Thanks EdHeads - Congrats to Wilk

STATEMENT November 7, 2012 Headington Thanks Supporters & Congratulates Wilk on Victory After almost a year and a half of campaigning, the race for Assembly District 38 (AD38) has come to a close.  It was hard fought on both sides between the supporters of Edward Headington (EdHeads) and Scott Thomas Wilk (Got Wilk?).  Headington called Assemblymember-elect Wilk earlier today to offer his congratulations.  Below is his statement. "Campaigns are like starting a small business. Sometimes you're successful and sometimes it doesn't go your way--but you throw your hat in the ring and do so without regret. I'm proud of our effort and want to thank my wife, family and friends for being supportive all these months. I also want to thank the dozens of EdHeads who gave their time, treasure and talent to this contest. We couldn't have done it without you, and your impact was felt.     "I congratulate Scott Wilk on his victory. He ran strong campaigns in both the primary and general elections, and has earned my respect. While Scott and I share common ground on some issues and have policy differences on others, we share a commitment to getting California back on track. There is a Democratic supermajority in both houses of the legislature to contend with now but I wish him every success in reaching across the aisle to find solutions on jobs, education and public safety.  "Ronald Reagan casts a large shadow across AD38 and I am mindful of the Scottish ballad he referenced after experiencing his first political loss: 'Lay me down and bleed awhile. Though I am wounded, I am not slain. I shall rise and fight again.'   "Again, thank you. We are not slain. May God bless you and the Golden State we all love so much."   Ed ###

EdHead Election Night @ Wolf Creek Starting at 8:30 p.m.

CLICK HERE Let's Get California  "Heading in the Right Direction!"                                    Assembly District 38 includes the following communities: Aqua Dulce | Canyon Country | Chatsworth | Granada Hills | Newhall | Porter Ranch | Santa Clarita | Santa Susana | Saugus | Simi Valley | Stevenson Ranch | Valencia | Val Verde  Endorsed by the Santa Clarita Valley Signal in both the Primary and General AD38 elections:  "Headington was specific on his vision and agenda as a fiscal conservative and social moderate. He identified job creation, education and public safety as his three core causes and shaped most of his discussion around those goals." - 10/14/12    EdHead Update: Election Day Edition 38th District State Assembly (AD38) Candidate Edward Headington to finish Election Day strong and then join the EdHeads at Wolf Creek in Valencia After almost a year and a half of campaigning, Election Day has arrived. The EdHeads are out in force and you can still help with Get-Out-The-Vote activities in Simi Valley, Santa Clarita Valley and the San Fernando Valley. Visit Edward2012.comfor more information. Polls close at 8 p.m. You can find your own AD38 polling place here if you haven't already voted. Here are two pieces that ran in Sunday's Signal on the "The Purple Option" and "ED4ED: Why Educators Support Headington."  WHO: L.A. City Councilmember Mitch Englander, L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel, AD38 Candidate Edward Headington, family, friends, et al. WHAT: EdHead Election Night Celebration WHEN: Tuesday, November 6th @ 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. WHERE: Wolf Creek Restaurant & Brewing Company located @ 27746 Mcbean Parkway, Santa Clarita, CA 91354. There is free parking. WHY: Join Ed, family and friends celebrate a long campaign and watch the returns. ###

The Purple Option Explained

Here is a piece that ran in the Signal over the weekend explaining the "Purple Option."

The Purple Option: Believe In California

Big things often come from small or unforeseen beginnings.  Some call it part of living a purpose-driven life while others write it off as mere happenstance.  I began this race for State Assembly around the kitchen table with my wife Sasha.  We were both new parents, sleep-deprived and wondering about the life ahead for our two-and-a-half month-old son Narayan.  We talked about the kind of community he would grow up in, the neighborhood schools he would attend and if the Golden State we knew growing up would be there for him.  I was apprehensive about running as we had not planned for it and it would be a big sacrifice on our finances and time away from family.  We decided to move ahead when Sasha reminded me of the advice she gave me when I started my small business almost a decade ago: “Ships are safe in the harbor but that’s not why we build ships.  If your heart is in this and you feel you’re being called, then let’s set sail.  We’re bound to hit rough seas but we’ll do it together like we always have.”

That was well over 15 months ago and it has been an unbelievable journey.  What started as an acorn of possibility has grown into a large oak of vision, ideas and a desire to get California “Heading in the Right Direction.”  At my second candidate forum during the primary, I made a comment mentioned in this paper about being the “Purple Option,” a Democrat that Republicans could get behind because I’m pro-business and fiscally conservative.  It was inadvertent but the phrase has taken on a life of its own to mean a sense of common purpose for those who believe that our livelihoods and children’s futures are far more important than party labels, partisan dogma and political ambition.

   

Regardless of where you have an “R,” “D” or “DTS” next to your name, we can all agree that the political dysfunction and partisan bickering is so acute in Sacramento that nothing seems to get done anymore.  We face three major crises: in leadership, in budget and in trust.  Sending another been-there, done-that candidate is not what we need right now.  Instead, we need a moderate who will break through the logjam—who is not afraid to take a stand, be firm in his principles but also be willing to negotiate when necessary. 

It takes red and blue to make purple.  And it will take Republicans and Democrats working together to make this state great again.  I owe it to my son and you owe it to yours, as well as to all to the daughters, nieces and nephews we have, to try something different—to try the Purple Option.  We owe to our educators, public safety professionals and job creators to send someone to Sacramento who will work the long days and short nights to get things done.

Thank you for welcoming me with open arms these past few months.  Here is my commitment to you: (1) the District Office will remain in Santa Clarita and (2) my staff will be purple, comprised of both Republicans and Democrats.  I hope you will consider the Purple Option and I ask for your vote on Tuesday.

Edward Headington is the Signal’s choice for Assembly District 38.  He is a small business owner and can be reached at Edward@Edward2012.com.

ED4ED: “Why Educators Support Edward Headington”

Honored to have the ED4ED coalition support me in my candidacy for Assembly District 38.  Here's their piece running in the Signal today.

A bipartisan coalition of local education leaders has formed to support Edward Headington’s bid for the 38th Assembly District seat. We, the “Ed for Education” coalition (ED4ED), recognize Ed’s potential to have a real impact on local education as both a member of the Assembly majority and as the practical and balanced candidate focused on real policy improvements. ED4ED supports Headington over his challenger, who has been curiously absent on the education issue—except as the only NO vote on Prop. 30 at the recent College of the Canyons board meeting. 

Headington recognizes substantive change is needed in our state budget and that this must include stable, reasonable support for schools at every level. Without fail, California’s legislature chooses to “borrow” from education with no foreseeable intention of repaying these funds. Headington believes the solution to this looming crisis is to stop holding education hostage during budget negotiations every year. Instead, he pledges to work with like-minded legislators to keep education above the political fray. Ed wants to help local school districts manage the hundreds of well-intentioned but unfunded mandates that end up doing more harm than good to students. For a state as large and diverse as California, one size should not fit all.

At a time when this critical issue challenges our outstanding local schools, Headington’s opponent has skipped nearly all local forums to discuss education reform and has offered no tangible solutions to improving education. Ed, by contrast, has not missed an opportunity to speak out on key budget issues or meet with local leaders in education.

Headington recognizes the connection between a strong economy and a workforce trained through our state’s outstanding Community College and University system. He supports restoring funding to these institutions to make them affordable and accessible for middle class families. Our region has tremendous potential to create sustained job growth and Headington will help prepare our students to lead productive lives through fulfilling careers. 

As local elected officials and leaders in education, we understand the challenges facing the strained state budget. We also understand that in facing those challenges, Edward Headington will make protecting education a top priority. Please let this factor into your decision-making when you go to the polls on Tuesday. 

Sincerely,

Christy Smith, President, Newhall School District

Paul Strickland,Board member, William S. Hart High School District 

Suzan Solomon, Board Member, Newhall School District 

Susan Christopher, Board Member, Castaic Union School Board Member

Rose Koscielny, President, Saugus Union School District

Headington Calls Out Wilk for Failed Leadership

The campaign for Assembly District 38 (AD38) heated up his week as candidate Edward Headington called out his opponent Scott Wilk for his “proven track record of failed leadership” relating to the following:

• Sold his vote to Charles Munger, Jr.
• Is the King of Backroom Deals
• Sacrificed the needs of COC students for his own political gain
• Sold out to “Special Interest Labor Unions”

A Hit Piece paid for by "Scott Wilk for
Assembly 2012" during the primary

“It’s important that people to know the record of those they’re voting for on Election Day,” said Edward Headington, a small businessman who is facing off against Wilk on Tuesday.  “While my opponent engaged in character assassinations in the primary against his Republican challengers, I have made my campaign issue-based from the start.  I stand by my decision to share my opponent’s record of failed leadership with the voters of the 38^th Assembly District.”

Scott Wilk, a member of the Board of Trustees at College of the Canyons just elected less than a year ago, was called out in recent months for skipping forums with seniors, students and veterans and refusing to discuss his record.”  The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, the main paper for AD38, endorsed Headington and noted that his opponent was “vague on his agenda” and “offered few specifics.”

With Republican Paul Strickland & Democrat Christy
Smith (Hart School Board & Newhall School District,
respectively) while canvassing Newhall this week

“I am honored to have had the support of the Signal in the primary and again for the general election this Tuesday,” said Headington. “The Signal is the voice of the community and has a big impact on the minds of voters. This is why I included direct quotes from their endorsement(s) in my voter outreach for both elections. They recognize that the ‘Purple Coalition’ I’ve built is what is needed right now will break through the logjam in Sacramento.”

For more information about the campaign, please visit Edward2012.com and/or 38EdHeads.com.

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Why Is Scott Wilk Against Proposition 32?

If the "Special Interest Labor Unions" are the root of the problem in Sacramento and will "send California into bankruptcy" as my opponent has said, then why is he against Prop. 32?  Isn't it an article of faith among Republicans--elected and otherwise--that the ballot measure be passed? Is Rep. Tom McClintock, CRP Chair Tom Del Beccaro, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and a host of other Republican leaders up and down the state all wrong? Simi Valley, roughly a third of Assembly District 38, is home to the Reagan Library but perhaps not all still heed his words: "There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”

Scenes from the Campaign Trail: Walkers & Purple for the People

All of us are campaigning hard so it's important to slow down enough once in a while to appreciate the world around us. We have "walkers" out canvassing the neighborhoods and I often get home too late to watch "The Walking Dead" live.  Seeing this sign while out in Simi Valley this week made my day and put a big smile on all of our precinct-walking faces.  

A lot has been said about the color purple on this campaign and I always like to remind folks that we need red and blue to make purple. What began as an inadvertent comment about being a "Purple Option," for Republicans--basically a pro-business Democrat they can get behind, has morphed into the "Purple Coalition" of Democrats (Blue) and Republicans (Red) getting together to support my candidacy.  I am also on the record vowing to implement a "Purple Doctrine" as it relates to staff choices and policy options.  So imagine my delight when I stopped for a slurpee at one of the 7-Elevens on Lyons and saw this "Purple for the People" motto.  Call me crazy but I have a feeling this won't be for a "limited time only."

And for any Walking Dead fans, please tell Carl to stay in the house. ;)