Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host
In 2010 I ran for city council in my California City of Murrieta. We are situated in Southwest Riverside County roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, nestled up against the city of Temecula just on the uphill side beyond the northern San Diego County Line. It's a fairly conservative area, and I ran for city council not so much because I suspected I would win, but because I wanted to support three initiatives that were on the ballot that were getting no support from any of the other candidates. The initiatives would put in the place term limits that allowed no more than two consecutive terms, and the writing of ordinances that would limit how much the administrative part of the city could pay themselves, and how the expenses would be figured out for city council members.
Since then, the city of Murrieta has changed over to districts. The power structure never implemented Measure E, and as a result we have one of the highest paid city managers in the State . . . and shes a first time rookie at it. With the new five districts in the city the city leadership is saying that the officers are now new and different, so the term limits don't apply.
Never mind that the voters voted into place Measures C, D, and E with a two third vote landslide.
During the 2018 election my district is the same district that is shared by Alan long, an incumbent who beat me in 2010 in his first election (and a candidate that has since slammed his vehicle into the rear of a car full of kids while drunk, yet he still retained his seat), and my friend Harry Ramos who used to be the most conservative member of the council, but was then crucified by the city with false accusations. He has filed to run, so, while a lot of people have asked me to run for city council as well, I decided not to because I did not want to split the conservative vote between Harry Ramos and I, which would ensure our inebriated cheerleader bashing drunk driver of a city council member, Alan Long, to win with ease.
The district to the west of me, District 5, is literally a few blocks away from my house and from what I've heard, has only one person, a relative unknown, that has filed in that District. People have joked with me in said I ought to move to that distrcit so I can run and then join Harry on the council. But, I decided I will not run for Council. Maybe in the future if the districts thing goes away, but otherwise, no.
People have also asked me to run for other offices. I suppose that would be fine, except my assembly member, Melissa Melendez, is the most conservative person in Sacramento, so I am not going to try and dislodge her. My State Senator, Jeff Stone, while not the most conservative, he does share a desk with Mike Morrell (who I believe is the most conservative State Senator), and votes in a manner that I usually agree with. I looked into running against Ken Calvert for Congress once in the past. That won't work. He's too popular (and is a fellow Republican), and I would not be able to raise enough money.
Then, it was suggested to me that I should run for school board. After all, it would make sense, since I am an advocate for education and an instructor of the United States Constitution. While my children are no longer in the school district, I do have three grandchildren who attend schools in the Murrieta School District. I also, in addition to teaching adults the Constitution, will begin teaching homeschool students "government" on August 15.
The deadline to file the paperwork is Friday the 10th, tomorrow. I did not even make the decision to run for school board until this week, largely due to the urgings of those around me. I am against Common Core, and I am a fierce advocate for returning Civics to our public school system. That alone should have the voters excited about voting for me.
I showed up at City Hall today to file the paperwork, but the city clerk was out to lunch. I finally got a hold of her while eating a burger up the street at Farmer Boys, and it turns out Murrieta does not handle the school board election. I've got to go up to the Registrar of Voters office in Riverside, on the edge of Moreno Valley, up where the 215 and 60 freeways play patty-cake.
Some folks are bothered I am filing at the last minute. To be honest, the decision to run for school board took a lot of praying and thinking, and while now it seems like a reasonable thing to do, I had not come to that conclusion until a few days ago. Once again, I've always been an advocate for education. I was a member of the PTA when my kids were younger, so it makes sense for me to run. And, I have to admit, holding a seat on the school board may help in the future if I decide to later run for any other offices. A lot of people who follow what I do think I should be in political office, although I have always argued I am more effective on the outside then I am or could be on the inside.
Once I file for candidacy, that's when the real fun begins. I am sure like in 2010 I will be attacked and people will try to discredit me. It's amazing how the left works like that.
Filing to run carries no cost, and I don't have to retrieve any signatures like I would if I ran for city council. However, if I want a candidate's statement in the election booklet, it'll be $400.
A friend once told me that they do that to keep poor people from running.
I don't have that kind of money, so I will likely have to go without a candidate's statement unless a gift from God drops in my lap, but the fact that my primary job is teaching the Constitution, and so I will be listed on the ballot as being a "Constitutional Educator" will likely have a more powerful message than any statement I could write.
I will keep you guys posted on this website as the race progresses, and I will let you know in November how it finishes off. I am both excited and concerned, because this is a step into a world I have purposely stayed clear of. It could open up a lot of doors for what I do, or a lot of cans of worms (true or untrue) I am sure. That said, with a liberal education system indoctrinating our kids the way they are, the school board is in desperate need of someone like me to counter the madness. So, I file in the morning.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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