How is it that a disgraced former city councilwoman and mayor, and her buddy, currently the chairman of the Democratic Central Committee, can run for office with straight faces, let alone a clear conscience?

“Maria is trying to rehabilitate her badly damaged reputation,” says Jeff Rubin, a leader of the Concerned Citizens of Pinole, which sponsored the recall of three Pinole council members - Maria Alegria, David Cole, and Stephen Tilton.

Cole saw the handwriting on the wall, resigned, and joined the U.S. Army before he could be recalled. Alegria, who had served 15 years on the council and Tilton, barely more than a year into his first term, were swept out of office in a landslide referendum against corrupt government, with nearly 60 percent of the electorate voting to oust them.

“I think Maria desperately wants to remain a player in county Democratic politics, and she thinks that by getting elected to the Democratic Central Committee she can show voters - and party leaders - that she’s electable,” explained Rubin. “The problem with that thinking is that her recall in Pinole will follow her the rest of her life in this region. She’s going to have to move to another part of the state if she ever hopes to be elected again.”

Nagaraja Rao, says Rubin, “represents the very worst in politics. I’m embarrassed for the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County that its members would allow such a reprehensible person to be in a leadership position.

“To intentionally try to affect the outcome of an election - and a non-partisan election at that - by coming to a city’s council meeting and declaring to a packed room and a TV audience that his opponents had made death threats against him is morally repugnant. Any respectable organization would demand that he resign as its leader and spokesperson.”

Alegria is running from District 2, and Rao is running from District 1 (with no opposition!).

Police investigated Rao’s claims - he said he had received nine phone calls threatening his life! - and found no evidence of any death threats against him. In fact, police could verify only one call, made from a Hercules resident, and it wasn’t recall-related. What a surprise!

Now, Rao has exposed to the entire county to what Democratic insiders already know - that the Democratic Central Committee is an impotent group, not to be taken seriously, for not rising up against him when his inflammatory remarks became public knowledge last November. If they had any guts at all, George Miller, Tom Torlakson, and Mark DeSaulnier - the supposed leaders of the party in this county - would demand Rao’s resignation, because he brings shame to the Democratic party’s name.

From the outset, Rao’s actions and the actions of the Democratic Central Committee in railroading through a resolution supporting Maria Alegria and Stephen Tilton in the Pinole recall - while cutting off debate on the issue from his own central committee members - were anything BUT democratic. Then, Rao deposed opposition leader and DCC newsletter editor Rich Verrilli, because he had the courage to stand up for what is right and honorable.

“Rao and his central committee cohorts have no concept whatsoever of what democracy is about,” Rubin says. “Stifling opposition is what tyrants and dictators do, not representatives of a democracy. Alegria did that for years in Pinole, and was successful until a grass-roots effort stopped her. She and Rao are a disgrace to the political process, and they deserve to be drummed out of the party altogether. If the Democratic party in this county can’t find better leaders than them, then it’s in very serious trouble.”

If the Democratic party won’t take care of its own messy business, then voters can on June 3 by not re-electing Nagaraja Rao and not voting for Maria Alegria.

Jeff Rubin
Pinole

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.

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.

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.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REVIEW

“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

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.

Not that Del Beccaro hasn’t been busy, lately. His new book, a sophomoric rehash of Reaganesque principles, has been tentatively released to inauspicious reviews by anyone other than his book-tour scheduler and the well-wishes of hot-talk radio personalities. Meanwhile his website breathlessly touts self-important, minor-league punditry concerning national presidential campaign strategies like some obnoxious Anne Coulter high on inside dope.

Yet, while pushing his own agendas at the state and national party levels, Del Beccaro has forgotten Tip O’Neill’s wisdom that, “All Politics Is Local.”

Instead of local voter registration drives, Del Beccaro, has demonstrated more concern over turning his celebrity status as California’s #2 Republican and Chair of CoCo County’s GOP Central Committee into a statewide book signing tour.

Instead of developing prospective local Republican candidates, Del Beccaro has become a laughable Max Bialystock shamelessly shaking down Republican women of a certain age out of their precious time and resources for yet another electoral flop.

And somehow the County GOP leadership remained silent during the recent debate concerning Contra Costa County’s fiscal crisis; missing a perfect opportunity to translate Republican Principles into local action against profligate spending by County government. Instead of organizing opposition to the County’s OPEB debt that grows by a million dollars a day; the County GOP left the heavy lifting to the Grand Jury and the local Taxpayers’ group.

Any non-profit or local party organization whose board is dominated by hand-picked sycophants that can’t manage an out-of-control Chairperson or supervise a weak Executive Director is bound for trouble. The Contra Costa GOP oozes poor governance, negligent oversight, and lousy performance. Republicans can no longer afford to let the Contra Costa County GOP be the current Chair’s personal plaything. Republicans, Contra Costa Taxpayers, our Commonwealth, as well as those truly in need of legitimate County services, all deserve better.