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Elections

Friday, May 11, 2012

Obama Raises Record Amount at Thursday Fundraising Event

The president's re-election campaign took in nearly $15 million.

President Barack Obama came to the Studio City home of actor George Clooney Thursday evening for a fundraiser that brought in nearly $15 million for his re-election campaign, the most lucrative fundraiser for a U.S. presidential candidate, according to host Jeffrey Katzenberg. Barbra Streisand, Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Jack Black, Billy Crystal, Salma Hayek and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa were among the 150 people who paid $40,000 each to attend the event, benefiting the Obama Victory Fund, with funds going to Obama for America, his re-election campaign, the Democratic National Committee and several state parties, a campaign source said. Two-thirds of the funds raised came from supporters who took part in a contest to win seats for…

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

What Would You Ask 50th Assembly Candidates?

What would you like Patch to ask the candidates running for California's 50th Assembly District seat, which includes Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Brentwood, Westwood, Hollywood, Agoura Hills, Malibu and the Pacific Palisades?

Want to know Assembly candidates' takes on an issue as local as the dredging of the Malibu Lagoon or an expensive state project such as high speed rail? With the June 5 primary election date inching closer, campaigns for the 50th Assembly District are kicking into high gear, and, Patch, too, is revving up its coverage. In the coming weeks, editors will interview each candidate (willing) about biographical information and where they stand on important concerns. Reader input and suggestions will play an important role in coverage, so we would like to hear from you: What questions do you want us to ask the candidates? Here's the field for the June 5 primary with links to the candidates' campaign Web sites or Facebook page so you can get …

Stacy Dalgleish

5:17 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012

Realistically, even with funding, when will we start to see meaningful, quantifiable change in our educational system? Don't we have at least one lost generation?   more ›

Monday, April 30, 2012

AD 50 Assembly Candidates' Saturday Forum to Focus on Education

The event is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in Santa Monica. It is free and open to the public.

Residents of the 50th Assembly District, including the communities of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, Brentwood, West Hollywood, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood and Agoura Hills, are invited to a forum Saturday to learn more about the candidates' positions on education and other issues.  The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board Room, at 1651 16th St. in Santa Monica. Each of the June 5 primary candidates are scheduled to participate: Richard Bloom, Democrat; Betsy Butler, Democrat; Torie Osborn, Democrat; and Bradly S. Torgan, Republican. The focus of the discussion will be on quality public education from the early years through high school graduation. Candidates will also …

Saturday, April 28, 2012

What Would You Ask 33rd Congressional Candidates?

What would you like Patch to ask the candidates running for the 33rd Congressional District seat, which includes Santa Monica, Venice, the Beach Cities, Beverly Hills, Palos Verdes, Brentwood, Westwood and the Pacific Palisades.

Patch will be querying the candidates vying for the 33rd Congressional District as the June 5 primary election campaigns shift into high gear. Rep. Henry Waxman, a staunchly Democratic candidate who has served in Congress since 1975, is the front-runner and earlier this month reported having more than six times as much cash to spend then his next opponent ahead of the primary. We'll be gathering biographical information and presenting the candidates with a questionnaire to help voters understand where they stand on the issues. The 33rd Congressional District was redrawn to reflect population changes reported in the 2010 U.S. Census and now includes Beverly Hills, cuts east to Malibu and then stretches south down the coast and includes …

Jed Pauker

5:43 pm on Saturday, May 12, 2012

On a local note: Do you agree with Henry Waxman that "some post offices must be closed," or do you believe, as our country's Founders did, that equal information access should be guaranteed for all Americans in order for our democratic experiment to succeed? Do you believe that historic post offices - designed by American architects and adorned by American artists to serve democracy, and built by…   more ›

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Female Assembly Candidates Rake in Cash Donations

Current Assemblywoman Betsy Butler has the most cash on hand, followed closely by Torie Osborn in the election for the 50th Assembly District.

With sizable donations from unions and colleagues at the state Capital, first-term state legislator Betsy Butler is boasting the biggest campaign war chest in the race for the 50th Assembly District. Butler reported having $463,687 on hand in the most recent filings with the Secretary of Sate ahead of the June 5 primary. While firefighter and labor unions, lawmakers and political action committees cut Butler big checks, she wasn’t the only candidate to rake in more than a quarter of a million dollars from January to mid-March. And, she wasn’t spending the most, either. Torie Osborn—the grassroots organizer who snagged endorsements this winter from most of the area’s local Democratic clubs—reported $429,450 and outspent Butler by $28,679 …

Ted Vaill

8:10 am on Friday, April 20, 2012

I sent the ssame letter to the Surfside News, but they refused to publish it, saying that they don't publish endorsements. I replied that all I was doing was reporting what the candidates said.   more ›

Monday, April 16, 2012

Rep. Henry Waxman Holds Big Fundraising Lead

Rep. Henry Waxman reported having more than six times as much cash on hand as his next opponent in the election for the 33rd Congressional District.

Rep. Henry Waxman, a staunchly Democratic candidate who has served in Congress since 1975, has more than six times as much cash to spend then his next opponent ahead of the June 5 primary election for the 33rd Congressional District, according to figures released Monday by the Federal Election Commission. Waxman reported having $985,577 cash on hand at the end of the April 15 quarterly filing period, which dwarfed that of the second-leading fundraiser Steve Collett, a Libertarian, who reported cash on hand of $147,229. The reporting period covered contributions made from Jan. 1 through March 31. A total of eight candidates were certified to compete in the June primary election, but only four candidates filed their April quarterly report. …

Paul Sangster

10:35 am on Friday, May 11, 2012

Henry Waxman should remove the wax from his ears about the horrible fumes at Santa Monica Airport. It should not be legal the amount of fumes being blown toward house's /schools and parks close by.   more ›

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Assembly Hopefuls Say They'll Improve Traffic, Education, Economy

The Beverly Hills Municipal League sponsors a candidate forum for 50th Assembly district candidates.

Candidates competing for a seat in the newly redrawn 50th California Assembly District met Wednesday at Beverly Hills City Hall, offering varied views on ways to mitigate traffic congestion, improve education and reduce unemployment. Betsy Butler, who currently represents the 53rd Assembly District, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom, Torie Osborn, a community organizer, nonprofit executive and former adviser to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Brad Torgan, an attorney and the lone Republican in the race, met at a candidate forum sponsored by the Beverly Hills Municipal League. The candidates took written queries from the audience. Many of the questions revolved around improving transportation options and the economy. To improve …

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Beverly Hills Leaders Rally Behind Brad Torgan

The 50th Assembly candidate from West Hollywood, the lone Republican in the race, earns endorsements from Vice Mayor John Mirisch and the BHUSD's Lisa Korbatov.

Two Beverly Hills civic leaders have endorsed Brad Torgan from West Hollywood in the hotly contested 50th Assembly District race. Torgan’s campaign announced Tuesday the endorsement of Beverly Hills Vice Mayor John Mirisch and Board of Education member Lisa Korbatov. "Beverly Hills leaders like Lisa and John understand the unique challenges facing state and local government in California," Torgan said. "I am proud that they believe I am the best candidate for the citizens of Beverly Hills and the state of California." Korbatov, the immediate past president of the Board of Education, said she believes Torgan will bring fresh, new leadership to the State Assembly. "We need someone like Brad Torgan who has served his local community to listen…

Ellen Lutwak

7:45 pm on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Less than 30 people are at the candidates' forum at City Council chambers right now. This is an important election. It's important to know the candidates.   more ›

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Official 50th Assembly Candidates List Released

No surprises as the Secretary of Sate releases the certified list for the 2012 election: Republican Brad Torgan and Democrats Betsy Butler, Richard Bloom and Torie Osborn.

With the exception of lone Republican Brad Torgan, who just announced his candidacy in February, the hot race for California's 50th Assembly will look just as it has for many months—Democrats Betsy Butler, Richard Bloom and Torie Osborn will go head-to-head to clinch the seat in 2013. The deadline is passed for any other contestant to join the field as the California Secretary of State released the certified candidates list for the June 5 primary Thursday evening. The candidates and their official ballot designations are: Butler has already won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party while Osborn has the backing of a handful of local democratic clubs, including those in Malibu, Santa Monica, Westwood-Beverly Hills and San …

Meril Platzer

1:26 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012

It is interesting Julia Brownley is running for the position of Congressperson in a district in which she has not been a resident of until her recent move to Oak Park. Change of residences seem to be the theme of this upcoming election.   more ›

Official 33rd Congressional Candidates List Released

The eight candidates include veteran congressman Henry Waxman, attorneys and businessmen. The top two vote-getters in the June primary will advance to the general election in November.

Henry Waxman, a long-serving Democratic representative, will go up against seven other candidates in the race to represent much of the Westside, South Bay and Malibu area in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013. The California Secretary of State released the certified candidates list for the June 5 primary Thursday evening. The field includes candidates from across the newly carved out 33rd district for the U.S. House, the boundaries for which changed dramatically this summer based on 2010 Census data. Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes and the northern part of the district that included slivers of Marina del Rey and Venice has been drawn into a largely coastal district that will now also include Calabasas, …

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Agoura Charger

12:29 pm on Monday, April 30, 2012

Zein, I can say I am on the skeptical side of voting. After some years I still have yet to see actual changes to our system. There are too many special interest groups involved. I will do not along party lines. We need to take care of our schools but there must be accountability for non performance. I do not mind more tax dollars going towards education but I do think throwing hand over fist …   more ›

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