Irvine Republican Council forms

The rough cut website for the new Irvine Republican Council has debuted amid some HTML snafus and typos (believe me, I am the last person to be critical of a typo). Here is the site.

If you click on the membership form, its clearly a shakedown, er, call for soft money political contributions — the same kind the Republicans have always derided the Agran camp on. My favorite line in the membership application: you agree to abide by the bylaws of this organization and all amendments added to them (even if you don’t know what they are or will be) and your membership must be reviewed and approved by an executive committee. If you’re a student, it will cost you $10 a year or $25 for family memberships. $100 will buy you founding member status and there’s a place for non-residents of Irvine to join (you mean like folks from Westminster?).

Hate to play Secret Squirrel here, but what are the bylaws? They aren’t posted. Who is on the executive committee? They aren’t listed. Sounds like a Jubal Cabal to me.

And I wonder if Christina Shea will join this group or accept contributions from it. Ms. Shea voted no on a recently Irvine City Council program to do non-partisan outreach to get Irvine voters registered and to the polls citing “oversight” issues.

And I have to wonder if this soft money won’t somehow violate those tough new ethics standards passed by the Irvine City Council earlier this year; You know, the ones called for by the Irvine First Team in 2004 (and candidate Stephen Choi who later voted against the ethics ordinance..careful what you campaign for Dr. Choi as you just might get it).

The goals of this organization are standard Republican issues: lower taxes (but massive deficit spending), smaller government (not the case with the Bush administration) and less government instrusion in your business or personal life (unless you’re gay and want to marry), yada, yada, yada.

7 Comments

  1. Dan:

    There’s this new thing called “e-mail.” It’s very useful for obtaining information from people. In this instance, you could e-mail Charlene Hatakeyama at harlenehata@cox.net.

    Or, you could use another useful device called “the telephone.” I’m sure Charlene could answer your questions if you called her at 949-854-0680.

    I found both her “e-mail” and her “phone number” on that thing you posted about, the IRC “website.”

  2. Matt —
    I have no questions.

    I *made* observations that there are no bylaws posted and no executive committee members listed.

    It’s not like I’m hiking to Orange with a digital camera to see if someone lives in a certain house (and I’m assuming you used the phone to call and email to contact Ms. Rudat about her residency…you did, didn’t you?); but since I don’t live in Orange, I don’t care about that race.

    Have a great day.

  3. Dan, you’re welcome to come to our meeting on the 21st of this month at the Irvine Ranch Water District Headquarters and you can ask all the questions you would like of our candidates. Consider this an invitation.

  4. Thanks Allen — can’t. My kid plays high school football and that’s game day. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Wednesday nights are out too, my daughter’s soccer team has practice(I’m coach and commissioner). Tuesday night is guitar lessons. Monday is big homework night (share day the next day at school); Friday night is date night. I have no problems asking questions of candidates via email; have had nice discussions with Mr. Devote and Ms. Shea over the past couple of election cycle. I don’t throw softballs when I ask questions. Hope you appreciate the defense I gave you on Powder Blue. We can have meaningful debate as long as it stays meaningful and doesn’t get personal.

  5. Dan,

    How is contributing $25/yr to a group you share common beliefs with a “shakedown”? Get real. The government taking over 50% of our income in misc taxes is the definition of a shakedown that you’re looking for.

  6. Alln —
    My kid goes to high school in Irvine; I had to pay over $600 to cover costs related to basic necessities including a $195 transportation charge for school bus rides to and from away games. That is a shakedown. You want to pay $25 a year to join a right wing group, go ahead. The money will likely be used to support Republican candidates in elections and you’re the same gu who derides the Agran camp for alledged soft money contributions. Seeing how Shea trails Kang and Krom in fundraising so dramatically in a town so heavily Republican is a warning to you. Irvine races are non-partisan and attempts to make the partisan always seem to backfire.

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