Perhaps reacting to last week's Malibu meeting, candidate Betsy Butler packed the Pacific Palisades Woman's Club yesterday with vocal supporters, outnumbering both those who came to support competing candidates Torie Osborn and Richard Bloom as well as interested community members who just came to hear the candidates speak.
However, unlike Malibu, where the membership votes on endorsements, candidates need at least 60% support from the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club's 21-member board to win an endorsement.
Sources familiar with the process said Butler was eliminated in the first round of voting. Osborn was able to win a majority in the second round, but did not reach the 60% threshold needed for endorsement.Club leadership declined to release the vote totals to the press.
Before the vote, candidates took pre-written questions from the Democratic club as well as questions from the audience. Topics touched on a variety of subjects, including the California budget crisis, education reform, the candidate's positions on the death penalty, health care reform and high speed rail.
One audience member, Palisades resident Liesel Friedrich, told Butler she had "no sense" of the Assemblywoman in the district, and asked her pointedly how long Butler had lived or worked in the district.
Butler gave a somewhat meandering response, saying she had lived in Marina del Rey, "in the district", for twenty-five years.Marina del Rey is currently in Assembly District 53, and has never been a part of the district Butler is currently seeking office for.
When asked if she was satisfied with that answer, Friedrich replied, "No. Not really. I'm afraid she's got the Sacramento lingo down."
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