The ripples from the falling out at the last CRA convention continue to cause ill will and consternation among many units and members of the CRA. According to my sources in SoCal, where the majority of the action is, quite a few members have left or are considering leaving the CRA over this in-fighting. However, the epicenter of this mess is still in Placer County, where the FBI has been investigating alleged financial irregularities in the local CRA unit/GOP Central Committee.
The investigation and the negative image it’s been creating on local republicans prompted Senators Doug LaMalfa-R and Ted Gaines-R and Assemblywoman Gaines-R to send a letter to the Placer County Central Committee, urging them to open their books and prove they have nothing to hide. The letter went unanswered.
When a republican central committee brushes off two republican senators and an Assemblywoman…it’s very unusual to say the least and you might think something isn’t right. This prompted Gaines and LaMalfa to show up at the committee’s July meeting and ask politely, what the heck is going on up here? The senators received a chilly reception.
We can sort of understand why LaMalfa (a local farmer) might have been unpopular with this group, he defeated their heavily favored candidate in the last election. But, Gaines has been a rising star, a republican favorite and may be soon headed to Congress.
LaMalfa defeated Rick Keene, a local Chico attorney and It was a pretty rough contest that divided republican groups and some still haven’t gotten over it. As you may recall, Keene backed Olivehurst real estate broker Dan Logue to replace him in his Assembly seat as he sought to extend his political ambitions in the Senate. Logue made it and Keene is now working as a registered lobbyist in Sacramento.
Assemblyman Logue will be a guest of the Placer County Republican’s Annual BBQ this month. Wonder if Senators Gaines and LaMalfa were invited?
2012 is drawing close folks and the CRA’s internal mess needs to be handled right and get it fixed, so we can move forward. We need a united front in Calif. for 2012.
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