80TH ASSEMBLY: Palm Springs mayor trails by only 253 votes in tight battle for Democratic nomination.

12:01 AM PDT on Thursday, June 8, 2006

By DAVID HERMANN
The Press-Enterprise PALM SPRINGS – Trailing by 253 votes in his bid to win the Democratic primary in the 80th State Assembly District, Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden held a news conference on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to announce that he was not conceding yet.

"With thousands of votes still out, I'm going to wait," Oden said.

Oden and fellow Democrat Steve Clute are vying for the right to take on incumbent Bonnie Garcia, of Cathedral City, in November's general election. Garcia ran unopposed in Tuesday's Republican primary.

Although Election Day is over with Clute the apparent winner, registrars in Riverside and Imperial counties said thousands of provisional and absentee ballots dropped off at polling places Tuesday have yet to be counted.

Rebecca Martine, Riverside County's Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters, said certification of the election results will probably take the entire 28 days allowed by law.

"We will give updates between now and when we certify," Martine said, adding that updated vote totals will be available on the registrar's Web site.

Imperial County's Registrar of Voters, Dolores Provencio, said her county has at least 2,000 ballots left to count. Candidates cannot request a recount until after an election is certified, Provencio said.

On Wednesday, Oden said he does not plan to seek a recount if he loses.

Oden held a 669-vote lead in the Riverside County portion of the district. But Clute led by a wider 922-vote margin in Imperial County.

In between congratulatory calls and television and newspaper interviews on Wednesday, Clute expressed cautious optimism about the race's outcome.

"It may not be totally over yet, but I like my position," he said.

During the campaign, all three candidates cited education, the environment and growth as among the most important issues confronting the 80th Assembly District, which includes all of Imperial County and snakes through eastern Riverside County from Palm Springs to Blythe, avoiding the Republican strongholds of Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells.

Oden's campaign benefited from more money and a candidate whose name is well known in the Coachella Valley. Oden also boasts some national and statewide name recognition by virtue of his status as Palm Springs's first black and first openly gay mayor.

But Oden's name and fundraising edge apparently did not translate as well in rural, heavily Latino Imperial County where Clute's relied on months of face-to-face campaigning and his record as the region's former assembly representative from 1982 to 1992.

Prior to the election Oden, a former educator and longtime Palm Springs city councilman before becoming mayor in 2003, expressed some concern about the perception that he was a product of the Coachella Valley and unfamiliar with the southeastern portion of the district.

To compensate, Oden tried to spend more time campaigning in Imperial County and promised to acquire a second home there if elected to get a better feel for the area.

Oden labeled Clute a candidate from the past while dubbing himself a representative of the future. Oden emphasized his experience working in nonpartisan city politics and said that would help him work both sides of the aisle in Sacramento, unlike Garcia, whom he claimed has been too partisan.

Clute said his status as a Democrat in a state legislature controlled by Democrats would give him the ability to do more for the 80th District than Republican Garcia

A former U.S. Navy pilot and state assemblyman who works as the head of the nonprofit Children's Spine Foundation in Riverside, Clute was reluctant to criticize Oden, who entered the race months after the former announced his intention to run last year.

Although some campaign watchers criticized the primary battle between Clute and Oden as listless and uninspiring, Clute praised Oden's campaign for making it a competitive race.

"Ron Oden came on hard and tough and made this closer, certainly than I wanted it to be," he said.

At Wednesday's new conference, Oden blamed Clute's lead on a concerted effort by labor unions to defeat the mayor for his controversial council vote in favor of a Wal-Mart Supercenter that recently opened in Palm Springs.

"Somehow this one vote became a litmus test," he said.

Oden said he does not plan to seek a second stint as mayor when his current term expires next year.

"I believe 12 years of one person's voice in local government is enough," he said.

Oden said he would back Clute against Garcia if the current results hold up.

"I ran because I believed I was the only candidate who could win that seat," Oden said. "However if he wins, I'm a Democrat and I will support him."

 
Keith Matheny
The Desert Sun
June 7, 2006 June 7, 2006

That vote rallied labor unions against him, Oden said.

“Their goal was to get me. They said I was the target,” he said. “They are the ones who actually made this (a) race.”

Oden said he did not regret his Wal-Mart vote.

When asked if he would consider a recount should the margin between him and Clute remain close, Oden replied, “I doubt it.”

The winner of the primary will face incumbent Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, in the general election Nov. 7.

For more, read Thursday’s The Desert Sun.thedesertsun.com | Oden not ready to concede defeat

Nicole C. Brambila
The Desert Sun
June 3, 2006 June 3, 2006

Give up?

Both candidates have lost Congressional bids to a Bono – Sonny and Mary that is.

The 57-year-old Clute, who held a state Assembly office from 1982 to 1992, made an unsuccessful bid against then Palm Springs Mayor Sonny Bono in 1994.

"Had I realized what a celebrity Sonny Bono was, I don't think I would have run," Clute said Wednesday.

And Oden, the 56-year-old openly gay mayor of Palm Springs, six years ago challenged Mary Bono for the congressional seat she's held since Sonny, her husband, died in a skiing accident.

Oden let out a hearty laugh Thursday when the odd similarity was compared to the cult game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon."

OAS_AD('300x250_1');

Inspired by the stage play "Six Degrees of Separation," the game requires players to connect any film actor to Bacon in as few links as possible.Today, Clute and Oden are trying to topple Garcia, who's held her state post since 2002.

Their platforms are both Democratic- education, the environment, a living wage and so forth.

So, what separates them? Depends which candidate you ask.

For Clute, it's the basics – getting out and talking with people in the district.

"You really don't need (polls) if you're doing your homework and meeting people out in the street," Clute said.

"For win or for lose, I believe I'm in it for the right reasons."

Sure, today's candidates have to shake hands and kiss babies like they always have, Oden said. They also have to be tech savvy.

"I don't think that high-tech alone is going to do it," Oden said. "And, I'm not that kind of person."

Oden has a glossy Web site.

Clute doesn't.

But for Oden, the distinction in this race is simple: recent experience.

"It has been decades since we've had anyone in this position with any local experience," Oden said. "I have that. I know the local issues, the local politicians."

The Race

The 80th Assembly District is comprised by all of Imperial County (Brawley, El Centro, Salton Sea) and part of Riverside County (Palm Springs, Indio, Blythe).Steve Clute

The Desert Sun
June 1, 2006 June 1, 2006

Strong ties to the valley mark another of Oden's strengths. He has served on a variety of regional bodies, including the board of directors for the United Way of the Desert. That experience comes through when Oden talks about how he would help the district if elected. He focuses on bringing state dollars to the valley to ensure we have more than one transportation artery and so that we expand our colleges. He speaks about striking a balance to resolve Salton Sea issues and then aggressively advocating that plan at the state level. He wants to recapture the movie industry from other states and countries, bringing it not just to the LA. basin but to the valley.

Clute touts how past experience in the state Legislature will give him a running start representing the district if elected. But with term limits, the Legislature has changed since Clute last served from 1982 to 1992. That, accompanied by Oden's charisma and ability to make connections, erodes the advantage Clute claims.

THE ISSUE
Democrats will decide Tuesday who will be their candidate for the 80th Assembly District: Ron Oden or Steve Clute. WE SUGGEST Democrats should vote for Ron Oden.

Our Endorsements

Positions we’ve taken:

In the 80th Assembly Dis­trict, incumbent Assem­blywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, is run­ning unopposed in next week's primary election. The only question for Garcia is which of the two Democratic contenders, Steve Clute or Ron Oden, she will face in November.
Clute is a former assembly­man and has received the offi­cial backing of his party; Oden, the sitting mayor of Palm Springs, believes he is in a better position to challenge the incumbent in the fall based on his hands-on experi­ence at the municipal govern­ment level.
We think he has a point.
While Clute already knows the legislative ropes and his way around the state Capitol, institutional knowledge is less important to us than innova­tive thinking and bold initia­tive, both of which Oden seems to possess in abun­dance.
Not only that, but Oden is by far the more passionate and charismatic of the two candi­dates.
The problem for both men, at least where the Imperial Valley is concerned, is that neither has much name recognition out­side Riverside County.
Of the two, Clute is probably better known locally, mainly due to his pre­vious years in the Legislature, but Oden has been a frequent visitor of late and there seems to be a healthy buzz about his prospects among the party faithful we have consulted.
It is something of a depar­ture for us to make an en­dorsement in a contested pri­mary election, but we are making an exception in this race because we believe voters in this part of the 80th district would benefit from a vigorous campaign in the general elec­tion to come. It isn't that we think the incumbent has been giving short shrift to her Imperial Valley constituency, because she has never failed to respond when the need arose. Our main com­plaint with the level of representation that Garcia has provided to Imperial County residents is that it has been all too perfunctory.
Both Clute and Oden have seized on this perceived shortcoming on the part of the incumbent in their contest with each other. Either would be able to engage her on the range of issues that confront our combined desert region, starting with the Salton Sea and extending to trans-border energy generation in the Mex­icali Valley.
But Oden appears to us to be the more polished cam­paigner, and we were frankly impressed by his grasp of the issues during our single edito­rial board meeting with him earlier this month. Clute rep­resents the old way, which comes with certain advantages but also poses its own draw­backs.
Still, Ron Oden will be fac­ing a real test against this sea­soned political veteran — and the party apparatus that is lined up behind him. While we wonder if the Imperial and Coachella valleys are ready for the new politics Oden person-i­fies, we believe he offers a fresh perspective.
And he has earned our en­dorsement.

By MARK MUCKENFUSS THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

PALM SPRINGS

In 1989, a car pulled to the side of the road on Highway 111 at the western edge of this desert city. A man bolted from the passenger door of the car and raced up the hillside toward towering spurs of San Jacinto Peak. Seconds later, the driver got out and gave chase.

Ron Oden says he still can’t explain the impulse that took hold of him that day as he and his brother, George, were driving into the desert city for a weekend visit. He just had to run. But it wasn’t simply an expenditure of energy; it was a kind of physical embrace.

He ran until he was exhausted. George was not happy when he finally caught up with him.

“He approached me and was using very strong language,” Oden says, with a chuckle. “I turned to him with tears streaming down my face and I said, `This is my home!’”

“I thought he was nuts,” George says. “It was all kind of surreal and strange. But the good Lord obviously had a plan for him and it has become increasingly clear over the years.”

After his epiphany, Ron moved to Palm Springs. He taught at the local colleges, became a community activist, discovered his homosexuality, was elected to the city council and, 2 1/2 years ago, became not only the first openly gay black mayor of Palm Springs, but the first such elected mayor of any large city in the country. Two weeks ago, he announced his candidacy for the California State Assembly.

Once a Seventh-day Adventist minister, Oden, 55, starts his day with a shot of caffeine – a white chocolate mocha – and has no qualms about ordering steak for dinner.

He was married for 12 years. Until last summer, his two daughters and his ex-wife lived in New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed their homes, Oden took them in. Since then, his oldest daughter and her husband have found a place in Upland. His 17-year-old daughter, who is expecting a child in May, and his ex-wife, continue to live in his home. Each morning, he drives his daughter to high school. Then he gets to begin his own day as the city’s mayor.

“This is a part-time job,” he says with a sly grin. “Ha!”

9 A.M.

Oden is passing through the city offices with a box of doughnuts, offering employees a morning sugar rush.

He snags one for himself before retiring to his office for a weekly meeting with City Manager David Ready. On the table this morning are such topics as the city budget, public hearings on the Tahquitz Plaza retail center, a three-year capital improvement project and the city’s multispecies plan.

The 20-minute meeting is intense. Afterward, Oden’s assistant, Martha Edgmon, briefs him on his schedule for the day.

It’s the first of many times Oden will check with her. He admits to having an attention-deficit problem. Despite keeping several full-page pads in his car swirled with large hand-scrawled notes as well as a Blackberry, Oden simply can’t keep up with his calendar. During his day he will rely on Edgmon to remind him, sometimes, several times, on upcoming appointments.

“I show up,” he says. “Martha points me in the right direction and pushes me.”

10 A.M.

After a quick stop at Koffi, a coffee shop on Palm Springs’ main drag where everyone, including the customers, seem to know Oden, and vice versa, the mayor snags his custom coffee and arrives at the entrance to O’Donnell Golf Club.

A local television crew is waiting to interview him on perhaps his most controversial proposition since taking office in 2003. In his State of the City address in February, Oden suggested it was time to turn the once-restricted club over to the city for all of its residents to enjoy. The city already owns the property, but the club has a 99-year lease that doesn’t run out until 2043.

It’s not right, he says, for the club’s 200 members to enjoy privileges on city-owned land while Palm Springs’ other 45,000 residents don’t have access to it

“I’m just asking them to do the right thing,” Oden says.

In doing so, he has touched a big nerve.

City Councilman Chris Mills says he and Oden vote the same way on city issues more than 90 percent of the time. But the O’Donnell Golf Club is an exception.

“We definitely don’t see eye to eye on that,” Mills says. “I should mention I’m a member of the club.”

A five-year veteran of the council, Mills says working with Oden is never dull.

“He’s an extremely passionate guy,” he says. “He’s emotional and very excitable and certainly has a high energy level for everything he feels strongly about. When he speaks, he certainly gets you enthused with his passion and I think that rubs off on the citizenry.”

Mills says Oden has also brought additional attention to the city.

“Palm Springs is a worldwide-known name anyway,” he says. “But the fact that Ron is the first elected black/gay mayor, I certainly know he has brought an exposure to Palm Springs in a light that we haven’t had before and that’s been positive.”

Even with that attention, Oden says his appearance sometimes startles people.

“They introduce the mayor of Palm Springs,” he says. “I’ll start walking up and they’re still looking around for the mayor. I get up to the podium and they’re still looking around. People will say, `I didn’t know they had any black people in Palm Springs.’”

If he hasn’t grabbed the attention of the room by his entrance, once he begins to speak he’s in command. His delivery has a familiarity to it, almost like listening to Bill Cosby if the comedian were hopped up on caffeine.

“He’s a showman,” says fellow Councilman Mike McCulloch. “He brings a certain element to events that everyone enjoys. When I was mayor pro-tem a year ago, I would fill in for Ron. I would do my Ron Oden impersonation. I throw my arms around and I say `Welcome to Palm Springs!’ and just sort of be flamboyant. He has a certain pizazz that he brings to the office.”

1 P.M.

Oden has just finished an hour-long lunch meeting with Doug Sanders. The former pro-golfer is pitching the idea of a massive charity golf tournament.

“Everybody always has the best program possible for the city,” Oden says as he drives to his next appointment. “I try to cut through to the chase. `What is it you want from me? How can I help?’”

Speeding along Ramon Road, he checks his notes and makes an entry in his Blackberry. He is on his way to the taping of the local television show “922You,” where he will be given a few minutes to talk about his city.

On the set, co-host David Ryan laughs about what he is about to do.

“This is like lighting a firecracker and throwing in the air,” he says, “Ron Oden promoting Palm Springs.”

2:30 P.M.

Tamarisk trees and desert scrub fly by as Oden takes the freeway back to his office and talks about his unique status.

“I don’t feel like a trailblazer,” he says. “I didn’t set out to make any inroads. What I do is not about my sexual orientation, nor is it about my race. I’m not limited to those facets of my life, but I carry those facets into all aspects of my life. I’m sensitive and aware of the needs of lots of groups of people.”

As if on cue, his phone rings with a call from Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a gay rights group. Kors is in Florida and is updating Oden on some issues. He says, like it or not, Oden’s mayorship is groundbreaking.

“I think the impact is enormous,” Kors says. “I am at a conference in Miami and his name comes up a lot. He’s been able to build bridges to other communities. He’s really changed the dynamic.”

Thoughts about that kind of impact don’t take up much of his time, Oden says. But there are personal moments that have affected him.

Shortly after his election, he says, he was at a public event for young people when a woman came up and gave him a hug.

“She pointed across the room and said, `That’s my son.’” he says, recalling a biracial young man of about 12. “She said, `He’s gay. He doesn’t know it yet. But in the next few years, as he is struggling, I will be able to point to you and say to him, “You can make it, because Ron Oden made it.”‘

“There are levels (at which) you affect people that you never anticipate,” he adds. “It certainly is heartwarming, but there are moments when you feel a weight of responsibility that you never signed up for.”

4:30 P.M.

Oden has entered the Palm Springs Follies from the backstage area, negotiating a narrow arched corridor in the historic theater. He’s here to deliver a proclamation on the 15th anniversary of the Vaudeville-style show. First, however, after taking the stage amid a presidential fanfare, he must endure a little ribbing by master of ceremonies Riff Markowitz.

“Can I see your legs?” Markowitz teases. “When the mayor came on I couldn’t decide whether to play `Hail to the Chief’ or `God Save the Queen.’”

Oden laughs along with the audience, delivers his proclamation and then poses for photographs with the show’s principals and other dignitaries. Outside the theater, while he schmoozes with the public, Greg Purdy, the publicist for the Follies, makes a call for the mayor. It’s to Edgmon.

“Where’s Ron’s next stop?”

6 P.M.

As it turns out, there’s enough of a break in Oden’s schedule to allow him to enjoy dinner. Over a rib-eye steak, he talks about growing up in the San Fernando Valley while feeling the strong influence of his extended family in Alabama. He spent summers on his grandfather’s farm there and vividly remembers hiding with the family under the kitchen table when the Ku Klux Klan was in the neighborhood. He was 5.

“That was the first time in my life I realized that there were people that wanted to hurt other people for something they had no control over. I realized then that there were two Americas. And my parents taught us how to live in both, while they were hoping for one.”

His family, he says, continues to be a source of strength. They have supported him through his gradual awakening to his homosexuality that took place after he moved to Palm Springs. Currently, he says, he is not in a relationship.

“It’s me that they love,” he says. “It’s so empowering to have that unconditional acceptance. Whether people like me or not doesn’t matter. The decisions I make, I make because I believe they’re the right decisions for the city and its future.”

7:30 P.M.

The day isn’t over. Oden still has to visit the Convention Center to give a welcome to a teachers convention, followed by a presentation at a fundraising dinner. He won’t reach home before 9 p.m.

If he is fatigued, there is little sign of it. His desire to touch people’s lives, he says, energizes him. He attributes that, in part, to his grandfather’s influence.

“He died officially at 103, but by family accounts, he was at least 107,” Oden says of the farmer who was also a minister. “He always said, `As long as you have the gift of life, make the world a better place.’”

Art: PHOTOS

Caption: RODRIGO PEÑA/THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE / (1) Mayor Ron Oden is Palm Springs’ first black and openly gay mayor. He recently announced he is running for the 80th District of the California State Assembly. (2) Oden gets a quick touchup before a TV appearance. (3) “This is my home!” MAYOR RON ODEN, DESCRIBING HIS REACTION THE FIRST TIME HE DROVE THROUGH PALM SPRINGS IN 1989 (4) Mayor Ron Oden talks to the California Association for the Gifted at the Palm Springs Convention Center. It was just one of several stops in Oden’s 12-hour day that also included TV interviews and meetings. (5) Oden credits executive secretary Martha Edgmon with keeping him on time to his appointments. (6) Oden talks to KMIR 6 television reporter Gloria Margarita. (7) Oden laughs as Riff Markowitz pokes fun at him during an appearance at the Palm Springs Follies.

Zone: ALL ZONES

Edition:
Section: YOUR LIFE
Page#: E01

Ron Oden, Mayor of Palm Springs and Candidate for the State Assembly, 80th District, is bringing his story and message to a computer screen near you!

As part of his campaign, Ron Oden has been in front of the camera over the last few weeks recording his new “Video Blogs” …a candid question and answer styled (5-7 minute) videotaped forum that is now appearing on his website: www.OdenForAssembly.com

The “Video Blog”, one of the newest forms of internet communication, will provide uncensored and unedited answers to many of the questions people have about the man and the politician. Topics range from the personal (Ron as a boy, his hobbies, his family) to the political (the best/worst of the 80th assembly district, Ron as Mayor) and from the controversial (O’Donnell Golf Course and Wal-Mart) to the rumors…well, you’ll have to visit the site to learn about those!

Currently, two of the ten Video Blogs appear on his website, with a new one being released everyday. Are there more Video Blogs down the campaign trail? You bet! According to Mayor Oden, “As long as the people have questions, I’ll give them answers!”

www.OdenForAssembly.com

For comments or additional information,
please contact Jeff Shotwell, Imagine It! Media
760-325-6998

The California Political Desk provides information, news releases, and announcements obtained from communication and public relations offices throughout the state.

California Political Desk
May 12, 2006

LOS ANGELES – Recognizing Controller Steve Westly’s longstanding commitment to LGBT rights, the Capital Political Action Committee (CAPPAC), a leading Sacramento-area LGBT political action committee, has endorsed Steve Westly for Governor in 2006.

According to CAPPAC’s website, “CAPPAC is a non-partisan, political action committee formed to promote the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people with a focus on the capital region and races of state-wide and national importance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. CAPPAC’s mission is to provide a voice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the political process.”

“The Capital Area Political Action Committee (CAPPAC) is pleased to endorse your candidacy in the Democratic Primary for Governor,” said Rebecca Darling, a representative of CAPPAC, in a recent letter to Westly. “We appreciate your support for equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and look forward to working with you to guarantee these rights for all Californians.”

“I am proud to have stood with the LGBT community for more than 25 years,” said Controller Westly. “I am committed to ensuring true equality for every Californian, and I will carry this commitment with me to the Governor’s office.

Steve Westly – whose campaign is co-chaired by openly gay State Senator Carole Migden – has also won endorsements from many other LGBT leaders and organizations including Orange County’s Eleanor Roosevelt Stonewall Democrats; Los Angeles’ Stonewall Democrats; Sacramento’s Stonewall Democrats; Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC); Equality California; Lorri Jean, CEO of the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center; San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty; San Mateo County Supervisor Richard Gordon; Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden; Chula Vista Mayor Stephen Padilla; Cathedral City Mayor Pro Tem Greg Pettis; West Hollywood City Councilmember Jeffrey Prang; San Jose City Councilmember Ken Yeager; Marriage Equality California founder L.J. Carusone; Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center Board of Directors Co-Chair Dean Hansell; former E*Trade President and COO Kathy Levinson; Human Rights Campaign Board of Governors Co-Chair Alan Uphold; and GLSEN Board Member Yashar Hedayat.

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/2-0&fp=4474e5bb5539859e&ei=9fx0ROz-A8T0HLXqnaEM&url=http%3A//www.californiachronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp%3FarticleID%3D9414&cid=0&sig2=222ZTT-dRDrUj7m0CDZQPw