| Let's try to get this straightened out, once and for all. There's been a lot of back and forth about whether John Garamendi is a resident of CA-10, CA-03, or stuck in some sort of twilight zone between the two.
Unsurprisingly, most of the confusion has emanated from the Garamendi campaign. You might want to ask yourself why. Initially, several weeks ago, we heard that Garamendi was considering the CA-10 race and that he lives in Walnut Grove, which is in the district.
Then, more recently, we heard that, well, actually, part of Walnut Grove is in the district and part of it is CA-03.
Then, yesterday, at his big announcement ceremony, Garamendi offered this explanation:
But Garamendi acknowledged that while he and his wife of 43 years own property and have roots in the 10th District, they are not residents within its borders.
"My front yard is in the district, our bedroom is not," he said, while also noting that it is not a requirement of a congressional candidate to live within the district he or she represents.
Now, let's really investigate the meaning of that sentence. Think of Bill Clinton and the definition of "is." We know his bedroom is in CA-03. But his front yard is in CA-10. That has led many to speculate today that the district line is this crazy meandering construct that cuts people's houses in half. Sure, Garamendi's bedroom is in CA-03, but what about his kitchen, his bathroom, or his living room? And what about his front yard? Is his house in CA-03 and his mailbox in CA-10?
Well, here's what I've come up with from parsing Garamendi's claim. John Garamendi's bedroom has not been severed from the rest of his house -- or his yard, for that matter. You see, Garamendi lives in a house on the CA-03 side of the Sacramento River, which is the boundary line between the two Congressional districts. So "bedroom" appears to have been a metaphor for "my residence," and "front yard" appears to have been a metaphor for what he sees when he looks out from his balcony.
But I'm not asking you to take my word for it. Garamendi's address is 14216 State Hwy 160 in Walnut Grove. Here's the Google map of his residence. (h/t to Jeff in CA)
And for your viewing pleasure, here's a map of CA-03, with both John Garamendi's home in CA-03 and his ranch in CA-03 marked.
And finally, just to provide some juxtaposition, here's a map of CA-10, with Garamendi's house marked.
But there is a larger and more disturbing question than the mere fact that Garamendi is, at least technically, a carpetbagger. The residents of CA-10 have spent the last 12 years being lied to by Ellen Tauscher. She has pretty consistently told people whatever is convenient for her at the moment, with little regard for the truth. It is one of the things that has turned many of the Democrats in her district against her.
So how does it bode for a candidate, in his freaken announcement of his candidacy, to start bending and twisting the truth? Take another look:
[W]hile he and his wife of 43 years own property and have roots in the 10th District, they are not residents within its borders.
"My front yard is in the district, our bedroom is not."
There's a word for those kind of roots. They're called suckers. Which is, apparently, what Garamendi thinks the voters of CA-10 are. |
