Newsom Recall Election Officially Triggered

Above, California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Fox News reported the following:

The effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom has received the necessary number of verified signatures to trigger a recall election later this year.

The California Secretary of State said on Monday that the threshold of verified signatures reported by counties, which was set at 1,495,709, had been met.

The campaign collected more than 1.6 million verified signatures, according to the secretary of state’s office.

That's all well and good. The trouble is, the Democrats in California have a stranglehold on the State Senate and State Assembly. California is essentially a one-party state. Even if Newsom is removed from office, unless both houses of the legislature are flipped, nothing will change and California will continue to be the mess it is already in.

To read more, go here. 

...and It Decides To Rain!

Above, the partially assembled chaise lounge just before I was driven indoors. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The chaise lounge I ordered from Wayfair arrived today.

UPS was the delivery company and, like they did with the gas tank for the Jeep, delivered it next door. It seems that their driver isn't too bright as the neighbor's address is plainly visible at his gate.

I had to go over and get it. But before I did, I took off in the Jeep and found the truck up the hill. Needless to say, I have the driver a good chewing out.

Since I had nothing else to do today, I decided to put the lounge together.

When I ordered it, Wayfair had listed the product as requiring "partial assembly". But, when I got it out of the box, the whole thing had to be assembled. Why can't people order stuff that doesn't require assembly with easy to read instructions? Why can't Wayfair give accurate information on products? The instructions are terrible, just diagrams and very little directions to read.

I got most of it assembled when a thunderstorm decided to arrive in the area. I put most everything away and headed into the house as it began to rain big drops. Before the storm arrived, I was harrassed by gnats. Looks like we're in gnat season for about 2 weeks. Good thing I keep a can of insect repellent in a cigar box on the patio table.

The last major part of the assembly is the crossbar at the foot of the lounge. It will require two people to stretch the fabric to allow for attaching the crossbar.

When all is said and done, I intend to give this item a poor review. I was expecting better.

Party Boss Days

This morning, I was scanning some old photographs from my days as the chairman of the 53rd Assembly District Republican Central Committee. Some were pretty faded, but I managed to "tweek" them a bit so they'll look better.

The 53rd Assembly District comprised of Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena and some portions of Los Angeles and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. It had about 24% Republican registration, so it was a matter of time the incumbent, Republican State Assemblyman Paul Bannai, would lose a re-election bid.

Up until 1980, we were lucky that Bannai faced carpetbagger Democratic opponents. In 1980, he faced off against Richard E. "Dick" Floyd, a rather uncouth and bombastic character who was an aide to the area's state senator, Ralph Dills.

The South Bay area had a number of quirky Democrats in the state legislature. Another was State Senator James Q. Wedworth.  One time, I was helping Dan Walker in his campaign for a seat on the Torrance City Council. When Walker held his campaign headquarters grand opening, Wedworth showed up (he was running for re-election that year). Walker had refreshment platters of meats and cheeses for the attendees. Serving forks were placed there for people to serve themselves with. At one point, Wedworth stood next to one of the platters and started eating from the platter with a serving fork. When he was done, he left the fork in the platter and walked off.

When I saw this, my mouth must have dropped in astonishment. Seeing my reaction, a friend (who was on Walker's campaign staff) came over to me with a big grin and said, "Well, Armand. Now you know why they call him Barnyard Jim!"

Anyway, back to Dick Floyd. Floyd beat Bannai for the assembly seat in 1980. Floyd later earned the antipathy of California bikers when he sponsored, and Governor Pete Wilson signed, the motorcycle helmet law.

Bannai later joined the Reagan Administration as head of the veterans cemeteries for the Veterans Administration.

Here's some photos (all by Kenneth Huthmaker):

Alondra Club, September 20, 1980

The 53rd Assembly District Republican Central Committee held a luncheon at the Alondra Club in Lawndale. Besides the usual political speeches, the luncheon featured a "Famous Persons Auction" of items donated by such luminaries as former President Ford, Sen. Barry Goldwater, Caspar Weinburger and others.

Above, Assemblyman Paul Bannai addresses the 53rd Assembly
District Republican Central Committee luncheon held in Lawndale.

Above, yours truly chairing the luncheon. Committee member Patrick Keller is at left.

Gung Hay Chinese Restaurant, February 5, 1981

After Assemblyman Paul Bannai lost his re-election bid the previous November, the 53rd Assembly District Republican Central Committee held the "Salute To Paul Bannai" dinner at the Gung Hay Chinese Restaurant in Gardena. The dinner had about 300 people in attendance and it drew some political heavyweights as Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb, San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson, L.A. County Supervisor Deane Dana, former Democrat Congressman Charles Wilson and many members of city councils of the cities in the district.

The restaurant was located at the former location of Bannai's campaign headquarters during the 1973 special election.

Above (from left), Mrs. Hideko Bannai, Lt. Gov. Mike Curb, former Assemblyman Paul Bannai and Armand Vaquer.

Above (from left), Wesley Bush, Lt. Gov. Mike Curb, Armand Vaquer and Bill Fernandez.

Above (from left), former Assemblyman Paul Bannai, L.A. Co. Supervisor Deane Dana, Armand Vaquer and Hideko Bannai.

Above, yours truly presenting former Assemblyman Bannai with a
 plaque in appreciation of his service in the California State Assembly.

Remembering Senator Bob Beverly

Above, Assembly Minority Leader Bob Beverly and Armand at a Paul
Bannai fundraising dinner on May 6, 1976. Photo by Kenneth Huthmaker.

The other day, I was thinking about the "old days" in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County when I was chairman of my assembly distict Republican central committee.

Back then, I was an elected member of the 53rd Assembly District Republican Central Committee. The committee chose me to be chairman. The GOP was well-represented in the South Bay with Paul Bannai as State Assemblyman in the 53rd Assembly District and Assemblyman Robert G. Beverly in the neighboring 51st Assembly District. Beverly was elected to the State Senate in 1976.

Since I have not lived in the South Bay since 1986, I hadn't heard much of state politics in the area. I knew State Senator Robert G. Beverly of Manhattan Beach had been in retirement, but haven't heard any news about him for some time. He was known in some GOP circles as "the great white father of the South Bay."

So, this morning, I did a Google search and found that former Senator Beverly passed away at age 84 on October 13, 2009.

The Los Angeles Times wrote:

Robert G. Beverly, a Republican who served in the state Legislature for nearly 30 years and may be best known for consumer-protection legislation that led to California's lemon laws, has died. He was 84. 

Beverly, who also was a lawyer, died Wednesday of complications related to Parkinson's disease at his home in Manhattan Beach, said his son William.

Beginning in 1967, Beverly represented the South Bay in the Assembly. Nine years later, he jumped to the Senate to represent the 27th District, which eventually stretched from Rolling Hills to Downey. Term limits forced him to retire in 1996. 

Former Gov. George Deukmejian, who was a close friend, called the moderate Republican "a very effective legislator."

Although Beverly was a moderate, we got along well and he had a very capable staff that was led by his administrative assistant Tom Martin. Those were the days when California had a viable Republican Party. It has since become a one-party state ruled by lunatic leftists.

I am sorry to learn of Beverly's passing nearly 5 years later.