OPEN MIKE: Alegria and Rao a disgrace to County Democrats
May 29, 2008
Maria Alegria and Nagaraja Rao, two of the culprits central to the February Pinole recall campaign, are running for seats on the Contra Costa County Democratic Central Committee. Fortunately for the citizens of Pinole, Alegria was resoundingly recalled by 1,104 votes. Rao, meanwhile, lied on a televised broadcast of a Pinole City Council meeting last November when he accused recall supporters of phoning death threats to his cell phone. Holy electoral dysfunction! Read more
Del Beccaro to step down as CCRP Chair
March 5, 2008
State Republican Vice Chairman Tom Del Beccaro announced he is concentrating his efforts towards his added role to be head of Party’s Golden State Leadership Fundraising Team. In that role, the Vice Chairman will build upon the recent successful fundraising event he chaired at the San Francisco Convention on February 22, 2008 with additional fundraising events throughout the year.
In connection with those added duties, the State Vice Chair will be relinquishing his role as the Contra Costa County Chairman effective in April of 2008. The Contra Costa Party will hold elections for their new Chairman at that time.
California Dems dream of two-thirds majority, veto-proof legislature
February 19, 2008
Democratic bloggers including California Majority and California Progress Report are reporting that Assembly Leader, Fabian Nunez, is going all out for a two-thirds Democratic Party Majority in the Legislature during this Fall’s election cycle. To achieve that goal, among other things, three competitive districts are targeted, including Assembly District 15, currently held by Republican Guy Houston who will be termed out. This news harbors two noteworthy implications:
1) A veto-proof, 2/3 Democratic Majority in the Legislature spells the ruin of California.
2) Legislative leaders in Sacrmento don’t trust the County party organizations to get the job done.
David Dayen reports in California Progress that, “Each of the marquee races are expected to be $1 million+ contests. The new Assembly Speaker will be responsible for raising funds and overseeing the campaigns.” Dayen goes on to question why
the Speaker (and the President Pro Tem of the Senate) have the sole responsibility of overseeing these elections and creating advertising, GOTV, etc. It seems…that the California Democratic Party would be able to do a much better job in these districts, with their membership already on the ground and involved, and with a larger fundraising base to conduct the operations necessary. Yet for some reason, there is this bifurcation: the CDP deals with statewide races and Congressional seats, and the Assembly and Senate leadership do the legislative races. Is this just tradition? Why can’t the CDP play in whatever race they wish?
On the Republican side, in addition to losing Pombo’s 11th Congressional seat, AD-15’s strong Republican registration lead has slipped into coin-toss territory thanks to the leadership of Tom Del Beccaro, chair of the County’s Republican Central Committee. Across the aisle, Nagaraja Rao, who seems to spend more time outside the country than in it is under fire by party members and the public for raising false alarms over sham death threats and ham-fisted support of Maria Alegria during the recent Pinole Recall campaign.
If the current Contra Costa County Democratic and Republican Central Committees responsible for election results in AD-15 are any indication, it is no wonder that legislative party leaders Nunez and Perata in Sacramento want to run the show to make sure some incompetent petty fiefdom doesn’t get in the way and botch the job.
Ebonics for Republicans: “The New Conservative Paradigm”
February 13, 2008
The New Conservative Paradigm
by Thomas G. Del Beccaro
TMK Books
ISBN: 978-0-9801142-0-1
Some fuss has been made recently concerning the appearance of “The New Conservative Paradigm,” by Thomas G Del Beccaro. Del Beccaro is the Vice Chair of the California Republican Party, and Chairman of the Contra Costa County Republican Central Committee.
Tempting fate, just like the current batch of Republican presidential candidates, Del Beccaro claims to be the new delphic oracle of Reaganism. In fact, New Paradigm does nothing more than repackage the “three legs of the stool” analogy commonly used to describe the erstwhile Reagan Coalition: fiscal conservatives; pro-defense/military; and social conservatives.
Pinole Recall group calls for apology and resignation of County Democratic Party Chair
January 14, 2008
In a Jan 14 letter to Nagaraja Rao, Chairman of the Contra Costa County Democratic Party’s Central Committee, and copied to leading area and State democrats and press, the Pinole Recall group (CCOP) asked that Rao a) apologize on TV at an upcoming meeting of Pinole City Council for his wild unsubstantiated claims of receiving numerous death threats from the pro recall group, and b) that he resign from the Central Committee.
Contra Costa GOP to discuss Election 08, Jan 22
January 6, 2008
Notice found in GOP e-mail blast
“All Republicans in Contra Costa County who seek to make a difference in 2008. Come listen as we effectively outline the roles and goals of the Contra Costa Republican Party for this ever critical election year! PLEASE NOTE: Your Voter Affiliation Will be Verified Upon RSVP to Attend this Strategy Meeting. RSVP to director@contracostagop.com or call 925-930-9551. Where: Civic Park Community Center, 1375 Civic Dr, Walnut Creek.”
EDITORIAL COMMENT
We usually run event announcements without any comment, but Halfway To Concord urges anyone planning to attend this meeting perform their own due diligence beforehand and require the following documents be distributed online at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting date, with hard copies available at the door to members, visitors, and the press:
a) Sworn or independently audited, detailed financial statements for 2006-07
- Is the organization solvent and can meet its obligations?
b) A copy of the 2007 budget compared with the 2007 profit and loss statement
c) A copy of the 2008 budget
d) A full reconciliation to the final reports filed with the state and federal governments concerning any previously UNDOCUMENTED AND UNREPORTED FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
- e.g. In-kind contributions and office expenses
See FEC Disclosure Reports at: http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?C00136853
e) A full accounting of voter registration Bounty monies from State party received during 2006 and 2007
f) Request that Tom Del Beccaro or Greg Poulus produce formal versions of the bylaws to show all changes made in them since August 2007
END EDITORIAL COMMENT
disPatches: Contra Costa GOP gone to the dogs
December 16, 2007
My name is Patches, and like most mutts, my sense of smell is a thousand times keener than any human’s. So when I get a whiff of something nasty in the woodshed, I can’t help myself from digging up the dirt.
Case in point: More than a few Contra Costa County Republicans have been grumbling lately about the sorry state of the Contra Costa GOP under the lone wolf leadership of Tom Del Beccaro, Esq. While Chairman Del Beccaro will brow beat anyone he can bully into a corner about increased Republican turnout for the Governor’s ill-fated ballot fiasco, he fails to address the more important bones of contention, including but not limited to:
- the much-touted “increased” turnout was lower in comparison to statewide trends
- the unforgivable loss of Richard Pombo’s Congressional seat (CD-11) despite a clear Republican registration edge
- the decline of Republican registration overall during his tenure as Chair
- questionable staffing decisions including Del Beccaro’s personal selection of the young and inexperienced Executive Directoress
- the lack of discernable profit from the much ballyhooed speaker series
- the rumored inability to scrape together the down payment for the venue and caterer for the local party’s annual Red White and Blue Ball.
- questionable reporting procedures including unreported in-kind value of donated auction items
- questions about the payment and use of “Bounty” money paid for voter registration
- failure to produce meaningful financial statements
The list, as they say, goes on. Read more
