November 19, 2007

HB man raises $4 million for Ron Paul
Longshot Republican gets a big boost from independent internet video

By MARTIN WISCKOL

Ron Paulstruck gold earlier this month, thanks to Huntington Beach's James Sugra. Paul, the libertarian-leaning Republican, remains a long-shot presidential candidate, but he did raise his profile enough to broaden his dedicated band of idealists and give hope to those who want an alternative to the calculating frontrunners.

Paul's rush in publicity came thanks to a mind-bending $4 million-plus raised online for his campaign on Nov. 5. And the initiative to raise that money started with Sugra, 28, who has never even met Paul.

Paul's message particularly resonates for Sugra, who makes and sells clothing labels and hangtags. He got the inspiration to launch a massive fundraiser drive – and inspiration is no understatement.

"There was an energy that came over me to this I still do not understand," he writes on RonPaulForums.com.

The centerpiece of the effort was a video he made and started airing on the internet. Then a Miami Beach man contacted Sugra to announce he'd established a Web site dedicated to the video. It got 3,500 views the first day. The rest is history.

"I am (a) kid at heart with a dream from Huntington Beach," Sugra said. "This is a story for all of Ron Paul's supporters and all people that you can make a difference."

Campaign for sheriff

There were some raised eyebrows last week when the Total Buzz blog announced that Bill Hunt had just held the first fundraiser in his campaign for sheriff, a smallish affair in San Clemente where he used to run the city's law enforcement for the Sheriff's Department.

But if indicted Sheriff Mike Caronaresigns in the next three months or so, there will be an election to fill the vacancy on June 3. And that would mean that the deadline for candidates to file for the race would be March 7. Candidates for county supervisor and for several Assembly seats in the county are already up and running with campaigns, so Hunt may not be that premature.

Of course, the big question is whether Carona will step down. With his trial set to begin next June, it seems clear that he won't be removed from office before then unless he agrees to leave.

At one point, Carona said would not be taking even a temporary leave. Then he announced a 60-day leave of absence, but said he would not be resigning. Then there was his resignation last week, from his post with the Homeland Security Task Force, as well as increasing calls for him to resign.

If he doesn't resign in time for the June election, he could resign in time for the November polls and have his replacement elected then. Otherwise, supervisors can appoint an interim replacement and/or they can call a special election.

Both Hunt and Ralph Martin, an L.A. sheriff's commander, challenged Carona's 1996 reelection and have said they'd still like the job.

Following Nixon

Orange's Harry Jeffrey, who founded the Richard Nixon Oral History Project and was a longtime associate history professor at Cal State Fullerton, died Nov. 4 at the age of 70.

Jeffrey himself ran for office twice. The Dayton, Ohio native won the GOP primary for that state's Legislature in 1960, but lost in the general election. And in 1976, he unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for California's 40 {+t}{+h}District seat in the House of Representatives. In the interim, he worked for the Republican National Committee and held posts with several members of Congress.

In California, he continued to be engaged in politics and communities activities.