Republican candidate Julie Craven of Concord-CA, has entered the 2010 Assembly race for the 11th Assembly seat that will be vacated by Democrat Tom Torlakson, who will run for California Superintendent of Public Instruction. As the only declared Republican for the GOP primary, Craven would face Democrat frontrunner Susan Bonilla, a Contra Costa County Supervisor (D-IV), also of Concord.
Craven, who’s career has seen her help design and manage retail space, packaging and branding for Fortune 500 companies including Safeway and Microsoft, says her campaign motto is: “Enough is enough. Change requires the courage to challenge the status quo.” According to her campaign statement:
I’m a private citizen, a community volunteer, and a growingly concerned Californian. I’m a woman whose views and passion reflect many of my generations’ greatest hopes and growing fears for what California is and where it may end up.
Things are not okay right now in California. The current state of affairs and “business as usual” in Sacramento has all of us, Republican, Independent, and Democrat, young and mature very alarmed.
I want to raise a family in District 11. I want to build a small business in District 11, and I would like to have a sustainable future for all of us in District 11. Currently political posturing and runway spending has hampered the ability of most Californians to buy a house, get a good job, and raise a family in a good school district. We are not focused on raising, building and sustaining a District 11 where all of us can live, prosper and grow.
I must confess – as a young woman I am very concerned about the next 60 years, not just a 24 month election cycle.
All of us are aware of the ineffectual business as usual practices regarding jobs, education, water issues, and an unsustainable budget where overspending and over taxation seems the norm. There is no accountability, and no one is taking responsibility. Yet, the list of government programs goes on and on.
We can all agree that this is a total failure and things need to change. Band-aids won’t heal the wounds that have been created for my generation – only practical, fiscally responsible, realistic solutions will help get us out of this mess.
My name is Julie Craven and what I bring is a track record of seeking the best counsel, advice and guidance from both young and mature neighbors and friends to find common ground that result in solutions – not more bickering.
I’m really excited about the chance to help change Sacramento. I’m young, I’m motivated, and the future of my generation depends on people like me not giving up but trying to make things better. I want to bring a fresh perspective to Sacramento; free of entrenched partisan issues. I’m going to give it all I have and I hope you’ll join me.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Ms. Craven – you should check out what your opponent Bonilla wrote to at least a couple people about the First 5 Commission Grand Jury report on this blog site, here:
http://www.halfwaytoconcord.com/grand-jury-first-five-commission/
It may not be so hard to get elected as you might think!
Let it be known by all that after my long five year battle with Coco County’s Department of Conservation & Development Dept. I solicited Susan Bonilla for her help first as a private citizen, secondly through my attorney, but her office never even gave us the common courtesy of a reply directly or indirectly via staff. This woman will not have my husband, mine, family or friends votes! I hope she ends up like me without a job!
Julie Craven has my vote! Good luck!
I’m registered DS and I won’t be voting for any candidate that is anointed or endorsed by Dumb and Dumber. (You can decide for yourself which one is Mr. Torlakson and which one is Mr. DeSaulnier.) Ms. Bonilla is basically a sock puppet and union shill. Like her predecessors and mentors she is only adept at buying votes by spending ever increasing amounts of our tax dollars on public employee pay and benefits. All the UC and CSU students registered in AD11 should be looking for an alternative candidate as Ms. Bonilla certainly represents the status quo. I wish Ms. Craven well.
Yep, you’ve got a real uphill battle, Julie, and I’m sure that’s not news to you. But the very fact that you’ve got the courage and commitment to do it should win you a following from common-sense Americans (CSAs), Republican, Democrat, and Independent.
Something’s got to be done in California, and the remainder of the nation. We’re on a fast-track to disaster with the current crop of lazy crazies in the U.S. Congress and California — and Texas isn’t big enough to hold all the California businesses and Californians now relocating or thinking of relocating there.
So, sic ‘em, Julie! More power to you.
Ignoring the numbers, Democrats and Repubs are very good at saying, “I’m not happy with the direction my party is headed and I’m determined to do what’s right.” I can see that Ms. Craven feels this way, too. I personally feel that she has the background, tenacity, intelligence, and character to do everything in her power to bring promises to fruition. If more people, NOT just politicians, followed Ms. Craven’s lead and said what they meant and not catered to our vote and our fears, this country would be a better place.
Bravo, Ms. Craven. In the words of Winston Churchill:
“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”
BIG AL!! You are the best!!
Kyle – thanks alot, bud! Not that I’m hoping I’m attractive to you! LOL Seriously, let the lady run. She’ll learn from the campaign, get the party’s message out and who knows what the district will look like in 2012 after the independent commission completes their redistricting task, next year. One challenge is there’s an independent in the race – former Republican and Pittsburg Councilman Ben Johnson who will split the vote up even more.
As for Concord, there’s already a good candidate running for Guy Bjerke’s seat on the Concord City Council – Ron Leone.
As someone who has had the fortunate blessing of getting to know Julie, I can attest that she is candidate of strong character, a candidate of good heart and a candidate of integrity. District 11 and the State of California would be so lucky to have her in the Assembly.
Best of Luck to Julie!
Every position will be to change the Status Quo. Bonilla also will want to get things done and to end the disfunction in Sacramento. Everyone will want to restructure pensions etc etc.
Coming from a Republican the phrase of Free of Entrenched Partisan issues is a joke. What is the survival chances in the Republican Party of someone pro-choice, pro-gay rights (they cannot even come out of the closet and be for gay rights!), able to look at revenue rather than the perpetual No Taxes, and its lame ass echo cut corporation taxes.
The Republican Party state wide remains locked in a disciplined set of Partisan issues such that any deviation results in the person being recalled, reviled, grossly attacked on a personal level and virtually tar and feathered. It has only gotten worse with the introduction of Tea Baggers, and “Constitutionalist”. Look at the high degree of disrespect shown here, and you think that there is chance of anyone believing that you could rise above the Republican Party label?
~ EDITOR ASKS — What? Me disrespect the GOP? Nuh-uh!
Your better off fighting where you can win and get stronger as opposed to losing on principle.
Kyle, you should be more like Caleb. Your concern over numbers misses the issue of standing up for your principles. Lots of great things will happen from a good campaign. We all get a second chance, even the Steelers.
Bill,
Scott Brown had massive help from indepedents.
In Massachusetts the voter Reg is
Republicans 11.4%
Democrats 37.01%
Independents 51.09%
In the case of AD11 Reg
Republicans 21.78%
Independents 19.7
Democrats 54.11%
Even if Ms. Craven gets 100% of Republicans and Independents she is still 14 points short. Even a snowball has a better chance in hell than she does.
An interesting point is almost all of the GOP candidates who run for the is job in the last 20 years with the exception of Arnie Simonson and Allen Payton are never heard from again politically. The money required to run and the registration disparity is to much to overcome. She would have been better served had she been groomed for a top job in the long run by running for lower office first.
Bill if you feel so strongly that she can win I will make an offline wager with you! Remember you picked the Steeler to beat the Raider last year!
Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)
These are great emotional and interesting points except you ignore the most important one. AD11 has registration of 54.11% Democrats to 21.78% Republicans. Those numbers are too lopsided for anyone to over come. That is the reality of this race.
Wah Hoo! Who is this lovely fresh face who will address fresh ideas? With Julie Craven’s dedication to the community and her focus on welcoming innovative ideas, she sounds non-partisan to me. Hard to distinguish one party from the other anymore.
Regardless, the main thing is what the candidate will do for the community she represents. Is Craven ready and willing to help turn around the status quo? Sounds like she is.
Especially important is that Craven is of the generation that has a lot of future ahead of them. They care about where they live, their families, and what will happen to their city in the future.
Being an “outsider” is in her favor — it’s what people are eagerly welcoming. The “insiders” haven’t done the job. You go girl.
Ms. Craven you have fortitude running for AD11. The Concerned Independent Voter’s post says it all and I couldn’t agree more. Let’s be positive and realize a change in the lopsided Democratic registration numbers in District 11. It’s exciting to see a smart young woman who has fresh ideas, is balanced and committed to integrity running for AD11. Whether Democrat, Republican or Independent we need a candidate who genuinely cares about the future of California. It’s apparent Ms. Craven sees above the party line. Let’s give her the opportunity to make a difference.
Kyle is right on one with his/her opening remark- Ms. Craven is an attractive [viable] candidate; however, with respect to Kyle, Ms. Craven’s courage to provide an alternative to Republican, Independent and Democrat voters in the 11th AD is the kind of courage and selflessness rarely seen these days. While Ms. Craven is indeed a political outsider, she is apparently a well-respected and successful self-starter. Her reputation as a creative, innovative, highly intelligent, educated and passionate young woman is what we need in Sacramento. We deserve better than business as usual in AD11 and perhaps if more people ran that weren’t part of the present insider’s system, change could begin take hold. There are certainly some good people working hard, but regardless of party affiliation most of us agree that the current stable of familiar faces in various offices in AD11 have had little significant effect for years. I applaud this young lady’s tenacity, passion for public service and potential to bring hope, change, and substantive perspective and input to a body in Sacramento in need of all of the aforementioned. Democrats in AD11 are intelligent. They will recognize that Ms. Craven is a passionate, neighbor and an action person first, a person with enormous potential and proven private sector and non-profit skills and capabilities second, and her party affiliation last. Good for you Ms. Craven – you are showing all of us that things don’t have to be status quo.
For the 1st time in memory the GOP has an attractive candidate for AD11. The problem for Ms. Craven is the voter registration numbers are extremely lopsided in favor of the Democrats. She would have done better running for Concord city council and learning the political ropes first. The net result will be a lamb to the slaughter. Can you say Assemblywoman Bonilla.