuse inmates by their superiors.

This behavior is unacceptable and has been accepted by the Sheriff for too long. I would make it a top priority to weed out those deputies who are guilty of conduct unbecoming of a law enforcement officer. Within the limits of the contract with the deputies’ union, I would reassign, reprimand, or even dismiss deputies who have violated the public’s trust.

Ultimately, the tasks of solving the problems in the County jails require leadership. Baca was elected in 1998 and, by the next election, will have had 16 years to spitball, plan, lead, guide, direct, train, motivate and implement any number of reforms, proposals and ideas. 16 years to bring in academics and subject matter experts. 16 years to try something “outside the box” or drill down and make existing processes more efficient.

Instead, while there has been some interest in reform only lately, it has only been stimulated by community outcry and the media shining the light on the issues that plague the County jails, and the LASD for that matter. While Baca has been the head of the jail system for 16 years, he has essentially been asleep at the wheel (something he more or less admitted during the CCJV hearings).

Leadership is action, not just a position or title. I will not tolerate inhumane or brutal treatment of inmates in my care and custody. As Sheriff, I will rely upon my integrity, experience, and desire for positive action to build a Sheriff’s Department the citizens can be proud of again.