Tony Strickland

Tony Strickland Party: Republican Occupation: State senator Age: 40, born at Ft. Ord, Calif. City of residence: Moorpark Personal: Married, two children Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Whittier College Career highlights: Aide to then-Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R- Thousand Oaks), 1996-98. Assemblyman, 1998 to 2004. State senator, 2008 to present. Platform: Focus on auditing state spending, "maximize dollars" the state collects in taxes, support offshore oil drilling project near Santa Barbara.

Camarillo print shop owner Tim Anderson can't wait to vote for Democrat Julia Brownley in a key Ventura County congressional race, a contest eyed by both major parties as they struggle for control of the House. Anderson thinks the liberal state assemblywoman and former Santa Monica school board trustee is a good fit, and a needed change of direction, for Ventura County. But Mark Hansen, a regional sales manager, thinks the seat should stay red. He was happy with Elton Gallegly, Ventura County's voice in Congress since 1987, who announced his retirement this year.

The race for state controller -- California's powerful chief financial officer -- pits a former legislator against a tax expert, two candidates who agree only that California's $131-billion budget should be free of waste and fraud. A lawyer with a degree in finance, John Chiang, 44, is running on his 10 years of experience as a member of the Board of Equalization, a state panel that administers a variety of tax programs. A Democratic Party activist, he is the board's chairman.

Tony Strickland Party: Republican Occupation: State senator Age: 40, born at Ft. Ord, Calif. City of residence: Moorpark Personal: Married, two children Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Whittier College Career highlights: Aide to then-Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R- Thousand Oaks), 1996-98. Assemblyman, 1998 to 2004. State senator, 2008 to present. Platform: Focus on auditing state spending, "maximize dollars" the state collects in taxes, support offshore oil drilling project near Santa Barbara.

To partisans, they are "Phony Tony" and "Taxin' Jackson." Tony Strickland, 38, might call himself the alternative energy executive, detractors say, but he's still the same right-wing Republican who consistently voted against the environment during his days in the California Assembly. And Hannah-Beth Jackson? The 58-year-old Democrat is so liberal that she's never seen a tax she didn't like, according to Strickland's supporters. Voters couldn't have a clearer choice, both sides say.

Assemblyman Tony Strickland will hold an open house for constituents at his new district office at 2659 Townsgate Road, Suite 236, in Thousand Oaks from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday. Strickland's 37th District includes Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Fillmore and Ojai. For more information, call 230-9167.

A Republican candidate for state controller and his legislator wife have funneled campaign money into each other's 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.

Re "GOP Divided Over Central Committee Candidates," Feb. 10. As a member of the Republican Central Committee and a Reagan conservative, I am appalled at Bob Larkin's vilification of Tony Strickland and aspiring RCC members as "anti-women, anti-gay, anti-immigrant and anti-minority." Larkin's statement reminds me of Hillary Clinton and her "vast right-wing conspiracy" theory! Even if his charges were true--and they aren't--this is a violation of Reagan's 11th commandment, "Speak no evil of fellow Republican," and gives the Democrats ample ammunition to torpedo the Strickland candidacy.

Never mind that her assemblyman husband is less than a month into his final two-year term representing the Thousand Oaks area. Audra Strickland, 28, made loud and clear Thursday her intention to succeed Republican Tony Strickland in the November 2004 election by showing off an already enviable campaign kitty. By the end of December, Strickland had amassed nearly $111,000 for her run, according to finance statements released by her campaign.

After a tense week of waiting for absentee votes to be counted, Republican Tony Strickland claimed victory Monday in the 37th Assembly District race, pulling away from Democrat Roz McGrath by nearly 1,600 votes. "I was nervous," said Strickland, 28, a self-described "pure conservative" who bucked the Democratic tide statewide to save a traditional Republican seat for his beleaguered party. "But we got across the finish line."

To partisans, they are "Phony Tony" and "Taxin' Jackson." Tony Strickland, 38, might call himself the alternative energy executive, detractors say, but he's still the same right-wing Republican who consistently voted against the environment during his days in the California Assembly. And Hannah-Beth Jackson? The 58-year-old Democrat is so liberal that she's never seen a tax she didn't like, according to Strickland's supporters. Voters couldn't have a clearer choice, both sides say.

Rich gambling interests and a Silicon Valley software giant are using their wealth to transform an otherwise sleepy statewide campaign into a major partisan battleground. With separate million-dollar infusions, a group of casino-owning Southern California Indian tribes and the software company Intuit are changing the complexion of the race for California state controller. In the process, they are underscoring the power of the post, which has vast sway over state tax policy.

In the race for controller, both major candidates have held responsible positions in state government but neither is a household name. However, the job that John Chiang and Tony Strickland seek is a platform that has launched a number of notable careers in California politics, including those of former Gov. Gray Davis and the late Sen. Alan Cranston.

The race for state controller -- California's powerful chief financial officer -- pits a former legislator against a tax expert, two candidates who agree only that California's $131-billion budget should be free of waste and fraud. A lawyer with a degree in finance, John Chiang, 44, is running on his 10 years of experience as a member of the Board of Equalization, a state panel that administers a variety of tax programs. A Democratic Party activist, he is the board's chairman.

As the primary campaign nears its end, the race for the Republican nomination for state controller has grown testy. The main candidates are former state Assemblyman Tony Strickland of Moorpark, an anti-tax crusader who hopes to rally the party's core conservatives, and state Sen. Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria, a moderate who has been known to reach across party lines.

A Republican candidate for state controller and his legislator wife have funneled campaign money into each other's 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.

I read with interest a letter to the editor by Jim McHarg of Thousand Oaks, questioning a letter I sent out critical of Linda Parks. McHarg stated that the letter was sent out using taxpayer funds. Perhaps a closer examination of the facts is warranted. The letter is clearly marked as being paid for and sent by Randy Hoffman for Supervisor, a fact McHarg failed to mention. Taxpayers did not spend one cent on this mailing. I find it interesting that McHarg chose to question my letter of support for Hoffman and not defend Parks' liberal record in Thousand Oaks.

Assemblyman Tony Strickland has announced that he intends to challenge Barbara Boxer in next year's election to the U.S. Senate. Strickland (R-Moorpark), who will be forced out of his Assembly seat next year by term limits, said he has put together a campaign team and expects to seek the Republican nomination in the March 4 primary. Other GOP candidates include former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and Silicon Valley businesswoman Toni Casey.

As Hannah-Beth Jackson, a liberal Democrat, and Tony Strickland, a conservative Republican, ended their days of lawmaking last week, they finally agreed on something: They don't like term limits. They're getting better at the job every day, they said. But now it is time for the Assembly Class of 1998 to pack up and ship out. That's because voters in 1990 limited the time anyone can spend in the Legislature's lower house to six years.

The morning after Ventura County Republicans decided they wanted two more years of a Strickland in the state Assembly, private school teacher Audra Strickland said her primary election victory would likely mean more of the same conservative politics her termed-out husband, Tony, brought to the job.