TVP has no plans to endorse a presidential candidate.

How can we? You all are TVP and we haven't caucused.  We are inviting ALL the Republican presidential candidates to the TEA Party on April 14th in Pleasanton. 

In fact, we are extending offers to Democrat candidates like we have in previous rallies (which they did not accept).

From talking to many of you it is clear that there is not one "TEA Party Candidate".  Each of us must decide for ourself and our goal is to get the information out there to you.  We are united behind the principles of Individual Rights, Free Markets, Limited Government, and Fiscal Responsibility. Issues beyond that we can debate and agree to disagree and still remain united. 

It's going to be an exciting year! Things are heating up!  Keep up the fight Patriots!

David, Suzanne, Kevin, Leslie

My Assembly member, Mary Hayashi,  is a convicted shoplifter.....oh great!!

I guess she was just trying getting back at those "1%", you know "evil businesses" like Nieman Marcus.

She's now back in Sacramento, continuing her political career.  I suppose she's now qualified to run for even higher office here in California.

http://www.examiner.com/news-headlines-in-san-jose/assemblywoman-mry-hayashi-sentenced-to-three-years-probation

Pleasanton's Measure E parcel tax has failed to pass. 

ROV has updated their numbers this afternoon.  http://www.acgov.org/rov/current_election/summary_report.pdf

"No" votes have prevailed  by 286 votes.  (wow that's close!)  For Yes to win at this point, 860 more YES votes would need to be "found" to make up the difference. 



I'd like to share some thoughts on the campaign.  My opinion is that Measure E should have passed.  PUSD had polling data indicating it should have passed.  The $98 tax level was selected in order to pass.  The mail only election was chosen to favor passing.  The supporters were well seasoned, they learned many lessons from the previous, failed parcel tax effort two years ago.  The supporters had financing, volunteers, and seasoned consultants focused on getting it passed.  Their strategy was to win via superior Get Out The Vote (GOTV) effort by targeting those in favor of the measure and ensuring they returned their ballots.  The plan was to get their supporters to vote yes and hope those opposing would sit out the election.  And it almost worked....

However, the opposition to Measure E had two strategic advantages:  1)  taxes require greater than 66.6% approval AND 2) PUSD's extremely poor positioning coming into the election.

Regarding item 1, the 66.6% advantage:  One of the key points to remember here is that for every voter who is convinced NO, there must be two voters convinced to support E or the opposition effort gains an advantage.  The key for the opposition was not to convince supporters to change their mind, but to educate the unsure or undecided voters on why voting in opposition to E made better sense.  The real battle was fought on in these margins.  The opposition made an effective presentation in this area and utilized various methods to effectively get their message out.  On the other hand, the supporter's effort in this area seemed much less effective than I thought they were capable.  I was expecting the messaging from the E supporters to drown out (or marginalize) the voices of the opposition.  But this did not happen.  Even the local press seemed to be attempting to present a balanced perspective of both sides.  I think this completely caught the Measure E supporters by surprise and damaged their effort.

The second strategic advantage for the opposition was PUSD themselves.  In the months (and years) leading up to the vote, PUSD failed to demonstrate to fiscally concerned voters a credible pattern of behavior and foundation of trust necessary for voters to grant permission for a government entity to (once again) reach into our wallets and confiscate our hard earned wealth.  Even the "in the name of the children" mantra was not strong enough to mitigate this deficiency on PUSD's part.  I won't dredge up the numerous trust issues highlighted during the campaign, but the message PUSD sent to the voters by laying off teachers while allowing raises for teachers who "survived" spoke volumes on the credibility issue.  This message directly contradicted the "crisis" atmosphere the supporters of E attempted to communicate.

In closing, there is nothing to celebrate here.  If Measure E had won, it would only have (slightly) delayed the inevitable structural fiscal reforms necessary by PUSD.  Now with Measure E defeated PUSD will need to get on with the business of seriously address the fiscal crisis now.  The voters did not allow the can to be "kicked down the road", so it is time for PUSD seriously recognize the "elephant in the room."

Maybe PUSD will start by freezing the $15M in raises they had planned over the next 4 years.  Maybe they will reject the recently negotiated union contract up for approval at next Tuesday's board meeting.   In my opinion, this contract has negligible "concessions" from the teacher's union.  Maybe now, the PUSD board will go public urging our state officials to take on meaningful education reform that does not automatically mean "raise taxes" on struggling Californian tax payers.  To me, these are the type of actions that should be demanded by those who claim to be representing my two PUSD children.

I hope those on both sides of the Measure E campaign can now unite to encourage and support PUSD as they must now implement the difficult, but necessary, fiscal reforms required to adapt to our challenging economic situation. 

David.

See these articles:
http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/show_story.php?id=6803
http://pleasanton.patch.com/articles/measure-e-fails

It's Tax Day....the 1/2 of us who pay income taxes to a wasteful, corrupt, and constitutionally defiant government are frowning.  Meanwhile, the left is demanding you pay even more in order to transfer the tangibility of your labor ( your wealth)  to the other 50% of Americans who pay no income tax.  So it goes in America on Tax Day 2011.

Here a little math on the CA Assembly to show you how tax payers are hanging by a thread in CA:

It takes 2/3 vote to raise taxes by the legislature.

Our CA Assembly is currently at 82 seats:

Party	Seats	Percent
Democrat	54	65.8%
Republican	27	32.9%
Open	1	1.2%
Total	82	100%

(source: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/clerk/MEMBERINFORMATION/memberdir_1.asp)

Notice that the Dems are one seat from being a super majority (>66%). They already effectively control the Assembly. One more seat, and nothing can stop them.

The fight goes on in CA...

David

PS -   Want to vent a little?  Below is a meaningless, unscientific poll from KTVU-2.  Let's skew it in our favor.

It says "Should state Republicans give California voters the chance to decide on extending the increase in state taxes?" In case you need help, the answer is NO. The Dems control the legislature, http://www.ktvu.com/surveyresults/27416069/index.html?taf=fran

Your friendly confrontational capitalist felt compelled to call in to the Sussman show this morning after a creepy liberal called in to attack freedom, capitalism, and all that makes human life and happiness possible. 

Check out the audio below:

Awesome job Debbie!  You shredded that leftist!

We've edited the audio and posted on the website for easy listening here:

http://www.trivalleypatriots.com/media/debbie-vs-liberal-ksfo-20110224.mp3

The entire clip is appx 7 min long, with Debbie at the end swooping in and decimating the Marxists' argument.

We all need to educate ourselves so we can take on the left's specious arguments like this head on.

Listen and learn...we need more "Debbies" on our side!

Congrats again for a job well done, Debbie!

David

McNerney has once again hitched his political wagon onto Obamacare. 
In his email below McNerney is opposing the "repeal and replace" effort in congress.

This is the Obamacare that is suppose to lower healthcare costs,
remember?  Yes, that's the one.  The same "cost lowering" Obamacare that
has resulted in 712 businesses getting waivers so they don't have to
endure these "lowered costs".  (see here)

Is that the Obamacare Jerry is talking about?  The same Obamacare that
the Obama administration has granted waivers to SEIU union chapters.  (see here)  You remember the SEIU?  That's the union that contributed $28 million to Obama's campaign.  

Oh yeah, the SEIU is also the same union that counted McNerney's votes last November.  (see here)

Is it just me, or has America fallen down the rabbit hole?  Get me out of Wonderland!
David

Congratulations TVP Member Debbie!!

Winner of the 2010 The Objective Standard essay contest:

http://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2010-winter/essay-contest-winner.asp

Debbie is also a member of the TVP Leadership Council.  Way to go Debbie!

Patriots,

Do not underestimate the power of your voice! 

Yesterday we sent out emails on the healthcare repeal vote.  Today McNerney responds referencing our emails and trying to rally his supporters.  See the yellow highlighted area in his email that follows:

 

We know we've got liberal moles on the TVP list and everything we say goes straight to the leftist power brokers.  That is ok, because we our movement has nothing to hide.  Our principles and ideals, faith in the American people and our founding documents are exactly what we say they are.  Unlike, McNerney who talks moderate back home and votes liberal in DC, TVP calls it the way we see it regardless of the audience.

TVP McNerney moles, please give Jerry our regards and thank him for the props in his email!  CD11 voters rejected Jerry's liberal agenda last Nov election by 9,000 votes.  Unfortunately, the 3rd party conservative candidate split the vote and cost us the election.  Jerry knows this, and unless redistricting somehow save him, this will be his last term.  We still have the momentum!

Keep fighting patriots!  They are running scared and 2012 is coming!  The left is fit to be tied that there is an effective grass roots movement fighting them, they think they should own the streets.  Deny them!

David.

I attended the Pleasanton city council meeting on January 18th, 2011 in order to speak my concerns about the ballooning worker's entitlement costs.  The council chambers had approximately 50 attendees and about half appeared to be from the local city worker's union (AFSCME Local 955).  It was very instructive to see how they operate.  They came in and mostly sat on one side of the room and wore buttons to clearly show they were union.

The meeting proceeded and was very civil.  Fiscal conservatives spoke about the budget situation.   The union members did not speak, just sat there showing their "colors" and demonstrating a "show of force" to the council. 

We have been petitioning the council to hold off approving the latest union contract until a public budget workshop could be held that gets the fiscal impact of the new contract understood and out in the open.  We learned that night that the council would indeed hold the budget workshop as well as delay the contract vote.  This was good news, but it is far from over.

Do you own rental properties? Perhaps you bought rental units before
the real estate bust and are now trying to keep your head above water?
Or perhaps you've had to move but couldn't sell your old house so you're
now renting (instead of giving it back to the bank)? Well...heads up!!

Check out this link from the Washington Examiner (hat tip to Drudge) :

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/new-law...

I'm in this category and just found out there's a new law affecting us
rental owners...We are now considered a "business or trade" and will
have to meet the same tax reporting requirements, which includes:

• We now need to get a W-9 form from any service provider (property
  manager, plumber, electrician, handyman, etc...)  hired for any job over
  $600.
• We now will need to send the IRS a 1099 form after making payment for the job.

I don't yet know how big of a headache it will be (never done it before), but it seems painful.

Unfortuantely this is a federal law, if CA was doing this I could just
vote with my feet and move back to Texas.  Since I can't flee, I must
now fight.  Another reason for us TVP members to stick together!


My prediction of the "unintended consequences" of this new law is fewer
investors will engage in rental properties (due to the "red tape"). 
Less rental properties will be available on the market.  As a result,
rents will go up (less supply, same demand) and the little guy renter
will end pay the price in higher rents.  All this so the Feds can watch the money flow more closely and get more taxes.

I think Obamacare has a similar provision that put additional red tape
burdens like this on small businesses....but I didn't realize it was
reaching down into rental properties.

2011 has started with a Bang!!  sigh...