L.A. is a dirty word in NorCal politics

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Is being from Los Angeles a mark of shame? That's how it seems in an increasingly nasty state congressional race in Northern California, where Democratic candidate Charlie Brown is running radio ads in the 4th District near Sacramento, attacking  Republican contender Tom McClintock as "this guy from L.A."

Though part of Brown’s point is that McClintock, who represents a district in SoCal, is carpetbagging, there's a definite anti-L.A. tone in the commercials.

Chides the ad: "L.A. Tom could vote for himself if he would just move here."

Just one problem -- McClintock's from Thousand Oaks, a quiet little city far from the mean streets of Los Angeles.

We're  guessing "Thousand Oaks Tom" doesn’t have quite the same negative connotation.

-- Patrick McGreevy

 

Comments

[MtnMetis]

Please, southern Californians, get over yourselves! Anything south of the Grapevine is certainly to be considered southern Cal (although many I know think that once you past the turn-off on Hwy 5 that goes to the bay area, you're out of the North State). Tolerate you, sure, we'll tolerate southern Cal but we wouldn't want to live there.
It may be an irrational phenomena to you but if you could see the difference between us from other than your parochial regional view you may understand our disdain and distaste for southern Cal. Most everyone from Northern Cal has visited, worked or passed thru southern Cal. I don't think that people from there can say the same (Look at how getting away from L.A. is shown in the movie "Sideways" and that's still Southern Cal).
And while that, in itself, is disagreeable, imagine our chagrin that a termed-out southern California career politician who alreadly has two exploratory committees going for two other state-wide offices in 2010, says he wants to represent our 4th Congressional District in Washington.
If you folks don't want him to represent the district in which he lives (but apparently doesn't really live or work there) why should we consider him anything but a southern California carpetbagger with a southern California point of view that would probably represent interests in southern Cal better than he would represent our interests (drawing on his financial backers there cuz he wouldn't be pulling in a lot of money from up here).
Oh yeah, differentiating between L.A. and any other part of southern Cal is like trying to explain the difference between Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey in "Dumb and Dumber" and I mean that in a nice way.

[david]

I knew it! I've always had this feeling that nor-californians had this irrational fear/jealousy/hatred against anything related to los angeles.

They always try to comfort themselves by saying it's a 2-way street. But I can't imagine anyone in LA running an ad like that.

[youseeit]

we're not bigoted against southern californians... just southern californians like that hateful idiot mcclintock. what, he's so played out in his home district that he's got to run from somewhere in the sacramento area? no one's buying what he's selling anymore.

[Eric]

Any way you slice it he's carpetbagging. He's term limited out of his current gig and is way too nutty to win state wide, so he must figure he's got an outside shot at a Democrat in a fairly Republican district. Personally, I'm surprised the ads aren't stronger.
BTW Could you imagine the teeth gnashing if Nancy Pelosi or Gavin Newsome suddenly tried to run for Darrel Issa or Ken Calvert's seat?

[Alex]

"Last I heard, Thouand Oaks is stil in Los Angeles County."

Actually, no, no its not.

[Sheena]

Actually, TO is in Ventura County. Maybe it's considered suburban LA; it's definitely outside the county limits, but just barely.

[Bert Green]

So much for tolerance from Northern Californians. Bigotry comes in all shapes and sizes.

[Lewis Kiehn]

Last I heard, Thouand Oaks is stil in Los Angeles County.