Day 326: The Day After

Well there is carnage, that's for sure. How could two of my women incumbents lose their seats? How I ask? Damn!

Beverly Hills City Councilwoman Nancy Krasne, a true champion for her constituents, lost her seat. Nancy was a great supporter of mine when I ran for LA City Council and I'm just heartbroken over her loss.

NWPC endorsed candidate Lili Bosse did prevail so I am happy to welcome her to the council and to elected life... I just wish she was going to be joining Nancy on the council!

West Hollywood City Councilwoman, Lindsey Horvath lost her bid as well. Damn. I wrote a lot about Lindsey's race and the ugly tone the campaign took... what a disappointment and loss for us all. I'm heartbroken for her too!

Incumbent WeHo Councilwoman Abbe Land did prevail so thank goodness we still have her voice on the council.

And as I wrote last night, my Marisa Perez, candidate for Lakewood city council lost her bid too. And we wonder why more women don't' run.

Let me tell you a positive story...

Marisa called me this morning to debrief the campaign and reflect on the outcome... during her campaign a professor from Long Beach State University had offered his government class students an opportunity to receive school credit in exchange for real life experience working on a campaign.

Some 60 students showed up to work on Marisa's campaign after she visited their class and spoke passionately about why she was running. They volunteered by walking precincts, making phone calls to voters, assembling & delivering lawn signs... it was real hands-on experience for these students.

The professor phoned Marisa today to say he thought she ran a positive, professional campaign and thanked her for her interaction and mentoring efforts toward his students.

He then gave her the best compliment a candidate could hear, which brought her to tears... He said, "Marisa, you gave my students HOPE ...."

I cried too when she told me this story. The truth is in life we get so few opportunities to really make an impact and a difference, whether it is in our community or with young people.

Marisa showed these students that a young woman with a family and a passion could launch a professional campaign and have class throughout it all.

Hope, that is a gift that continues to give whether you win or lose.

Day 325: Disappointed

It's been a long day and night. And a very disappointing one... several of my gals had bad nights at the polls ... more than anyone I know how a loss can sting, and it does... it really hurts.

My sweet Marisa Perez was a complete unknown and gave the Lakewood establishment a good run.... but she came up short tonight in her bid for Lakewood City Council. We worked all day calling voters and gave it our best, but in the end we couldn't pull it off.

The thing is though, Marisa will wake up tomorrow morning and still have her darling parents in town visiting from Texas, her supportive hubby Rudy, and her three healthy precious children. I'd say she wakes up a winner no matter if the voters of Lakewood elected her to office.

And in West Hollywood it's a tragic loss. Lindsey Horvath who was appointed to the council two years ago, lost her seat tonight. What an ugly, nasty election .... don't know why people have to be so negative. Who cares if she was appointed ... you had a chance to vote this time around, you didn't need to be nasty.

And in Beverly Hills, Lili Bosse was victorious, but incumbent Nancy Krasne's race is too close to call. And we all wonder why more women don't run for public office... it's a tough business, very personal, emotional, ugly, and that's just the campaigning part! I'm exhausted from the past few weeks... more tomorrow!

Day 323: More Campaigning ... It Never Ends

The thing about Elections... is there is always one around the corner!

This Tuesday, March 8th is Election Day, you say, "what, I didn't know we have an Election!" Start paying attention people! Lots of great candidates (and not so great) and important issues that as voters you should all be paying attention to!

Today I spent the day stomping for my girl Marisa Perez. Marisa is running for Lakewood City Council. Wow it's been a battle, but she kicking ass!

Nothing like a small hometown community to get things shaken when you have a young, beautiful Latina woman with three young children running! Whew, the sparks can fly... but no worries, Marisa and all of us supporting her are cool and confidant that her outstanding record of public service will be all we need to say.

She is an accomplished woman with many accolades to her credit ... at just 38 years old she has 14 years of experience in public policy, including a stint as a budget analyst for a former President working in the White House... she is a loving mother to three adorable children all 5 and under... and she's a great friend. Her parents have traveled here from Texas to support their daughter in her run, it's an entire family affair!

Win or lose on Tuesday, Marisa is already a winner baby!

Now get out and vote on Tuesday!

Day 320: GOTV

Get-Out-The-Vote... I was back phone banking tonight in West Hollywood for Abbe Land & Lindsey Horvath. Yikes the campaign has developed such an ugly tone.

Pictured here are Lindsey and me at the 2009 National Women's Political Caucus Calendar event!

Why can't voters just use their ballot to mark their decision... why all the nasty comments on Blogs, FaceBook, trashy newspapers... you want to support a particular candidate, great go for it, and if you don't then exercise your right and vote for the candidate of your choice.

When I was running for LA City Council, in a city and district multiple times larger then West Hollywood or Lakewood where Marisa Perez is running or Beverly Hills where Lili Bosse & Nancy Krasne are seeking election, the Blog-machine was a war of words. Nasty, negative, unproductive garbage was posted about me and other candidates as well. Just rhetoric based on nonsense. And very hurtful too.

Marisa called me today to say she had read a very nasty post about herself on a local Blog, I immediately said, "Don't read that garbage!" It's mean spirited, full of lies and is written by people who have nothing better to do then right crap on the Internet.

Ah, such is the life of a candidate. There are good days, and there are rough days. You do have to be tough, thick-skinned and believe that you are running to make a difference.

I applaud all my sisters who are on the ballot next Tuesday, Election Day, March 8th! So Get-Out-The-Vote for these wonder women!

Day 318: One Week Until Election Day

Okay kids, we've got one week to get the message out about our endorsed candidates! What are you doing to help make this happen? I hope you can take a couple of hours over the next week to support one of your favorite candidates be victorious on March 8th.

It is very important that women, and these women, have a voice for the policy that will be set forth in your communities. If you have not read my previous Blog posts about who I am supporting...here's a recap.

In the city of West Hollywood I am supporting incumbents Abbe Land & Lindsey Horvath.

Both in a tough battle, especially Lindsey, who was appointed to office two years ago and has push back from some who were not happy about the process. The campaign has taken a very ugly tone. I phoned banked again last night for these two candidates and believe me any time you can give to connect with voters and encourage them to support Abbe & Lindsey, will make a difference.

If you have never made calls on behalf of a candidate, join me this Thursday at Abbe & Lindsey's campaign office and we'll do it together! I promise you will feel so proud that you took an active role in your civic responsibility!

In Beverly Hills I am supporting incumbent Nancy Krasne and first time candidate Lili Bosse.

Pictured here is me with Nancy at an event that she attended on my behalf when I was a candidate for city council.

Both Nancy & Lili will continue to serve their city well and make us proud!

In the city of Lakewood I am supporting Marisa Perez. She too is in a very tough race, running against a very entrenched bureaucracy where council members have held office for 30 plus years. On Election Day I will be pounding the pavement for Marisa encouraging her supporters to get out and VOTE.

These are accomplished women and they have made a very tough decision to run for office. I know this first hand. It is tough, emotional and personal to run for office and be pounded everyday by your opponents and naysayers. Please do what you can to ensure a victory for these fabulous women who will truly make the decisions you would make if you were in their role!

Day 309: 30th Birthday Party & Lakewood Campaigning

Today I headed out to Lakewood to walk precincts for gal pal and fabulous city council candidate Marisa Perez. This was on the heels of a fabulous 30th birthday party I attended last night for Melissa Solomon. Melissa is Lissa & Ken Solomon's daughter and those Solomon's really know how to host a party!

Pictured here is me and Ken (holding the slider) and gal pals Stacy Bell & Stacy Fischler.

They had a fabulous food truck parked in front of the house offering sliders and onion rings, so yummy. All the cocktails were "pink" and there was a fun photo booth ... all this despite the downpour of rain! But they pulled it off and a great time was had by all.

Today the sun was shining and it was crisp and cool, a perfect day to walk and talk to voters. Marisa is in a tough race up against the "establishment" which doesn't welcome fresh new players very often. Most of the incumbents have been in office for 20 or 30 years (no term limits, although voting is considered a term limit, and these guys have had few challengers & never got voted out of office).

She's working very hard and knows what she's talking about... I just hope the Lakewood voters recognize what she offers and cast their votes for her on March 8th.

Campaigning can be very rewarding, but also very frustrating. But today we walked, and talked to voters, and spread her message. It was all good!

Day 306: More Great Women Candidates

Tonight I did some campaigning on behalf of two outstanding women running for public office. West Hollywood city council members Abbe Land & Lindsey Horvath are running for re-election. Not only are they champions of women, community, health care, choice, environment, and all the other issues I carry near to my heart, they are also friends.

These are women, who over the years through our political circles, have always shared a fondness and mutual love & respect with me. Abbe is a true leader not only in West Hollywood but throughout Los Angeles County. She has mentored women, supported them, and along the way always displayed a calmness and grace even when confronting battle tough campaigns that turned very ugly over the years.

Lindsey is a young and inspiring woman with potential to continue building on her accomplishments and is not only making her peers proud, but also us "mama" figures too.

If you live in West Hollywood I implore you to cast your votes for these accomplished women on March 8th. If you live outside their city, you surely know people who live in West Hollywood, so please implore them to vote.

As I called voters tonight, I was pleased by Yes responses and dismayed by the negative No comments from voters. Brings back a lot of memories for me. Some very painful.

All the lies and negative items posted about you as a candidate. All the ugly people spewing inaccurate information about you as a person, your character, your accomplishments. It's so very painful, and that is why so few of us jump in the frying pan.

I must applaud my women colleagues, Abbe, Lindsey and my friend Marisa Perez all strong women running for office this election cycle. We also have two outstanding women running for city council in Beverly Hills, Nancy Krasne & Lili Bosse. I will post more about them tomorrow.

Use your voice, vote for these candidates and let women around the world know that we deserve to make the decisions that impact our lives!

Day 294: Celebrating Women Candidates

Spent this beautiful Saturday stomping for my gal pal Marisa Perez, a candidate for Lakewood City Council. I've written about Marisa and her campaign often on my BLOG. I invite you to learn more about her and her passion for making her community a great place to raise a family. www.MarisaForLakewoodCouncil.com

Later in the day I had the honor of meeting another candidate who is running for City Council in Beverly Hills. The National Women's Political Caucus, the political group I serve on the Board of, has a PAC (political action committee) and we interview candidates who seek an endorsement from our organization.

Data reflects that people will vote by gender, ethnicity or by common interests. If a candidate has the NWPC LOGO on her campaign collateral, it tells voters that this candidate supports a woman's right to choice, pay equity, and fostering more women leaders. That might just be enough for a voter to cast a vote for this candidate so an endorsement from our group is significant and meaningful.

Lili Bosse met with our PAC and outlined her campaign strategy and reasons for seeking a seat on the Beverly Hills Council. I thoroughly enjoy meeting candidates. As a former candidate and a person who spends a bulk of my time in politics and on campaigns, I find it fascinating and inspiring to meet women candidates and hear their passion about their race.

Lili is a life long resident of Beverly Hills and a very cemented community leader. Years serving on various Boards and Commissions, including the Planning Commission, will serve her well in her post as a council member. To learn more about Lili, her vision for the city, and what motivates her to run, visit http://www.electlilibosse.com/

It was a great day for women candidates and I was proud to share a small part of it!

Day 285: Supporting Women Candidates

I know I may sound like a broken record on this issue, but that's just fine by me. I am passionate about ensuring that we have more women in public office. I write extensively on my blog and on other electronic publications about the benefits of women in appointed or elected office. I speak elaborately about my mission to recruit, train and support women to run for office.

I have also been writing a lot lately about my association to the Marisa Perez campaign. Marisa is running for city council in Lakewood. I am committed to seeing her be victorious.

Tonight I hosted a fundraiser in her honor. In addition to training and supporting women candidates, we also need to raise them resources in order for them to communicate their message with voters. With no funds, there is no campaign. It's that simple. It's very costly to run a campaign and spread your vision for the community. A team must be built, mail collateral designed and mailed, lawn signs printed, voter data purchased, and on and on. It's not a cheap enterprise.

So tonight I had Marisa share with my friends & colleagues why she is running and what she plans to deliver for her community. It was an invigorating evening full of inspiring conversation and hope for the future. I'm so proud of Marisa and all my women friends who are brave enough to add their names to the ballot.

To support Marisa by volunteering or making a contribution, please visit www.MarisaForLakewoodCouncil.com

Day 280: Trolling for Votes

Today was a gorgeous sunshine day in Southern California! A day to be outside that's for sure. I spent the day walking precincts for my friend Marisa Perez who is a candidate for Lakewood City Council. Nothing like getting out and meeting voters face-to-face!

If you have never stomped for votes, I recommend you give it a try. It can be very empowering and invigorating. It also can be very frustrating to see how few people really care about who their elected leaders are... yet they are probably the loudest complainers!

Walking door-to-door today brought up a lot of emotions for me about my own campaign and the experiences I encountered when knocking on my neighbor's doors. Residents in the 5th district in Los Angeles, where I ran for city council, were far more rude and hostile then in the small town of Lakewood. It's also different when you are not the candidate. It's not as personal. It's hard to stand at someones door and have them size you up, make rude comments, slam the door, or yell at you ... yet it is the most effective tool when campaigning for a municipal race.

The personal connection leaves an indelible mark on voters. They are impressed that you have come to their door, taken your time to share a candidate with them.

If you really want to help a candidate win, their are two invaluable tasks you can perform to ensure victory ... make a contribution & walk on their behalf! To learn more about my friend Marisa, visit www.marisaforlakewoodcouncil.com

Day 266: Campaign Kick-Off Day

Talk about bringing back memories! Today was my friend Marisa Perez's campaign kick-off for her race for Lakewood City Council. I've posted about Marisa several times before, and I hope you will consider supporting her candidacy http://www.marisaforlakewoodcouncil.com/

While I don't have the desire to run for public office again, my passion continues with supporting other qualified and talented women to run and win. Today we assembled at a beautiful park in the Lakewood community where Marisa was surrounded by family and friends. The park was full of parents and children and it just felt like a perfect match for Marisa, a young mom herself with three darling children.

From there off we went to greet voters at their homes to introduce them to Marisa and tell them why they should vote for her on March 8th. Oh my gosh, it brought back so many memories. The hours, and hours, and hours and days and days and days I walked my district. It's exhausting, painful, emotional, inspiring, gratifying and overwhelming. However, it is the old fashion way to campaign, and is the proven and most affective way to reach voters with your message. But is takes a very confidant and assured person to knock on countless doors and talk politics.

I walked with a former Chamber colleague Catherine Gaughen who is President of the Cerritos Chamber (a neighboring community) and we had a great time. Mostly because we adore the subject we were campaigning for.... Marisa is fresh, smart, and wants to preserve the quality life in Lakewood to raise her family.

I am hosting an event for Marisa at my home on January 27th and invite you to attend to meet my candidate and support our efforts to get her elected. It was a great way to spend Saturday, stomping for a cool woman, and doing what I have passion for.

Day 260: Campaign Strategy Dinner

Great way to kick-off the New Year by attending a "kitchen cabinet" meeting for Marisa Perez' campaign for Lakewood City Council. Marisa is a dear friend, a former colleague of mine from the LA Area Chamber of Commerce, a mom to three young children, and a rock star candidate. The Election is March 8th.

Tonight we met with her political consultant and other political operatives from the Long Beach & Lakewood communities to map out the campaign strategy. I was honored to be included and working with Marisa on her communication plan. Please visit http://www.marisaforlakewoodcouncil.com/ to learn more about Marisa's accomplishments and goals for her community.

And save Thursday, January 27th for an event at my house to meet Marisa and support her candidacy. Being active and engaged in a campaign was a great way to kick start the New Year today!

Day 243: Celebrating Our Victories

Tonight I attended the Annual NWPC Holiday Party! As I have written about many times before on my Blog, the National Women's Political Caucus is an organization near and dear to my heart & my politics. I have served on the Board for a dozen years and continue to participate. Tonight was our signature Holiday event where members have an opportunity to mingle with other like-minded, politically savvy people as well as elected officials.

I was happy to have big sis Michele, niece Zoe and little bro Josh Ritter join me at tonight's festivities. This year was a very successful one for NWPCs endorsed candidates. We sent many women to the State Assembly including my very own State assembly woman Holly J. Mitchell. It feels good to continue working toward our goal of 50/50 by 2020, (50% representation by women in all branchs of government) however, there is still much work to be accomplished.

That's why I continue to recruit, encourage and support women to consider running and serving in public office. This week I was proud to help announce the candidacy of dear gal pal Marisa Perez, who is running for City Council in the city of Lakewood. The Election is in March and this is her first political run. I will be profiling Marisa on my Blog over the months leading up to Election Day and I hope you will consider supporting her. To learn more about Marisa, please visit her website at http://www.MarisaForLakewoodCouncil.com/

And to learn more about the wonderful work performed by NWPC LA Westside, please visit our site at www.LAWestsideNWPC.org

Day 241: 24 Hours

What I Accomplished in 24 Hours

Drafted & emailed to 75 media outlets a Press Release announcing gal pal Marisa Perez' candidacy for Lakewood City Council *Ran 7 miles *Worried about Bailey (our gorgeous Golden Retriever of 9 years) while he underwent surgery for a growth that had to be biopsied * Attended niece Esme's musical Broadway performance * Wrote Letter of Recommendation for gal pal Candace * Visited the podiatrist * Picked up custom orthodics* Grocery shopped at Trader Joe's *Packed 2 lunches * Cooked breakfast & dinner * Celebrated boys making Palisades Charter High School Baseball team * Sent Good Luck note to college boy for finals* Picked up and dropped off teenage sons Harrison & Spencer from school in the Palisades * Took son Spencer to physical therapy * Made coffee for hubby Brian * Washed dishes * Folded laundry * Got gas in the Cadillac * Went to the bank * Posted to my Birthday Blog * Made Holiday reservations * Made dental appointments for boy's * Had eyebrows waxed & colored * Spoke to numerous people on the phone * Wrote & responded to numerous emails * Sent multiple texts *Picked up college boy from airport .... and I question why I'm always tired!