Gabe Wachob Uncorked - Politics

San Mateo Citizens Academy Week 3

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 02:02:02 -0400

This topic was at the Housing Dept and covered Child Support Services and the new Housing Dept. There was so much information on this night that I was unable to keep notes because there were a lot of handouts. Hopefully I'll be able to link to them.

Some highlights:

* The Child Support services dept acts like a collection agency for parents who are owed child support. They are more effective at collection (current & arrears) than the California average and the National average. Pretty darn impressive. They server 14,500 clients a year, helping the clients get child support from a parent (usually a father) who owes that child support to the other parent. On average, family gets $3000 a year. Most of the clients are or have been on public assistance. There were a lot more numbers given, but I one important fact is that the money collected by this department often goes to pay back the welfare being received by the client, saving the state money. The CSS dept is mandated in every county in the country. They are going to be migrating to a centralized collection system where employers, etc can pay all the withheld paycheck money to a central system.

San Mateo Citizens Academy Week 2

Wed, 07 Sep 2005 01:45:06 -0400

Week two was held in the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education. A great place to take the kids.

This session focus on the "Environmental Services Agency" (part 1). This agency should really be called "The Miscellaneous Civic Services Department". Notes follow:

* Marsha Raines, Director of Environmental Services - city-type services in one agency. Consists of weights & measures, animal control, UC Co-op extension, county fire (contracted to Cal Dept of Fire), Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), county library system (11 smaller cities + unincorporated -- works with peninsula library system), parks rec & trails.

First San Mateo County Citizen's Academy Class

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 01:34:16 -0400

This year, I applied and was accepted to the 2005 Citizens's Academy, a set of 15 "classes" where folks in SMC can learn about county government by meeting and hearing from folks running various parts of county government.

I'm going to try to blog the notes I take each night to my blog, and this is the first entry for 08/23/05.

The first session was an introductory session, describing the county history and its political and organizational structure. We heard from the County Manager, the County Counsel, Supervisor Jerry Hill, as well as received short greetings from a number of other county department heads.

My visit to Sacramento

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 01:03:30 -0400

Today, I went on a visit to the California state capitol with a group from San Mateo County Democracy for America. The staff in both Assemblyman Ira Ruskin (my assemblyperson) and Assemblyman Gene Mullin helped us in arranging a visit to the assembly chambers to watch this morning's session, a tour of the capitol, and (not-so-brief) visits with the two assemblymen.

Apparently the word "tax" (not "new tax" or "higher tax" - just "tax") sends some Republicans into a hyperbolic fit of irrational indignation. Absurd. Its this sort of knee-jerk politics that screws up the budget process in California so badly.

California SB 682 - The Identity Information Protection Act of 2005

Sat, 06 Aug 2005 01:14:00 -0400

My state senator, Joe Simitian has authored a bill which is intended to keep the state or any local government entity from using or issuing identity cards with contactless communication facilities that don't meet strict security standards. It also outlaws completely the use of contactless data communications for certain types of identity documents (e.g. drivers licenses) for a period of 3 years.

The bill has the support of EFF, ACLU, and a number of other organizations. It also has my support. Please visit EFF's Action Alert for SB 682. And if you are a fellow consituent of Joe Simitian, please do contact his office and express your appreciation!

2005 California Democratic Party Convention

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 03:54:12 -0400

Went to the California State Democratic Party Convention as an elected delegate from the 21st Assembly District. I blogged some initial thoughts on the San Mateo County DFA website about it. I was struck by how useful it was to analyze the convention and the political party process in general from a "social networks" perspective.

Practical Issues with Instant Runoff Voting

Sun, 23 Jan 2005 23:40:40 -0500

Tags: irv, electoral reform

I like IRV. Let me state that upfront. But I was thinking about its practical widespread adoption and I thought of two issues that I don't see an easy solution for. I'd like to hear answers to issues around recounts and aggregating votes across multiple election offices.

Watching the watchers

Sun, 23 Jan 2005 17:15:45 -0500

Tags: homeland security, terror

There's another great document on cryptome which is the result of a FOIA request:
A list of Homeland Security Operations Morning Briefs. Amazing stuff to see what our government finds threatening and worthwhile to report.

Does this sound just a little frightening (not for the reason the government seems to think its frightening):

3. (FOUO) NEW YORK: Suspicious Videotaping of Critical Infrastructure. According to concerned citizen reporting, on 1 November, on the Verrazzano Narrows Suspension Bridge, Staten Island, the concerned citizen observed subjects filming the bridge from a car. The driver was identified as a dark skinned male. The passenger place the video camera on the dash after being signaled to stop filming by the concerned citizen. (Call-In/JRIES, 1 Nov 04; HSOC 4193-04)

My Letter to the DNC in Support of Dean

Fri, 14 Jan 2005 13:27:56 -0500

My name is Gabriel Wachob, and I was recently elected as a delegate to the California State Democratic Party Central Committee from the 21st Assembly District.

I am writing to strongly urge the DNC to elect Howard Dean as DNC Chair.

Howard Dean has demonstrated an ability not only to turn out an amazingly effective grassroots effort, and raise more money than any presidential challenger in a primary, he has shown that he is *still* committed to making the party succeed even after his own campaign ended.

No other primary contender put as much effort into making the Kerry/Edwards ticket succeed as did Dean.

Elected to the California Democratic Party State Central Committee

Thu, 13 Jan 2005 00:29:00 -0500

Last saturday I was elected to the California Democratic Party State Central Committee. I'll be joining about 1500 other California democrats in shaping the party for the next two years.

I ran for and was elected to one of the 6 male delegates positions from the 21st Assembly District to the California Democratic Party State Central Committee. This means I'm going to the state convention for the next two years. A list of other Dean-supporters elected last Saturday is here.

What I want to hear from fellow bloggers is: what should my agenda be?

How exactly are political blogs "two-way communication"?

Mon, 02 Aug 2004 01:23:02 -0400

Can someone who reads this blog explain to me in detail how blogs for political campaigns enable "two way" communication with the public? What features of blogs are you talking about when you say "two way" communication? (or Participatory Politics if you will). Are we saying that blogging is "two way" because everyone can have a blog and link between blogs? Is that really a way to foster and nurture a community of supporters?

When I try to describe blogs as political tools, I get a blank stare - "Hows that different than a web site you update every once in a while?". How do I best answer that question?

Is the DLC Really Really Bad?

Sun, 01 Aug 2004 02:26:56 -0400

I was reading a great article about Visionaries over at Greater Democracy and noted the DLC Memo mentioned therein. (For those of you who don't know the DLC is the Democratic Leadership Council - the so-called "centrist" Democratic Party group often associated with Bill Clinton).

What gets me about this May 2003 memo is the almost bizarre characterization of Dean supporters as "elitist":

Kerry's Acceptance Speech

Thu, 29 Jul 2004 23:34:38 -0400

Wow

Yes kids, it was worth a blink tag. It was that good.

If Kerry had spoken in 2003 like he did tonight, I don't think Dean would have gone anywhere. Its clear that Dean has rubbed off on Kerry.

I'll be posting more as it all soaks in.

On (not) Getting to be a Delegate

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 01:06:02 -0400

From a first hand account of going to the 2004 DNC, this quote really struck home, as it the author is talking about people like me (emphasis added):

I grabbed a cab with another Boston-bound traveler. He was Alex De Ocampo, President of California Young Democrats and a Kerry delegate.
I asked Alex when he first started supporting Kerry, and he thought it was about a month before the Delegate Caucus (where delegates are elected by local supporters) in February. I thought about the people I knew in California who were elected as Dean delegates after a year of hard work, but aren't coming to Boston because Dean suspended his candidacy before the California Primary.

So close to the Democratic Convention

Mon, 26 Jul 2004 02:12:36 -0400

I'm in Cape Cod.. About 100 miles or so from the 2004 Democratic Party convention. I really do wish I was there, mostly for the parties, but also to witness history (such as it is).

I might say its a good analogy - I'm physically close but might as well be a 1000 miles away. This article in the New York Times talks about an elite group of wealth individuals creating a vast, yet nimble, left-wing conspiracy which might usurp the Democratic Party. (also see Daily Kos on the article). Lots of talk about big money invested into efforts like Music For America. What an inspiring vision!