TONY STRICKLAND

Tony Strickland is a career politician with a history of flip flops, self-dealing, and favoring big contributors. Strickland has spent his entire adult life in politics, and has either been a candidate, or made private overtures that he would run, in every election cycle since 1998. Despite this, Strickland has been repeatedly criticized as lacking in competence and effectiveness. Prior to 2008, Strickland was on-record with anti-environmental statements and positions, but since the 2008 election Strickland has strived to reinvent himself as an environmentalist, partially through associating himself with a "green" energy company run by his political allies. In addition, Strickland and his wife, Audra Strickland, funneled campaign funds to either other by employing each other as consultants. After five years and public criticism, Strickland stopped and later authored a law banning the practice. Finally, several years after Intuit, the makers of Turbo Tax, contributed $1 million to an IE that supported Strickland's bid for State Controller, Strickland participated in a Republican blockade of legislation, demanding that the state outlaw its ReadyReturn program, which Intuit opposed.

Stricklands Environmental Flip Flop

Before his 2008 State Senate election, Strickland was on record with both anti-environment statements and positions, denying global warming and voting against renewable energy expansions. In his 2008 State Senate election, however, Strickland embraced a green image, touting his position in a green energy company and advocating an expansion of green energy and green jobs in California. Environmental groups have been strongly critical of Stricklands shift, emphasizing his 7 percent Lifetime Rating from the League of Conservation Voters.

ANTI-ENVIRONMENT PRIOR TO 2008

2003: Strickland Wrote that There was an Utter Absence of Scientific Consensus on Global Warming. According to Los Angeles Times, Strickland voted against requirements for renewable energy and many other bills that required energy conservation while in the Assembly. In 2003, he wrote a letter to then-Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer opposing the states efforts to regulate greenhouse gases, citing an utter absence of scientific consensus on global warming. [Los Angeles Times, 10/13/08] 2002: Strickland Voted Against Law Requiring Utility Companies to Supply More of Their Electrical Power from Renewable Energy Sources. According to Ventura County Star, [California Advocacy Director for the Sierra Club Bill] Magavern noted that Strickland, as a member

of the Assembly, voted against a 2002 law that expanded the demand for alternative energy by requiring utility companies to supply more of their electrical power from renewable energy sources. That law, in essence, created a virtually guaranteed market for any power that a future wave-energy project might produce. [Ventura County Star, 4/23/08] Ventura County Star: SB 1078 Generally Credited with Jump-Starting the Market for Alternative Energy in California. According to Ventura County Star, One key bill Strickland opposed is the law generally credited with jump-starting the market for alternative energy in California. SB1078, passed in 2002, requires investor-owned utilities such as Southern California Edison to obtain at least 20 percent of the electrical power they supply from renewable energy sources. They must increase their renewable energy portfolio by at least 1 percent a year until they meet that 20 percent goal. [Ventura County Star, 4/23/08] Strickland Said he Opposed Bill Because he Generally Opposed Government Mandates. According to Ventura County Star, That bill passed the Assembly on a 55-23 vote. Although it was supported mostly by Democrats, a number of Republican lawmakers joined with them, including new Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill of Modesto. Strickland said he voted no because he opposes government mandates. When there is a demand for something - and there is a public demand for alternative energy - the private sector will meet it, he said. I dont believe the government needs to come in and mandate it. [Ventura County Star, 4/23/08]

PRO-ENVIRONMENT AFTER 2008

2008: Strickland Said his Views on Global Warming have Evolved, and he Believes in Climate Change. According to Ventura County Star, To the assertion that he is a global warming denier, Strickland said his views on the issue have evolved since the 2003 incidents cited to document his belief at the time that there was no scientific evidence to support the notion of man-made climate change. I do believe in climate change, he said. Obviously, things have changed dramatically. Still, he says he would vote again in opposition to the state law mandating a reduction in global-warming gases emitted from cars and trucks. I think California cannot go it alone, he said. Its a global economy. [Ventura County Star, 9/21/08]

PRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CRITICISM

League of Conservation Voters Said Strickland Reinvented Himself as a Pro-Environment Candidate in 2008. In January 2012, the California League of Conservation Voters wrote of Stricklands career, In 2008, despite his 2% record on the environment including countless votes against bills to increase renewable energy, Strickland reinvented himself as a renewable energy expert and narrowly won his current Senate seat. [California League of Conservation Voters, 1/6/12] League of Conservation Voters Gave Strickland a 7 Percent Lifetime Rating. The California League of Conservation Voters gave Strickland a 7 percent lifetime score. [California League of Conservation Voters, accessed 3/22/12]

Sierra Club: Strickland Is Not What He Appears To Be. According to Los Angeles Times, Environmental groups last month held a news conference to question Stricklands sincerity. Look at his record and you will see Tony Strickland is not what he appears to be, said Fran Farina of the Sierra Club. [Los Angeles Times, 10/13/08]

LA Daily News Editorial: Incumbents Who Mislead Voters Need to Lose. In May 2012, the Los Angeles Daily News published an editorial titled Ballot tricks reveal truth -- Incumbents who mislead voters need to lose, which criticized a California candidate for using a misleading ballot designation, writing Obviously, candidates and their staffs give a lot of thought to those three-word (maximum) phrases next to their names on the ballot. Often, those phrases reflect plain dishonesty, and politicians should be called out for it. The editorial further cited past cases of misleading ballot designations, including In 2008, Tony Strickland, an Assembly member running for the state Senate, called himself alternative energy executive; he won. [Los Angeles Daily News Editorial, 5/21/12] Santa Barbara Independent Op-Ed: Stricklands Environmentally-Focused 2008 Election Sleazy, Highly Dubious. In May 2009, Barney Brantingham for the Santa Barbara Independent described Stricklands 2008 State Senate campaign as a sleazy, highly dubious Im an environmentalist campaign. [Santa Barbara Independent, 5/21/09]

Self-Enrichment with Campaign Funds

STRICKLAND AND WIFE EMPLOYED ONE ANOTHER AS CAMPAIGN CONSULTANTS
Strickland and Wife had an Agreement Where Each Directed Campaign Funds Into Each Others Consulting and Fundraising Firms, Essentially Boosting their Income Through Campaign Contributions. According to Los Angeles Times, Strickland previously came under fire for an arrangement in which he and his wife, Assemblywoman Audra Strickland (R-Moorpark), directed campaign funds into each others consulting and fundraising firms, essentially boosting their income through political donations. He later had a change of heart and wrote a law banning the practice. [Los Angeles Times, 10/23/10] Los Angeles Times: Over Five Years, Stricklands Paid Each Other $138,000 in Consulting Fees, with an Additional $20,000 Contributed to Club for Growth, Run by Tony Strickland. According to Los Angeles Times, A Republican candidate for state controller and his legislator wife have funneled campaign money into each others consulting firms, in effect boosting their income through political donations, campaign finance reports show. Over a little more than five years, Tony Strickland and his wife, Audra, who replaced him as a member of the state Assembly, paid more than $138,000 raised by their supporters to businesses owned by them and a staffer living in their Moorpark home. An additional $20,000 in campaign money was deposited into a nonprofit organization run by Tony Strickland. [Los Angeles Times, 4/13/06] Strickland Denied Wrongdoing. According to Los Angeles Times, The Ventura County couple say they did nothing improper and that investigators have cleared them of wrongdoing. Strickland, who as controller would manage and audit the states finances, produced a June 2004 letter from Ventura County prosecutors saying they looked at the transfers and found no evidence of criminal activity. The district attorneys office review was set in motion by a citizen complaint. There was an investigation and they sent us a letter of resolution saying the case was closed, Tony Strickland said. Ventura County Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeffrey G. Bennett said such a letter was sent but would not comment on Tony Stricklands assertion that prosecutors are no longer investigating the couples campaign finances. [Los Angeles Times, 4/13/06]

Center for Governmental Study: Never Seen Anything Like It. According to Los Angeles Times, Ive never seen both spouses being paid to work on each others campaign, said Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. [Los Angeles Times, 4/13/06]

STRICKLAND LATER APOLOGIZED AND AUTHORED BILL OUTLAWING PRACTICE

2009: Strickland Wrote Bill Banning Candidates for State Office from Paying Spouses for Political Fundraising. According to Ventura County Star, In response to the controversy over the practice of paying his spouse for political fundraising, Sen. Tony Strickland wrote a bill this year that would ban that practice in the future for all candidates for state office. The bill was approved by both houses of the Legislature and awaits action by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. [Ventura County Star, 9/26/09] Strickland Said After Public Outcry, he Realized how Such Actions Appear Suspicious, and Therefore Authored Bill. According to Sacramento Bee, State Sen. Tony Strickland is pushing to ban a practice he personally engaged in but now calls an ethical mistake -- paying his wife tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations to be his fundraiser. State law does not allow candidates to pay themselves for campaigning, but it says nothing about spouses in a community-property state where money to either partner can benefit both. [] Though legal, Tony Strickland now says such dealings can exacerbate public disgust. We just dont have a lot of trust, so we need to do whatever we can here in the Legislature to build it back, he said. Citizen complaints about the Stricklands dealings were dismissed, but Tony Strickland said he felt stung by the accusations nonetheless. I wouldnt want anybody else to fall in that same category of suspicion, he said. [Sacramento Bee, 8/27/09]

Career Politician
POLITICAL HISTORY
Strickland has served ten years in elected office over a period of 14 years, first running for office when he was 27. Strickland has made either official bids for elected office or more private overtures for every election cycle from 1998 to 2012. Ventura County Star: Strickland Has Spent His Entire Adult Life in Politics. According to Ventura County Star, Strickland, 36, holds a bachelors degree in political science from Whittier College, where he also played basketball. He has spent his entire adult life in politics, first as an aide to then-Assemblyman Tom McClintock, and then getting elected on his own to three terms in the Assembly. His wife, Audra, now represents the district he represented until 2004. [Ventura County Star, 11/1/06] Strickland First Ran for Office When he was 27. According to Los Angeles Times, Strickland first ran for office when he was 27. With his party out of power, he has had few legislative victories during his two terms. He names a bill that created a special license plate to honor former President Reagan as one high point. [Los Angeles Times, 10/14/02]

COMPETENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS

Santa Barbara Independent: Strickland Performs Better than Sarah Palin in Talking Public Policy, Although He Sometimes Stumbles for Words or Gropes for Ideas that Go Beyond Familiar Talking Points. According to Santa Barbara Independent, Talking public policy, Strickland performs better than, say, Sarah Palin. But as he sometimes stumbles over words or gropes for ideas that go beyond familiar talking points, its clear his greatest political strength is his talent for schmoozing. [Santa Barbara Independent, 10/9/08] 2006 San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial: Strickland Struggled with Basic Responsibilities of State Controller. In October 2006, the San Diego Union-Tribune endorsed Stricklands Democratic opponent for state controller. They criticized Stricklands lack of expertise, writing In the controllers race, Democrat John Chiang -- a Board of Equalization member with a strong financial background -- is far more suited to be the states auditor/watchdog than former GOP Assemblyman Tony Strickland, who struggles with basic questions about the jobs responsibilities. Strickland also committed a gross ethical lapse in accepting payments for consulting work from his wifes election committee; she took consulting money from his campaign as well. [The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial, 10/19/06] Modesto Bee Editorial: Strickland a Termed-Out Politician Who Wants to Hang Onto a State Job. In an October 2006 editorial, the Modesto Bee endorsed Stricklands Democratic opponent for state controller, writing, Chiangs opponent is a termed-out politician who wants to hang onto a state job. Assemblyman Tony Strickland says he would be more aggressive than Chiang, and he might be -- especially on issues that have little to do with the controllers duties. For instance, Strickland wants to get rid of the state sales tax on gasoline. Wait -- correct that! He supports Proposition 1A, which would lock in the gas sales tax for transportation projects. So which is it, Tony? [Modesto Bee Editorial, 10/12/06] Press-Enterprise Editorial: Strickland Focuses More on Grabbing Headlines than Achieving Results. In October 2006, the Press-Enterprise endorsed Stricklands opponent for state controller, writing Chiangs opponent, former Assemblyman Tony Strickland, says he would stress the controllers auditing role. But Strickland focuses more on grabbing headlines - by refusing to sign paychecks for state commissioners, for example - than achieving results. And Strickland lacks Chiangs expertise. [The Press Enterprise Editorial, 10/4/06]

Intuit, Blockade Controversy

In 2006, Intuit, makers of Turbo Tax tax preparation software, contributed $1 million to an independent expenditure effort in support of Stricklands state controller bid. Stricklands Democratic opponent for state controller was a strong advocate of ReadyReturn, a popular California state program that enabled many Californians to more easily prepare their taxes. In 2009, Republicans in the California State Senate blocked twenty bills, including a bill restoring funding to domestic violence shelters, in an attempt to gain leverage on three GOP demands. The most significant of these three demands was an attempt to get rid of ReadyReturn. Now a state senator, Strickland led the way in opposing ReadyReturn.

INTUIT OPPOSED READYRETURN

Intuit Fought ReadyReturn, Believing It Threatened Intuits Turbo Tax Software. According to Ventura County Star, The software company Intuit has fought the Ready Return program for years because of perceived competition with its fee-based income-tax preparation program, Turbo

Tax. Ready Return allows single taxpayers whose only income is from wages from a single employer, use a standard deduction and qualify for no tax credits other than a renters credit to access, review and sign an income-tax return that has already been calculated by the state based on data from their W-2 forms. [Ventura County Star, 9/15/09] Law Professor Op-Ed: ReadyReturn Was Superior Software to Turbo Tax and WellReceived By Californians. In an October 2009 op-ed, Dennis J. Ventry, a UC Davis law professor, wrote, Its one thing for a corporation to pursue every last dollar of profit. Its quite another for it to violate the public trust and to strangle a state and its citizens at a time when neither can afford it. Intuit, the maker of the tax preparation software TurboTax, sells its products on the promise to make paying taxes easier. But for the last several years, its been doing everything in its considerable power to make that process more difficult for hardworking Californians. Five years ago, the state of California figured out a way to make taxpaying less painful. It rolled out ReadyReturn, a free online service that provides taxpayers their completed tax return by using information from wage and withholding data. Rave reviews followed, and user satisfaction hit 99 percent. For Intuit, the program was too successful. The company viewed ReadyReturn as a threat because it thought ReadyReturn users would otherwise buy TurboTax. Intuit doesnt understand its own market. ReadyReturn users -- taxpayers with income only from wages and no itemized deductions -- are precisely the consumer group least likely to need TurboTax. So what did Intuit do? It poured $1 million into the campaign coffers of a ReadyReturn opponent, Tony Strickland, in an attempt to influence the 2006 race for state controller. Strickland lost. ReadyReturn survived. [Sacramento Bee Op-Ed, 10/6/09]

INTUIT CONTRIBUTED $1 MILLION TO ELECT STRICKLAND STATE CONTROLLER IN 2006

Intuit Contributed $1 Million to Independent Expenditure Effort to Elect Strickland State Controller. According to Ventura County Star, In recent years, Intuit has contributed heavily to Republican political campaigns. In 2006, it contributed $1 million to an independent expenditure group called Alliance for Californias Tomorrow, which in turn spent $1 million on behalf of Stricklands campaign for state controller. [Ventura County Star, 9/15/09]

Stricklands Democratic Opponent was a Strong Advocate of ReadyReturn

Stricklands Democratic Opponent for State Controller Had a History of Support for ReadyReturn. According to Sacramento Bee, Intuit has inserted itself into the controllers campaign as part of its fight to block the Franchise Tax Board from simplifying the state income tax filing process. From his post on the Board of Equalization, Chiang embraced ReadyReturn, a program designed to remove some of the agony of tax season by having the government complete low-income Californians tax returns. [Sacramento Bee, 10/25/06]

Strickland Welcomed Intuits Support as Evidence of Support for his Campaign

Strickland Campaign Said Intuit Contribution Evidenced Support for Stricklands Campaign Platform. According to Sacramento Bee, Stricklands campaign manager, Paul Hegyi, said neither Intuit nor Indian contributions will affect Strickland if elected. We appreciate any support of Tonys message of lowering taxes and needing a watchdog in the Controllers Office, Hegyi said. [Sacramento Bee, 10/25/06]

IN 2009, REPUBLICANS, INCLUDING STRICKLAND, BLOCKED 20 BILLS TO GAIN LEVARAGE FOR THREE REPUBLICAN DEMANDS, INCLUDING OUTLAWING READYRETURN
LA Times: Senate Republicans Blocked 20 Unrelated Bills to Leverage a Trio of Unrelated Demands. According to Los Angeles Times, A plan to keep dozens of domestic-violence shelters from closing sailed out of the state Assembly late Friday night with nary a no vote. Yet hours later, the bill lay in the legislative trash heap, one of many lost to politics as lawmakers reached the deadline for completing their work this year. Republicans in the Senate blocked more than 20 bills -- all needing GOP votes to pass, many approved by the lower house with bipartisan or near-unanimous support -- to leverage a trio of unrelated demands. Chief among those was the elimination of a program that allowed mostly low-income Californians to have the state do their tax returns free, something the maker of TurboTax has been trying to achieve for years. The other demands, which Democrats say they were willing to meet, were putting a Republican name on a popular bill and tweaking corporate tax breaks passed months ago. This is what they hold out for? exasperated Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) said shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday. [Los Angeles Times, 9/15/09] Strickland Took Part in Republican Blockade. According to Los Angeles Times, It matters a great deal to interest groups. Intuit, which makes TurboTax, has spent $618,000 on lobbying in Sacramento since 2007 and donated to the campaigns of 29 of the 40 state senators since 2005. In 2006, the company spent $1 million trying to elect Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) as state controller. He lost that race but is now a senator who took part in Fridays blockade. Strickland said he did not see any conflict of interest in holding out for the dismantling of ReadyReturn. Ive always thought it was wrong to use taxpayer dollars to compete with private enterprise, he said. [Los Angeles Times, 9/15/09]

Op-Ed: Strickland Led the Way in Blocking 20 Bills in Support of ReadyReturn. In an October 2009 op-ed, Dennis J. Ventry, a UC Davis law professor, wrote, But Intuit persisted, opening its wallet still wider. It has been reported that Intuit has spent $618,000 on lobbying in Sacramento since 2007 and, since 2005, has donated additional amounts to 29 state senators. Intuits money appears well spent. Republicans in the Senate, with Strickland leading the way, blocked 20 bills at the end of the legislative session, primarily because Democrats would not let ReadyReturn die. [Sacramento Bee Op-Ed, 10/6/09]

Republicans Blocked Bill Restoring Funding to Domestic Violence Shelters

Ventura County Star Editorial Criticized Senate Republicans for Not Restoring Funding for Domestic Violence Shelters. In September 2009, the Ventura County Star published an editorial criticizing Strickland and other Republican State Senators for not restoring funding for domestic violence shelters. They wrote, Shame on Republican state senators for failing to act on legislation to restore funding for domestic-violence shelters. The funding was a victim of Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggers veto pen in July, and resulted in shelters statewide being closed down, including five in Ventura County. (One local shelter has since reopened and two others will soon, thanks to $92,000 in private donations.) The legislation had previously passed the Assembly on a 76 -0 vote, but Senate Republicans, intent on making a point, killed the bill, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, in the closing hours of the 2009 legislative session. The bipartisan bill, coauthored by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, would have restored $16.3 million in funding for domestic-violence shelters by borrowing temporarily from a special fund to promote alternative fuels. [Ventura County Star Editorial, 9/17/09]

Strickland: Republicans had No Policy Dispute with Bill to Restore Domestic Violence Shelter Funding, but it was a Matter of Principle. According to Ventura County Star, Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, was among those who held firm. He said Senate Republicans had no policy dispute with the bill to restore domestic violence shelter funding by borrowing temporarily from a special fund designed to promote development of alternative fuels. The GOP position was to assert a principle of trust, Strickland said. When you give your word, your word should be your bond. Strickland said Republican senators believed that Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, had not delivered on promises to address those three issues and, for minority Republicans, the only retribution you have is the two-thirds vote. [Ventura County Star, 9/15/09]

Strickland Defended His Involvement

Strickland Defended Defunding ReadyReturn: Ive Always Thought it was Wrong to Use Taxpayer Dollars to Compete with Private Enterprise. According to Los Angeles Times, It matters a great deal to interest groups. Intuit, which makes TurboTax, has spent $618,000 on lobbying in Sacramento since 2007 and donated to the campaigns of 29 of the 40 state senators since 2005. In 2006, the company spent $1 million trying to elect Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) as state controller. He lost that race but is now a senator who took part in Fridays blockade. Strickland said he did not see any conflict of interest in holding out for the dismantling of ReadyReturn. Ive always thought it was wrong to use taxpayer dollars to compete with private enterprise, he said. [Los Angeles Times, 9/15/09]

Abuse of Franked Mail

Press-Enterprise: 46 Percent of Stricklands State Senate Constituents are Also Constituents of the Newly Redrawn 26th Congressional District. According to the Press-Enterprises calculations, 46 percent of Stricklands State Senate constituents were also constituents of the newly redrawn 26th congressional district, which Strickland is running for in the 2012 elections. [PressEnterprise, 5/29/12] Press-Enterprise: Strickland Sent 96 Percent of His Mail Pieces to Area Overlapping His State Senate District and the 26th District. According to the Press-Enterprises calculations, 96 percent of Stricklands mailers were directed towards to the area overlapping his state senate district and the area constituting the new 26th congressional district. According to the Press-Enterprise, Legislative rules require only that lawmakers mail stay within their districts. [] In another expected close race, the office of state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, sent almost all of his mail to ZIP codes that are within the redrawn 26th Congressional District. About half of his Senate constituents live in the area. [Press-Enterprise, 5/29/12] Strickland Sent Over 80,000 Mail Pieces Between June 2011 and April 2012 at a Total Cost of Over $20,000. The Press-Enterprise calculated Strickland sent a total of 83,196 mail pieces between June 2011 and April 5, 2012. The Press-Enterprise calculated the total cost of these mail pieces to be $20,169.36. [Press-Enterprise, 5/29/12] Press-Enterprise Calculated Results by Comparing How Many Mailers Were Sent to Each ZIP Code and District Boundaries. The Press-Enterprise explained its methodology. According to Press-Enterprise, The Legislature will not release detailed sort criteria, or actual addresses of where lawmakers send their offices mail, citing privacy concerns. The Press-Enterprise reviewed hundreds of pages of mail reports that listed how many mailers went to particular ZIP codes. Those figures

were compared to the 2010 census population of areas that are in a lawmakers current district, as well as the newly drawn district in which they are running this year. [Press-Enterprise, 5/29/12]

2004
2004: Strickland was Top-Spender on Franked Mail at Nearly $150,000. According to The Desert Sun, Use of taxpayer-supported mail services is a perk that College of the Desert Political Science Professor William Gudelunas calls the incumbency advantage. [] Republican Assemblyman Tony Stricklands office was the top spender on postage at $149,776. Strickland, of Moorpark, represents several Ventura County communities and a portion of Los Angeles County. [The Desert Sun, 2/17/04] Between December 9, 2003 and January 2, 2004, Strickland Spent $113,000 on Franked Mail. According to Ventura County Star, Between Dec. 9 and Jan. 2, Assemblyman Tony Strickland sent more than 630,000 pieces of mail to constituents in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, at a cost to taxpayers in excess of $113,000. [] Strickland said he sent most of his mail in December and on Jan. 2 because it was a time when California had just gotten a new governor and a new legislative session was beginning. I choose to let constituents know whats going on rather than keep them in the dark, he said. [Ventura County Star, 1/27/04] Mailings Were Sent 24 Days Before Start of Mandatory Pre-Election Blackout Period. According to Ventura County Star, The mailings were sent during the last 24 days before the start of a mandatory pre-election blackout period, at a time when Stricklands wife, Audra, is competing in a four-way primary campaign for the Republican nomination to succeed her husband. The costs incurred by Strickland during that period were more than double those of any other member of the 80-person Assembly. [Ventura County Star, 1/27/04] Stricklands Wife was Candidate in 4-Person Republican Primary. According to Ventura County Star, The mailings were sent during the last 24 days before the start of a mandatory preelection blackout period, at a time when Stricklands wife, Audra, is competing in a four-way primary campaign for the Republican nomination to succeed her husband. The costs incurred by Strickland during that period were more than double those of any other member of the 80person Assembly. [Ventura County Star, 1/27/04] Mailers Touted Stricklands Bills, Included Surveys Asking Constituents Views. According to Ventura County Star, The mailings include such pieces as a survey that asks constituents views on such issues as the state budget and a letter touting Stricklands bills in the Legislature, including sponsoring a resolution to name a stretch of Highway 101 in Ventura County the Screaming Eagles Highway. [Ventura County Star, 1/27/04]

Ventura County Star: Strickland a Prolific Sender of Franked Mail. According to Ventura County Star, Strickland noted that the money comes from a discretionary office account each member can spend for a variety of purposes, from staff salaries to constituent mailers. Since his election six years ago, Strickland has consistently been among the Assemblys most prolific mailers. Ive dedicated a large portion of my budget to constituent mailers, he said. The only people making a big deal of this are political opponents. Constituents have been very positive. When I was walking door to door this weekend, people were telling me that they appreciated being kept informed of whats going on in Sacramento. [Ventura County Star, 1/27/04]

2000
2000: Strickland Sent 420,000 Pieces of Franked Mail Shortly Before Pre-Election-Day Ban on Mailers. According to Los Angeles Times, Assembly candidate Roz McGrath charged Friday that Assemblyman Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) has abused his privileges as a lawmaker by sending 420,000 mailers to voters at taxpayer expense shortly before the Sept. 8 ban on such mailings. Its a political ploy to get his message across to the voters at taxpayers expense, said McGrath, the Democratic challenger in the 37th District. And as a taxpayer, Im demanding that he pay back that money to the taxpayers. State records show that Strickland ordered seven different sets of mailers from Aug. 16 to Aug. 30 totaling 420,366 pieces and costing $ 67,397. That placed him second of the Assemblys 80 members in total mailings during the five weeks prior to the Sept. 8 cutoff. [Los Angeles Times, 9/16/00] Strickland Said he was Only Keeping Constituents Informed. According to Ventura County Star, One of the great responses I get from people is that I keep them informed of whats happening in Sacramento, Strickland said. Im an elected representative, and Im going to inform my constituents. Thats my job. He said the reason so much mail has gone out in the past two months is because it was the end of the two-year legislative session, a time when there is a lot of information to report. [Ventura County Star, 9/16/00]