Clampers Involved In Fatal Accident

E Clampus Vitus is in mourning as one of its members was killed and several others were injured in a morning traffic accident Sunday in the South Sacramento area.

Action News Now reported:

PARADISE, Calif. - The Clampers (E Clampus Vitus or ECV) of Paradise are grieving Sunday after a morning freeway incident on Highway 50 in South Sacramento that ended with the death of one of their members and major injuries for four other Clampers.

The ride was held by the Vituscan Riders, made up of Clampers who love to ride motorcycles who live in Sacramento or other parts of Northern California. 

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) told our sister NBC-affiliate station (KCRA) that the crash involved 13 motorcycles and a car. It occurred at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, January 12, 2025.

KCRA said the CHP told them that five people were transported for medical care with major injuries, and that one person died at the hospital.

On Sunday the Paradise Clamper Humbug (president) Dustin Hawley told Action News Now that the motorcycle rider who died was a Paradise Clamper named Brian Shaw. He was 45 years old. 

To read more, go here. 

Condolences to the family and friends of Brian Shaw. To help the Shaw Family, a Go Fund Me page has been set up. Go here.

Shōgun and Osaka Castle

Above, Osaka Castle in 2015. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in the 1980s, there was a mini-series based on James Clavell's book, Shōgun. It was basically a soap opera set in feudal Japan. 

It was an enjoyable mini-series and, in 1977, I met James Clavell in Sacramento at a birthday party at the Capitol.

Above, James Clavell is at right in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Shōgun is now back in the form of a new FX mini-series. It is seeing rave reviews.

One place that the new mini-series is set at is Osaka Castle. I visited Osaka Castle twice. The first was in 2004 with G-TOUR and then in 2015.

Screen Rant has posted an article on the significance of Osaka Castle in Shōgun.

They begin it with:

The new FX hit series Shōgun features Osaka Castle as a setting, and there's prominent real-world history and information that's fascinating to know about the location. Based on the 1975 novel of the same name, written by James Clavell, the 2024 TV series has been met with astounding acclaim, with critics even drawing comparisons to Game of Thrones in the show's scale and production value excellence. Set in the year 1600, Shōgun may be based on a novel, but its narrative is rooted in fascinating history.

To read more, go here. 

Forty Years of ECV

Above, my official "sheepskin" of ECV membership. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I forgot to mention that last month (gettin' old) marked 40 years since I was initiated into the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus.

Glenn Thornhill and I went through the initiation rites at the New Helvetia Chapter No. 5 Crab Feed doins in the Sacramento area in January 1984. 

We were in Sacramento for a friend's wedding and it happened that the chapter had their annual crab feeds that weekend.

Joining ECV was one of the best things I've ever done. I still enjoy going to Clampouts and other activities. Fortunately for me, a Clamper chapter, Lost Dutchman Chapter No.  5917 + 4, covers Arizona and New Mexico. So I've joined them. Prior to moving to New Mexico, I was mainly active in Platrix Chapter No. 2. 

Here's to another 40 years!

Republican Party of New Mexico Organizational Meeting

Last evening, I received the following email from the Republican Party of New Mexico.

Dear Friends, The following are helpful details regarding the Biennial Organizational Meeting next month and "Save the Date" information:   Biennial Organizational Meeting of the State Central Committee  “Save the Date”   December 3, 2022 9:00am New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum 4100 Dripping Springs Rd. Las Cruces, NM 88011

Even though Las Cruces is over 300 miles away, I am considering attending. I have been to Las Cruces once, which was for the Southern New Mexico State Fair last year. The party will be electing new officers to run the party machinery. 

I used to regularly attend the California Republican Party's state conventions, often as a voting delegate. The conventions that held elections of new officers were held in Sacramento. Driving down to Las Cruces would be about the same driving distance as Los Angeles to Sacramento. 

The California State Central Committee Conventions ran for three days. The New Mexico one appears to be a one-day affair. As such, this is probably why they call it a "meeting" instead of a convention.

37 Years of Clamperdom

 A little bit ago, I happened to glance at my E Clampus Vitus "sheepskin" and noticed the date on it, January 13, 1984.

That means it's been 37 years (and one month) since being initiated into the Ancient and Honor Order of E Clampus Vitus.

Glenn Thornhill and I were initiated as P.B.C.s at the 1984 New Helvetia Chapter No. 5's crab feed in the Sacramento area.

It's Getting Cheaper To Fly To Hawaii

Above, a view of Diamond Head from Waikiki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If you live in or near Northern California and want to vacation in Hawaii, you're in luck!

An expansion of air routes with low-cost airfares are being offered.

AFAR Media reported:

With fares as low as $159 one-way, our winter travel plans just got a serious boost from Southwest Airlines’ major Hawaii expansion. 

Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines is adding several new Hawaii routes from Sacramento, Oakland, and San Jose with one-way fares starting as low as $159. 

As of mid-January 2020, the airline will have new, daily service between Sacramento and Honolulu. There will also be new nonstop service to both Lihue Airport on Kauai and Hilo International Airport on the Island of Hawaii from both Oakland and San Jose—this will be the first time Southwest will be servicing those two Hawaii hubs. 

The flights are all currently bookable for travel into early March and range from $159 for a one-way flight midweek up to $448 for a one-way fare during the weekend, with the bulk of flights landing in the $200 to $350 range each way.

To read more, go here. 

ECV Membership Certificate

Back in January 1984, while up in Sacramento for a wedding, I was initiated into the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus along with (currently XSNGH) Glenn Thornhill through New Helvetia Chapter No. 5. I was at the "ripe old age" of 29 at the time.

During my recent move from California to New Mexico, I "unearthed" my original certificate of membership into the Order. It sustained some discoloration (in the shape of a missing chunk of glass) after the original frame's glass broke and I set it aside to prevent any further damage (such as tearing).

I have since re-framed it and it is proudly mounted on a wall at my new abode with an illustration of John Wayne nearby to keep an eye on it (as he's wearing his Rooster Cogburn eyepatch, he can only watch it with one eye):

There is no longer a New Helvetia Chapter No. 5 in E Clampus Vitus. It was de-chartered around 2014 by the ECV Grand Council due to some major infractions. The Sacramento area is now represented by the John A. Sutter Chapter #1841.

California Gasoline Tax Goes Up Tomorrow

Above, California already has some of the highest gas prices in the country. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown and the Democrat-controlled legislature, California's gasoline tax goes up twelve cents tomorrow.

The Daily News reported:

The day after Halloween, an unpopular force lurking in gas pumps will start siphoning more money from Californians’ wallets. 

It’s not the plot from a horror movie. It’s a 12-cents per gallon increase in the state’s base gasoline-excise tax that takes effect Wednesday, Nov. 1. The increase raises the tax to 30 cents a gallon, with adjustments for inflation starting in 2020 that could make it even more expensive. 

Taxes on California diesel fuel are going up as well. The excise tax on diesel will rise 20 cents, making the total tax 36 cents a gallon. And the diesel sales tax rate will go from 1.75 to 5.75 percent. 

But wait. There’s a sequel. 

Starting next year, a new fee ranging from $25 to $175 based on a vehicle’s worth will be added to the cost of vehicle registration, with zero-emission vehicles subject to a $100 annual fee starting in July 2020.

That's what happens when you have a one-party rule.

To read more, go here. 

The Looney Left Report: Deal With Big Labor To Raise California's Minimum Wage To $15

The Looney Left Report

Sacramento's socialists are cow-towing to their patron saints again: Big Labor. That's no surprise. But it will further poison California's business climate.

Governor Jerry Brown is expected to announce on Monday that the state minimum wage will rise to $15.00 an hour.

The Los Angeles Times reported:

Lawmakers and labor unions have struck a tentative deal to raise the statewide minimum wage to $10.50 an hour next year and then gradually to $15, averting a costly political campaign this fall and possibly putting California at the forefront of a national movement. 

The deal was confirmed Saturday afternoon by sources close to the negotiations who would speak only on condition of anonymity until Gov. Jerry Brown makes a formal announcement as early as Monday.

Texas, Nevada and Arizona will need to prepare for an economic boon in the next few years as California businesses will be looking to relocate to these and other business-friendly states. The ones that don't relocate will most likely close up shop.

To read more, go here.

California's Drought Continues: No Measurable Rain In Bay Area In January

Too Many People Making The Problem Worse

December in the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of Northern California had one of the wettest Decembers on record.

Then, we moved into January and the rains all ended. For the month of January, the total amount of rainfall in the Bay Area and Sacramento was...zip, zero, nada.

This is the first time on record that no measurable rainfall dropped on the Bay Area for a month.

According to the San Jose Mercury News:

For the first time ever, San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento have recorded no rainfall for the month of January -- nada drop. 

San Jose has received a record-low .02 inches, and no rain is forecast for at least a week. 

Adding more ominous news to California's historic drought, the Bay Area's rainy season has swung from boom to bust, with the month of January wrapping up as the driest on record. 

"Dismally meager," is how the state Department of Water Resources on Thursday described the precious Sierra snowpack, which has plummeted statewide to 25 percent of its average for this time of year.

February is generally the wettest month of the year. Hopefully, we will have a normal or above-normal month of rainfall.

California is having a tough time with this drought. We've had others before, but we've never had such an explosion in population growth. There's just too many people here and the state is trying to bring in more "water-sucking" people (according to the People's Republic of California blog).

It has gotten so bad in Southern California, that it seems that the weekend freeway traffic in L.A. is worse than during work days.

To read more, go here.

Democrats Want To Impose Mileage Tax On California Drivers

The Looney Left Report

The Looney Left in Sacramento is now claiming that because gasoline prices have dropped, the state of California is not getting as much revenue in taxes. Now they are thinking about imposing a "mileage tax" on California drivers.

According to CBS in San Francisco:

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — With an increase in electric and hybrid vehicles along with better fuel-efficient vehicles, changing Bay Area drivers habit are posing a serious problem for state coffers. 

As motorists use less and less gas, gas tax revenuesto pay for state highways, roads and bridges shrink. Meanwhile, as gas prices fall, so does the sales tax generated by fuel sales. In California, among the taxes collected on fuel is a 2.25% sales tax on gasoline and a 9.67 percent tax on diesel. 

Some state lawmakers feel a mileage tax is the best solution.

This is what happens when you have a state controlled by one party with no real opposition party to thwart their schemes for a California socialistic utopia.

One one side of their mouths, they want people to drive hybrids and fuel-efficient cars. After many people have done so, they then cry from the other side of their mouths that the state is not taking in as much tax revenue, so they want to gouge drivers with a new "mileage tax." If they were to implement a "milage tax," do you really think they would abolish the present gasoline taxes? Not on your life!

Besides the article, the comments posted by readers are good reads. Most of the the comments are right on the mark. And this is a San Francisco station?

To read more, go here.

And, for another report on the mileage tax, go here.

The 39th Anniversary of My 21st Birthday

Above, the first legal drink after turning 21.

The first legal alcoholic "adult" beverage I had after turning 21 was on February 7, 1975 in the bar at the old Senator Hotel in Sacramento, just across the street from the California State Capitol Building. I was there for the bi-annual convention of the California Republican Party (known then as the Republican State Central Committee). That was the convention in which the new party leaders were elected. (Those were the days when California actually had a viable GOP.) How do I know the date of that momentous event? Well, it is written in back of the photo.

The drink was a vodka and Seven-Up, which was one my favorites at the time. The above photograph commemorated the occasion. That was a fun weekend. In fact, a group of us later had a grand time doing Richard Nixon imitations in that bar. So grand a time we had, that we didn't immediately notice U.S. Senator Robert Packwood of Oregon sitting nearby watching us. I don't remember if he was scowling or smiling. I think he was scowling.

It is hard to believe that 39 years whisked by since then. Tomorrow I am turning sixty, which (some say) is the new fifty. Okay, I'll go along with that so nobody will get an argument from me on that point. Maybe I should take a page out of President Reagan's book and call it the "39th anniversary of my 21st birthday."

Fortunately for me, I feel as well as I did on that milestone day in Sacramento. I am in great health. I walk about a mile every night. Keeping the brain exercised by blogging and through other writing activities is very important. It helps to keep the mind sharp. Perusing hobbies and being engaged in current events is also healthy for the mind. These things I also do. It also helps to have a fine lady in my life. She keeps me on my toes.

Some people get depressed over aging. I'd imagine I would be too if I had health problems. My great-uncle used to say, "Growing old isn't so bad when you consider the alternative." One should look at aging with a sense of humor. (By the way, here's a bunch of "turning 60 jokes to enjoy: http://seniors.lovetoknow.com/Turning_60_Jokes. The woman pictured looks older than 60 to me.)

Ten years ago, the fiftieth anniversary of Godzilla was celebrated. At the time, I remembered my late mother griping about another movie monster's fiftieth anniversary. Back in 1983, there was a bit of a hoopla over the the fiftieth anniversary of King Kong. My mother complained that it reminded her of her age as she was born in 1933, the year that King Kong was released. As Godzilla and I both arrived in 1954, and since I was involved in some of the festivities surrounding Godzilla's anniversary, it didn't bother me as Kong's fiftieth anniversary annoyed my mother. I still remembered her annoyance, though. I haven't yet heard Godzilla complaining about turning 60. He's probably too busy with the new movie that's coming out in May to even notice.

I do feel fortunate to have reached this age. (Believe me, I've earned every year of it.) Several friends of my age group have passed away over the past fifteen or so years. I would have liked nothing more than to have been able to celebrate our entrance into "sexagenarianhood" together with them. (Sexagenarian, I like the sound of that!) But it was  not to be. I will raise a glass or two in a toast to them when I am in Japan.

It has been an interesting 60 years. I've seen many places, met many people (some were the movers and shakers of the time), witnessed some history and done quite a number of things. I don't plan on slowing down anytime soon. I am still having fun.

It's been a good ride! So far.

Time Marched On

People under 40 generally don't have a concept of the passage of time. They may have a little bit of an idea, but once they get past 40, they start noticing that time seems to go by quicker and things that seemed like "only yesterday" actually happened decades before.

To me, it seems like yesterday that I was still in college and working in political campaigns. One of them was the 1973 Special Election in the old 67th Assembly District. In that campaign, Gardena City Councilman Paul Bannai beat Torrance City Treasurer Thomas Rupert. Rupert, a Democrat, tried to carpetbag his way into the California State Assembly by renting an apartment in the district. Once this came out, Bannai, a Republican, beat Rupert pretty handily. What was more remarkable, the district was fairly solidly Democrat.

I worked in Bannai's district office as a field representative following his election.

I ran into Bannai at the New Year's Day celebration in Little Tokyo. He is a spry 93 year old. When he first ran for the State Assembly, he was younger than I am now.

It also seems like "almost yesterday" that I took a vacation trip up to Sacramento in 1977. There, Bannai and I sat down in his Capitol office for the following photo:

And here we are 37 years later:

Amazing how time flies!

RNC Honors Paul Bannai As A "California Trailblazer"

Above, Armand with Paul Bannai in 1977 in Sacramento.

As I mentioned in this post from January, 2013 marks 40 years since the special election in the old 67th Assembly District (Hawthorne, Lawndale, Gardena, Torrance) in which Republican Paul T. Bannai was elected to fill the vacancy after the death of Larry Townsend.

I was a part of that campaign and went on to work in Bannai's district office as a field representative handling constituent problems.

Above, Paul Bannai (center) at a Japan Expo at the Los Angeles
Convention Center (circa 2002).  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Fittingly, Bannai was honored with three others by the Republican National Committee last month at their Spring Meeting in Los Angeles.  A luncheon was held honoring Bannai, Dr. Tirso Del Junco, Dr. Sammy Lee and Charles House.

On Bannai, the RNC said:

Paul Bannai was the first Japanese American elected to the California State Legislature, where he served from 1973 to 1980. He is also a former Gardena City Councilmember and served as the Chief Memorial Affairs Director for the Veterans Administration’s National Cemetery System. In World War II, he served in the United State Army’s 442nd Infantry Regiment and Intelligence Service.

To read the article on the California Republican Trailblazers honored by the RNC, go here.

Some 70s Pictures

Rummaging through old photo albums continued. I found some photos from the 1970s when I was much more involved in the political arena.



September 1974. In the above photo, I am presenting a stuffed frog novelty I just picked up while on vacation in Utah to Assemblyman Paul T. Bannai in his district office. At the time, I worked as a staff field representative for Bannai. He was big on frogs and would head off to the Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee every year.

The photo below is the frog I gave to Bannai. I wonder if he still has it.





On February 7, 1975, I had my first legal "adult beverage" in the bar at the Senator Hotel in Sacramento, California. I had just turned 21 three days before. The above photo records the "event." I was in Sacramento for the annual convention of the Republican State Central Committee (now known as the California Republican Party).

That weekend, Spencer Douglass and I were in the bar doing Richard Nixon imitations with Oregon Senator Robert Packwood sitting nearby listening in.



On September 5, 1975, a big Hawaiian-themed party was held at the residence of R. Spencer Douglass, who was planning to run for California state senate the following year. He switched to running for assembly instead. In the photo above, I am with David and Robin Lorenzen. The photo was taken by Assemblyman Bannai. I am wearing a "Reagan Team '76" button. David Lorenzen is the son of former L.A. City Councilman Don Lorenzen.

It was quite a bash. Douglass's home was in Rancho Palos Verdes with a great view of San Pedro Harbor. The home was on a slope and the yard had three levels. The upper level, was where the house was located. The middle level (going downslope) was where the hosted bar was set up. The bottom level was the pool area, where the band was set up for dancing.

The party was the talk of the town in GOP circles for quite a while. It got pretty wild. The next morning, several pairs of panties were found in the planters around the yard.

Back In The Day...

Above, with Assemblyman Bannai in his Capitol office in Sacramento, 1977.

The big news in California today about state Controller John Chiang's decision to withhold the legislature's pay brings me back to the 1970s when I worked off and on as a field representative to then-Assemblyman Paul T. Bannai.

Back in those days, there was more cooperation between the majority Democrat members with the minority Republicans. Bannai was first elected in 1973 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the sudden passing of Democratic Assemblyman Larry Townsend. The Assembly District (first as the 67th and later as the 53rd) covered Gardena, Lawndale, Hawthorne and some parts of Torrance in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County.

Bannai, the first Japanese-American elected to the California legislature, was a realtor and Gardena City Councilman before he won the assembly seat as a Republican. After he won the special election, he asked me to be one of his two field representatives for his district office. I was a student at El Camino College at the time and lived in Hawthorne.

It was as a field representative that I learned press relations work and handled constituent matters. It was a great learning experience.

Bannai served as state assemblyman until 1980. After this, he joined the Reagan Administration at the Veterans' Administration.

Mike Gatto: California's Crybaby Poster Boy

"I halted a fulfilling private sector career path to enter public service. I now have to explain to my wife and daughter that we won't be able to pay the bills because a politician chose to grandstand at our expense." - Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Burbank.

Boo-hoo!

Mike Gatto has now become the poster boy for the fiscal mess in Sacramento. He is whining over losing days of pay for not timely passing a balanced budget.

Well, it seems that he and the other Democrats in the California legislature had no problem in over-taxing California taxpayers, over-regulating businesses and driving other businesses out of the state, over-spending and being over-generous with extravagant benefits packages and pensions for state workers.

Yes, people are hurting financially, but that doesn't stop the Democrats from adding more taxes and fees. They refuse to cut spending. The Democratic Party has ruined this state. The once "Golden State" is no longer business-friendly.

Mike Gatto, you or your Democrat colleagues don't deserve any sympathy. Now that you are getting some payback, you cry like a big baby. The voters in your district (if they have any smarts) will remember this and send you back to the private sector.

It appears that your chickens are coming home to roost!

For once, there is a Democrat that deserves a big round of applause in docking the legislature's pay: Controller John Chiang! Too bad there aren't more like him.

Villaraigosa's Idiotic "Tsunami" Statement

Leave it to L.A.'s playboy Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (a.k.a. El Pollo Antonio) to make a stupid statement. He likened California's budget and tax battle to Japan's earthquake and tsunami.







From China's People's Daily website:

A coalition of local government officials, students, teachers, unionists and business leaders joined a call on Monday, urging Republican legislators to support California Governor Jerry Brown's budget proposal.

The coalition made the call after Brown and a group of Republican lawmakers had failed to reach compromise on ways to address the state budget crisis over the weekend.

"I think it's absolutely outrageous that these people (Republican state legislators) would abdicate their responsibility, sign on to some ideological pledge that says they won't raise revenues even when the state is stuck underwater," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said on behalf of the coalition.

"This would be a tsunami when you think about the devastating impact on families," he said. "My hope is that they'll get back to the table and be responsible, and put this on the ballot. That's all we're asking."

To eliminate the state's 25-billion-dollar budget deficit, Brown wants to ask the voters to decide whether to extend billions in sales, income and vehicle taxes for an additional five years, but Republicans oppose his proposal.

A tsunami?! Stuck underwater?! Thousands of people died, were injured and left homeless due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and Villaraigosa says that the GOP's insistence of budget cuts, holding down taxes and reforming the state employee pension mess (a money-laundering operation for the public employee unions) will have the same effect on families. Incredible!

The mess in Sacramento was caused by his own party, with a little help by ex-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. They have no desire to fix the fiscal mess in Sacramento as it would run counter to the interests of the Democrat Party's constituency groups.

California taxpayers are already being taxed to death and the politicians demand more out of them. The idiocy of Villaraigosa is mind-boggling!

To read the full People's Daily article, go here.

Endorsement List

Above, Armand in Clamper garb at the Godzilla plaque in Los Angeles. Photo by Glenn Thornhill.

The official Mark Reed for Congress website now has yours truly included in his list of endorsements, that also includes a June posting from this blog.

I was amused that the campaign used my blog profile tag line of "Armand Vaquer, A.A., B.A., ECV..." All of those are true. I received my Associate in Arts degree at El Camino College and my Bachelor's of Arts degree at California State University, Long Beach.

ECV? What degree is that, you may ask?

ECV is not a degree, although those initiated should be given one (well, they do; they receive a certificate of membership). ECV stands for the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus. I became a member in 1984 through the New Helvetia Chapter in Sacramento.

E Clampus Vitus is currently a men's fraternal organization of people interested in California and western history. It began as a fraternal organization in the mining camps of the California Gold Rush in the Mother Lode. ECV initially was a burlesque of fraternal orders such as the Oddfellows and the Masons. ECV is also based on humor and hi-jinks. And drink. It is often descibed as a "historical drinking society" or a "drinking historical society." You can take your pick. Members included some celebrities such as Walter Huston, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Gene Autry and President Ronald Reagan. ECV chapters are by county. For instance, my home chapter is Platrix No. 2 in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange Counties. You may have seen commemorative plaques througout California and neighboring states erected by the Clampers. One was erected a few years ago in Los Angeles marking where Raymond Burr's scenes for Godzilla, King of the Monsters! were shot, now the location of the Frank del Olmo Elementary School.

Mark Reed is the Republican nominee for congress in the 27th Congressional District in California. He is up against "the hapless Brad Sherman." (As described by talk show host Rush Limbaugh.)