Strickland Chooses Tabling at Borders Over Educator Meeting?

Interesting piece over at the Ventura County Star blog that accuses Sen. Tony Strickland of choosing tabling at Borders in Goleta over a meeting with educators in Ventura. Democratic activists had sent out an email about Strickland's tabling that morning as if it was October and the 19th Senate District was at stake. It left me wondering if we will ever get a break from that contentious campaign.

A post a few days prior shows Pedro Nava and his wife Susan Jordan promoting her recently announced campaign for the State Assembly. Jordan, who is director of the California Coastal Protection Network, is already campaigning hard while Nava is talking up a run for Attorney General. It's two years from now but I guess you have to start somewhere -- especially if you might run against someone more well known. I'm guessing there will be a battle royale between Jordan and someone like First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal who has been quietly raising and saving money for several years.

Welcome to the permanent campaign.

Proposed BOS Letter on Oil Bogus!

The Environmental Defense Center announced today that "Four major local environmental groups, (EDC, CEC, GOO! and SBCAN), together representing more than 120 years of activism to protect the quality of Santa Barbara County’s environment, joined together today to express their opposition to a proposed letter from Santa Barbara County to Governor Schwarzenegger, favoring increased oil exploration and extraction offshore California".

Good for them as the Board of Supervisors' majority is putting national politics over local needs. This same board voted for a moratorium a little over a year ago and the Governator said he supported a moratorium just a little over a month ago.

Word on the street is that not only is Salud Carbajal going to sign a minority letter with Janet Wolf -- but several have questioned if he will sign the letter at all as Chair. I say go for it Salud -- Santa Barbara has a thirty year policy of opposing oil exploration and development. Most of all, our country doesn't need it considering the trickle of oil it would create in comparison to the manufactured need. Tell the "petro-dictators" what we think!

Carbajal Attends State of the Union

I received a community post from an anonymous reader related to County Supervisor Salud Carbajal's attendance at the State of the Union on Monday night. The reader called it the "State of the Lame Duck" and wondered about Carbajal's recent right wing associations including a recent award from the Building and Industry Association County of SB Industrial Association as Public Servant of the Year and his apparent cozy relationship with News-Press Editor Travis Armstrong. "Does Salud Carbajal have any principles and scruples left?" is the question anonymous wanted to pose.

I don't agree with Anon's assessment. Why? I'd go to the State of the Union if I had a chance -- whether or not I agreed with who was President. There is something about the office and the once in a lifetime opportunity that would call any of us to action.

What I could almost have an issue with is the fact that the County's Communications Director sent the following email with a very fancy ASCI signature.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Santa Barbara County Board Chair attends President's State of
Union speech tonight/ Santa Barbara County Communications Director
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:07:35 -0800
From: Boyer, William

Here is a great news tip for you. Salud Carbajal, Chair of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors (and First District Supervisor), will be “under the dome” tonight in the U.S. Capitol to attend, and hear live, in person, the President of the United States give his annual State of the Union address. This is a great opportunity to localize a national story. Should you want comment from Supervisor Carbajal, call him on his cell phone (after the speech, of course,) at (805) YABBA-DABBA.

Supervisor Carbajal is back in Washington, D.C. on County business meeting with government and elected officials on County issues and was invited to attend the State of the Union speech, one of the most important events to attend in Washington.

/*/W/*//*/illiam H. /*//*/B/*//*/oyer/*/
Communications Director
County Executive Office
Santa Barbara County

Perhaps a bit on the political side considering it is a non-County related event before an upcoming reelection bid for Carbajal? Careful to say Carbajal was on County business anyway, I guess you have to give /*//*/B/*//*/oyer/*/ the benefit of the doubt. ASCI-man should be more careful though as we get towards election season.

As for Salud -- again, I don't blame him for going. I'd give anything to see Obama ignore and turn away from Hillary live and in person. More power to him.

Community Post: Carbajal Warms Up to News-Press?

This from a citizen stringer -- apparently, the emails below have been making their way around the circuit. Too bad Salud didn't illucidate a little further about what the meeting was about -- inquiring constituents want to know.
-- Sara
===============

In early May, First District Salud Carbajal was seen driving the News-Press editorialist Travis Armstrong to a private lunch meeting at Ca'Dario Restaurant, a nice Italian place where Nipper's notes that the average lunch costs $35.

One wonders why would Salud do that. Where or when does a leading locally elected official decide that the News-Press still is or is not a legitimate publication worthy of respect and business as usual? Is Poison-Pen Armstrong still anybody to care about, especially by someone apparently so solid in his office as Salud?

Carbajal's constituents have noticed and asked him nicely about his lunch meeting with Travis Armstrong. The text below is that email exchange, with Carbajal apparently writing that any concern about his meeting Armstrong is "dumb." Such email messages from County officials are public records.

Is this issue dumb or is it dumb to question a County Supervisor about such a lunch discussion, especially with that dining partner?
----------
Message to Salud Carbajal:
From:
Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2007 14:38:07
To:Subject: Lunch with Travis

Salud:
As a friend and supporter, I think you should know that the local "rumor
mill" is buzzing about an alleged "secret meeting" between you and Travis
Armstrong a week or so ago. Unfortunately, among our friends, it is hard to
imagine a more heinous rendezvous, or one that would lead to more convoluted
conjecture.

So many of us have made so many difficult choices in order to
"de-legitimize" our beloved local newspaper, it is distressing to hear that
their number one stooge has even been given an audience by one of our number
one spokespeople. Given all of the speculation about your political
ambitions, and the tendency of some of our opponents to circulate bad
information, it is certainly possible that this is just a fabrication being
inadvertently spread by bad gossip. But as one, like you, who wants to
have friends on all sides of the political spectrum – especially those who
buy ink by the barrel -- I also can imagine that such a meeting did, indeed,
take place.

So what is the real story? And what was the result? I'd appreciate your
reply. Thanks.
----------
Message from Salud Carbajal:
From: Supervisor Salud Carbajal [mailto:supervisorcarbajal@sbcbos1.org]
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 2:39 PM
To:
Subject: Re: Lunch with Travis

How dumb. He and I met a few weeks ago. No secret about it. Rumors are
rumors. Share this with whom ever you would like. By the way it was a
lunch meeting at Cadario Restaurant.
Salud
Salud Carbajal
First District Supervisor
County of Santa Barbara
(805)568-2186