Debbie Cook

The audacity of Cook Oh my! Debbie Cook. Her candor is all at once alarming and disarming. Her frankness edgy and innocent. She does not suffer fools and foolishness well. She is not yet the seasoned, polished politician we’ve all come to know (and loath) from both sides of the aisle. Perhaps she is simply genuine. So rare a commodity in politics anymore that we are taken aback when confronted by it. Made me a bit uneasy. My trust level is a bit low of late.

Debbie Cook, the democratic challenger for Dana Rohrabacher’s long-held congressional seat, will attempt to bridge a large part of the fundraising gap between her and Rohrabacher with an unusual fundraiser Aug. 28. She will host not one, not two, but 200 simultaneous house parties throughout the 46th Congressional District, which spans much of Orange County and Los Angeles, all on the day when Barack Obama plans on giving his nomination speech...

Residents who have pulled nomination papers for elected city offices as of Wednesday: Huntington Beach City Council Lou J. Baker Connie J. Boardman Bill Borden Joseph J Carchio Gerald L. Chapman Gil Coerper Debbie Cook Chuck Downing J. Devin Dwyer Steve J. Garcia Pam Julien -- incumbent Ed Laird Diane A. Lenning Joseph J. Racano John A. Thomas ...

A former Republican congressman from Northern California endorsed Democratic Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook in her race against incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. Paul “Pete” McCloskey, 81, who served 16 years in Congress starting in the late ’60s, changed his party affiliation to Democrat in 2007. When he left the party, McCloskey said he was frustrated with out-of-control spending and increasing bureaucracy. In his endorsement, he said she brought a fresh perspective from outside of the Beltway to the 46th Congressional District, which Rohrabacher has represented for two decades.

Tariq Malik HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Although this is her first time running for City Council, Cook has been active in city politics for a while. She was the spokeswoman and leader of the Measure C charter amendment, served on the Planning Commission, General Plan and Advisory Committee, as well as on the political campaigns of former Mayors Grace Winchell and Dave Sullivan. As an environmental attorney, she has set legal precedent for protecting the Bolsa Chica wetlands and state coastal resources, and exposed unethical conduct of city officials.

WHAT HAPPENED: By a narrow margin, the City Council voted to lower the value of gifts that elected or appointed officials can accept from any single source in the course of a year from $340 to $150. WHAT IT MEANS: At a June 2 meeting, the City Council asked the city attorney to prepare documents to make the city's code of ethics consistent with state law, which prohibits the acceptance of gifts exceeding $340. At last night's meeting, council members Dave Sullivan, Jill Hardy, Debbie Cook and Pam Julien Houchen said they felt $340 was too high.

I'm certain that a newspaper of your high reputation is aware of its obligation to report news stories fairly and accurately, especially when quoting sources. Obviously your ombudsman was out to lunch when you put together [the Sept. 14] edition. In your Page 2 story about Ocean View School District Supt. James Tarwater ("Tarwater nixes his double-duty pay"), you quote his persistent critic, Barbara Boskavich, and identify her as a "community member." Would it not be more accurate and fair to point our that she is a candidate for a seat on the Ocean View school board?

Gus Ayer, the former mayor of Fountain Valley and an avid environmentalist, died Wednesday night. He was 63. According to his oldest son, Ethan, the cause of his death is still pending, but he was found at his Fountain Valley home by his youngest son, Eliot. Ayer's recent endeavors included helping the residents of Fullerton save Coyote Hills, striking down Measure Z in Huntington Beach and campaigning for numerous council members for the cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Westminster.

Just wanted to let Mike Lukash know how much I appreciated his artful insights into the Ripcurl thing (Nov. 20). I really felt like that girl on the sideline, as the city and developers did their little dance so merrily. I am just recovering from that crazy battle. Thank you, your last cartoon does give me solace for its deep understanding of our crushed feelings. Keep up the good work! Pam Vallot Huntington Beach Cook doesn’t have to run against Rep. again I’ve never thought of “keeping up with the Joneses,” but the letter from James Jones (“Hoping for signs of change to disappear,” Nov. 27)

Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher on Oct. 21 accused Democratic congressional opponent Debbie Cook of obfuscating her position on the federal financial rescue plan, while Cook called Rohrabacher’s no vote on the proposal irresponsible. During the first and only scheduled debate among the four candidates for the 46th Congressional District at Orange Coast College, the two major party candidates also clashed on their respective visions for healthcare reform and their positions on amending the California Constitution to ban gay marriage.

A former Republican congressman from Northern California endorsed Democratic Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook in her race against incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. Paul “Pete” McCloskey, 81, who served 16 years in Congress starting in the late ’60s, changed his party affiliation to Democrat in 2007. When he left the party, McCloskey said he was frustrated with out-of-control spending and increasing bureaucracy. In his endorsement, he said she brought a fresh perspective from outside of the Beltway to the 46th Congressional District, which Rohrabacher has represented for two decades.

About six weeks or so ago, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s closest supporters sat him down and told him something he hasn’t heard in many, many years. “You’re going to have to campaign this time.” Let’s face it. The 46th Congressional District is safe political territory for Republicans. It stretches from Costa Mesa up to Long Beach and then over to Rancho Palos Verdes. Many representatives in the House perpetually run for office since they serve only two-year terms, but the former speechwriter for President Reagan has been on a victory lap for two decades.

About six weeks or so ago, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s closest supporters sat him down and told him something he hasn’t heard in many, many years. “You’re going to have to campaign this time.” Let’s face it. The 46th Congressional District is safe political territory for Republicans. It stretches from Costa Mesa up to Long Beach and then over to Rancho Palos Verdes. Many representatives in the House perpetually run for office since they only serve two-year terms, but the former President Reagan speechwriter has been on a victory lap for two decades.

Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher on Tuesday accused Democratic congressional opponent Debbie Cook of obfuscating her position on the federal financial rescue plan, while Cook called Rohrabacher’s no vote on the proposal irresponsible. During the first and only scheduled debate among the four candidates for the 46th Congressional District at Orange Coast College, the two major party candidates also clashed on their respective visions for healthcare reform and their positions on amending the California Constitution to ban gay marriage.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher should do less apologizing for Jack Abramoff and offer more criticism of his friend, the disgraced Washington lobbyist who was sentenced to four more years in prison Thursday, according to Rohrabacher’s Democratic rival for Congress, Debbie Cook. “You would hope your friends would help keep you out of trouble and keep you from avoiding the errors of judgment Abramoff made, and I don’t know that Dana has ever done that. He has just defended him,” Cook said.