Another law the Fullerton-based California Rifle and Pistol Association sponsors, and had introduced by Assemblyman Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) would allow those brought up on non-violent weapons charges to enter a “pre-trial diversion program,” like traffic school for minor vehicle law offenders, except instead of getting bored to tears by a monotone speaker explaining the intricacies of California's vehicle code, you'll be bored to tears by a monotone speaker explaining the intricacies of California's gun laws. And like traffic school, it's be all about safety — with firearms, not Firebirds.
It's a good thing Harman has the generally conservative GOP-endorsing CRPA in his corner, because he should hear the way he's currently being demonized — by a fellow Republican! Soon-to-be-termed-out Harman has grand plans to take his act to the state Senate, specifically the 35th district seat that was vacated when John Campbell was annointed heir to the congressional seat Christopher Cox held before George Bush appointed him chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Well, a couple Sundays ago, a campaign canvasser landed on the porch of Casa de Clockwork, which is within that 35th district apparently. The young man could hardly contain the steam forming on his horned rims as he related how:
– Tom Harman was first went to the Assembly as the result of an illegal election.
– Tom Harman votes with Democrats more than he votes with Republicans.
-Tom Harman voted for “Gray Davis budgets.”
-Tom Harman even voted for a “diaper tax.”
The canvasser was passing out literature for Harman's challenger for the GOP nomination, Dana Point City Councilwoman Diane Harkey. The great thing about Harkey, the canvasser said, was that she and her husband are filthy rich mortgage bankers, so we can send them to Sacramento without having to worry about them needing special-interest cash. Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger said — before he went on to become the biggest campaign contribution fund-raiser in state history. But it's not like he NEEDED the money …
Anyway, as the true believer was walking away (no, we didn't release the hounds; we only do that in the GENERAL election), we found it strange that a fellow Republican would allege Harman was elected illegally. We seem to recall Harman being the Orange County Republican Party's endorsed candidate in that election. Or are we thinking of former UCLA quarterback turned TV star Mark Harman? Or Mark's dad, Tom Harman. Who's Harman is it anyway?
As for the other stuff, the voting with Democrats, the Gray Davis budgets, the diaper tax, though Clockwork's a registered Republican, we just don't have the energy to go look up these “facts.” We do know that Harman currently represents an Assembly district with a fairly large Democratic presence, and one reason voters from both sides first rallied around him is he's about as environment-friendly as Republicans get in this state. This is a district that's withstood its share of oil spills and pollution-spawned beach closures, after all.
The most-polluted beach in the state, however: Dana Point's Baby Beach. Now, which person in the race should have been doing something about THAT all these years? Hmmm….
Anyway, like we were saying, we didn't have the strength or inclination or interest in looking up all this Harman dirt. Fortunately, Harman's folks just sent us an un-related invitation to one of those Get-to-Know-Tom events. So we emailed back asking if we could run these Harkey allegations past Harman.
At last word, the Harman campaign was still trying to figure out who would be the one to answer back to Clockwork's request.
We nominate MARK HARMAN!!!
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.