On this special episode (hosted by Camille), we are joined by Tara Campbell the current Mayor Pro Tem of Yorba Linda and Tamika Hamilton former candidate for California's 6th Congressional District. Issues discussed include what influenced and motivated them to get into politics as women, and how they are working to make a difference.
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Good evening everyone, and welcome to another episode of
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California underground. I'm sure the regular listeners,
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notice things, look a little different and sound a little
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different tonight. Yes, fill your host of
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California ground is totally absent.
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He's unable to join us tonight. So just for tonight.
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I'm your host, I'm Camille and I'm normally here as the co-host
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I suppose it's fitting that felt isn't here.
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As tonight's topic is women in politics, there were basically
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just having girls night. I am also joined by two special
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guests tonight at Holt Hi ladies.
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I'm going to I'm going to introduce you all in just a
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moment but I wanted to speak to our live audience.
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Thank you to everyone in the live audience for tuning in and
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let us know where you're watching from.
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In the chat, ask questions there, have you ever held an
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elected office or even run for office.
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So we have with us, former Congressional candidate for
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district 6, in the Sacramento area and current Maggie's list.
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California State coach here, which we'll talk about more
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later. Mrs. Topeka Hamilton.
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Thank you so much for joining us.
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How are you? Thank you so much Camille.
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You're doing a great job. I'm really excited for you.
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You never know when I'm gonna get fired.
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He doesn't also joining us tonight is the youngest female
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mayor in the state of California, former city council
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member and current mayor Pro tem of Yorba Linda, which is my
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city. Richard Nixon territory.
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Tariq ample, thank you so much for taking time to join us.
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Tonight, how are you? Good, good, I actually Just got
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out of a council meeting. So it's fitting to jump into
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this and thank you so much for having me.
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Yes. Perfect.
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And you're also the youngest person to be elected City.
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Council's that correct in Yorba Linda?
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Yeah, your Belinda. Okay, fantastic.
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So we're gonna start with you Torah.
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Where did your in interest when when, and where was her
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particular event that you became interested in politics?
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Well, I never ever. Ever thought I would ever be
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doing this. Let me tell you, and I think
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that's a lot of people. Until something gets them and
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motivates them. I went to college thinking, I
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wanted to be a sports journalist and I went to what I thought was
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the perfect place for that, USC and really loved that
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experience. But I thought, you know what?
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I better, not pigeonhole myself just to sports and politics kind
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of did interest me. And so, I was going to take an
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internship in Washington, DC, and turning for C-SPAN, and that
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internship actually fell through and I had to go Go find
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something because my bags were packed for Washington DC and I
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ended up interning for a actually a bipartisan nonprofit
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that was trying to get members of Congress to work together on
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legislation. Believe it or not, somebody was
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trying to do that. And then I thought I was doing
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all this great work but then the government shutdown and this was
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in 2013, over health care if you remember.
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And so I like to say, Assad, government gridlock at its
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absolute finest found out. Came back from that internship,
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that, that stuff can happen, even on the local level, my city
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Yorba Linda was in the midst of a recall, and then I found out
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that wasn't uncommon for Yorba Linda we had had about 88
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potential recalls in the past 15 elections.
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And I was like, what is going on?
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This is my hometown. I was grew up here.
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This is a great community and I was like, you know, if you if
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you want to see a change in government, I think we all look
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around. Why isn't somebody doing
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something about that? At and why wasn't I looking at
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myself to put myself out there and be the change that I wanted
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to see in government this thing that impacts every aspect of our
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lives? And it's so important.
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So all of a sudden I shifted gears and then one thing led to
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another and I became mayor of my hometown.
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I don't know how that happened but it's always it's not
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something I thought I was ever going to be doing, but I'm
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really proud to say that I am and you really can't make a
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difference. That is absolute amazing Tomika.
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I have the same question for you.
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Because typically when did you become interested in politics
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was there a certain event? Were you always interested what
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kind of like Tara and never thought in a million years?
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I would be running for office. I was never interested in
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politics, but be I've been in the Air Force for 20 years, 14,
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active, and the last six years have been a reserves.
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And when I came off of active duty, I like I always tell
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people it's like being in the military it's like a Within a
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world. And so you're living on base,
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like we did. Anyway, we lived on base and
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things were obviously very different than what's on the
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outside. And so when we found the house,
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my dream home, the community looked a little the things that
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were having in California, my community.
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And the stuff that I was seeing, I was just like where our
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voices, you know, where the people that are going to
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represent me, represent my children, believe in the same
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things, I believe in and we all know that.
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California has a supermajority and then we don't have a lot of
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really have 7 members from of know.
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Yeah. Seven members from Congress in
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in, d.c. out of 53 districts, and that's kind of that's sad.
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And so it's kind of interesting because it's one thing to be a
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voter the Republican voter versus actually being in the mix
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and being a part of the local politics.
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And so, I walked into my first Central committee meeting
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already Within And that I wanted to run for office and they were
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kind of taken back because I look a little different than
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everyone in the room but, you know, two cycles and a 24%
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registered, Republican district and we made out really well for
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45 46 percent. We had a lot of challenges but
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for me it's like thinking about our kids thinking about their
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future. I was just like, you know, we're
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going to go for it and I've learned a lot and I'm just
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really grateful for the opportunity.
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Unity. I just have to say to make a, I
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just want to brag on you for a moment, like she said, 14 years
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in the air force, six years in the reserves.
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And in that time, she had five kids and ran for Congress.
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And I just like I only had four kids done anything for kids near
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here that and so, I just think you're amazing and I actually,
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you know, got to do you during your last election cycle when
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you're campaigning and sometimes you would Me.
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And then you'd be like, hold on, I've got to go talk to this
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voter and you and just like, put the phone down and you'd be
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talking to someone and you were just literally always doing that
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and it was amazing and inspiring.
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Thank you. Thank you.
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Yes. It's one of those things where,
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you know, I've found that running and I think Tara can
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exploit like express it the same way I do.
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It's like, you don't know where you're getting into until you
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get into it and then you're like, oh my gosh, it's like a
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whole new world opens up and, and so many people want help.
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Help. And they want somebody to talk
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to and I realized like, for politics here in California, a
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lot of people are missing that connection with elected leaders
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and just people that are speaking on their behalf and so
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I never met a stranger as you already know.
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So but yeah, I just is that the same experience with you Terra
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Oh absolutely, I think people are so also excited to at least
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see their member or somebody who's running for office out and
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about and actually being able to have a conversation with them
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about even the issues and let me be one of them.
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I'm sure the many people to thank you for running because it
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does take so much to put yourself out there and actually
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decide to to run and give an incredible effort and success
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that you did have and your race. So So thank you for uh, so so
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thank you. Thank you for being mayor and
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putting yourself out there. Oh my gosh.
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I can't you. I know like my little town
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Dixon, there's like it's so tiny.
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It's like a little Mayberry towel so I don't know if that's
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the situation you have there but I could not imagine being mayor
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like at all like it's different. I'm running for congress because
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you're kind of still separate you know you still your own
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person but everyone can like walk up to you while you're a
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safe way to be like what are you doing?
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What are you doing about this? Like so how is that?
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It Spearing. Oh yeah.
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What is that? Like for you.
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Oh yeah. No, you're 100% running into
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people. The grocery store.
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Literally. I was at an event last night at
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a table and the people on one side of me needed help with
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their the trash hauler and the people on the other side needed.
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Help with their neighbor dispute, and literally unable to
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solve it. Right then and there.
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But that's, that's the great thing about being a mayor or
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local government. When I love is literally, I'm at
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night solving the problem like, it's, you're able to solve it
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really fast that the Level I mean obviously Congress you know
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you're yeah hundreds of members it's a whole other other beasts
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but that's also what I love about local government is the
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fact that you're so connected with the community and you're
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able to accomplish things pretty pretty fast.
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Awesome. I've met you at a couple
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political events tomorrow but I had seen you around town but
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Gene, Hernandez and others, City Council Members open but I left
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you alone. How is Dixon?
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How, what's the population? Oh gosh, and Dixon to me, oh
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God, I don't know. I know my little district is
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about 1 people. So if I ran for a city count, if
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I ran for city council, it doesn't beat.
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I don't say like that but I would, I think I would win.
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I know I ran and I ran in the Tricked.
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My my town within the district I won the town.
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So yeah no no ma'am. No you knew her I was gonna go
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with that if I'm right if Iran I'm gonna make you both.
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Come up here still weigh her. How big is your Belinda?
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I don't even. Yeah, we're 68 thousand
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residents. Okay, I was gonna say 66 I
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wasn't here so I know so tar and I both grew up in her Belinda.
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And to us. It's a small town, but tar,
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you're much younger than I am. But I feel like we're probably
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like the old people who can say. Oh, I remember when this was a,
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you know, this was just a plot of land.
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This is our Christmas tree while the Walmart came and adhere, you
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know, and so like my kids are probably they roll their eyes at
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me because it's like, yeah, Mom. Okay we get it.
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We are of that. Do are we totally could say
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that? That we're used to be Carl's jr.
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And now it's a Starbucks, you know, all those little things
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or, you know, now we have an in and out.
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We just got a Target in. Yorba Linda, do you still have
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like that? Small-town feel we're about.
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I would say like medium sized city for Orange County, but we
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still have that maintain that small-town.
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Feel, you know? Yes, I love it.
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When I first got married, I mean I stayed in Orange County but I
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moved Irvine, testing area. Then finally, convinced my
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husband. We needed to be back here and I
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just, I love it here. And you made the right decision.
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We love you back Hometown hero because you being so young, you
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jumped in right away. So, again, did you get any
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pushback on that? I know a lot of people were fans
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of it, but being female and being very young, how was that?
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Yeah. So I ran at the very old age of
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NT to so you know what? I knew going into it.
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Of course you're not expecting somebody in their 20s to be on
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the city council. You are so I knew I was going to
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have to overcome my age and so I really, you know, like to say, I
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did my homework, I was served on the commission for two years and
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I was chair of that commission. So I was already making
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decisions on the city budget with the city.
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You know, I sat on Council meetings for over a year.
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No, other candidate was doing that, you know, I'd or not, oh
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my gosh, every door in normal. And because I knew that it was
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going to be conversations to be able to prove that.
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Oh, she actually knows what she's talking about.
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And most importantly has ideas and tangible ideas of how to
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improve it. So, and when I ran them in 2016,
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I mean, I was doing social media where other people really
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weren't at that time. Now, you can't not do social
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media, right? So, No running at a young age.
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I definitely had to work hard to overcome that perception, of
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course, but I did get elected and I was top vote getter.
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So I think it resonated for people, I think to your point, I
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think a lot of people were excited about it, seeing a new
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generation coming up, wanting to to work and make our community
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and our country better. So I think a lot of people were
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excited about it, but yeah, of course, I had to, you're not
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expecting somebody who's 25 to be mayor.
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At that scene when you were elected that was the first time
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we had a female, majority city council direct.
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Well yeah, it wasn't that long ago, it was all five men and
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that was the first female majority in our cities over 50
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year history. Wow, that's awesome.
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Yeah, that's amazing. And speaking of social media, I
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thought I read that you were the first one to actually you're
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like hey 21st century you implemented social media for the
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city is that we had no social media.
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And again this was 2016 like it was The thing right?
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Like yeah, we were a little behind the times.
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I mean, technology-wise, we were behind the times.
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I mean we were still doing paper time cards at City Hall.
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So that's something like, as a young person, right, you bring
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to the table, you're bringing A New Perspective.
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I mean, you used to have to like physically bring in checks and
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for registering even for like an adult softball league.
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And I'm like, guys, you know, we can do this electronically,
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let's not drag people. Well, you know, and just fine
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City Hall to do these things. So we've come a long way.
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And it's also, it's also about government efficiency, right?
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Is government should be working for you and not making you work
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to get what you need from the government.
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So, but it's things like that, but hopefully, as somebody was
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younger, brought A New Perspective and able to help
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resolve stuff like that, it weighed that did you notice?
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You know, did it bring in more registration for events when it
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went online? Do you think more people?
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It joined. Oh yeah.
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And it's easier to sign up for other things to write.
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Like you're seeing more participation in other areas as
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well. When it's something that's
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easily accessible. You're like oh there's also a
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painting class. I can take or things like that.
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One of the things that I actually really love that we did
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is even just like simple business license, you know, that
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you can now pay for online and you have to make the business
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owner come in and do something like that.
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Or now we do virtual Like inspections where, you know,
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that way somebody does have to drive out there and inspect your
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business you can, hopefully, get it done way sooner and hopefully
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open your business so you can get up and running faster.
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So all those technology and hopefully making government more
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efficient for everybody. Yeah.
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Jungle government getting a little older now but we
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certainly registered for so many, you know, all the annual
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Easter egg hunts and so many of the summer classes and
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everything and I'm home. Body and I hate driving.
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I don't live very far from city hall or the community center but
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still I was like I'm doing this online.
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It might have Jemison the come from.
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I hope done. Yeah at any time and you know so
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thank you Jimmy. Go back to you back to you real
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quick. What about you with any pushback
00:16:03
that you received for being a female running in your district?
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And of course, we can bring in the fact that you are black.
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Back and people tend to have I talk to every day I know I can
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say this week very candid conversation really yeah what
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experiences if you if you want to share any pushback and you've
00:16:26
actually shared some kind of horrific stories with me but
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feel free to share what you want like what eristic stories
00:16:32
Camille? Oh gosh um you know okay so You
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know, I have all the strikes. Okay, let's I'll start with
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this, I've had some amazing people support be the past just
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Cycles. I'm going to start with a good
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stuff. Like I've had a lot of good
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people support be back me, a hundred thousand percent and and
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the good outweighs the bad always for me and in, but
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obviously, there are some challenges.
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So I would say I have a couple of strikes against me with
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people that have been around for a long time like, Like your
00:17:11
mother help. How dare you leave your children
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to go? To go to d.c. and I'm like, I've
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been an Air Force for at the time when I started, oh gosh,
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like 16 17 years and I'm like, I've deployed with children.
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No, one ever asked me anything about that.
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No one ever said, hey, can we help you with your kids?
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You know, stuff like that. So I would always challenged him
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with, you know, I've been in the military for very long time.
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It's different going to Kuwait versus DC, I think so.
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Anyway, I think I'll be okay, my husband's a police officer.
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We've been doing this for a very long time, as a married couple.
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I think we're gonna be fine because we've been doing it
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without you guys for a long time.
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The other thing is, you know, like you said, the secret that I
00:17:56
am black out, it's out. Here's the thing is, like, when
00:18:04
I started running, there was this phenomenon of with black
00:18:09
conservatives and I did not know this because I don't, I was at
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my social media until I started running for office.
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And so I was like, what someone I walked into the central
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committee meeting for the first time, they're like, your, you
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would is happening. Like they were just so shocked.
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They were just like, they have not met a republican from the
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beginning, you know, there's a lot of people that have crossed
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over which is great but they had never just met someone that was
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just a straight Republican. That was black where Where we
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are right now, I think that's changing a little bit, but
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there's still always more work to be done.
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So I was faced with a lot of narratives that were created
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before I even got there because of all the different things they
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were hearing from black Republicans or black
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conservatives. And I was just like well that's
00:19:01
just not that's I don't think like that.
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I don't say oh gosh like what's something that they used to say?
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You know, leave the Democrat Plantation and stuff.
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Like that was like, I don't say that and I will say that.
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And I remember hearing from so many people, like, you can say
00:19:17
things we can't say and I'm like, well then, why are we
00:19:21
saying, why would you put on weight?
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You want me to say things that you can't say?
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But should we be saying them at all?
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You know, how is this drawing people to us?
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And how is this going to expand the party if we're saying
00:19:31
offensive things? So that didn't go over well, and
00:19:37
I went through, like this really interesting period where I
00:19:40
didn't feel safe, I didn't feel comfortable bringing minorities
00:19:45
to some events because I was afraid for them to be questioned
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and they weren't, you know, just they weren't allowed to just be
00:19:52
who they are. They had, you know, they wanted
00:19:54
the caricatures or they would ask silly questions even to me
00:19:58
and I'm like, I don't want that too.
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I don't want them to do that to my guest, you know, I am I even
00:20:04
talking about it now, as a regular citizen of not a
00:20:07
candidate is, it's so, Being because, you know, for a long
00:20:13
time, just like, if you say some of these things, people will get
00:20:15
depressed and they'll just, you know, or it would make them feel
00:20:20
like they instead of be challenging them on their
00:20:24
beliefs, they will look at it as like just the negative and walk
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away. You know?
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And that was something that was really hard for me because I was
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just like, okay, well I'm telling you something that
00:20:32
doesn't work for me because black community isn't a monolith
00:20:36
and I don't represent all black people.
00:20:38
I'm just one person but All what you see on TV is not the some of
00:20:44
us all and that was really hard for a lot of people to
00:20:47
understand and and when I didn't do what they wanted me to do, I
00:20:53
would get, I don't know if they blacklisted but I wouldn't get
00:20:57
support in certain areas where I should have.
00:21:00
So that was something that I had to patch a you know, that's
00:21:04
still, you know, given what you and I talked every day.
00:21:06
So you know, I still deal with some things where it's just like
00:21:09
why are we still doing this in 2023?
00:21:11
Three, why are we still having these like hard conversations
00:21:14
about race or why do we still have to struggle with talking
00:21:16
about race? But like I said, the good
00:21:20
outweighs the bad because I found a lot of amazing people
00:21:22
support the campaign. I think that overall, you know,
00:21:26
we have to do whatever we can to grow the party.
00:21:30
I mean, if you look at, I can, if you look at Congress, if you
00:21:34
look at California, I mean we just don't the Republican side
00:21:39
doesn't have the diversity. I know.
00:21:41
It's a dirty word but it's, it's real and that's not just with,
00:21:46
with your background, your ethnicity.
00:21:48
It's women to we don't have the diversity and it takes a lot to
00:21:52
run. And I think like also one of the
00:21:55
biggest challenges is like showing people how hard it is to
00:21:58
run and how it's not just being on social media and I hate it.
00:22:03
I still hate social media and because I didn't have it before
00:22:06
I read it for office. It was I was just like why do I
00:22:10
have to I post every day or why don't, what is this?
00:22:14
What is this? What is a real?
00:22:16
I was just I'm so I'm so silly, but stuff like that.
00:22:19
I just felt like, I'm gonna be on the ground.
00:22:21
I'm going to do my part and I didn't end a lot of people
00:22:25
thought. Like if you had the more social
00:22:26
media files, you had the better your results were as far as, you
00:22:30
know, the race. And that's just not true at all.
00:22:33
And I remember when I ran for the first time before,
00:22:36
redistricting for 2022, I got more votes than the person that
00:22:41
I had five hundred thousand dollars, all the support, all
00:22:45
the social media followers, like 250, something crazy like
00:22:49
that, probably more. And I have like five thousand
00:22:51
probably, well, they probably think they probably paid for
00:22:54
that. And I have, like, I had, like,
00:22:56
not even 5 followers, but I got double their votes and then
00:23:00
when the general came, I got 46 percent.
00:23:04
I know, like, how did you do that unit, even have social
00:23:06
media following are blue checks and I'm just like, because you
00:23:10
work the ground. And that's what I did.
00:23:13
So yeah and your it's like I could tell you so many stories I
00:23:18
mean I've been followed my windows have been bashed, trying
00:23:22
to intimidate me to leave the race and I'm just like do you
00:23:24
guys know like I'm a Gangster I'm not leaving the race subject
00:23:30
but again it's those things you know, brought me to this place
00:23:34
where I am today and I'm really grateful for the experience and
00:23:38
I'm just helping other women run.
00:23:41
Run. Yeah, one of the wealthy, and
00:23:44
that's why, you know, we think you got to think especially
00:23:47
these, you know, women Republican women who put
00:23:50
themselves out there to run because it takes so much.
00:23:53
I mean, just even some of the stories you mentioned right now,
00:23:56
how much effort it takes to to run a campaign especially for
00:24:00
congress, you touched on like sharing with other women, how
00:24:05
how to do and how how can we share that I'm on the board of
00:24:10
the Marion bergson excellence. In public service series, which
00:24:13
is teaching Republican. Women, the tools on how to run
00:24:18
for local or State office or even higher.
00:24:21
And we've had a lot of great success stories recently.
00:24:25
Even Kate Sanchez, who just became a state.
00:24:27
Assemblywoman went through the Mary and vergessen cereal.
00:24:30
Wow, was a state assemblywoman representing.
00:24:32
Republican, a young, Republican woman now, and California State
00:24:36
Assembly. So just a plug for that.
00:24:39
There's any Republican women watching.
00:24:40
Who, how do I Get started. How do I even run look up the
00:24:44
Marian Bergeson series because they're happy to help that a
00:24:48
website you how to do that. Is that a website?
00:24:52
Yeah, Bergeson series of gushed, I don't want to get it wrong
00:24:55
bergesen. Series.com, I think, and I'm
00:24:57
going to look it up so that I don't get it wrong.
00:25:00
No, that's amazing. Because, you know, one of the
00:25:02
things that I always talk about is like how so much of what I
00:25:07
know, I don't ever want to get keep and I was there was there
00:25:11
so many people that are in, you know, in positions of leadership
00:25:17
that gatekeeper and they don't want to help people, they don't
00:25:19
want to give them the tools. They don't want Want to, you
00:25:23
know, show them the way they want to just give them an inch
00:25:25
so that they can still have some kind of control over the
00:25:27
candidate. And I think that's so wrong.
00:25:30
And, you know, and then, you know, one thing I think about is
00:25:34
just like when you're sitting down having to raise money and
00:25:37
you're having to God, you know, I've put in 30 hours a week and
00:25:42
just to on the phone, you know, not events.
00:25:45
Not, you know, going on the weekends to stuff.
00:25:48
You already know how that works and it's like, A lot of people
00:25:52
are like taking back to like you have to raise money, it's not
00:25:55
online. The party doesn't give it to
00:25:57
you, you're like no. But so yeah, that's really
00:26:01
awesome that you're doing that. Yeah, it's the vergessen
00:26:06
series.com, get the bergesen series.com.
00:26:10
And people can look it up and it and we they take Republican
00:26:14
women throughout the state of California.
00:26:16
So, whether you're northern southern, you know, it'll have a
00:26:20
lot of people who've gone through the program.
00:26:22
In fact, Lori, Davies assemblywoman Lori Davies went
00:26:25
to the series as well. So great success stories out of
00:26:29
the program. That's awesome.
00:26:30
That's amazing. Thank you.
00:26:33
I I think I knew that about you but I very much appreciate
00:26:36
hearing that. So what are some issues passions
00:26:41
concerns that you two want to see changed within your local
00:26:45
community. You can go head first.
00:26:50
How much time do I have the big thing?
00:26:56
The big thing going on, not only in my city cities across the
00:27:00
state, is the state mandated housing that's coming down from
00:27:05
Sacramento. Another one sighs kind of fits
00:27:09
all mandate that local. It's stripping local control
00:27:15
over land use and housing. And so that's a big Being that
00:27:18
my city, every city because every city has a state-mandated
00:27:22
housing number that they're trying to meet.
00:27:25
And so we're really trying to fight back and get some local
00:27:28
control over zoning and land use ago.
00:27:32
In fact at tonight's council meeting, we opposed another bill
00:27:35
that's chipping away again at local control.
00:27:38
So that's a big thing that we're working on.
00:27:42
We're working also to hopefully do about initiative called as
00:27:46
our neighborhood voices. Yeah, but it takes, you know,
00:27:49
you got to get a million signatures, to get it onto a
00:27:53
proposition on to the ballot. But it's something and some hope
00:27:56
that maybe us as residents can take into our hands to get more
00:28:00
of that local control back into the hands of local government.
00:28:05
So that's one thing again. I'll let Tomika go before I
00:28:09
rattle off. Any other things.
00:28:10
Big. The one of the things that you
00:28:14
know, obviously there's like many issues but When I think
00:28:18
about the state of California in terms of voting and registration
00:28:23
here in Northern California, we had and Karen, quote, Northern
00:28:26
California. We have an opportunity to win
00:28:28
more seats, specially at your local level, your assembly
00:28:31
level, and it's just about voter registration right now because a
00:28:36
lot of people have stayed home and you, and I talked about this
00:28:39
Camille, like I lost my last race by twenty nine thousand
00:28:42
votes and 39 Republican stayed home.
00:28:46
And it's just like, you know, and it takes a lot to reach
00:28:50
them. It takes a lot to get volunteers
00:28:53
to come out because I just been disenchanted for the past couple
00:28:55
of years, but we need more people to be involved, not the
00:29:00
same old same because that's how things don't ever change.
00:29:04
And so I'm just like pressing for more voter registration and
00:29:08
and that's why, you know, I support and I'm going to
00:29:11
co-chair for Maggie's list, helping candidates locally.
00:29:14
And Ali and in the northern California and then that Magus
00:29:18
is for congress for federal so. But it doesn't stop me from the
00:29:25
other side. It's like good luck working with
00:29:27
the local Republican party to get people registered.
00:29:31
It's just huge. You know, we only need three
00:29:35
seats to start having some kind of Leverage in the legislature
00:29:39
and right now, we're at 18. So it's like we're right there.
00:29:43
And if people just, I always say like Like if they took the same
00:29:46
energy, they had on the recall and do it for their Community,
00:29:50
we could we could have probably have more than 21 seats but and
00:29:54
we should be doing it like right now, we should have been
00:29:56
waiting. We should be waiting on the
00:29:57
party. We don't need any of that.
00:30:00
We could do it on our own. I was Maggie's list was actually
00:30:05
my next question. I asked you.
00:30:07
You said you're the coach here for get for do this.
00:30:10
Can you tell us more about that? Okay, so, California is a big
00:30:14
state, obviously. And we only have one chair and
00:30:17
she's down in Southern, California, and they actually
00:30:22
asked me to do it last cycle and I was like, yeah, I'm going to
00:30:25
be running again. So I don't want to take on that
00:30:27
heavy lift, but basically Maggie's list is a Enter to the
00:30:33
Democrats, EMILY's List and we are just solely laser focused on
00:30:38
helping women, get elected and we make connections with our
00:30:43
congressmen to donate to support.
00:30:46
And to be I represented it like a conductor partnership and also
00:30:51
I go to all the meetings for Republican, women Federated and
00:30:55
other women's groups across the across the air across the
00:30:58
Northern California. I might be coming down to East
00:31:01
Bay a little bit. I'm not quite there yet because
00:31:03
we have so many but just educating them on Maggie's.
00:31:07
Listen, how it is a heavy lift for women to run.
00:31:10
And so it's so important that people help these women because
00:31:14
there's this. Again, there's just like, idea
00:31:15
that you're getting help from the party and not a slight on
00:31:20
the party. It's just that the party has to
00:31:22
keep their ship running. They can come in with the nrcc
00:31:26
which is the Congress has a leg to help people running a
00:31:30
congressional side. But even then, they're not
00:31:33
coming in unless they see an opportunity to win.
00:31:36
And so everything is up to the candidate.
00:31:38
And if their organizations that support like Maggie, is this
00:31:41
even better. And so Maggie's list, cut can
00:31:44
cut them a check. If you are showing that you have
00:31:47
the ability to win. I mean, the numbers are in your
00:31:49
favor and so I am the person that will endorse and endorse
00:31:54
like give a recommendation and also hand them a check.
00:31:57
So they can be successful and get to the finish line.
00:32:01
So you people must love. You standing over?
00:32:04
No. Can you just give me a check?
00:32:07
And I didn't do any work like know.
00:32:11
It's good way to make friends. I don't need a new friend.
00:32:14
I don't have enough tarah. I believe, I read something that
00:32:20
you were wanted to run on was because you saw that there
00:32:23
wasn't a whole lot of parties, the parties working together,
00:32:27
you didn't like that. Everything was so bipartisan and
00:32:29
everyone was, you know, my way my way instead of working
00:32:32
together is that my wrong? Um well I you know, I like I
00:32:37
said, I when I went to DC and I was not political again.
00:32:41
My background was Sports journalism.
00:32:43
I did not really have the political chops yet, right?
00:32:50
So when I went to DC and I was working for a bipartisan
00:32:53
nonprofit and there is a lot of members that are still involved
00:32:58
to this day that were part of, in fact, like, I remember Todd
00:33:01
young was a congressman and now he's a senator from Indiana who
00:33:06
was part of it. And anyway, so there was I
00:33:11
really appreciated that experience.
00:33:13
It was until I came back home that I went to that first
00:33:16
Central Committee like Tameka is describing and that's
00:33:19
eye-opening going to your Republican Central Committee for
00:33:22
the first time. Yeah, it look.
00:33:24
What are you doing? But you're like it's it is
00:33:29
eye-opening. You're like, wow, because a lot
00:33:31
of people, your average person does not know what a Central
00:33:34
Committee is, right? Even just your your Average, you
00:33:38
know, Republican go around. They they still don't know,
00:33:41
necessarily know what a Central Committee is.
00:33:42
Anyway, I get off topic but of course, where the, where we can
00:33:47
work together. Yes, I think especially in
00:33:51
especially I can speak to in my town.
00:33:55
It was there's opportunities where we can work together,
00:33:59
whether it's working with the school board or the water board,
00:34:01
or the Community College District or whatever.
00:34:04
There's so many levels of government.
00:34:06
We it it's too much but I know but get trying to work together
00:34:15
where we can again. It's a in my opinion it's about
00:34:18
having efficient and Effective Government and not more of it,
00:34:22
that's not accomplishing our shared goals and a bright.
00:34:27
So it was more so that okay. I so ago she ain't even example
00:34:33
to like homelessness. I'm actually really proud of
00:34:36
what my studies done on homelessness.
00:34:38
It'd be one thing if like, okay? Say Your Belinda addresses are
00:34:41
homeless problem. Well, they might just go over to
00:34:45
our neighboring city of Placentia or Anaheim write like,
00:34:49
this is a regional problem. It deserves a regional solution.
00:34:53
So we partnered with our neighboring, 13, North Orange
00:34:56
County cities and together we are funding and operating
00:35:00
shelters that way, we're able to enforce our anti camping
00:35:03
ordinance. Meaning, we're able to maintain
00:35:05
our Public Schools. Well, as well also, Providing a
00:35:08
helping hand up to those who are in need so it's something like
00:35:12
that. It's like working together on
00:35:16
solutions that I honestly I think could be a model for other
00:35:20
regions and around the country. Awesome, that's amazing.
00:35:24
Yeah yeah that's great you're doing a good job.
00:35:27
Obviously if you're willing does and and the areas around us
00:35:31
they're pretty clean still. You know we're not anything.
00:35:34
Like you can you just come to Sacramento because we don't have
00:35:37
that We need all of that know I know I know homelessness Rose
00:35:42
like 67 percent in the past two years and we throw my four
00:35:47
billion dollars at the homelessness projects.
00:35:52
So it is. It's all right.
00:35:56
No. No.
00:35:56
It's just finished because I was gonna, I just I will never
00:36:04
understand like how we got this far and it's so heartbreaking.
00:36:07
It's so hard. Breaking.
00:36:10
Sorry Camille went off. No, that's okay.
00:36:13
That's okay. I was going to try to take this
00:36:15
back to women women in politics and sets our topic.
00:36:19
This is all great, we can discuss whatever.
00:36:22
But I want to hear from both of, you advice, that you would give
00:36:28
to women who want to become involved in politics.
00:36:30
Okay. You want me to go?
00:36:32
First go? Well, to me Bethenny.
00:36:35
I just was like waiting. I would say, don't second-guess
00:36:43
yourself and, and be yourself. One of the biggest that was like
00:36:49
the biggest piece of advice that I ever got that.
00:36:52
I still take with me to this day because you're going to, if you
00:36:56
ever decide to run, they're going to be a lot of people in
00:36:58
your ear. Try to tell you need to talk
00:36:59
like this or be like this. Where this dress or I remember
00:37:03
that. I remember like I and I was
00:37:05
looking through some old papers the other day and I remember
00:37:07
this lady wrote me a note and she he's like you need scarves
00:37:10
and you need a pair of pearls. It felt just like.
00:37:15
And I know these people mean well, but I think I think that
00:37:19
one of the things that people don't understand it's like when
00:37:22
you decide to run and then you become the the person it is a
00:37:26
whole nother level of pressure and, and being yourself is like,
00:37:33
you just have to, you know, guess there if you can make
00:37:36
improvements and, you know, and you still yourself.
00:37:39
But don't let anybody change you.
00:37:41
I've seen people cut their hair, dye their hair.
00:37:44
I mean, totally change everything because they're
00:37:47
listening to other people because they want to, you know,
00:37:49
some people please or support get more support.
00:37:51
And I'm like, yeah, but like that's not you and it's not
00:37:55
authentic and people would end up knowing so I would say be
00:37:59
yourself, don't try to go to every event.
00:38:03
That's not you can just can't, it's it's impossible.
00:38:08
Don't Feel bad. If you can't go, just send them
00:38:10
a nice note or cinnamon eyes email but you can't go to every
00:38:14
event. Be yourself, don't put 100
00:38:17
miles on your car like I did. Um gosh but if I know I did and
00:38:24
then I you still have people say that wasn't enough to Mika and
00:38:27
you're just like how is it going to go?
00:38:32
Yeah and and take care of your family, take care of your
00:38:36
family. They are the only ones that are
00:38:38
going to be I would all this is over and the people aren't more
00:38:44
adult me more than your family, because your families, your
00:38:47
backbone and yes, and the people always going to be there along
00:38:51
with their problems. Their problems are going to cook
00:38:54
and you can't answer every email.
00:38:56
Don't be on your phone while you're eating.
00:38:57
I could go on and on but that's yeah, that's yeah.
00:39:01
I just, you know, so I just, I'm really, I'm really big on being
00:39:06
yourself because I remember until you, like, you think?
00:39:09
At that. What a little note.
00:39:10
Oh my gosh. And then it was like and your
00:39:13
kids and your, your are your way.
00:39:15
You should be at this event and you should bring your husband
00:39:18
and it's like, look, I gotta do what I gotta do.
00:39:21
So stay tuned to yourself. Don't, again, taken advice be
00:39:27
polite. Be kind, but don't let anybody
00:39:29
change. You?
00:39:30
Don't let this game change you? Because again these people and
00:39:33
their problems will always be there.
00:39:35
It's you're the person of the hour if Get that far and and
00:39:42
don't gape. Keep, you know, if you learn
00:39:44
something you need as many people as you can on your side
00:39:47
and so be a friend to another woman because you just you're
00:39:51
going to need them. So yeah, words of advice and see
00:39:58
that was all good advice. How do I even know, what can I
00:40:00
add to all that? Good advice.
00:40:03
I was taking those. I will just say, I think
00:40:07
everyone's probably heard this. Statistic of right?
00:40:10
That men need to be asked once to run, but women need to be
00:40:13
asked like seven times to run and so I will just say for
00:40:19
women, you know, let me be the first person and hopefully, it
00:40:22
doesn't take you seven to encourage you to run.
00:40:27
I think as women sometimes we think.
00:40:30
Oh, I'm not prepared for that or I'm not I need to have XYZ
00:40:34
qualification to do that or and to not let Ourselves in our
00:40:40
head, talk us out of dancing it or you know it it's okay to put
00:40:49
yourself out there to run. I think all the honestly
00:40:54
everything that to Mica said to there's going to be have your
00:40:57
people to to either bounce ideas off of or just to keep you
00:41:05
grounded. Oh a little bit right?
00:41:08
It sounds like you guys are kind of, you know, talking to each
00:41:11
other two and hopefully, providing that for each other to
00:41:14
write, but I think we all have those friends that can hopefully
00:41:18
do that for you who are fully supportive of you, but also you
00:41:22
can bounce ideas off of and be granted with.
00:41:25
So I'm sure. As soon as I get off this, I'll
00:41:29
come up with a tender pieces of advice as well, but it's all
00:41:33
those like little things that make us saying to right there.
00:41:35
Like stay off your phone. You can't.
00:41:37
That's the one piece of advice. Give like new council members
00:41:40
to, you're not going to be able to go to everything.
00:41:42
There's going to be things where you're going to have to choose
00:41:45
between. Hey you have a family
00:41:47
commitment. Yeah.
00:41:48
You know that you need to go to and it's so hard because you
00:41:51
want to be everywhere and you don't want to have to miss an
00:41:55
opportunity but you got to pick your there's going to be things,
00:41:58
you're going to have to say no to and it's hard but know that
00:42:01
that's people also want somebody who's relatable and they can
00:42:06
connect to their family and they have also so their own life as
00:42:10
well. So it's it's it's all a balance
00:42:14
and it's a hard balance to strike it tight and like one of
00:42:18
the things I just thought about is like how sometimes will not
00:42:21
sometimes. A lot of times, we, the public
00:42:25
will treat us like robot and like, you don't like you don't
00:42:28
have a family, you're not a real person.
00:42:30
You should take Michael. Why didn't you respond to my
00:42:33
email after I sent it five minutes ago and I remember like,
00:42:37
feeling that pressure You know, when I would get a text because
00:42:41
I was silly, don't ever give your phone number out, get us
00:42:43
campaign. Connecticut, same line, don't
00:42:46
give your personal number out. I still I people still email me
00:42:50
like I'm in Congress and asked. Thank God, I have friends in
00:42:53
Congress that I can send them over to but people still even
00:42:56
I'm like hey what about this? It can you fix this?
00:42:58
And I'm like I am not there but I can tell you don't ever give
00:43:02
you a real number out. Don't do that.
00:43:03
I did that terrible idea. I was but I was you know just
00:43:08
trying to help. But people, but back to the
00:43:11
robot thinks I got off. Kind of got off when I thought
00:43:14
about the phone number thing. But, you know, I want to
00:43:16
humanize politics. You know, I want people to start
00:43:20
acting like they have a conscience to start feeling
00:43:22
again because, you know, we are so we're so divided right now.
00:43:27
And it's really scary to think that, you know, having a
00:43:31
difference of opinion can turn into a war when it shouldn't be
00:43:34
a war of words or, you know, a war of ideology when we think
00:43:39
more I like that apart. I mean, again I'm in a district
00:43:42
where a 24% registered Republicans, then I got 45% of
00:43:46
the vote this past cycle and I did it within six months,
00:43:50
because of the redistricting, we found on in the, towards the end
00:43:53
of the year. And so I literally only have
00:43:56
like, six months in this new district and we stick ripped.
00:43:58
We still did really well for the time that we had running against
00:44:03
somebody that had 20 million dollars.
00:44:05
So it's like, you know, you you have to do everything you can.
00:44:09
Can to try to humanize politics because again it's not we're not
00:44:13
that far apart. Like the internet will try to
00:44:15
make you think and stay off the internet.
00:44:18
God stay off Twitter it's not real life.
00:44:20
Only 5% of the population is on Twitter but it's like God to
00:44:24
some people so it's weird. Yeah.
00:44:29
Sorry. Thank you.
00:44:33
I am not. You know, I've never run for
00:44:34
office but I feel like as women are appearances, Picked apart
00:44:40
far, more than that. And even just being on here.
00:44:42
I started receiving DMS about. I look forward.
00:44:46
I laugh too much. My hair is whatever.
00:44:50
You know, I need to fix my makeup or just make up tips in
00:44:52
general to make me look better. And I'm like, I'm not here to be
00:44:54
pretty but so are pretty cute but you know, like there is we
00:45:01
are judged. Yeah.
00:45:03
On our appearances and our attire and how our is it, you
00:45:06
know, like the pearls is a, did you show up properly pearls?
00:45:09
NASCAR, you better have your Pearl or I'm oh my gosh.
00:45:13
So I have my back I had I just had a baby when I first started
00:45:17
running. Like literally just had a baby.
00:45:18
My baby was like six months and I did not lose the weight like
00:45:24
that. So of course I was a problem and
00:45:27
there and so everyone would be like, oh, just so you know you
00:45:31
still carrying some weight and it's like or are you pregnant
00:45:34
again and I'm just like, you know, I got dressed up, too.
00:45:39
I'm here, I got my life together.
00:45:41
I nursed, I pumped, and then you're asking me, if I'm
00:45:45
pregnant again, it's like, oh my gosh.
00:45:46
It's and, you know, men did it a lot.
00:45:49
And what people don't understand about that is, like, it's also
00:45:53
like a little bit of sexism with that.
00:45:57
And so I, that was like, one of the things I used to get and
00:46:00
even like with Seth because Seth is almost a year and you and I
00:46:02
talked about this Camille was like, are you, are you going to
00:46:05
have another baby? It's like you guys, why are you
00:46:07
worried about my anatomy? Like yes I can have as many
00:46:10
children as I would like sorry that that's not your path but
00:46:15
I'm going to be well taken care of them right in my older years.
00:46:20
I get like two. I'm telling you like I'm defined
00:46:22
that letter. She said pearls in the scarf and
00:46:24
she actually stopped talking to me because I did not get pearls
00:46:27
in a scarf. I'm not joking, right?
00:46:32
And I didn't do it and so, you know, to hell with me.
00:46:35
But yeah, that and oh my gosh, my hair is naturally.
00:46:39
Have a ponytail right now but my hair is naturally curly but I
00:46:42
straightened a lot just because I don't like blow dry like I
00:46:45
straighten it because it's just easier with all the kids trying
00:46:47
to get up in the morning and put product your you guys already
00:46:49
know and but I when I would wear it curly it was like they're not
00:46:56
going to vote for you if you have curly hair Tomika and I'm
00:46:59
like what like? So hearing about to give a
00:47:02
speech and I'm like thinking I think would have, oh, my God,
00:47:05
you know, so all those things that I had to To like filter
00:47:10
out, you know and I can't. So I can't imagine Tara like
00:47:14
what you've been through but like have you ever had to try
00:47:16
like filter out some of those issues or something similar with
00:47:21
what, to, where I feel like we are it?
00:47:24
Of course, there's more. We have to think about it.
00:47:27
More than men. They quickly put on a suit, they
00:47:31
don't wear makeup. There's not.
00:47:33
What's that sir with the white certain roll up their sleeves
00:47:35
and they're done right? Easy.
00:47:39
That's that's there's like three looks full suit.
00:47:41
I know Ty that's you know end of this race.
00:47:44
So yeah, there's obviously more options for us, but it's
00:47:49
something that I had to consciously think about to
00:47:51
especially being a young woman where you're already having to
00:47:57
you know combat ageism. So you dressed definitely more
00:48:03
content more conservative and I remember meeting with some
00:48:08
mentors Is who gave me the you know advice and honestly was
00:48:13
probably good advice right like not this kind of jewelry.
00:48:16
Your nails should be neutral those kinds of things that
00:48:20
obviously a man does not have to think about and I think I
00:48:27
haven't got it as much lately. I will say I had like one lady
00:48:30
email me and I took it like finally, but she's like outfit
00:48:34
was good, but don't use that purse again and don't like so
00:48:37
right would you ever Is that the quality?
00:48:41
So I sometimes materially but like outside of it.
00:48:48
No, honestly, my friends would tell you, it's probably the
00:48:51
same, but like it's things that we probably have to.
00:48:54
You have to think about because you're gonna get the comments
00:48:57
that now are usually unsolicited.
00:49:01
But like, but you have to, but here is my question.
00:49:04
So since you're the mayor, how what's the pressure for you?
00:49:07
When you walk out of the house, because you're the mayor, you
00:49:12
can't just be like, you can't just go in a messy bun and bugs,
00:49:14
right? Like so My pants.
00:49:16
Like you can't, what are we doing?
00:49:18
My friends will tell you, I like I go make up a full makeup
00:49:23
everywhere because you never know when you're going to run
00:49:26
into somebody the time, you'll see me in a messy bun is at the
00:49:30
gym. So catch me there and people
00:49:32
still know me there. So, that's, I guess.
00:49:34
Where you will see me not whole makeup.
00:49:36
I shouldn't have a personal trainer aren't, you know?
00:49:44
Yeah. The other misconception people
00:49:46
think mayor city council is a full-time job and it's not.
00:49:49
That's the other shocking thing. Oh God.
00:49:51
Yeah. But anyway they're like, you
00:49:53
don't. This is weird.
00:49:54
Okay, mayor is a great big. Let me just say when you're
00:49:57
driving around town, especially when it's your hometown to say.
00:50:00
Wow, this is, you know, your mayor of the town, you grew up
00:50:04
and it's pretty special, it's a great.
00:50:06
That's awesome. I have another question.
00:50:12
What changes around women in politics?
00:50:14
Have you seen over the last few years?
00:50:19
Gosh. Well, I'll say obviously, we're
00:50:24
making tremendous strides in the number of women at all levels.
00:50:30
I think of government, it's still not where It could be.
00:50:35
I remember when I was mayor in 2019, I think we were there only
00:50:39
30% of even mayor's were women, but again, it's only because of
00:50:46
the many women who have come before, all of us who made those
00:50:51
strides that have way more difficult time that have allowed
00:50:55
even myself to serve where I am and to, like you mentioned
00:50:59
earlier where the first female majority in a city that's over
00:51:02
50 years old. So, So, we are making incredible
00:51:07
strides and I think it's just making it easier and easier for
00:51:10
more women to to put themselves out there and run because
00:51:13
they're seeing other, you know, Republican women.
00:51:16
That's awesome. That's awesome.
00:51:19
Me next. I'm glad that you said that
00:51:23
terrible. The last part.
00:51:25
We'll all of it was great. And the last sentence that you
00:51:27
said was because they see us, they having that courage to come
00:51:31
out and run. And one of the things I always
00:51:34
talk about Is how we Republicans have to do a better job of being
00:51:39
comfortable talking about the fact that if we have more
00:51:41
minorities run then minority women, or men, doesn't matter.
00:51:46
But if on our side, then more people will be comfortable with
00:51:49
running and voting because they see themselves in a person, you
00:51:53
know, and again, it's not all about this blanket General
00:51:57
because someone's Hispanic, or someone's black, but if you
00:52:00
don't see yourself represented, it does matter.
00:52:03
And I know a lot of Women that have said to me like I want to
00:52:07
do city council because I saw you do it, you know.
00:52:09
And I'm encouraged. And, you know, I'll be the first
00:52:12
person to run. So I think there's there's parts
00:52:14
of it that do matter and and obviously I'm going to probably
00:52:17
pissed somebody off saying it. But, you know, at the end of the
00:52:20
day, it's people do need to see. They want something to identify
00:52:25
with, and it's not bad if they see a woman or if you see a
00:52:28
black woman and in and become inspired I would say that, like,
00:52:35
one of the things that's really cool.
00:52:36
That's happened over the past couple years that I was able to
00:52:39
benefit from is babysitting being a hey, feels like she's
00:52:46
inside. She's like laughing.
00:52:48
Because we talked about this often actually.
00:52:50
So up until 2018 women were not allowed to use campaign funds
00:52:56
for a babysitter. And it was actually a Democrat
00:52:58
who went to the FEC board from New York.
00:53:01
I'm actually really good. We Acquaintances and we work on
00:53:04
some things together, but she was like, Hey, I'm not rich and
00:53:09
I am a regular person trying to have a job on top of campaigning
00:53:13
and I can't afford a babysitter like to do this full time, plus
00:53:18
all the other things. And she she lobbied that and she
00:53:22
was able to get it approved but that helps.
00:53:25
So can you imagine all the families that we missed out on
00:53:28
because they couldn't afford baby sitting on top of running
00:53:31
for office and, you know, Oh so I have a family but I can't do
00:53:35
it because it's just too much. It's too much and that was like
00:53:40
one of my actual biggest criticisms.
00:53:42
You know, about side of me being a mom and having the kids then
00:53:46
it was you had to pay for babysitting and it's like, do
00:53:50
you not know how hard this is? And, I mean, to the point to
00:53:54
where it was in the Press, you know?
00:53:57
And but at the end of the day, I've made it.
00:54:00
I know that I've stood my ground on it.
00:54:03
Not ashamed of it but it's just something that again has to be
00:54:08
highlighted so that people can understand that you have their
00:54:11
single moms that are in Congress right now with kids like three
00:54:14
and four. I don't know how they I don't
00:54:16
know how they're doing it and you need that support system.
00:54:21
And so, that's something that I'm really glad that happened
00:54:22
for us. And also think that one of the
00:54:24
things that's changing is that women are more outspoken.
00:54:27
I think than they used to be about a lot of issues that are
00:54:30
happening in the community. I mean, We saw imams, just come
00:54:34
out when the vaccine mandates were were here and being pushed
00:54:40
on us and I thought that was a great thing.
00:54:42
People trying to just take control of, you know, of the
00:54:45
narrative and say, hey look, we don't want this.
00:54:48
So those are two like really big things for me that I've seen.
00:54:56
We're coming up on our and so I just know.
00:55:01
I want to be sensitive to your time.
00:55:02
You got all those kids and all the Taro was just at a meeting.
00:55:05
I'm sure she's ready to go home. I go to sleep but I just want to
00:55:09
touch on because we've been speaking so much about women in
00:55:12
office and running for office. But let's talk about other ways
00:55:15
that women can be involved in politics.
00:55:16
That doesn't mean they have to go and run for office, okay?
00:55:23
Yes, I think honestly, the list is endless.
00:55:28
It it's not run for office or nothing.
00:55:31
Yeah. For even their city commission's
00:55:34
that you could be a part of if you want to be involved in the
00:55:36
party, not only your local party and Central Committee and
00:55:39
volunteer efforts there. But as to make a mentioned
00:55:42
earlier, there's Republican woman Federated groups and a lot
00:55:46
of volunteer organizations support a candidate that you are
00:55:50
like, whether it's making phone. Phone calls or door-knocking for
00:55:54
them. Sometimes I think volunteers
00:55:56
think well, I don't have a lot of time, even if you take a
00:55:58
couple hours two hours to phone bank, that's helping make, you
00:56:03
know, move the needle. Get that candidate across the
00:56:05
finish line. So, there's so many ways.
00:56:08
I hope people don't think if I can't run for office, then
00:56:11
there's nothing. There's yeah, always something
00:56:14
that you can do. I also think even fundraising is
00:56:17
a big part of it. I think I've always come across
00:56:20
people who are like well I can't, you know, Give $1000.
00:56:24
It's like even if you gave $25 like that's five yards out from
00:56:30
everything else. Even if it's a couple hours of
00:56:33
volunteering or being involved in different organizations to
00:56:38
Italy but I do want to. So like Tara mentioned like
00:56:43
Central committee's and because I'm pretty sure someone's go
00:56:45
back. What's the Central Committee?
00:56:47
So every District get every District should have a Central
00:56:52
Committee. T, if you don't, that's not the
00:56:54
end of the world. That means that you can start
00:56:57
your own Central Committee. You can and you could be chair
00:57:01
and you'll just rule the last. Oh but you can you can go onto
00:57:05
the California GOP website and they'll give you a list of the
00:57:08
central committee's throughout the state with phone numbers.
00:57:12
And we'll know with emails that phone numbers emails.
00:57:14
And I think may possibly the location of the building where
00:57:19
they hold the meetings but that's where you go California,
00:57:22
GOP. Site.
00:57:25
Oh, and one thing I was thinking about it's like again you don't
00:57:29
have to have a degree to run for office.
00:57:32
That a lot of people think you do you do not, you do not need a
00:57:35
degree. You don't need a Associates, you
00:57:38
just need will and you need to be able to fight and be able to
00:57:42
be take the blows. Um I think the other thing that
00:57:45
I am stressing right now, like obviously with the voter
00:57:48
registration is that you don't have to get permission.
00:57:52
To do any of these things. Like, you know, a lot of people
00:57:54
think they need to have a mission from the state or from
00:57:57
your voter register's office. Like know, they can give you
00:58:00
treat like you can get training from your Central Committee or
00:58:03
email me or go on sinning. You DM and I can put you in the
00:58:08
right direction, but like you can be the captain of your of
00:58:13
your tat. Like, not your town, but your
00:58:14
you could do your town but that's a lot.
00:58:16
But your neighborhood, you can say, I want a ballot Harvest.
00:58:19
You can say, I want to be the captain for that.
00:58:22
You can rally other people to do that again, it takes that kind
00:58:26
of effort, so that we can be prepared for 2024 Republicans.
00:58:30
Sadly are just so behind and be so behind.
00:58:34
It's like the Democrats are already in case dates for the
00:58:37
presidential election shop setup.
00:58:39
And we're just like, you know, we're just going to wait till
00:58:42
next year. I will tell you don't wait till
00:58:44
next year. You can do this for yourself in
00:58:46
your own neighborhood. Again, go to the website, you
00:58:49
can again be in charge of your neighborhood.
00:58:52
You You can do voter registration with other groups.
00:58:56
Like she said, we're Republican women Federated again.
00:58:58
There's that's their own website.
00:59:00
They're not necessarily attached to the California GOP.
00:59:04
And, yeah, these are things that I can send to you Camille So
00:59:07
that you want to put it up on listed or something I guess,
00:59:12
somewhere, for California ground.
00:59:15
Yeah, there's also the California roll publicans.
00:59:20
I'm tools. And you can sneak in there.
00:59:28
All right. Well, I did last week, I went to
00:59:32
I'm just spying yo, because, you know, I am, I feel like I'm in
00:59:36
very involved politically, are you locally?
00:59:39
Of course, I'm, you know, a part of a pack and I also run my
00:59:47
mouth and call and also those Delta sweet.
00:59:54
Some would say I'm not you know I have no problem calling out
00:59:57
when I see the actual eyes and of course I show proof.
01:00:00
I don't just assume anything. I'm like here's the receipts and
01:00:03
that has made me a few enemies and those people have come out
01:00:09
and said like a few of them and they call themselves Christians
01:00:12
and they come out and say you're not doing anything.
01:00:15
You've never Done anything because you're not running for
01:00:17
office. And what annoys me about the
01:00:20
Christian part of that is because Romans 12 48 about it,
01:00:23
the different parts of the body where we are all necessary to
01:00:28
this machine to this to our state.
01:00:31
You know, you can show up to the school board meetings, you can
01:00:34
ask to see the curriculum, you can share your opposition
01:00:36
against you so you can show up to the city council meetings and
01:00:39
see you know we had a measure here that they were trying to
01:00:42
pass with rezoning and a bunch of people showed up on there.
01:00:47
Literally to be, like, no, we want that we want to keep the
01:00:50
horse zoning and know that was cute but like, you know, and I
01:00:55
understand how having had four kids young.
01:00:58
I always voted. But there was, I remember early
01:01:02
2008 and I had a two year old and a two month old and I went
01:01:06
to see Mitt Romney speaking, who's running for president the
01:01:08
time, it was like 30 minutes from my house and I went to see
01:01:11
him speak and I remember I'm like holding my two year, olds
01:01:14
hand and holding the car seat. - I don't have a stroller but I'm
01:01:17
like walking along, you know, and I had to park far away cuz
01:01:21
of course it was a popular event and I'm like, walking down the
01:01:23
street and I was so determined to be there and I was and I got
01:01:26
to meet Mitt Romney and shake his hand and whatever.
01:01:28
But I remember thinking I cannot do anything right now and which
01:01:34
Mica you have? No one.
01:01:35
But I know these babies like leaving the house and going to
01:01:41
all the meetings and doing all the things was not feasible at
01:01:45
that time. I have forward and they're
01:01:47
older, and now, I'm really getting involved and able to do
01:01:50
things. I was able to do phone calls for
01:01:53
some candidates. I was able to volunteer for a
01:01:55
few campaigns. I was able to, you know, because
01:01:58
I homeschool the kids, I used them for PE to like, pass out
01:02:01
flyers locally and stuff and, and help with the few events,
01:02:05
like, even, you know, a bunch of Statewide candidates on a forum,
01:02:08
on a big stage. Like, that was really fun, and I
01:02:12
have never run for office. I may not who Nose tarah.
01:02:16
Admittedly, that was my plan. When I graduated high school, I
01:02:18
was going to run for city council.
01:02:20
I was going to get a degree in political science and reason to
01:02:23
run your campaign manager. I'll be I'll be the volunteer
01:02:34
coordinator but it's like it's everyone.
01:02:40
Everyone is like you, everyone isn't called to run.
01:02:43
Everyone is never one isn't cold to do that but like you said
01:02:47
hands of Fate. I love how you bust out of
01:02:49
scripture on us, but you know, people just have to do what's in
01:02:53
their heart. You know, I wish I could you
01:02:56
know the Lord didn't come down and like sit me down and tell me
01:02:59
like to run for Congress. I just that was what was in my
01:03:02
heart to do and I'm grateful to have done it because I wouldn't
01:03:06
be able to do a lot of things that I'm able to do now, like,
01:03:10
you know, you have the game is made for people that are wealthy
01:03:13
and Connected and I've been able to meet people that can connect
01:03:18
me with ways to help people that I would have been able to do
01:03:22
before, you know. So it's just about what's in
01:03:27
your heart to do. And, you know, honestly just not
01:03:31
being afraid to be great. You know, I think a lot of times
01:03:34
women they fight with that a little bit but and if you just
01:03:40
want to be a mom like right now I get to just be a mom.
01:03:43
I'm Like happy with that and I felt the grace leaving that when
01:03:48
I say great saving, it's like you get Grace to run for office.
01:03:51
You could Grace to lead and, you know, I don't have the same
01:03:54
Grace that I had before. Like this is my time to be with
01:03:57
my kids and so thinking about writing right now is like
01:04:01
tempting, but I know where I know where I'm supposed to be
01:04:05
right now in this moment and it's to be with the the biggest
01:04:09
so. But maybe, you know, let me know
01:04:12
Camille because the What is it? Do you have any seats?
01:04:15
Open Tara, do you hat tip to receive between 24 and I'm sorry
01:04:20
I'm up as well. There you go.
01:04:23
See. There you go.
01:04:27
I was going to ask you if you'd know what you want to do next
01:04:29
Toro. Oh, gosh.
01:04:32
Well like I said, I didn't know. I would even be in this
01:04:34
situation. And now, this is my seventh year
01:04:36
on Council, which is is even crazy to think about.
01:04:39
So I'm running for re-election in 24, but we'll see.
01:04:43
You know, if I feel like like, you know, Tomika said, if you
01:04:48
know, you feel it in your heart and it's where you're supposed
01:04:51
to be and you're passionate about it, you know, I'll keep on
01:04:55
and do it. But you really have to have
01:04:59
that, you have to have that passion in that heart for it too
01:05:04
because it is it's a lot. But we do we need good people to
01:05:08
put themselves out there to run for these these positions but
01:05:12
and and Go back. All those little things that
01:05:17
build a campaign. It's not just the person.
01:05:19
Like it's not just me running for office.
01:05:21
It's the amount of support of people walking door-to-door,
01:05:25
people who contribute that that's what made the campaign,
01:05:30
it's all those people, supporting those candidates, and
01:05:33
those causes. That's what's gets it over the
01:05:36
Finish Line. That's yeah, that's, that's
01:05:37
really important because a lot of people forget, there's like a
01:05:39
team of people behind you and they're uh, Like you are there
01:05:44
like they're the candidate but behind the scenes, you know,
01:05:48
because they your eyes and ears and stuff and and anyone that's
01:05:52
actually elected or gets close. They have had a great team.
01:05:57
Maybe one day we can talk about that but yeah, that's really
01:05:59
important, too. Well, thank you so much for
01:06:05
joining us tonight and I know we've gone over an hour and I
01:06:08
just really appreciate both of you being here.
01:06:09
This was so great and to everyone watching if you could
01:06:14
hit like And subscribe on YouTube and maybe share this
01:06:17
with another person next week so we'll be back.
01:06:19
I will not be. I will just be here as co-host
01:06:22
and we have another great episode lined up next week.
01:06:25
So again, just thank you everyone.
01:06:27
You too for being here and everyone who was in the comments
01:06:29
and everyone watching listening later on Spotify, Apple YouTube
01:06:34
whatever we appreciate you. So again, thank you and
01:06:37
goodnight everybody. Spotify, Apple YouTube whatever
01:06:35
we appreciate you. So again, thank you and
01:06:37
goodnight everybody.