Heard on the Tom/Toms
Stephen Frank, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views, 12/24/24 www.capoliticalnewsandviews.com
UPDATE ON LACK OF TRANSPARENCY OF THE VOTE BY LAGOP
On December 22, I sent the following email to LAGOP Chair Tim O’Reilly, with a cc: to his candidate to succeed him, Roxanne Hoge.
“I have just two questions:
1. Are you going to send out a notice to all the new members and alternates that under the State Election Code they can fill out the paperwork and be sworn in on January 11? In a conversation with Roxanne, she informed me the reason for your deadline was that “it would be too difficult to sign in 200 people on January 11.
2. It came to my attention that at least three people never received the required documents. When the Secretary was informed on Wednesday, two days before your “deadline”, they were sent the documents.
Are you going to resend to all those who have not sent them in, to assure they get them?”
On the afternoon of December 23, I received a response From Roxanne. It was going to all LAGOP members. She noted that Tim was in court on Monday, so she was responding. Here is her response, word for word:
“Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! This is a week for family time and joyous celebration.
I look forward to seeing all incoming members at the LAGOP Reorganization Meeting on Saturday, January 11 at 10:00 am in Pasadena, CA (exact venue TBD). This will be a closed meeting, and seating will likely be limited to voting members, volunteers, and alternates who are attending to vote for their absent members. Should our venue be able to accommodate guests who are not voting members, we will let you know in advance. Our bylaws have a ten-day meeting notice requirement, so look for details by January 1.
“I had no intention of disturbing the peace with LAGOP messages this week, especially because all of us are volunteers, but yesterday afternoon, I received the following email from Steve Frank, who posts his political musings on a blog. Recently, he shared one in which he implied scurrilous intentions behind our internal efforts to modernize the onboarding of incoming central committee members. We are now taking time away from our jobs, families and year-end to-do lists to address those allegations. I apologize in advance for the exhaustive recitation in this email, but want to be sure that we are as transparent as possible.”
You will note that LAGOP Chair Tim O’Reilly has no intention of telling the members that under the State Election Code they can be sworn in and fill out the paperwork on the organizational day.
Second, they are not going to do the due diligence to send the documents to those who did not respond to the arbitrary due date of December 20—in case it went to spam, went to the wrong email address or a mistake was made and never sent (on December 18 it was found that three LAGOP members did not know about the emailing of documents and never received the documents. Those three had their documents sent by the Secretary- but how many more did not receive the information?)
Under prior LAGOP Chair Richard Sherman, the organization had numerous closed-door meetings—and many meeting without a quorum. Under LAGOP chair O’Reilly they have had a few closed-door regular meetings. But I am told by LAGOP members that the last five meetings did not have a quorum.
You will note that the January 11 meeting is also closed door. That is because the facility, they will not announce yet, is too small to accommodate LA Republican registered voters.
Most people do not know this, the State Buildings can be used by Republicans or Democrats for organization meetings FOR FREE. The downtown L.A. Reagan State building had been used several times in the past. Parking is across the street at the Music Center. Instead of paying money for a facility in Pasadena that holds a few people, they could meet in the Reagan State Building auditorium for free—and that holds several hundred people. Linda Boyd as Chair used that facility for her organizational meetings.
Is this how you grow your Party? Maybe this is why members do not attend meetings? How transparent is it to not hold open meeting, making sure all members got the proper documents. And, all members were notified of the law, especially when the Chair is an attorney.
UPDATE ON MONTEREY COUNTY GOP STUFFING THE BALLOT BOX
The bottom line is that Monterey County GOP is trying to get members, whose term expires at the opening of the 2025 Monterey organizational meeting, to select members for 2025—even though their authority ENDS upon the opening of the January 16 meeting in Salinas.
In other words, they are trying to pack the NEXT/NEW term of the Committee with unelected left overs from 2024. You will note that these “appointees” will have served on the committee, unelected, for about thirty days before their term expires.
You will note that while Addison says this is allowed in the Election Code—one Committee appointing members for the NEXT Committee term, he does not reference the Code section.
Here is the email asking to do that:
rom: [email protected]
Date: December 13, 2024 at 12:39:06 PM PST
To: Subject: MCRP District 5 caucus
(redacted names and email addresses of those this was sent to)
When Jeff left Monterey, he gave up his slot on the Central Committee in accordance with the bylaws; Carina Powers was elected to take his place. Since no one ran in District 3, Gorman, LeBarre, and Schell were elected to represent that district. All MCRP districts are fully manned for 2024.
By virtue of the election code, the members in District 3 can continue to represent that district in 2025
However, since Jeff was elected to represent District 5 and by virtue of his moving, he cannot represent that District in 2025. That leaves an open slot in 2025.
Again, using the election code, an existing member of District 5 can be elected to serve in 2025.
Our Bylaws require that the existing members of a district should caucus and select a person to fill an empty slot.
As a District 5 caucus, I am suggesting that we ask Carl Miller to remain as a member of District 5 to serve in 2025. He is an elected official and has been an important member of the Central Committee for many years. His experience will be invaluable. He was the top vote getter in 2020. He has indicated that he is willing to serve.
I am asking for your vote concurring in selecting Carl Miller to continue to serve as a District 5 member in 2025.
Send me an email: please vote “aye” if you agree or “nay” is you disagree. A majority vote is required for us to forward his name to the Chairman for a vote by the Central Committee. I would also recommend that the vote be an electronic one so this matter gets settled quickly.”
(Periodically the California Political News and Views will publish tidbits of political news, to keep you in the loop of what the pooh bahs know. The phrase “tom/tom’s” comes from my mentor, Lorelei Kinder who never passed a rumor, just called to tell me what she heard on the “TomTom’s”. This column is named in her honor.)
