“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.” — Theodore Roosevelt

My decision. My choice. Certainly, this wasn’t easy. Allow me to think this through.

I’ve always admired Theodore Roosevelt. He fought corruption, spoke out passionately about his beliefs in much-needed reforms, and was noted for his fairness in policy and politics.

Of course, you may also read that folks at the turn of the 20th century considered him belligerent and opinionated. Hell, I’ve been called worse. For every one of his critics, however, there were many more who considered him “the hero America needed” as author Michael L. Cooper penned in his 2009 biography on our nation’s 26th President.

What I admire most about Teddy’s legacy and leadership, was his ability to bring folks together — often transcending partisan politics — and in doing so, for the good of our country.

Many of Teddy Roosevelt’s decisions were not easy, such as leaving the Republican Party in 1912 — a party he was active in and helped lead as a New York Assemblyman, Police Commissioner, Governor, Vice-President, and President. The Republican Party had left him and tacked a hard right turn, and Roosevelt, through the passion of defiance, left the party to continue to champion those reforms, values, and ideas he held dear.

Today, I feel it’s the same path I must take as well. Today, I re-registered to vote as “No Party Preference” (a.k.a. “Independent”).

I assure you, no decision could have been harder for me, personally.

Freedom. Opportunity. Self-Reliance. State’s Rights. Government efficiency.  There’s a sense of tradition and a value system — that I cherish and hold dear — you just don’t find in other political parties.

There’s a proud history of nearly 10 years here registering Republican voters. Volunteering. Fundraising. Knocking on doors, calling voters, doing anything I could possibly do to help Republican candidates win elections — pouring blood, sweat, and often tears into these efforts. Oh Lord, did I mention the tweeting?

For now, in this moment, I just felt it was the right choice to make.

As unfortunate (for a number of reasons) that I felt 2008 was a bad year politically, nothing could’ve prepared me for the slaughter of 2012. Of course, in the heat of election cycles, it’s easy to re-hash the talking points of a campaign, and paraphrase why you feel it’s better that voters should choose your side. There’s facts, graphs, logic, and ideology at play. What’s often overlooked though is governing, and the plan to govern.

There hadn’t been much thought about re-registering until recently, while watching the fiscal cliff debate play out over weeks on end. Speculation. Finger-pointing. The constant will-they-won’t-they approach to politics. Quite honestly, it was sick. For as bad as it was for Democrats, I couldn’t honestly sit back and defend the Republicans’  seemingly hands-off approach to governing.

I kept asking myself, “Where’s the leadership? Where’s the plan?”

Then, allowing the Democrats to figure it out on their own and then dictate the terms of whatever the compromise would be was embarrassing to say the very least. I can’t defend that.

I admit, I said for a long time that wild horses couldn’t drag me from my party — and they didn’t. The selfish behavior of those who would rather bring our country to its’ knees, rather than face the challenges ahead of us have drug the party away from me. The constant kowtowing to the Tea Party and like-minded ideologues have damaged the brand, the mission, and the spirit of the Republican Party.

Look at California. The Republican Party, here, is a mess. Enough said.

In San Diego, it’s not nearly as bad but there’s problems here as well. There’s nothing wrong with good-natured, well-intentioned, and much-needed government reforms, but there is a significant problem when you allow a single elected official — an emotional and personality equivalent to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride — to dictate the focus of the party, and whether you are or aren’t welcome within the apparatus.

When Nathan Fletcher left the Republican Party last spring, I admit, I was more than disappointed and reflected those feelings to him over the phone. He said he was tired and over the drama. All the critics said it was political. After much soul-searching these last few weeks, I have to say that Nathan was right. I’m tired and over it, too.

All in all, I don’t feel there’s leadership. Or focus. I don’t feel there’s necessary attention being paid to strengthen the Republican Party. All talk, no action. I’ve said for years that the GOP needed to embrace it’s roots founded in the original 1856 Platform — a document that reads more like the blueprint for ideas in freedom and governance, rather than today’s GOP platform which specifically says what you can or can’t do in life.

Where’s the allure? What’s the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats, aside from being polar opposites on the political spectrum? Nothing. God forbid you find yourself in the political center. You have no where to go.

All that said, where do we go from here?

I’m sure folks will say I’ve always been a squish. Not committed. Not conservative enough. That’s fine. That just shows that those folks have very little respect for the consistent work I did all those years. All the more reason for my decision to step aside, and re-register.

I am now a simple, registered voter who states that I have NO PARTY PREFERENCE. That doesn’t change who I am or what I believe. Our spending needs to be under control, I’m not in favor of big government or higher taxes — we need some desperate spending cuts, for sure. However, if I ever served as an elected official, I would have sense enough to know not to bring a government to its knees because of hard-headedness (a heartfelt sentiment to both parties).

Thankfully, I have no designs on political office. I’m too honest for it.

Now, there are good Republicans, and there are good Democrats. I’m honored to know both. It’s the self-interested ones on both sides of the aisle who need to reappraise their purpose in politics.

Hopefully, there will be a time in the very near future when the Republican Party evaluates itself in the tradition of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. I pray it does.  It would be an honor to re-register as a Republican under such circumstances. Until then, I will spend my time focusing on my commitments and service to my community, and encouraging camaraderie among others — no matter what their political persuasion may be.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” I’ve always been inspired to reach for the stars, and although I’m no longer a Republican, I feel as grounded as I’ve ever been.

I remember being in 2nd Period just finished a test on the Middle East, and the Coach turned on the TV. It played out over television throughout the whole day.

I remember Principal Tompkins came over the PA system and told us what had happened. The bell rang for the next class and I don’t remember anyone talking.

I remember Mrs. LeBeouf wiping tears from her eyes, and Rebecca had to leave school that week because her uncle was in New York for a meeting at the World Trade Center that morning. We were in shock. We cried. We prayed.

Wow. What a history!

Founded in 1850, San Diego went bankrupt two years later, and eventually emerged in 1889 with not only a strong mayor, but TWO houses within the city’s Common Council: a Board of Aldermen, and a Board of Delegates.

If you’re a history buff, you’ll love reading up on this at the City Clerk’s website. Great way to start a Wednesday morning!

Walk for Justice 2012 Event Information
Saturday, August 25, 2012
3:00pm-4:00pm: Registration
4:00pm-7:00pm: Event
NTC Park at Liberty Station (Section D)
2455 Cushing Road
San Diego, CA 92106

If you’d like to walk with me, please visit walk.caseact.org/#sandiego

As a point of information, the Brown Act was enacted by the state legislature back in the 50′s to allow the public right of knowledge and participation in municipal government meetings.

For years, Councilwoman Donna Frye championed open government in San Diego, and expressed her thoughts recently about the state’s move to curb certain parts of the Brown Act.

Although there’s much I may disagree with Mrs. Frye on, I must applaud her past and current efforts in highlighting government transparency at City Hall — and I encourage it at all levels of government.

Now that the County and City have made the public gesture to guarantee residents and taxpayers open government, there’s still much we can do to ensure we stick with this principle.

What has always irritated me, has been the consistent partisan game of Democrats accusing Republicans of hiding information from the public, and vice-versa, rather than a sheer interest — or will, from either side — to work together to ensure the public’s knowledge on any issue.

Without compliance, the public may continue to lose what little trust in government they have. Without trust, well — chaos ensues, creating more unnecessary problems and headaches that could easily have been prevented otherwise.

For example, Voice of San Diego uncovered problems with noncompliance among many of the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) within the City of San Diego.

In response, Councilmembers David Alvarez and Carl DeMaio came together to help enact a number of transparency reforms to ensure BIDs are held accountable to the public.

It’s important that local government comply with the Brown Act, and strive to make improvements where necessary, through fresh ideas and public input. Using Councilmembers Alvarez and DeMaio as an example, I would argue that it’s even more important that we work together in order to do it.

Despite our recent civic history, I feel San Diego can turn the page on this issue. Instead of just following, I know we have it within ourselves, within our city, within our will, to lead on open government — and we should.

– Ryan Trabuco

This has become the world’s five-ring capital, a place where the Olympic flame is more like a raging beach bonfire, a place that increasingly produces more Olympic athletes in more sports on a more regular basis per capita than anywhere else maybe on the planet. The 2012 Summer Games begin Friday in London, and San Diego — a city of 1.3 million, a county of 3.1 million — can claim 80 athletes who either grew up here or currently live and train here.

And that doesn’t include another two dozen rowers who have wintered on Lower Otay Reservoir for the past several years, which would push the number north of 100 — or roughly one in five members of the U.S. Olympic team. San Diego County has roughly one-hundredth of the U.S. population.

Read more here: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/21/san-diego-americas-olympic-capital/

Good laugh for the day

From Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/politicians-disney-characters-photos_n_1670736.html

May this be the first — and last time — I ever have to address this.

Arturo ‘Art’ Pedroza makes many claims about many people.  More often than not, his claims are false with the intent of being malicious.  Art Pedroza has written about me, and people I know and associate with — on more than one occasion over the years – and I made the personal decision to stay quiet about my thoughts. Until now.

Lately, I have been asked by a couple folks, “Who is this Art Pedroza guy, and why is he writing about you?” Simple.

I, and others, sued Mr. Pedroza in a landmark federal case against cybersquatting and copyright infringement, and we won — twice. You may read the ruling from Judge David Carter here. We won a default judgement of $17,000 in 2010, and in 2011 won another $30,000 in damages — of which Mr. Pedroza has yet to pay into collections.

What stemmed the lawsuit, you ask? Extortion.

Art Pedroza purchased web domains related to our names and businesses out of pettiness, and redirected those domains to gay porn sites and NAMBLA (the North American Man Boy Love Association) — an organization I refuse to link my site to. You may do your own research. Needless to say, it’s an organization that Jerry Sandusky would be proud of. Upon purchasing these sites, Mr. Pedroza then attempted to extort thousands of dollars from myself and others in order to return the sites.

Despite our victory in court, Art Pedroza continued to berate and harass various different politicos — regardless of affiliations. Here’s a story of Mr. Pedroza exploiting the death of a Democratic Congressional candidate’s son, and a recent story where he continues to castigate my former boss and friend, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen — despite her overwhelming victory as a Republican to a second term in a Democratic-leaning district.

So, what is Art Pedroza’s motivation for continuing to harass and character assassinate me? Is it jealousy? Pettiness? I’m certainly not convinced that it’s based on a strong conviction of character. When I served as a City Commissioner in the City of Santa Ana, Mr. Pedroza was often severely critical of Mayor Miguel Pulido. However, after receiving a $5,150 paycheck, he sure changed his tune and became the Mayor’s biggest cheerleader.

Clearly, Art Pedroza’s opinions can be had for a price — a trait not viewed well among voters when running for office, among other personal faults.  In fact, voters in Orange County have soundly rejected Art Pedroza in three four (1998, 2008, 2010, 2012) separate attempts by him to run for public office.

Art Pedroza’s blogs, comments, and opinions are based on money and ambition, rather than credible fact and heart-felt conviction. He attacks, bullies, and harasses elected officials, community activists, and staffers — throughout the state — for no other reason than to attempt to incite harm on those he doesn’t like. Although it’s not fair, it’s the malicious intent of a man hell-bent on chaos and destruction rather than clear-cut public policy solutions.

If you have any questions about the lawsuit, contact Dan Chmielewski at 714.832.8716, or 949.231.2965

– Ryan Trabuco

I want to offer thanks and support for the Council in approving this project, largely envisioned by Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs, and put forward by the Plaza de Panama Committee.

For more news on the project, check out the coverage in U-T San Diego.

The Committee was formed a few years ago and developed an all-encompassing master plan to remove vehicular traffic from the plaza’s central square, restoring the area to its’ former glory, with additional modern aesthetics.

Although the plan is not without a few, nuanced faults — my personal beef being the addition of a paid parking structure replacing years of free parking — the overall plan does much to help re-envision our city’s cultural center in the veil of its’ 1915 heyday.

The original Exposition transformed Balboa Park — which had only been dedicated as a large, open space — into a cultural center for San Diego. This, in turn, helped transform San Diego.

As a regional asset, it’s important to keep a dedicated focus in continuing to renovate and improve Balboa Park, as necessary, to survive through generations.

A close friend of mine who works as a political consultant put this chart together showing the progression of votes I’ve received from Republican voters in San Diego County since 2008.

He proceeded to tell me, “If you were a stock, people should be buying and investing.” I figured I’d post this and let you all decide.

I gotta tell you, there’s not a more rewarding feeling then having random folks — having just met some of them — communicate that they believe in you, and like the job you’re doing.

Can’t say I’d be as successful though if I didn’t listen to the needs of others and do my best to make it happen. Honesty, trust, and sincerity is a hard thing to find in politics. My advice: just keep yourself grounded and real.

– Ryan.