Is the Cannabis Vote Enough?

Your prescription for change, Dr. Dave Bearman, has likely realized that only through a "Hail Mary" pass can he win the race for supervisor in the 3rd District or even have a chance at forcing a run-off. Here's his rather green commercial which I can't think will do him much good unless you are high on election day or just don't care about who gets elected, which may be the case for many voters. I especially like the robotic disclaimer at the end....

Has it come to this for Dr. Dave? Nice guy, stands by his principles -- unelectable as far as I am concerned...let's hope he doesn't keep Doreen Farr from winning outright.

Treat Your County Well! Dr. Dave Gets Crosby Endorsement

I know. People will talk. Two posts in one week on Dr. Dave? Still, I received a press release yesterday from Dr. Dave Bearman announcing the support of David Crosby. Doreen Farr isn't mentioned at all in the release -- as if it is a two person race! I also have to wonder whether the Crosby endorsement helps or hinders Dr. Dave in the Valley. Here's part of the release:

International music superstar David Crosby has endorsed Dr. David Bearman for 3rd district Supervisor on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

Crosby, a Santa Barbara native and longtime resident of the Santa Ynez Valley, said "Fighting excessive development in the 3rd district means more than preserving quaint tourist attractions. It's part of a greater struggle to preserve the delicate environmental equilibrium of this area. I believe strongly that Dr. Dave is the candidate who will rein in the developers and preserve our shoreline, hills, streams and bountiful pastures." Crosby added that after considering the field of candidates, he decided that Bearman was the candidate who will draw the student and independent voters necessary to defeat David Smyzer, a pro-growth candidate appearing to favor the fast growth, environmentally damaging developers.

Dr. Dave Launches First Salvo in 3rd District Race

"Mr. Smyser has some 'splaining' to do!", says Dr. Dave Bearman in an April Fool's Day shot over the bough on the 3rd District Supervisorial race. Saying David Smyser has a "lack of curiosity about the affiliations of his mystery campaign donors", Dr. Dave points to a Santa Ynez Journal article which questions several donations from businesses with apparently no connection to Santa Barbara County. Here's what the good doctor says about it:

So far Smyser has raised $55,000 in campaign donations with over half coming from outside Santa Barbara County. The questions originally arose from a total of $20,000 in contributions from four San Francisco sources, three of whom remain unidentified and are not listed in the California Corporate Record. Currently Smyser only vaguely claims he did not know the identity of his three mystery donors and didn't care to originally find out who they might be. But Dr. Bearman says Smyser has an obligation to investigate or, at least, be curious about his own large campaign donors.

Apparently, many of the donors have associations with Bacara developer Alvin Dworman and Bacara President B.J. Hoppe.

In true Dr. Dave fashion, he brought up a few more issues about growth and "instant cities" in his rather long press release -- the most relevant secondary issue being:

"For some reason, long needed community general plans for the Lompoc, Santa Ynez and Orcutt areas remain delayed and unfunded by the County and that needs to be changed. The people of Santa Barbara County must be allowed to have a voice in their own future. As I was quoted in the Santa Ynez Valley Journal,' Mr. Smyser has some 'splaining' to do.'"

It's hard to fault Dr. Dave for asking these questions for a race that is hardly on the radar for most voters. Mixing Goleta anti-growth politics with 3rd District electioneering may or may not work for Dr. Dave considering the ease at which the Goleta Council saw new faces in the last election. Still, it has been a formula that worked for years -- at least until Brooks Firestone was elected. It's also hard to fault Dr. Dave for trying to distinguish himself from the pack of candidates where he has been seen as a spoiler to Doreen Farr's candidacy. Perhaps the most important aspect of this issue is whether or not Smyser will have the money and stature in the race to at least gain a run off with another candidate. If these donations are indicative of what's to come, he certainly will have the funds to do so.