Subject: Chuck DeVore

• Sic Transit...

  It seem there might be a princess– princess in the sense of being the child of a European royal– somewhere in the Inland Empire. Albert Grimaldi, the ruling prince of Monaco (and one of the least inbred of Europe's royal relics, thanks to the genetic material of Grace Kelly), is reportedly about to acknowledged that he is the father of a 14 year old girl from Riverside County. Since Albert wasn't married to the mother, the girl will have no claim to the throne (given Albert's habit o

  June 1, 2006

• Chuck DeVore on Hemp

  Last week there was a rumor goin' round that Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine), a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard and a Republican, was co-author of a bill to legalize industrial hemp. Not only that, but he was doing so with none other than Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), the openly gay Democrat who authored a bill to legalize gay marriages. Polar opposites. The matter and anti-matter of the California Assembly. So what gives? What exactly are they trying to do and why? Here'

  July 3, 2006

• DeVore Cries Havoc

  "Look at it burning." -Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader, speaking as his group's rockets struck a US-made Israeli warship Well, we're in for it now. Israel, Lebanon and Palestine are at each others' throats. Amr Moussa, General-Secretary of the Arab League, has declared the Middle East peace process "dead". That's not troubled, fragile or even desperate; it's DEAD. Beyond resuscitation. According to Mista Moussa, "Certain powers have given Israel every capacity to do whatever it wishes

  July 15, 2006

• Toll Road Opposition for the Lazy

  Just when you think the government's a complete and total failure, something happens to restore your faith. Why, just this afternoon I was perusing the Governor's website, filling out a webmail information request on Chuck DeVore's industrial hemp bill and bemoaning my lack of decent contacts up in Sac-Town, when something caught my eye. A quick visit to www.govmail.ca.gov brings up a helpful, simple page where you can list your contact details, your email, the issue with which you're concerne

  August 21, 2006

• Why Is La Opinion Changing the Tan Nguyen Letter?

  La Opinión is the dean of America's Spanish-language dailies, dating back to the 1930s. Its owners, the Lozano family, are tireless advocates of Latinos, and the paper's Pilar Marrero is one of Southern California's best political reporters, damn the language. But their coverage of the Tan Nguyen scandal (read previous Blotter posts below) is inconsistent when considering the infamous letter's most infamous passage--that illegal immigrants and resident aliens can't vote. The Spanish-lang

  October 22, 2006

• ND Beats CA

  If, as the governor recently asserted, California is both the new Athens and the new Sparta, where the future of America is busily being created, then what the hell is North Dakota? Because in one patch of the future, North Dakota is set to leave California in the dust. The state best known for frostbite, Fargo, and the Lawrence Welk Birthplace museum (not to be confused the Lawrence Welk Museum in Escondido), is set to become to the first state to have a farmer growing hemp. Not the sort of h

  January 16, 2007

• DeVore Speaks (and effs up)

  Legendary Louisiana Governor Earl Long used to offer the following advice to political types: "Don't write anything you can phone. Don't phone anything you can talk. Don't talk anything you can whisper. Don't whisper anything you can smile. Don't smile anything you can nod. Don't nod anything you can wink." Ol' Earl never thought it necessary to add that if you're planning a cynical little political ploy, don't announce it in advance in front of a reporter. He probably never thought anyone st

  April 11, 2007

• Monday's Headlines & Surprises: Laguna prefers goats on grass

  Mexicans are safe on this one: A report issued recently to the Laguna Beach City Council found that goats will clear vegetation from fire-sensitive slopes for a cost of $198,000 per year, while juveniles working off a crime in the county’s Probation Department would require $385,000. A consultant to the city noted that goats are “advantageous in their ability to work in all types of weather and terrain conditions.” So the goats win again. But tell me recidivism rates for probation punks w

  September 10, 2007

• Sunday's Headlines & Surprises: That Sneaky Chuck DeVore

  Doctor No: The public hospital crisis has placed nearly two dozen private hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties “in dire financial straits and in danger of bankruptcy or closure,” according to a depressing report in today’s Times. Reporters Daniel Costello and Susannah Rosenblatt found that the local healthcare system is so overburdened that “even a few other hospitals close or reduce costly critical-care services, it could mean longer ambulance rides to hospitals, additional del

  September 23, 2007

• Friday's Headlines & Surprises: Why Did the Mayor Quote Mein Kampf at South Coast Plaza?

  Look! Up in the Sky! It's SuperFascist! Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor jumped into a phone booth, ripped off his Orange County Sheriff greens and donned something that would make him, at least outwardly, a man of substance: a fine suit, tie and shiny shoes. Yep, yesterday at a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of South Coast Plaza, Mansoor stood at a podium and began reading passages from Mein Kampf. No? All right. According to Michael Miller’s version in the Daily Pilot, Mansoor dee

  October 12, 2007

• Wake Up And Suck The Orange 1.24.08

  Good morning children. On this day in history in 1848, James Sutter first found gold at Sutter's Mill, starting the California Gold Rush. In 1935, the first cans of beer were sold in the US. And in 2003 the Department of Homeland Security began operation. Hooray beer, boo Homeland Security. Read this while the coffee takes hold: STATE PRISON RECEIVER CANNED: LA Times - Out goes Robert Kelso after only two years. Why? Assemblyman Todd Spitzer (R-Orange), a local boy who chairs a committee on pr

  January 24, 2008

• Chuck Devore Book Selling Super, Super-Cheap!

  A couple of nights ago, I had a reading in San Diego so decided to visit the maniacal genius known as Dr. William Nericcio, head of the English department at San Diego State and keeper of the insane Tex(t)-Mex blog. Before knocking back drinks with him at some Mean Streets-esque bar, I headed to SDSU's bookstore to find some used books. Everything was discounted to begin with AND 75 percent off, which meant I bought about $200 worth of books for $20--and which meant I was privy to the worst insu

  May 2, 2008

• The Reconquista Reaches Sacramento

  With apologies to Orange County Register sports genius Randy Youngman, notes, quotes and observations from yesterday’s sojourn to Sacramento, where I received a Latino Spirit Award (honoring Latinos who have made a positive contribution to California) from the California Latino Legislative Caucus: *Hosting me for two days was the saintly, ever-hilarious Matt Coker, longtime managing editor of the OC Weekly, currently editor at the Sacramento News and Review. Clockwork Coker remains as trouble

  May 6, 2008

• What's Bad for Obama is Good for Todd Gallinger?

  Irvine City Council races have a long, rich history of generating critical looks from the county grand jury, tireless political reformer Shirley Grindle, state Assemblyman Chuck Devore (R-Irvine), solidly Democrat UC Irvine political science professor Mark Petracca and, of course, our own R. Scott Moxley thanks to the shameful schemes of the Larry Agran slate. But never before has the Irvine race veered into presidential politics – even more specifically, tonight's debate between Barack Obama

  October 15, 2008

• Letters

  August 12, 2004

• DeVore Scoffs at Budget Data Suggesting Orange County Uses More, Spends Less for State Services

  Assembly Budget Committee chairwoman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) released data from the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) that suggests cuts under the state budget plan approved Thursday morning could hit Republican areas hardest because they use more government services, while the tax burden falls more heavily on Democratic leaning counties. Evans' analysis rubs Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) the wrong way, Malcolm Maclachlan reports in Sacramento's Capitol Weekly

  February 20, 2009

• John and Ken Go After Red County Blog (Again)

  *Originally posted on March 13; moved up by Gustavo 'cause the conversation is HOT!The hosts of KFI-AM 640 The John and Ken Show are ripping Orange County's right-tilted Red County blog once again. (You can listen here.) What set off the anti-tax crusaders--whose recent live Tax Revolt 2009 broadcast (pictured) drew 8,000 people to the Slidebar Café in downtown Fullerton--was a post by Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca Pie) shilling for Prop 1A.Like Cook, our Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

  March 16, 2009

• Orange County Republican exposes Communist China caper!

  Chuck DeVore, the Orange County Republican state assemblyman who is determined to challenge Barbara Boxer, one of California's two Democratic U.S. senators, in the 2010 election today alleged a conspiracy between certain Democratic politicians, Hollywood stars and Chinese communist operatives. According to DeVore, a onetime aide to ex-Congressman Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and the co-author of a China-related spy novel, the alliance formed for financial reasons (or worse) to block next we

  March 13, 2009

• Chuck Devore, Don Henley And The End Of Civilization...

  We're a few days late to this April Fools project from the Chuck DeVore for Senate campaign. Somehow, we're not the only ones to miss the premier, as only 591 people have seen the thing. There are really no words to help here. Just watch.Justin Hart, the campaign's director of internet strategies and new media, assured me in an email that it was him singing, not the Assemblyman. Mr DeVore did write the lyrics, though, and published them last week on Big Hollywood.The new-media department is real

  April 3, 2009

• Breaking: Don Henley Rebukes Chuck DeVore!

  Square fight! Soft-rockin' Eagles founder Don Henley has asked YouTube to yank down Irvine State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore's "Boys of Summer" parody, which we posted on Friday. Now if you try to watch the vid on YouTube, you get the inexplicably hilarious message: This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Don Henley. Don't worry, though. If you need your fix of DeVore's campaign tech-dude screeching about Barack Obama destroying America's hopes and dreams to the tune of a song

  April 7, 2009

• Don Henley Threatens The Weekly! Will Chuck DeVore Give In?

  Steve Jurvetson / Flickr / WikiMedia CommonsThis Don Henley photo licensed under Creative Commons, so hopefully we won't get sued for using it.We just received a scary letter from the law firm representing Eagles member Don Henley. The gist: Take down that blog-embedded video of Assemblyman Chuck DeVore's anti-Obama "Boys of Summer" parody, or else. Paralegal Naomi Simmons writes:On April 7, 2009, Editorial Fellow Spencer Kornhaber posted an article in the blogs section of the OC Weekly entitled

  April 8, 2009

• DeVore Now Bugs Henley, Boxer AND Scrooge McDuck (Updated)

  Barbara BoxerWe vowed to be more sparing in our blog coverage of Irvine Assemblyman/2010 senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore's publicity campaign to seem like the most affably goofy nuclear-power lobbyist in the state. But it's time for an update, because DeVore's gone and made another Don Henley parody. This one jabs at Barbara Boxer, his 2010 opponent (contingent on the highly dubious assumption that DeVore will win the Republican primary)It's called "All She Wants To Do is Tax," a rip-off of H

  April 14, 2009

• Letters

  "There is a huge difference between the FBI and the media."

  November 1, 2007

• OC's Scariest People

  Our Congressional delegation tops this year’s list of 33 villains (31 for October, plus two more to get to the Dia de los Muertos, ese)

  October 25, 2007

• From The Front Lines of the Santa Ana Teabagging

  This guy was introduced as the "creator and administrator of John & Ken's official Facebook group." He's also "head"-ing up the recall-Arnold effort.Yay, rich people!Like bitches and queers have done, the leaders at the Santa Ana Tea Party reclaimed the slurs used against them."According to Homeland Security, you are now a right wing extremist," Shawn Black, a Republican running for Chuck DeVore's vacant assembly seat in 2010, told the crowd at the Civic Center plaza. That phrase -- "right w

  April 15, 2009

• A Friend in Weed

  Pot coulda been a contender in DeVore race. Then the Terminator harshed his mellow

  November 2, 2006

• Commie Girl

  June 8, 2006

• Diary of a Mad County

  October 13, 2005

• The Asian Persuasion

  July 14, 2005

• Notable Quotables

  And more on the syph

  June 2, 2005

• Chuck Not Amuck

  April 7, 2005

• Diary of a Mad County

  March 3, 2005

• Pussies Galore!

  July 29, 2004

• Slim Pickins

  March 7, 2002

• Yup, Henley Sues DeVore

  ChuckChuck DeVore, assemblyman from Irvine, has been right all along. He predicted that Eagles founder Don Henley would sue him for using "The Boys of Summer" in an anti-Obama parody video. He predicted that this would become a national story. This weekend, CNN validated the guy by breaking the news that Don Henley filed a suit against DeVore in federal court.DeVore's got a comeback post on Big Hollywood, with the usual giggling about the fact that Henley's a flaming liberal and that DeVore thin

  April 20, 2009

• Great Park Thanks Barbara Boxer. In Yer Face, Chuck DeVore!

  Chuck DeVore may be a long-time Orange Countian, the member of the state Assembly whose Irvine-based district includes the future Orange County Great Park and a possible friend in a high place if he scores an upset victory next year to become the junior U.S. senator from California. But it is DeVore's likely foe, Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is reaping the thanks of the Great Park Corporation Board of Directors this week.The board is simply giddy over Boxer's sponsorship of a $470,000 appropriation t

  April 24, 2009

• Chuck DeVore Reveals Plot, Escalates War With Don Henley

  Thanks to Twitter -- something that I really try to thank very rarely -- we quickly found out State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore's reaction to Don Henley's DeVore-related legal beef with the Weekly. Chuck twote: "Don Henley's legal goons threaten a liberal weekly over their posting and mocking of my mockery, egads!"Then he called up Daily Pilot City Editor Paul Anderson to giggle about his tomfoolery. Read the full exchange here, on Anderson's blog. DeVore reveals his plans, though, as follows: Now

  April 10, 2009

• Chuck DeVore Tweets on the Issues!

  May 21, 2009

• Chuck DeVore's Quixotic Attempt to Twitter and Parody-Video His Way Into the U.S. Senate

  May 21, 2009

• Letters From OC Weekly Readers

  May 28, 2009

• From Scrooge McDuck to Ebenezer Scrooge for Chuck DeVore

  Photo by John GilhooleyAs California burns, DeVore tweets.Perhaps you missed it in our recent flurry of online and old-timey print coverage of Chuck DeVore--the Republican assemblyman out of Irvine making noise about running for Democrat Barbara Boxer's U.S. Senate seat in 2010--but at one point Chuckles used Disney character Scrooge McDuck to take a video swipe at his presumed challenger.Well, turnabout is fowl play, as a Sacramento-based columnist is now drawing a comparison between DeVore and

  June 11, 2009

• Chuck Devore to China: Set Your Prisoners Free!

  In September 2001, Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) self-published a book called "China Attacks" which envisioned a Chinese sneak attack against Taiwan that precipitates a third world war. Call it a case of bad timing: as the events of 9/11 suggested, China might not be America's worst enemy after all. In 2004,  DeVore became a California Assemblyman representing the 70th District, but he still finds time to take the Chinese government to task from time to time.The latest example? Today, DeVore fire

  July 7, 2009

• John Campbell Gets Caught Using a Twitter Ghostwriter

  We usually glaze over any posts on Irvine councilwoman Beth Krom written by The Liberal OC, because the woman can do no wrong in their eyes. But that didn't stop editor Chris Prevatt from helping to out Representative John Campbell's Twitter writer: the king of Orange County sock-puppetry, Matt "Jubal" Cunningham.It was never Prevatt's intention to do this. He was pissed off about the tone of a Campbell tweet bashing Krom and asked Cunningham, who's serving as his campaign consultant in his 2010

  July 17, 2009

• Why Won't Loretta Sanchez Return a Blogger's Phone Call?

  It's fascinating to see the double standard that Orange County politicians employ with bloggers in these days of a flat media landscape. While blogs such as Red County and The Liberal OC are virtual megaphones for, respectively, conservative and liberal operatives and politicians (some even contribute articles), independent-minded blogs frequently find themselves in the same corner as the Weekly: when they ask for a quote or interview, ignorance. Dana and Don Papi Pulido: return our calls one da

  June 3, 2009

• Register Readers Choking on Latino-Takeover Predictions

  Brian Joseph, the Register's Sacramento reporter, has an online story detailing predictions that "Hispanics will become Orange County's ethnic majority seven years earlier than previously projected, according to new state figures released Monday." Joseph says Hispanics will become the majority in OC in 2034 and that five years later the county will have more Asians and whites. By 2050, reports Joseph, California will be 52 percent Hispanic, 27 percent white and 13 percent Asian. The paper quotes

  July 10, 2007

• Weekend Forecast for Newport Beach: Very, Very, Very Conservative

  Andrew Breitbart: From Fox News to Newport Beach​What would you do if you found out conservatives Andrew Breitbart, Jim Lacy, Tom Fuentes, Bruce Herschesohn, Sir Eldon Griffiths, Governor Tim Pawlenty, Meg Whitman, Chuck DeVore, Jeff Miller, Ralph Reed, Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce, Steve Poizner, Barry Goldwater, Jr., Gary Kreep, Don Wagner, John Ziegler, John Eastman, Michelle Steel, Matt/Jubal Cunningham and Jon Fleischman were going to be i

  October 15, 2009

• Don Wagner Kicks Off Assembly Bid With a Little Help From His Far-Out, Far-Right Friends

  Don Wagner, in charge.​Irvine's Don Wagner, the hard-core conservative president of the South Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees, kicks off his bid for state Assembly this evening with the help from one of the other hard-core conservatives on the college board's dais, "Chairman Emeritus of the Orange County Republican Party Central Committee" Tom Fuentes.Wagner hopes to win the GOP nomination for the 2010 race for the Assembly seat currently filled by Chuck DeVore (R-Ir

  September 30, 2009

• What Are Birthers Doing Hanging With Top Repubs In Newport?

  ​Matt Coker already did a nice job previewing the Western Conservative Political Action Conference taking place today and tomorrow at the Radisson in Newport Beach. But the Washington Independent's David Weigel -- who loves Orly Taitz as much as we do -- points out that  this conference isn't just for the best and brightest stars of mainstream GOP like Chuck DeVore, Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner, Tim Pawlenty and Andrew Breitbart.There'll also be birthers!

  October 16, 2009

• 3 OC Schools Escape No Child Left Behind Sanctions, CTA Crows

  Just another day of learning at Kinoshita Elementary School.​California Teachers Association (CTA) is taking credit for three elementary schools in Orange County improving enough academically to escape vulnerability to sanctions or forced conversion to charter schools under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.Melrose Elementary School in Placentia, Martin Elementary School in Santa Ana and Kinoshita Elementary School in San Juan Capistrano are among eight California schools where significant

  October 22, 2009

• The New Economy Will Run On ChuckBucks

  ​If Chuck DeVore, the State Assemblyman from Irvine, wins the seat he seeks in the U.S. Senate, can he fix the financial woes of California and the country?All signs point to yes, given his campaign's latest innovation: ChuckBucks.The dollar is kind of done, don't you agree? DeVore might be on to something by inventing his own currency. Sure, right now, the value of ChuckBucks are supposedly pegged to the dollar. Buy ten ChuckBucks, and DeVore gets ten dollars -- enough to print some campaign

  October 29, 2009