Cardombo the Gofer
Upon receiving the terrible news of the defeat of Rep. RichPAC Pombo, not-yet-indicted-Tracy, developers were alarmed at the possible loss of the Pomboza, that giant wannabe Endangered Species Act Slayer that stalked the north San Joaquin Valley casting its dark and menacing shadow over every square foot of remaining open space and wildlife habitat.
Rumor has it the Pomboza lives on, if only in mutation.
At a recent fundraiser, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, Gofer-Merced, reportedly roasted a staffer in front of a large crowd for about a half an hour. Robin Adam, the victim, had either left Cardoza of his own accord or with an assist, to join the staff of Assemblywoman-elect Cathleen Galgiani, Blonde-Stockton. People who attended the fundraiser found the roasting distasteful in view of the fact that Adam had served Cardoza loyally since their days as lady-mudwrestling impresarios at the Cardoza family bowling alley.
This morning we may have found out why Cardoza had made room in his staff. The hush-hush inside skinny that his next chief of staff could be Pombo.
According to the unverified rumor, the developer directorate that arranged Cardoza would run essentially unopposed in this election will rename the Pomboza as they renamed Measure A of the Primary Election Measure G of the General Election.
Enter Cardombo the Gofer.
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Nov. 8, 2006
Merced Sun-Star
Thanks to voters, Cardoza cruises back into Washington...Corinne Reilly
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/story/12984801p-13635531c.html
California's 18th Congressional District wasn't whether Dennis Cardoza would win, but rather by how much. By a landslide. "It's a great night for America, it's a great night for California and it's a great night for Merced," Cardoza said Tuesday night, speaking before a crowd of about 100 people at a victory party at the Branding Iron restaurant in Merced. "We have a great margin of victory and I couldn't be more pleased."... said he looks forward to serving another term in a now Democratic House, a shift that he said will mean a more fiscally responsible and productive Congress. As a popular incumbent in a Democratic leaning district who outspent his opponent by more than six times... He names his ongoing efforts to overhaul the national Farm Bill as a top local priority for his next term. 18th Congressional District includes San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera and Fresno counties.
Modesto Bee
Democrat McNerney unlikely winner over GOP Rep. Pombo...Erica Werner, AP
http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/story/12984781p-13635497c.html
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jerry McNerney was an unlikely candidate to take down a powerful GOP committee chairman. McNerney did not even have the support of Democratic Party leaders in the primary, and he lost badly two years ago to the man he soundly defeated Tuesday: House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy. He beat Pombo 53 percent to 47 percent. The unconventional resume didn't matter as national environmental groups made the race a referendum on Pombo, angry over the incumbent's support for energy and gas drilling, privatizing public lands and rewriting the Endangered Species Act to add protections for landowners. The Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and other groups spent more than $1 million to defeat Pombo and declared victory when they succeeded. After Tuesday's victory was secured, McNerney got a congratulatory call from former President Bill Clinton. His son, Michael, also spoke briefly with Clinton.
Sacramento Bee
Pombo loses his bid for eight term...Herbert A. Sample, Bee San Francisco Bureau
http://www.sacbee.com/111/v-print/story/73511.html
With nearly all of the vote counted, Democrat Jerry McNerney held a 53 percent to 47 percent lead in California's 11th Congressional District, which includes much of San Joaquin County and portions of Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties. Though political observers rated the contest a toss-up before Election Day, a McNerney victory came as a surprise because Republican voters constitute a plurality in the 11th Congressional District. Pombo...has contended that whatever difficulties his re-election drive encountered had little to do with Iraq or Abramoff, and more to do with concerted efforts of environmental groups and other critics who targeted his race.
Challenge to habitat rejected...Denny Walsh
http://www.sacbee.com/378/v-print/story/72586.html
U.S. agency correctly designated vernal pools, judge says. The home-building industry had challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's designation... U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb in Sacramento ruled that the agency's work passed muster on every point except when it did not designate as critical habitat two tracts involving ongoing public projects.
Stockton Record
McNerney topples Pombo in close House race...Hank Shaw and Zachary K. Johnson
http://recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/A_NEWS/611080361
Rep. Richard Pombo met his electoral end at The Waterloo on Tuesday night to a little-known wind energy consultant from Pleasanton. Jerry McNerney declared victory at 12:15 a.m. today, leading 52.3 percent to 47.7 percent with 90 percent of the precincts reporting, including 100 percent from San Joaquin County. For the first time in 14 years, Pombo had met an opponent able to match him ad for ad, volunteer for volunteer, issue for issue. Pombo was supposed to roll over McNerney a second time. The 11th District leans Republican; Pombo is a seven-term incumbent with a huge money advantage and an opponent considered too liberal even by the national Democratic Party. McNerney never quit. He mortgaged his house, dropped everything and set his career on hold for two years to campaign for Pombo's seat.He hired a staff skilled in running grass-roots, ground-level campaigns and tapped progressives from Manteca to Maine for more than $1 million in small checks - enough to offset Pombo's advantage with Washington, D.C.-based political action committees. And McNerney was not without friends. A slew of environmental groups, led by Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters, kept up a constant attack on Pombo's environmental record for more than a year.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the final edition of Wednesday's printed version of The Record, we made an error. We had Jerry McNerney's first name incorrect. It happened as we rushed to get the final results into the paper at about 1 a.m. While we did not catch the mistake until after the newspaper had been printed, we have corrected the story on our Web site. We apologize for the error. Mike Klocke, editor
Reader Reaction
NavyVet...November 08, 2006 11:42 AM
The election results are disappointing to me, but not necessarily surprising. Now we'll just have to wait and see if the democrats can actually put a plan in place to fix some of these problems, or if all of the political hype and rhetoric was just that. Was I the only one who found it odd that the democratic party wouldn't take any steps to make "improvements" before the election? That shows that the country and it's best iterests play second fiddle to politics and power grabs.
eyewhitie...November 08, 2006 11:34 AM
Well, richie rich pobomb, your family is going to have to find another job, unless you're allowed to funnel leftover campaign funds to them. When the Dems take the Senate, the Grand Jury will want to be talking to you soon. Your family can always go back to stealing more land in Tracy.
mike_coleman...November 08, 2006 11:30 AM
I am a life long Republican and voted for Richard Pombo many times, but not this time. Mr. Pombo forgot why we sent him there. He became more concerned with things that were important to him and his land rich family than to the people he represented. But Mr. McNerney should take note. Remember who sent you to Washington and why. Be true to the environment and to the people of this district and bring our soldiers home or suffer Mr. Pombo's fate.
chink...November 08, 2006 11:12 AM
THIS MAKE DAY GOOD. EAT SWEET CAKE NOW. EVEN RAINY DAY NOT GET ME DOWN.
Tracy Press
Pombo defeated...John Upton, Danielle MacMurchy, Phil Hayworth
http://tracypress.com/content/view/5501/2/
In a night that saw Democrats sweep to power in the House of Representatives, little-known challenger Jerry McNerney unseated Tracy's Rep. Richard Pombo from his perch as one of Congress' more powerful chairmen. In a stinging defeat, voters dumped Tracy’s 14-year congressman, Rep. Richard Pombo, from power Tuesday... Robert Benedetti, University of the Pacific government and politics professor, said the campaign was fought on national issues instead of local issues. He said Pombo’s agricultural base has been eroded as more people moved from cities into the district, and said McNerney had limited involvement in local politics to tout. Pombo encouraged the formation of a coalition that’s never worked together before,” said Defenders of Wildlife President Roger Schlickeisen. “It was really Pombo that drew us into this.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Challenger defeats Pombo in a stunner...Rachel Gordon
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/08/MNG9LM8JDV4.D...
Pombo-McNerney matchup got the most attention, due to Pombo's high-profile as chairman of the powerful House Resources Committee. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups targeted him as an "eco-thug" who once proposed selling off some national parks, led the drive to open Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, wants to let states drill for oil and gas off their coasts, and has pushed to revamp the Endangered Species Act to provide more rights for property owners. "We're thrilled," said Roger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, which made Pombo its top target in the congressional races. "Not only was he a vote against the environment, but as committee chair he could push his agenda.''
Inside Bay Area
Pombo's defeat recharges environmental movement...Douglas Fisher
http://www.insidebayarea.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_articl...
Finally the environment has a voice in Congress. Activists, emboldened by Democratic gains across the nation Tuesday, savored what Carl Pope of the Sierra Club called "the most successful mid-term election for the environmental movement" since at least 1974. And the "sweetest victory of the night" was the toppling of Republican Rep. Richard Pombo by wind-energy consultant Jerry McNerney. McNerney captured "Pombo country"...Pombo, a once-and-future rancher and real estate developer, chairman of House Resources Committee and easily Public Enemy No. 1 of Sierra Club & Co., goes home after 14 years in Congress. Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director..."This sends a clear message to those who might share (Pombo's) ideology: When it comes to elections, the environment is a giant killer." And not just in California. Environmental groups targeted more than 30 "top of the ticket" elections across the nation and came up winners in almost all cases...
Contra Costa Times
In huge upset, voters oust Pombo...Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Thomas Peele and Ryan Huff
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/15955890.htm?template=conten...
U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, once thought invincible in a safe GOP seat, has been turned out by voters in the Democratic storm that roared across the country Tuesday. With all the precincts tallied, Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton held a solid lead of 6 percentage points and more than 10,000 votes. The race will go down in California history as a massive upset in a district... Pombo aides said they would wait until all votes had been counted. Pombo is expected to hold a press conference sometime Wednesday. But it was a bitter loss for the proud incumbent who had easily won re-election six times and rose to become the chairman of the powerful House Resources Committee, where his conservative policies made him a prime target of environmentalists.
Mercury News
Pombo defeated by challenger McNerney in House fight...Barbara Feder Ostrov
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/elections/15955...
With more than 99 percent of precincts reporting at 2:30 a.m. today, seven-term Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Stockton, faced defeat by Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney..t. Political observers predicted that Pombo could be swept from office by a national tide of anti-Republican sentiment. Washington Post ranked Pombo's campaign among the 10 worst-run incumbent campaigns in the country, and the Tracy rancher faced a last-minute onslaught of campaigning by well-financed environmental groups supporting McNerney. The race looked like many across the country, with an upstart Democrat becoming a serious challenger in what previously had been considered a safe Republican district. National politicians on both sides of the aisle considered it a high-stakes battle, with former President Bill Clinton stumping for McNerney and both President Bush and first lady Laura Bush rallying the party faithful on Pombo's behalf in the campaign's final stretch. As recently as three months ago, McNerney, a left-leaning wind energy consultant, was an underdog not even supported by his own party. But more recent polls showed McNerney gaining as Pombo faced anger from voters over his stay-the-course stance on Iraq and links to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The race was an expensive one, with campaign contributions of more than $2.5 million pouring in on both sides.
Los Angeles Times
Feinstein wins 4th term, Pombo defeated...Rone Tempest and Dan Morain
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-110806calcong,1,283098...
In the most competitive of California's 53 congressional contests, seven-term incumbent Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) was defeated by Democratic challenger Jerry McNerney to represent what had been a comfortably Republican district stretching from Stockton to the Bay Area's eastern suburbs. With 99% of the votes counted, Pombo trailed his challenger by 47% to 53%. Pombo angered environmentalists last year when his committee staff proposed selling off 15 national park sites, including more than 15 million pristine acres in Alaska...also urged more offshore oil drilling, a step that incurred Feinstein's wrath...his effort to weaken the Endangered Species Act went "to the core of what we fight for," said Mark Longabaugh, political director of Defenders of Wildlife, which joined with Americans for Conservation to spend more than $1 million to oust Pombo. Texas financier David Bonderman, a business associate of Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, gave at least $375,000 to the groups. Getty heiress Anne Earhart of Corona del Mar gave $100,000, and Julie Packard of Soquel, Calif., gave $50,000. Pombo and his supporters gathered Tuesday night at the Waterloo restaurant outside Stockton and acknowledged that the race was tight. "I wouldn't change a thing," he said, referring to his political stands. He also took a swipe at Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), probably the next speaker of the House, saying: "I hope she does a better job as speaker than she did as minority leader." According to pollster Ben Tulchin of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research...Pombo's stands on the environment were to the right of most voters in his district, one that has become less conservative as the suburban population has grown east of the Oakland hills in Pleasanton, Danville and Livermore. "The reality is that Pombo gave all the environmental groups a lot of things to work with," said Tulchin, retained by Defenders of Wildlife to survey the district.