Cashing In On The Past
Its common for the heirs of major celebrities like Elvis Presley, The Three Stooges and Humphrey Bogart to trade on their deceased relative's image and cash in on the big bucks.It now appears that the granddaughter of a significant historic, political figure is doing just the same to support her campaign for the State Assembly.
Christine Chavez is fighting to secure the Democratic nomination for the 45th Assembly District to replace the termed out Jackie Goldberg.
The 45th is split between heavily Latino neighborhoods to the east and south and uber-liberal white and significanlty gay populations in the north. With the state Latino leadership headed up by Speaker Fabian Nunez backing union organizer Kevin DeLeon - and Goldberg proppoing up lawyer Elena Popp, Chavez is trying her hardest to wedge herself in to pull Latino votes from DeLeon and gay/liberal/white votes away from Popp.
To do so, Chavez has hit on a unique fundraising strategy - selling note cards emblazoned with photos of her with her well known grandfather - the late founder of the United Farm Workers Cesar Chavez.
On her website, you can pledge anywhere from $100 to $3300 to pick up a box of the cards.
So what's next? Bobby Shriver selling JFK tote bags?
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 2/07/2006 12:05:00 AM
36 Comments:
Yo mayor, perhaps you should link the site for people to visit. I dunno what's up with their keyword tags, it's kinda hard to find.
Now is it right for Christine to use her father's legacy for her campaign? He's the one who did all the work.
Ooops, i meant grandfather's legacy. My bad.
Christine is part of the problem that the LA Times, LA Weekly and Bakesfield Californian identifed concerning the UFW's decision to abandon organizing farmworkers (not to mention the sweet heart deals given to Dolores Huerta's son, Christine and Andres Irland to name a few).
Go away Christine and represent the central valley where you are from. I'd also add Kevin de Leon to that list (he should represent San Diego).
And Elena Popp should go back to Venice, California.
Hello: Venice is a neighborhood and part of the City of Los Angeles.
Venice is not in the 45th AD.
...agreed it's sleazy for Ms. Chavez to trade on the family name, but haven't we seen this all too often before. Mention was made of the Kennedy's, but what about families like the Roybals and the Martinezes, and anybody else that tries to convince us they are better suited for public office because a parent held a similar office?
I have met all the candidates. Though Christine has passion, the race is really between Popp and Deleon. I think they are both really good candidates. I dont think that Popp should win just because she is a lesbian which is why Jackie supports her. I also think Deleon will be part of what is quickly becoming the "public Employees Party' and not the progressive Democratic party that I would prefer.
But, they are both good candidates. Not sure who I would vote for yet, but it is between those 2 and NOT Christine.
What qualifications does Kevin DeLeon have to be a public official other than being Fabian's bff?? That's best friends forever for those of you not in third grade.
If Christine had any qualifications at all she wouldn't have to use her grandfather's legacy. The Chavez family are an embarrassement to all latinos. I want to know what she's done to help her people. Anything to make a buck including selling your soul.
Elena Popp hasn't live in Venice for years, but the stench she left behind still lingers. This blantant opportunist has been representing Lincoln Place tenants as their lawyer. Under her guidance, scores of tenants have been evicted from their homes, credit histories ruined, even as she puts her hands out for more "fees" to file yet more useless paperwork.
This woman has blood on her hands. She shouldn't even be running for dog catcher.
After seeing all of this, I'm surprised that the LA Times didn't include Christine as part of their mini-series uncovering the scandals and opportunistic moves made within UFW. I can already hear her question responses:
Q: What do you think about affordable housing?
A: I believe, as my Grandpa Cesar E. Chavez, Founder of the United Farm workers, did that blah blah blah.
***********
Q: What do you think needs to be done regarding our need for open park space?
A: I believe, as my Grandpa Cesar E. Chavez, Founder of the United Farm workers, did that blah blah blah.
On top of that, isn't she married to Oscar Gonzalez?! Whatever judgment call she made in making that choice really demonstrate her lack of ability to make decisions that make any sense.
Either way, AD45 will be an entertaining race to see.
Kevin De Leon has organized, advocated and fought for immigrants, youth and teachers. I don't see the difference between his relationship with Fabian and Jackies' to Elena. Both are great candidates, however, who has the relationships to get votes and bring resources to the district.
Any word as to how much Elena Popp, Christine Chavez, and Gabriel Buelna have raised?
Oscar Gonzalez, didnt i see him with a chick the other night? And, it wasnt christine.
Lack of judgement
Lack of skill
Lack of everything, except those big ass twin towwers of hers.
she can have my vote for a lap dance.
Reading all of these postings, you candidates (or candidates' friends) should really be out walking precincts. Now, anyone with OBJECTIVE standards wanna analyze the race?
For my part (and as a long-time resident of the district, I don't like that the top three don't have very long roots in the area--can't we do better with producing home-grown talent?), I think this has become a money race. No one has a name (yes Chavez is a name, but not an uncommon one, and few people KNOW Christine Chavez), no one has deep roots, no one has a constituency or big GOTV operation, so let's go with money and mechanics. On both fronts, I go with deLeon. Chavez knows some organizing, but hasn't been very effective. I have been visited twice by Buelna's folks--probably the most aggressive field operation, but without money to back it up, he's gonna be only the surprise third-place finisher (the Conrado Terrazas of this race). I think that deLeon gets about 43% of the vote, with Chavez at 29% and Buelna at 15% and Popp at 13%. Heard it here first. By the way, I predicted the CD14 race within one percent on this very same blog...
The 45th needs, well, someone from the 45th. Altough De Leon is the lesser of all evils he really doesn't know the area...the problems are the same though in Logan Heights and Angelino Heights. In any case, Christine, Richie Ross, her husband Oscar (who by the way is the sleeziest Antonio wanna-be), Elena Popp...who really is a disturbed angry woman...need to not run. I can't wait for the day where local talent springs up to really represent and defend these communities and does it in a way that makes people interested in change. The time is coming soon and all these fuckers who think they can carpet bag into the 45th will be running away with their tails between their legs.
Hey… What ever works in a tough three way primary. I’m sure any candidate with the name of a civil rights icon would use it! HELLO! Elections are about winning.
I agree with many of you in regards to these three contenders not having deep roots in the 45th. But I’m seeing a lot of this crap now… I would like to see competence, and let’s be frank when it comes to organizing, I do give it to Christine. If you don’t think she’s effective, you probably haven’t worked with her before. Her advocacy has passed legislation and elected candidates. She’s been there for Fabian and his candidates, it is disappointing that he’s not for her now, but that’s politics. Kevin, what’s he done? Without the speaker he wouldn’t stand a chance in this race.
Kevin is one of the brightest quick study I have ever worked with. He is honest, has integrity and understands the 45th AD issues. Review past elections and you will discover that most elected officials moved into the districts they have conquered...starting with Gloria Molina who was from Pico Rivera...Xavier Becerra from Northern California...etc.
I have been to three forums/meeting to interview candidates and Gabriel Buelna who is probably the most legit and lives in Mt. Washington did not know issues in Mt. Washington...Christina, whom I admire as a rising star Latina was riding on the coat tails of her grandfather...Elena Popp needs her own platform and stop riding on Jackie...and Kevin who has always taken positions on doing the "right thing".
Kevin wins hands down and after Fabian becomes the next speaker: you heard it hear first.
Fabian is the friggin' speaker, dummy!
9:50 That honor will go to Richard Alarcon first! You heard the rumor confirmation here first.
I still don't see any substance on Kevin.
You guys want a good story on Christine's husband, Oscar Gonzalez. His public life is right out of a "Shield's" screeen writers fantasy - Shields is that FX show with Michael Chikles.
Oscar's former girlfriend, Ruth Castro - a former Alhambra Unified school board member who was also boning Miguel Contreras - was a teacher at Ramona High School - that same high school threatened by Gloria Molina's vindictive light rail plans in East L.A.. One day while Oscar was going to visit Ruth at school, he stopped by to get something at a local liquor store. There he met some teeny boppers and he gave them his business card from when he worked for the Governor - Gray Davis, not Arnold. It so happens that these teen girls - who had already been expelled from other schools to end up at Ramona, where Ruth's students. The story goes that these girls starting asking Ruth all these questions about her boyfriend. Ruth was bragging on how he worked for the governor and how he was going to be the next "Cesar Chavez" (kind of ironic, isn't it). The students let Ruth go on and then at the end they sprung his business card on her saying, we just picked up on your boyfirend down the street.
Not that Ruth didn't deserve this treatment. Nobody knows the father of her baby and the birth certificate doesn't state one - eastside politics is full on immaculate births. When asked why she was doing Contreras Ruth responded by saying, "I ain't stupid, it worked for Gloria (Romero) I'm going to do it to." Incidentally, Ruth was Romero's Chief of staff and all this took place while Gloria R. was head over heels for Contreras.
More to come on the Oscar Chronicles....
you guys want to talk about riding someones' coat tails. Then some of you are forgetting Kevin De Leon.
HE IS A NOBODY.
Google him - that can say allot about someone who is supposobly involved in the community. Chistine has been involved all over the country whether it is protesting unfair wages, racisim, or other social injustices.
Kevin De Leon has just been involved in a lawsuit in wich he and his firm tried to stop people from unionizing. What a leader!
Plus he is waiting for Fabian to build his website. In the meantime he built it himself. Take a look.
www.kevindeleon.com ---- moron!
I have Googled all candidates, interviewd all at forums, and spoke to all individually...which is what we all should do to get the facts, then make an opinion.
Most of the great things we have done in the community isn't recognized by GOOGLE...most humble persons don't advertise their good deeds.
I don't understand the difference if Kevin is waiting for Fabian, Elena is waiting for Jackie, and Christina is waiting for Gloria R.
Please explain.
In response to the anonymous insult artist of Feb 7:
Elena Popp has courageously taken on the cases of 160 Lincoln Place households in Venice being evicted wrongfully by the largest landlord in the United States. She is doing this at great personal sacrifice for people who cannot vote for her and cannot pay her for nearly the amount of time she continues to put in. She is the only eviction defense lawyer we could find who would work with us like this. The battle is far from over. The cases are on appeal, and you should watch the news for some history being made on these cases. Elena is an extraordinary woman who will continue to fight for the rights of all of us when she arrives in Sacramento.
Sheila Bernard, President, Lincoln Place Tenants Association, Venice
Fuck all y'all. Christine is da bomb and Oscar is da shit! And Christine is going to kick Kevin to the curb in June.
Anonymous said...
"Elena Popp hasn't live in Venice for years, but the stench she left behind still lingers."
No wonder the post was anonymous. The stench was obviously his own. Elena Popp has spent an enormous amount of time and energy working to protect the Lincoln Place tenants. She had the guts to take on the biggest real estate investment trust in the country, and she has put her own money into this fight, money she could have used for her campaign. She has done all this without resorting to smearing people in anonymous posts.
I'd love to hear about some of the sacrifices and accomplishments of the brave Anonymous, which would qualify him or her to discount those of others.
My vote will go to Gabriel Buelna. He is the only candidate for the people and the only candidate that does not have an outside interest. We have a lot of carpet bagger candidates in this race. We need someone that is for us and is like us.
De Leon is a what we do not need. Our children our dropping out of school. Almost 50% of our kids do not finish high school. De Leon is working for the Teachers Union. I know there are a lot of good teachers but frankly the have a guaranteed job and good wages with no accountability. Obviously our system is not working if we have such a huge dropout rate. Do we need someone that will continue this dropout factory? He owes he support to the teacher's union. De Leon is the candidate that we should all loathe. Special interest and protection for a system that is creating a dropout factory. Is this the kind of person you want? We have a district of mostly working class people. Our children attend public schools.
I grew up in Sacramento area. I worked in the fields. I marched with Cesar Chavez to Sacramento with my parents and brothers and sisters. I chatted with Cesar Chavez and on many occasions on that march.
Christine is no Cesar Chavez.
Wow, if that's the only criticism of Gabriel Buelna, that he's using his own money to run for office, I'm voting for him. I actually checked and he actually has more indiviudal donors than anyone else.
Buelna appears to be an actual qualified candidate without special interest ties.
Who's really supporting Christine? Does anyone know? It seems that all the cheerleading she's been doing for the Democratic Party has turned around a properly slapped her in the face. I guess that’s what you get when you sell out.
I keep seeing criticism of "carpet bagging" but I wonder if the people writing that stuff are really home grown residents of the district or merely gentrifiers that have moved into the district in recent years. I noticed that Popp graduated from King Jr. High and Marshall High School - both are home schools for kids living in the 45th district. If the people posting the carpet bagger comments actually grew up in the district they would know that. I know because I attended both schools and was raised in the district. I also noticed that she worked at Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles for many years. The office she worked in is located outside of the district but serves the working poor residents of the 45th. I would find out more about the 45th before i accuse people of not knowing the issues of the district.
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