Brown Taps Villaraigosa "Crown Prince," Trujillo
About two weeks ago we got word that local political whiz kid Michael Trujillo was helping out Jerry Brown's campaign for California Governor when he was spotted at a town hall meeting featuring Brown, sponsored by Council Member Richard Alarcon at Mission College. Next we heard City Hall types were getting calls from Trujillo about the Brown campaign. However knowing that Mike is always up to something and that we hadn’t yet confirmed the details of these calls, we decided not to pursue the story.
Now we have word from our Sacramento sources that Trujillo is indeed working for the Jerry Brown campaign.
Perhaps an introduction to Mike Trujillo is in order for those who might be new to our little well hated but widely read blog.
I first met Michael Trujillo five years ago at Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City (before the redesign) where we met with a few other political up and comers and had drinks while we dished about local politics. He was one of the major contributors to this blog when it was still anonymous.
A longtime Villaraigosa operative he has also worked for Rob Reiner/s initiative campaign and Hillary Clinton
Locally he worked on the ill-fated AB 1381 effort of Mayoral control of LAUSD, then transitioned over to guide (successfully) Tamar Galatzan’s $2 million plus school board campaign as campaign manager. A campaign that had Trujillo going head to head with Essel campaign manager John Shallman who was helming the campaign of Galatzan's opponent, School Board Member Jon Lauritzen (who has since passed away).
Then in what was seen as a Villaraigosa pre-emptive move of his endorsement of Hillary Clinton, Trujillo was named California Field Director for Clinton's battle against Barack Obama for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, following which he added the titles of Texas and North Carolina Field director.
It was during this stint working for Clinton where he made a name for himself.
During the North Carolina primary, MSNBC named Trujillo part of the “Clinton Dream Team.”
He also played opening act for Bill Clinton in all three states.
But that’s not what makes this highly prized operative pick-up significant. Within the Democratic primary here in California the vote that both Newsom and Brown hope to have in their corner is the Latino vote. With Newsom making a pre-emptive strike at these voters by naming State Senator Alex Padilla as the campaign chairman, Brown may have neutralized that move with his pick up of Trujillo.
This strategy is not lost on Brown. It was a logical move for him to pick up the Crown Prince of the Villaraigosa Empire as part of his team. Brown knew aping the strategy of his longtime rivals, the Clintons, was not only smart politics but a psychic hit to Gavin Newsom who received the endorsement of President Clinton but his not inheriting the Clinton Californa team. As the Texas Observer noted:
For Clinton, the calculus is simple. The Latino vote has been an indispensable segment of her coalition. She carried that vote in Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. In California on February 5, Latinos probably saved Clinton's candidacy by delivering a critical win in the nation's largest state. Despite polls showing Obama surging ahead there, Clinton secured an impressive 10-point victory. Latinos made up 30 percent of the vote, a record turnout, and 67 percent went for Clinton, according to exit polls.
The Clinton campaign hopes to duplicate that scenario in Texas. Much of the credit for the Latino turnout in California went to Clinton's field director, Mike Trujillo, a former staffer for Los Angeles Mayor and Clinton supporter Antonio Villaraigosa. Clinton sent Trujillo to Texas to rerun the California playbook.
What exactly Mike is doing for Brown is unknown at this time, I will try to get to the bottom of this fresh piece of information, but whatever Trujillo is doing for Brown one can assume that Villaraigosa and Ace Smith aren’t too far away.
However, with all the accolades comes some heat and I have to say that his decision to back Measure B as its campaign manager was a mistake in my eyes. I also believe many Neighborhood Council members may be upset with that decision as well.
That said, while I have not talked with Mike for some time, I will say that he has always been a friend of the blog and that while we disagree politically - we do so in a way that many elected officials can learn from – we have different takes on politics but always do so respectively.
Stay tuned for more MEAT until then blog away dum-dums.
Labels: Jerry Brown, michael trujillo
Posted by Michael Higby @ 10/28/2009 04:00:00 AM
31 Comments:
I chatted with Trujillo the night I went to watch Villaraigosa acting like a clown and serving chili dogs to customers at Pink's.
Trujillo is a smart guy and has some considerable political skills, but he was off base when he was gloating about his victory with Measure B.
The "little nine" candidates...we couldn't take down Villaraigosa, but we did help to beat Measure B.
I still laugh when I think about Trujillo rubbing it in that Measure B had "already won!"
Does the "Clown Prince of Cybertrolling" Ully Sanchez get to play with Gov. Moonbeam's computers as part of an package deal?
Of course we all know that Trujillo is "Meat".
He's too important to visit this blog now, despite the brown nosing by Mayor Sam.
He better figure a way to reinvent Jerry Moonbeam, because meg Whitman is going to eat his lunch...
Real change is coming...
8:09, Please. Trujillo is here every day slamming Nuch and defending the proud legacies of Jack Weiss and Mayor Phony Villar. It's totally obvious. Let's hope now that he's found work he'll quit bothering us with his broken record crap sandwich day after day.
Trujillo working for Brown???
I'm putting my money on Gavin now. Maybe Jerry needed another driver.
After watching Mike's embarrassing performances at the NC's regarding Measure B, it's wonder he's working on anybody's campaign.
What does a guy like Trujillo make working on a campaign like this? This is meant to be a serious question. Guesses welcome. I honestly have no idea and I am curious.
Jerry Borwn is not paying anyone and won't be for months. He's the squirrel saving all his nuts until Gavin drops out.
Although, at some point, Mike will be doing latino outreach.
"Tricky Rants from Trujillo", A Cut and Paste Disertation.
California Field Director, Michael Trujillo, is asking California supporters to BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) to Superbowl parties Sunday so they can make calls for Hillary after the game. With Superbowl Sunday ranking as one of the heaviest beer drinking days of the year, and with either Giants or Patriots fans in mourning, those calls should be most interesting: "Hullo, thish ish Sham Shpade calling for Hillary Clinton. She'sh a shwell pershon and would make a great preshident."
.....and,ByyThWaaa, shhe haaas ahh biiig arsss.
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-bus-reporter/arlo-guthrie-endorses-ron_b_84229.html
"Tricky Rants from Trujillo", cont.
Dear Mitch,
Texas is going to play a key role in picking the Democratic nominee for president, and you don't have to wait to vote.
Although Texas' primary and caucus are on March 4, you can vote for Hillary starting tomorrow. Early voting in Texas begins Tuesday, February 19 and ends on Friday, February 29.
Registered voters can show up, walk in, and cast a ballot for Hillary. No lines, no waiting.
Visit our website to find the early vote location in your county, or call our voter information hotline at 1-866-939-VOTE.
http://hillaryclinton.com/action/txearlyvote/
We're expecting record turnout in Texas this year, so early voting is an easy and convenient way to avoid the long lines on Election Day. You can vote on your own schedule.
We want to make sure every Texan has an opportunity to vote early and make their voice heard. So find your early vote location by clicking here or calling 1-866-939-VOTE, and tell your friend, family, and neighbors to vote early.
I hope you can get out and vote early. And don't forget that if you're voting absentee, now is the time to send in your ballot!
Thank you for all you're doing to help Hillary win.
Michael Trujillo
Texas Field Director
P.S. After you've voted, we still need your help. Only those who have cast a ballot can caucus for Hillary on March 4. We can only win Texas if supporters like you join us across the state. Please sign up here to learn more.
Same tricks, different campaign.
"Tricky Rants of Trujillo", cont...
Clinton camp tracking cell phone users
While waiting for the event to begin the campaign's North Carolina Field Director Mike Trujillo asked the audience to take out their cell phones and text 442008NC to get involved with the campaign (44 for the 44th president). The crowd seemed largely uninterested.
Then he said that a few minutes after texting, the number of someone in the room who has done this would appear on his phone and said that person would be brought backstage to shake hands with Hillary. This led to twitters and murmurs in the crowd and a low buzz of sudden activity.
Trujllo didn't mention at first what might seem obvious -- that texting the phrase would provide the campaign with the users' phone number, allowing them to contact them again for get-out-the-vote or other purposes.
Tracking people who only use cell phones can be difficult as these numbers are often unlisted.
The first winner in this case was a young woman who said she had waited in line outside the chapel since 11:30 am. It was 6:31 pm at this point, half an hour later than the scheduled start time. The second winner was a guy named Mike in a baseball cap. Trujillo then told the audience they would get a second chance, because he assumed some people did not believe they would get to shake the senator's hand. Each person was taken aside and told they would be given a new seat and would get to meet Clinton after the event.
Just before announcing the third and last winner, Trujillo, who also served as field director in California and Texas, held up what appeared to be a Blackberry and finally noted that "everyone's numbers are in this thing right now." He added that he would be calling them all the time.
After events like this, Clinton usually sticks around for at least a few minutes to press the flesh and pose for pictures with anyone who can get close enough to her in the rope line.
"Same tricks, different campaign"
"Tricky Rants of Trujillo", cont...
PALO ALTO -- — Dana Stewart, 54, spent more than two hours Wednesday night sitting on a folding chair in a private office-park conference room here learning how to become a "HillStar" -- part of a program Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign introduced last week to build a grass-roots get-out-the-vote organization ahead of California's Feb. 5 primary.
It was a vintage campaign session with a high-tech twist. Clinton staffer and veteran organizer Michael Trujillo taught Stewart and about 50 other potential volunteers how to use their own social networks -- from family and neighbors to e-mail contacts -- to identify the New York senator's supporters, who will then be entered into a database for follow-up.
"It's simple enough," Stewart said afterward, holding a copy of the bound presentation Trujillo had handed out. "It's not brain surgery. We all have friends we can deal with. Hopefully they're like-minded, so it's not like we have to twist a lot of arms."
Using a software program called Voter Activation Network, the campaign plans to build a database from the information gathered by the Hillary Corps to target voters for early absentee voting -- which begins Jan. 7 -- and for follow-up efforts on primary day, Trujillo said. They hope to contact 2 million potential voters by primary day.
Ace Smith, Clinton's state campaign director, said they intended to piggyback the Clinton organization on supporters' families and friendships.
"Most of our supporters have these big social networks," he said. "Why build something? Why not take advantage of something that exists already?"
"Same tricks, different campaigns".
"Tricky Rants of Trujillo", cont...
PEMBROKE, N.C. - In a college gymnasium draped with banners of past athletic victories, his warmup could easily be mistaken for a school pep rally.
"We are undefeated," roars Mike Trujillo, Sen. Hillary Clinton's North Carolina field director. "We do not lose."
Jabbing a pointed finger at his own blazer lapel, he punctuates his claim with a defiant grin. "I do not lose."
In a state where the stakes are high and the demographic pie charts are stacked against the New York senator, the Clinton campaign is hoping that he's right.
Trujillo's high-octane cheerleading is far from modest; He's fond of the phrase "kick butt" in his warmup act at campaign rallies. But he has a point. The team he refers to — made of up of himself, political director Miguel Espinoza, and state director Averell "Ace" Smith — hasn't lost yet.
Bespectacled and soft-spoken, Smith has none of Trujillo’s swagger. But his devastatingly effective opposition research for Clinton and for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in California has earned him the nickname “Doctor Death.”
Read the rest here "From Tacos to BBQ, Meet Hillary Clinton's Dream Team" http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24184640//
.....and the result? President Barack Hussein Obama.
"Same tricks, different campaigns"
8:33 AM you forgot Mulholland Terrace- the other
half of the 2 man recall Nuch "groundswell".
"Tricky, Lying Rants of Trujillo", cont....
"We are pretty positive that we have over 65 per cent of the votes in the city," Trujillo revealed. This measure only needs a 50-per cent vote. "I will go on record by stating right now, that if we lose Measure B, I will never work in a political campaign in my life," Trujillo promised.
Mike, men of faith keep thier word.
"Same tricks, different campaigns".
Villaraigosa "Crown Prince"?...more like "Butt Boy".
Let's be honest, Trujillo is not a strategist, he's a field operative. He doesn't write mail, produce tv ads or come up with strategy. Brown hired him to be a latino field consultant--that's what he does. He helps turn out voters. That's it. He's not a strategist. He's an implementer of other people's ideas. Not that that isn't important, but meat is not really meat. He's more like the fat drippings.
Red Spot @ 11:37, 11:45, 11:57, 12:11, 12:31 & 12:53. Please stop. We get it. WE GET IT.
"Tricky Rants of Trujillo", cont...
Measure B is the little measure that could on this City ballot.
For some reason while working on this campaign people like to point out to me all the reasons why “we can’t” do Measure B and to them I say, to quote Dolores Huerta “Yes We Can!"
....., but lost.
1:01 PM,
I didn't here you say "Uncle!, Uncle Tony!".
It is hard to take anyone's opinion of him or what he does when most of the comments are anonymous. Other than Phil's comments (he actually states his entire experience with the guy)
But like 12:59pm -- do you know him?
You easily make those remarks about him, yet are still afraid to ID yourself?
Not that i have any standing since im anonymous too, but im not making any remarks about the guy.
Ass Clown in CD-14 said: "I didn't here you say "Uncle!, Uncle Tony!".
Ass Clown, you obviously have plenty of time to snipe at real men with real jobs. Go back to school as President Obama suggested and contribute to your country by learning the differences between here, hear, there, their, they're and maybe, just maybe, someday you'll have even a snowball's chance in hell of being half as respected as men like Trujillo.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Memo to "Anonymous at 2:49 PM",
"someday you'll have even a snowball's chance in hell of being half as respected as men like Trujillo".
I rather (not to be confuse with Dan Rather) be some melting snowman posting comments here (not compare to hearing some absurd verbiage of spin from you)than someone like Trujillo, who endangers children for the sake of a photo op.
And yes, cut and pasting can be fun.
You and Trujillo have a bromancing brewing....kinda cute!
From the "uber blogger" known as the "Westside White Guy" aka. Kevin Roderick. http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2006/09/foshay_as_official_democr.php
At yesterday's Angelides and Villaraigosa rally in South Los Angeles, I sat for a time with Pilar Marrero, the political columnist and Features Editor for La Opini�n. In today's paper I see she picked up too on the use of Foshay Learning Center, a K-12 LAUSD school, as a campaign venue for the Democratic candidate. Marrero takes it farther than anybody I saw, reporting in a sidebar that district officials objected to a brazen partisan role for the students and refused an Angelides campaign request that the students hold signs. They did miss class time and chanted "Go Phil Go" in the auditorium. Marrero writes that the Angelides campaign first told school officials the rally would be held outside, but switched it to inside late in the game. Marrero's story quotes Lucy Okumu from the district's office of external affairs and from the LAUSD policy, with a reply from Angelides spokesman Nick Papas. It's all in Spanish at the link, along with the mainbar coverage.
Continue...
Thursday's LA Weekly also quotes Okumu and Foshay principal Veronique Wills, who says that Michael Trujillo — who works for Villaraigosa's independent fundraising committee — told her the district had approved the fundraiser. District officials said otherwise. Also, "Foshay administrators drew the line at the midday request by the Angelides camp for even more kids to fill the auditorium," the Weekly reports. ** Also: In Thursday's L.A. Times
Continue......
The event, that was announced for 1:15, began one hour after the announced thing and lasted until last the three of afternoon. Groups of students entered and left the audience and a student faint during the speech of Angelides. It was part of a group of students who remained standing up behind the politicians during almost one hour and in several occasions they shouted eslogans as `Go Phil Go'. The duration of the event caused that a group of students lost part of a class, said the sources of the LAUSD.
Someone from the "anonymous refuge of cyberspace" just stated that I should be lucky to have half the respect of some political hack like Trujillo?
Time to play "dodge car" at rush hour on the 405.
I think Trujillo is brilliant and if I had a Measure I wanted pushed, I would definitely want him on my side.
first and foremost, you have to be retarded to compare lil mike to Mr. Senator Padilla.
You all are just jealous of Trujillo's swagger.
some ill swagger at that, so stop hating!
I agree with 8:32 PM. Trujillo is brilliant and who wouldn't want him on their team?
Those who can, do. Those who can't, talk trash about those who can through the use of anonymous blog postings.
It's sad how some people attempt to create a sense of self worth by trying to bring down others.
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