Mariposa County Politics

Lost the battle, but won the WAR!

2006-11-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so TJ Cox and Lex Bufford didn't win. Not completely unexpected, but still really disappointing. BUT the real news is just how much we WON and how much work there is to do still. First, the Dem winners!

Lt. Governor: John Garamendi!
Sec. of State: Debra Bowen!!!!!!!
Controller: John Chiang!
Treasurer: Bill Lockyer!
Atty. General: Jerry Brown!

AND

Prop 85: Parental consent DEFEATED!
Prop 90: Eminent domain DEFEATED!

AND

Mariposa County School Board: Janette Gamble and Debbie Peters!

Thanks to all those who worked so hard this past election cycle. Time to rest on our victory for a little while, write some LttE's over a snack to counteract the current "conservatives won" meme making its way through the media, thank the candidates for running and working so hard... and plan for the next wave.

In January we will need to work just as hard. We need to be the voice of the people, because we ARE the people and we ARE America. When these newly elected representatives go to their positions at the state or national level, we need to be there too. Not in person, but in spirit by writing letters, making phone calls and letting them know what we think. This is the new people-powered government, and it doesn't work without YOU.

One of my biggest issues is National Animal ID (NAIS), which would profoundly affect all small farms, homesteaders and rural folks with horses and other animals. Please visit the link for more information on this evil USDA program that must be killed before it becomes nationally manditory.

What's YOUR hot-button issue? Start organizing and planning now how you'll approach the new Democratic Congress in January. You might even fire off a few letters now if you have the energy. Me, I'm making lots of pumpkin bread and plans.

TJ Cox in Coulterville TONIGHT!

2006-10-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

REMINDER: TJ Cox, the Dem candidate for US Congress, district CA-19, will be doing a meet & greet in Coulterville TONIGHT! This is at the Old Schoolhouse on Broadway, from 6PM to 7PM. There will be light refreshments and spirited conversation available... Come ask some questions and get to know TJ a little better!

Only 13 days left to the election!!

TJ Cox coming to Coulterville!

2006-10-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

It's confirmed! TJ will be doing a meet & greet in Coulterville at the Old Schoolhouse on October 26 from 6PM to 7PM. He'll talk a bit about his views and what he will do for our district, then he'll move to a Q&A session followed by casual chatting over light refreshments.

He was very fun to listen to in Groveland, and his stories of the campaign trail are really interesting. Please tell everyone you can to come, no matter whether they're Democrats or Republicans or Greens or whatever... TJ is working for everyone in the district, not just his own political group (unlike SOME partisan politicians in the area who don't even bother to show up for anything).

Mark your calender for Thursday, Oct. 26, 6PM!

TJ Cox on the Campaign Trail

2006-10-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hi again folks. I saw TJ Cox again last night at the Groveland Democratic Group meeting under the Groveland Library. I had been meaning to get to that group for some time, but haven't honestly made much of an effort to get there because they're in Tuolumne County, so the local issues they discuss don't apply to me. But I'm glad I went, because not only did I get to talk to TJ and Chase Wagner (his campaign manager) again, I got to meet some of the really vibrant Dems in the Groveland area and network a bit, which was really great. Bert Canepa in particular made a big impression on me, and we exchanged contact info for future networking.

TJ news: He and Radanovich are having a (taped) televised debate to run on the Fresno NBC affiliate on Oct. 14th! This should be VERY interesting -- last night TJ said he had been winning over all kinds of people on the campaign trail, including former conservatives, because he is campaigning on the ISSUES that we all care about and isn't afraid to answer the hard questions. Radanovich, OTOH, is all about hit pieces and trying to bash TJ, but doesn't come out to public events and somehow manages to omit any accomplishments he might have made in his mailers to constituents. The bottom line is this: no matter which party you belong to, TJ is a straight shooter, a nice guy who listens to our needs, and will NOT ignore this district! Radanovich seems to have forgotten that he is a public servant.

The Cox Campaign is also getting huge 4' x 8' (sheet of plywood size) signs! They will be delivered to the Fresno campaign HQ around the 9th, and Heather Bernikoff of Catheys Valley (the Cox Campaign's new Volunteer Coordinator) will make sure that we here in District 2 get our share. Please let Heather or me know if you want any, especially those of you on major area roads, and we'll be sure you get some!

A final note, I am on the cusp of arranging a TJ meet & greet in Coulterville, sometime the week of the 23 - 27, in the evening at the Old Schoolhouse. I'll post a formal announcement when I know the exact date and time.

Remember to spread the word about my blog, and thanks for visiting! 8-)

District 2 Precincts

2006-09-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

I was able to get a map of all the districts and precincts of Mariposa County, and so far have scanned in the 5 precincts of District 2. They're not the most detailed maps, but they should be able to tell you which precinct you're in:

EXCHEQUER:

COULTERVILLE:

RED CLOUD:

MT. BULLION:

BULL CREEK:

The light green lines, which are hard to see, are the precinct boundaries, the dark green are the district boundaries, and yellow are county lines. I'm located in the very tippy top of Red Cloud.

As I have a chance I'll be scanning in the other districts and precincts for the rest of the county. This is the same map that hangs in the Elections Office in Mariposa - it's huge! Some of the larger districts didn't fit on my scanner, sorry about that! But you should be able to follow a county line or a river to figure out the missing boundary line.

I hope this is helpful!

I REALLY need volunteers in all precincts to help with voter reg. tables (thanks Sally!!!), doorhangers, putting information in public locations and halls, and calling the voter rolls so we can verify information, let people know we're here and active, and can help them get to the polls if they need assistance.

Let's GOTV (Get Out The Vote) and make some positive change for Mariposa county and the country!

Photos from the spring Dem Dinner

2006-09-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

My first event in local politics was the annual Democratic Club Dinner in Mariposa this past April. Just in case folks reading this haven't seen the pics, enjoy!

An overall shot of the banquet room:

We pledge alliegence, to the flag...

John Muir (AKA County Supervisor Lee Stetson) and friend sold tons of raffle tickets:

Les Marsden, Master of Ceremonies, kicks things off:

TJ Cox, congressional candidate for CA-19, rocks the house! Go TJ!

Les, me and TJ at the end of the evening (so that's what she looks like!)

Hope you enjoyed the show! 8-)

Why I'm running Google Ads

2006-09-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, just a short note today. I wanted to let you know why I'm running Google ads up there at the top of the page. Each click gets me a few pennies, and I will turn around and donate 100% of any advertising money received to local political groups and candidates, or it will go to things like postage if I need to send out a mailer to the Dems in District 2 or fees if we need to rent a hall or buy snacks for a meeting or something.

Just wanted you to know I'm not pocketing any ad revenue. 8-)

Soon I'll be posting photos from this past spring's Dem Dinner in Mariposa for those who haven't seen them, and any campaign news as I receive it from the various candidates.

Please be sure to click on some of the new links I've provided to the Democratic candidates and organizations who are working hard for change. 100 Actions, courtesy of the Democratic Party, is a particularly good one since they give you one simple thing you can do every day, on your own time, to help. Occasionally you may need to scroll down to see the links, especially if I've posted photos that make the page formatting unhappy. And of course, if your favorites aren't in the list, leave a comment or email me and let me know.

Photos from the Parade

2006-09-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yeay for me, I'm figuring out how to do this... LOL

First, here's my Daily Kos diary on the parade and TJ Cox if you'd like to check that out and leave a comment there.

Here's my son Cian in his best patriotic outfit, waiting for the float to be finished and moved into position:

Jery Lacayo, DCC Chair (center, with feathers), and State Assembly candidate Lex Bufford (right) before the start of the parade:

Chase Wagner, TJ's Campaign Manager (tall guy, left) chatting with Les Marsden, Dem Club President (center) as the float lines up for the right turn onto Highway 49:

The only time I saw TJ on the float was before the parade started!

He walked the rest of the way...

Here he's meeting Julia Parker, Pomo Elder and head of the Yosemite Indian Interpretive Program in the park:

I love this shot looking down Highway 49:

And this final one from later in the day -- TJ spent about a half hour talking to the volunteers at the Republican booth at the Mariposa County Fair... I would have loved to have been a fly on that wall!

GO TJ!!!

Getting to know me

2006-09-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm Willow Polson, and I represent District 2 of Mariposa County, California, on the Democratic Central Committee. District 2 is a very large geographical area which covers the entire northern third of the county, including Greeley Hill (the town closest to me), Coulterville, Don Pedro, Bear Valley, Catheys Valley, La Grange, a bit of Buck Meadows, and points in between.

I started this blog so that I could let you know what I'm up to regarding local politics in District 2. If you're unfamiliar with how blogs work, this is my public diary, and you can comment on my diary entry if you like.

I'll be posting photos of the Mariposa County Fair parade from Sept. 2 -- I had the pleasure of riding on the Democratic Party float with Lex Bufford and TJ Cox! More soon, stay tuned... :)