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| Catharine Baker’s lashed back at Tim Sbranti for a mailer she says purposefully misleads voters in the 16th Assembly District. |
ASSEMBLY | DISTRICT 16 | Spirit of Democracy California, a right-wing independent expenditure committee believes the battleground 16th Assembly District can be turned from blue to red. On Tuesday, campaign finance reports show the IE, funded in part by Republican activist Charles Munger, Jr., spent $622,500 in a single day on Baker in her race against Democrat Tim Sbranti.
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The mailer, above, was paid for by Sbranti’s campaign,
but a flood of IE money on both sides is also
highlighting the race in the 16th District.
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In addition to the large expenditure, the IE has spent over $1.5 million total in the race–$918,000 in support of Baker and $595,000 in opposition of Sbranti–since the beginning of October.
Baker and Sbranti hope to replace the termed out Assemblymember Joan Buchanan next month. Due to the political makeup of the Walnut Creek, Lamorinda and Tri Valley seat, Republicans believe they have one of the best chances in the state to pick up a seat in Assembly.
A similar IE funded the teachers’ union has spent nearly as much in favor of Sbranti and in opposition to his opponent. The California Teachers Association and California State Council of Service Employees IE has spent over $1 million since Oct. 1, according to the finance reports. Much of the outlay has gone to expensive media buys.
One commercial, seen during Wednesday’s Game 7 of the World Series, blasted Spirit of Democracy as an outside group attempting to influence the election. Sbranti’s own campaign, in addition, has also utilized the baseball postseason, through radio and TV ads, to get its own message out to voters.
All this extra money has also lent itself to controversial mailers on each side. Earlier this month, Sbranti’s campaign howled over a mailer attributed damaging quotes to Sbranti in a two-year Wall Street Journal article actually referring to former State Sen. Gloria Romero.
This week, Baker charged Sbranti with misleading voters in a mailer asserting she opposes Proposition 2, the State Rainy Day Budget Fund. Baker strongly denies she is against Prop. 2 and says her position has been very public, including at a candidate’s forum featuring both candidates.
ebcitizen.com 
I agree with Mr. Tavares.
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I appreciate your sentiment but there's no judgment being made on content. These posts contain bad language, but more importantly, are just comments consistently cut and past all over the site. Many of which are directly to the spam folder. I believe in people saying whatever they want and having as few obstacles to making them as possible, but this is just graffiti.
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I have to agree with the 'sentiment' of the irate poster who used the filthy language directed at Mr. Tavares. As far as the COMMENTS section goes, everything that has appeared here tends to favor Mr. Sbranti and is clearly put forward by his supporters and campaign.
It is unfair that no other points of view regarding Ms. Baker in the positive are allowed to remain. As far as comments go, this blog is heavily weighted toward Sbranti. That is not right. Different points of view should be represented, the only limitations regarding profanity, libel, etc.
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In AD 16 Tim Sbranti should win because he is the moderate candidate and Baker has received millions in IE's from Tea Party benefactor Charles Munger Jr.
Joan Buchanan is supporting Tim Sbranti because she knows he is the moderate who can compromise and get things done. She also knows Baker is supported by Tea Party extremists and out of touch. Plus, Baker is NOT pro environment. Tim Sbranti got all the major environmental endorsements because he is the environmentalists choice.
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You're a weird person! You're spamming the site. What do you expect? Also you're not even reading what's written. “On behalf of Catharine Baker” you're complaining? The Baker I have been praising? Now take my picture off that collage you have pasted in your basement.
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On behalf of Catharine Baker and all pissed off Democrats you are a FUCKIN WHORE, Tavares!
You don't allow anything other than your extreme Branti union, stooge, whore, slut propaganda. Your bitch goes down for good tonight!
You're a slut, Tavares!
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Jerry Brown, Joan Buchanan and Eric Swalwell have all endorsed Tim Sbranti because he is the moderate, and the most qualified. It's over and Baker's people know it.
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11:19——-what a LIAR you are! No one by that name ever volunteered for Tim. This is a Tea Party tactic and shows how LOW Baker's supporters will stoop. What an idiot you are also!
p.s. We know you are the Baker troll from Hayward
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I was walking precincts for Tim Sbranti today and Jerry Brown's support was definitely a plus for Tim. I had a number of Democrats and Independent voters tell me they will vote for Tim because the Governor endorsed him.
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Baker is not clean and not the people's choice. She has been bought and paid for by the corrupt corporate special interest Tea Party crooks like Charles Munger Jr.and his Spirit of Democracy that continually stick it to consumers. They have spent millions of dollars on her campaign.
Tim Sbranti, on the other hand, is a teacher who is used to compromise and trying to find situations that help all. That's why he is endorsed by Nurses, Police, Fire, the Democratic Party, Consumer groups, Environmental groups, Seniors, Women groups, our current Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, our current Congressman Eric Swalwell, and now Jerry Brown our Governor. Tim is the moderate not your candidate, and that's why Tim has all the moderate support mentioned above.
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We welcome Jerry's support. We all know he endorsed 'Mayor' De La Fuente and 'Mayor' Perata. 'Mayor' Schaff? On the road to other losers.
Sorry again, bitch, CLEAN ASSEMBLYWOMAN CATHARINE BAKER 2014 takes it in a landslide. Public won't tolerate union sluts trying to call the shots. They need to do the bidding of their betters. Keep shitting in your bloomers.
Catharine Baker is the people's choice!
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In AD 16 Tim Sbranti should win because he is the moderate candidate and Baker has received over 1.5 million in IE's from Tea Party benefactor Charles Munger Jr. as ebcitizen has pointed out.
Joan Buchanan is supporting Tim Sbranti because she knows he is the moderate who can compromise and get things done. She also knows Baker is supported by Tea Party extremists and out of touch. Plus, Baker is NOT pro environment. Tim Sbranti got all the major environmental endorsements because he is the environmentalists choice.
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Baker is not moderate. She has been bought and paid for by the corrupt corporate special interest Tea Party crooks like Charles Munger Jr.and his Spirit of Democracy that continually stick it to consumers. They have spent millions of dollars on her campaign.
Tim Sbranti, on the other hand, is a teacher who is used to compromise and trying to find situations that help all. That's why he is endorsed by Nurses, Police, Fire, the Democratic Party, Consumer groups, Environmental groups, Seniors, Women groups, our current Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, our current Congressman Eric Swalwell, and now Jerry Brown our Governor. Tim is the moderate not your candidate, and that's why Tim has all the moderate support mentioned above.
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As formal political advisor of the CTA and a overbuilding mayor in Dublin, receiving pouring money everyday from California democrat central committee and IE money from CTA, obviously Tim Sbranti is a party line extremist and Union representative. His campaign team even sent out mailer lying that Catharine Baker is against Prop2. If Baker is a a right wing conservative, why she is clearly endorsed by traditionally pro-democrat San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, Former democrat senior majority leader Gloria Romero, and supported by Democrat Steve Glazer? Where is Tim Sbranti's support from any single well known republican or pro-republican media?
An affluent, centrist AD16 needs a moderate, and it is better to be a lady again. I respect Joan Bucchanan that she can go moderate in her term, and I think the reason behind her endorsement for Sbranti is mainly politically and party line polite, plus her previous same teacher background. But as for who is better to succeed her, the choice is clearly Catharine Baker.
If Sbranti is elected, we add another politician, union representative in the corrupted, democratic controlled Sacramento, stiff the barrier for any real change like the pension reform, ban bart strike, educational reform, etc for about another 6~12 years. If this happens, it is definitely ironic and sad result for a centrist AD16.
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I like the fact that our current Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, herself a moderate elected two times in our district, gave Tim a ringing endorsement. When my husband and I vote for Mr. Sbranti next Tuesday it will be because of Joan's endorsement.
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The “Spirit of Democracy” California is a Tea Party independent expenditure group run By Charles Munger that some might call the “Spirit of Dishonesty”.
This coupled with Baker appearing at Tea Party rallies with Republican candidate Tim Donnally before the June primary shows Baker's extremism.
That's why moderate groups and politicians like Jerry Brown have endorsed Tim Sbranti and why Tim Sbranti will win this election. Check out Tim's endorsements at timsbranti.com
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I agree with some of the above posts that Tim is the moderate and voted by absentee for Tim Sbranti because he has the support of moderates like Brown, Buchanan and Swalwell. My son and daughter did also, and we are all registered declined-to state voters.
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As a young woman who just turned 18, I believe in strong female role models. Catharine Baker is everything I aspire to be. I am proud to have voted for her and just wish that I could again.
Long may women rule!
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Baker is not clean. She has been bought and paid for by the corrupt corporate special interest crooks that continually stick it to consumers. They have spent millions of dollars on her campaign.
Tim Sbranti, on the other hand, is a teacher who is used to compromise and trying to find situations that help all. That's why he is endorsed by Nurses, Police, Fire, the Democratic Party, Consumer groups, Environmental groups, Seniors, Women groups, our current Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, our current Congressman Eric Swalwell, and now Jerry Brown our Governor. Tim is the moderate not your candidate, and that's why Tim has all the moderate support.
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The support of the ultra right-wing Charles Munger Jr. shows that Baker has tar and feathered herself and is not clean. He's a supporter of extreme Conservative candidates and GOP very conservative causes. He also is the chair of the so called “Spirit of Democracy” which spent 3.87 million dollars on right-wing candidates and causes through the last election. The “Spirit of Democracy” spent hundreds of thousands on a 16 page glossy mailer attacking Tim Sbranti and was aimed at boosting Baker in this election. You are the company you keep, and Baker appearing at Tea Party rallies shows that Tim Sbranti is the moderate, now supported by our moderate Governor Jerry Brown, and will be the winner in November. We will not stand for an extremist like Baker to be elected to the Assembly in our District.
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Our Democratic household proudly supported Steve Glazer for assembly. After we watched how the unions trashed and vilified him, we had no other choice but to cross party lines and support clean CATHARINE BAKER. She is a voice of moderation who will put the constituents ahead of the special interest union sluts. If Branti ever got in, he would sell this district down the drain and further bankrupt California.
We encourage all responsible voters of this district to join with us in electing a great feminist who will be a voice for moderation when representing our interests and taxpayer dollars.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN CATHARINE BAKER 2014!
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'SF Chronicle' supports ASSEMBLYWOMAN CATHARINE BAKER 2014 campaign.
After a costly and caustic four-way primary that devolved into “proxy wars” among various well-heeled interests, the November runoff has settled into “a more traditional race” between two major party candidates, suggested Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti, the Democratic candidate.
He’s only half right.
Sbranti, a veteran classroom teacher, is very much a traditional Democrat — especially when it comes to toeing the party line in resistance to education reforms that intrude on the unions’ comfort zone. His engaging style and extensive contacts from a decade in elected office should make him an easy choice for the deep-blue partisans in the district that reaches from east of the Berkeley hills to the Tri-Valley.
But this district, with its affluent suburbs, array of high-performing schools and distinct independent streak, is ripe for a Republican seeking common ground with the 20-plus percent of registered voters who do not claim a party preference.
Republican Catharine Baker, a Pleasanton attorney, fits that bill.
“I have an ability to not be dogmatic and party-line,” she said. As examples, she cited her support of recently passed Democratic legislation on groundwater management, plastic-bag bans and legislation that strengthens the ability to prohibit certain people with mental illnesses from possessing guns. She accepts AB32, the state’s landmark climate-change law, as a settled issue — she would focus on reducing its cost to consumers.
Both candidates express a commitment to improving California’s business climate. Their answers on proposals to curtail abuses of the California Environmental Quality Act — one of the major business complaints about state regulation — are virtually identical: The law is valuable, but needs to be more transparent.
Even Sbranti acknowledged that “at the end of the day,” the differences between the two are not profound on most issues.
However, the distinctions are worth noting. Baker would ban strikes by BART workers; Sbranti would not. Baker has refused to fill out any secret questionnaires by interest groups, which are often a condition of endorsements and contributions; Sbranti has played that game. Baker agrees with a Los Angeles judge’s recent ruling that found that California’s overly protective rules on teacher tenure and the primacy of seniority undermine the civil rights of low-income and minority students; Sbranti sees no need to disrupt the status quo on that point.
Baker’s centrist sensibilities would provide a good influence on the Republican caucus and a potential partner for Democrats looking for bipartisan solutions. She is our choice in the 16th Assembly District.
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