Gus Ayer was awesome.

March 19, 2013

Erin

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Resolution honoring Gus

California Democratic Party Resolution Honoring the Memory of Gus Ayer,
Orange County’s Progressive Mentor and Committed Environmentalist

WHEREAS, Gus Ayer, former city council member from 2002-2007 and mayor of Fountain Valley 2006-2007, and considered probably Orange County’s top progressive political strategist and activist, also a well-known and respected environmental activist, born in Sunflower, Kansas on Christmas Day 1949 – relatives called his birthday “Gus-mas” – and who moved to Orange County in 1980, passed away suddenly at age 63 on February 13, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Gus Ayer was politically active with both the Orange County and the California Democratic Party, serving on the latter’s Executive Board from 2009 to 2012, and that for more than a decade, Ayer was a consultant and mentor to many Democrats and progressives running for local offices throughout most cities in Orange County, including sacrificing his own re-election campaign for mayor to help coordinate Debbie Cook’s close race for Congress against Republican Dana Rohrbacher; helping Joe Shaw gain election to the Huntington Beach City Council, its first openly gay member; in 2010, helping Fullerton residents save Coyote Hills and Huntington Beach voters defeat Measure Z, working on the anti-charter campaign in Costa Mesa, the defeat of an anti-open space initiative in Orange, and numerous campaigns for the councils of the cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Westminster; and

WHEREAS, when Ayer wasn’t campaigning to help elect others to their city council, he turned to his other passion – environmental activism – and was instrumental in protecting the Bolsa Chica Wetlands; at the time of his passing, he was about to unveil a major grassroots campaign to inform County water ratepayers and their elected officials that the $1 billion ocean desalination plant proposed for construction in Huntington Beach was unnecessary and would cost $5 billion extra over the next 30 years; and proud of a new website he launched, “No Deal With Poseidon,” a campaign still ongoing.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party proudly honors Gus Ayer for his tireless work as a leader, guide and mentor to so many progressive candidates in local, state and federal election campaigns, and for his passionate state and local environmental activism.

February 23, 2013

Erin

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Photos from Lou Delgado, Part 2

Lou Delgado of Spotlight Photography, a regular at Orange County's Democratic events, shared several photos.

Gus with Melissa Fox. Gus ran Melissa's 2010 campaign for the state Assembly.

Gus with Jonathan Adler (Laguna Woods Democratic Club board member) at the Democracy for America-OC meeting in Costa Mesa

Gus speaking at a Democracy for America - Orange County meeting

Gus with Susan Uballe (former Democratic Party of OC central committee member)

Gus with Alex Gorman, probably showing off something on his iPad. Probably taken in 2010 at the University Town Center Democratic Headquarters.

February 23, 2013

Erin

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Bug collection, and other stories

Beetles in the back window of Gus' car

Gus had dead beetles in the back of his last car. We went to Office Depot one day, during Melissa Fox's 2010 campaign, and when I got out of his car, I said, "Gus, you have dead bugs in your back window." He said, in that deadpan way of his, "Oh. That's my bug collection." I laughed about it for probably a week. When he got his new, electric car, I considered getting him a real bug collection kit. I even saved a June bug to put in it. I never bought one, though. I don't remember why.

The 2010 Democrats of Greater Irvine office across the street from the UCI campus

I also remember when he had his "campaign hair" in 2010 and he used to say, "Great scott!" like Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future. I had met him originally in 2009, I think, at the Obama townhall event in Costa Mesa. All of the ticketing was done the day before the event, and we were both volunteers. And I had surely seen him at various Democratic party events as well. But it was in 2010, on Melissa's campaign and in the Democrats of Greater Irvine office, that we got to know each other. We used to go to Yogurtland pretty much every day that summer.

He ran out of gas during that campaign, a couple of times, I think. I drove him to a hardware store to buy a gas can, drove him to a gas station, then drove him back to his car. I made fun of him for it every chance I had. When he got his electric car, I teased him and asked what happens when he forgets to recharge it and the battery dies?

Once, he took me to L.A. with him to meet Jim Gilliam of NationBuilder in his home. Afterwards, we went to some restaurant that had shavings on the floor. I don't remember what it was called. They sold sandwiches, where the meat was cooked in some special way that I'd never heard of before. Gus was always trying to get me to try new foods, since I pretty much live on chicken sandwiches.

Words of wisdom from Gus

I posted something on Facebook once about how I was aggravated and was going to bang my face against the desk. Gus called me and said to take my glasses off first. I wrote his advice down on a post-it and stuck it to my laptop so that I would laugh instead of banging my head against the desk when aggravated.

We took the train to San Diego together for the last California Democratic Party convention. His glasses were dirty, his phone needed to be charged, and a button popped off his shirt. I had glasses cleaner, a charger, and a safety pin. I said, "What would you do without me?" He said he knew he wouldn't have to bring any of that stuff, since he was traveling with me, and I am always completely over-prepared for everything. "Oh, GUS..." I said. I was always saying, "Oh, Gus..."

Gus and I had matching Threadless T-shirts. I already owned it, and then posted the link on Facebook. He bought one too. We never wore it on the same day, but he was wearing it the last time I had lunch with him, at the Gypsy Den in the LAB "anti-mall" in Costa Mesa. I think he said that he had purchased a few of them. When I walked up and saw him sitting outside on the patio, I said, "Nice shirt!" He had forgotten that I was the one that posted the link on Facebook.

The shirt is called "Damn Scientists." It said:

they lied to us
this was supposed to be the future
where it my jetpack,
where is my robotic companion,
where is my dinner in pill form
where is my hydrogen fueled automobile,
where is my nuclear-powered levitating house,
where is my cure for this disease.

February 23, 2013

Erin

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Photos from Mitchell Ayer

Gus' brother, Mitchell, e-mailed me these yesterday. : ) I did my best to color correct them and remove dust and scratches, but let me know if you'd prefer to see the originals.

Gus (in blue suit) and his brother Mitch diving in Woonsocket South Dakota

Gus riding at his Uncle Martin's farm in South Dakota

Gus and his older brother Mitch in their summer uniforms in front of their home in Cincinnati. On the way to scout camp (Camp Friedlander).

Gus in the sixties, the the front yard of home in Cincinnati. Mitch says, "He must have liked the belt--five pictures of him wearing it."

February 21, 2013

Erin

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Photos from Lou Delgado, Part 1

Lou Delgado of Spotlight Photography, a regular at Orange County's Democratic events, shared several photos. More to come later.

The photos below were taken at a Democratic Foundation of Orange County special fundraiser for their targeted Voter Slate Mailer in 2010. It took place at a Santa Ana restaurant. The honored guest was Assembly Speaker John Perez. The rest of the photos from the fundraiser can be viewed at Lou Delgado's Picasa page: DFOC - Dinner Honoring Asm. Speaker John Pérez

Gus with Assembly Speaker John Perez (left)

Gus cracking up at something funny!

February 21, 2013

Erin

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hiking, Photos

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Connie Boardman and Gus

Hiking Machu Picchu - Connie, Verna (Gus' wife), and Gus (left to right)

Gus at the Grand Canyon

From Gus' good friend and hiking buddy, Connie Boardman:

Folks have sent in a ton of photos of Gus inside, so here's some of him outside. Gus and I walked and hiked over 500 miles together. Gus, Verna and I hiked to Machu Picchu this summer and a lot of the other hiking was in preparation for the big trip to Peru. Our slogan when we were sweaty, hot, and tired was -"We are doing this so we don't die in Peru." Gus climbed over a 15,200 foot mountain pass in the Andes, and made it to Machu Picchu, something he wanted to do since he was a kid. He and Verna came up with the idea and I got invited to join them so spent a year hiking to get ready for it. The three of us hiked in the San Gabriels, hiked to the top of Mt. Baldy, (although Verna made it up there much faster than we did : ) ) hiked in the Eastern Sierras up to about 11,000 feet, and walked all over the Laguna Coast Wilderness and Crystal Cove Trails. Yep last year was a year of walking and hiking.

I am the Mayor of Huntington Beach and also teach at Cerritos College full time, and am the Biology Dept. Chair there as well. People ask me how I stay sane, and I usually reply "hiking". However, it's not just the hiking, it was hiking with Gus. Damn he was smart, and insightful, and funny. It was also so easy to get him to laugh, he made me feel like I was a funny person.

So, in memory of all the great hikes I took with him, and he and Verna, here's some pictures of Gus outside.

Gus at Phantom Ranch

Gus hiking the Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon

February 21, 2013

Erin

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New Leaders Council 2012

Gus using Angelica's pink laptop. February 2012.

Gus with the New Leaders Council - Orange County 2012 fellows. Photo taken in February 2012.

Gus with the New Leaders Council - Orange County 2012 fellows. From left to right: Marisa Commerford, Nadia H., Ryan McInerney, Kimberly Olson, Annan Aboul-Nasr, Craig Preston, Brian Moore, Joseph Williams, Joaquin Nava, Eric Dominguez, and Tina A. Not pictured: Fatima Dadabhoy

Gus gave a presentation on direct mail at New Leaders Council's Orange County chapter in February of 2012, at the invitation of chapter Co-Director Angelica Ramos. The meeting was held at the CAIR offices in Anaheim. Angelica and Gus had worked together on Melissa Fox's 2010 Assembly race.

I asked Gus about the NLC meeting.

Erin: How did it go today?
Gus: I showed up, did my thing. Nice group. Froyo around corner.
Erin: Your recap is so detailed and vivid that I feel like I was there
Gus: I had cappucinio yogurt with white and chocolate chips. It was 3.08 and he gave me nine dimes as part of my change. It was a tutti frutti froyo place.

From Gus' Powerpoint:

What are your targets?
Who will vote?
Demograpics? Party?
When will they vote?
(In local elections, up to 2/3 of your vote can be Vote By Mail ballots)
Can you target different segments with different messages?
Is targeting cost effective based on scale of printing and postage rates?

New Leaders Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is focused on building progressive power through emerging young professional leaders across all sectors. "We do this through skills-based training, mentorship, networking, and professional and political advancement opportunities."

February 20, 2013

Erin

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Gus’ e-mails to Heather

Heather Pritchard shared some e-mails she received from Gus in 2009. This first is one in a chain of e-mails about Heather, Gus, and Joe Shaw having a potluck. Heather said, "I remember this meal with Gus and Joe, it was awesome and Charlotte loved Gus' beef stew. We laughed a lot and just loved hanging out. I regret not spending so much more time with Gus and not keeping up on the OC Progressive."

Tomorrow is Darwin's 200th Birthday, and I think we should be celebrating it as our major focus.

Great stories in the NYTimes this week, and I have some comments from the special exhibit at the War Museum in Auckland ( yes, joe, more elitism. Travel and museums)

Heather, I'll have seeds for you soon, and little plants too. I already have my heirloom tomato seeds and I ordered a selection of fifty heirloom vegetable seeds as a package deal which should be arriving soon.

You should be harvesting lettuces and peas now as your winter crops, doing a second planting for late spring, and getting your soil prepped for your summer garden.

Absolutely, food is a huge part of the progressive sustainable agenda, which is one reason I linked to La Vida Locavore. Michael Pollen is my new guru.

When Debbie was on Council in HB, she set up rules that allowed people to have chickens, with setback requirements et cetera. It's only the roosters that are annoying.

Gus

She also sent in one of Gus' responses to a story about her daughter, Charlotte. She said, "I once found Charlotte sleeping in bed with a tennis racket and a flaslight, she was afraid and wanted to be prepared for anything." Gus's reply:

Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:45:10 -0700
Subject: Re: Pootie Tea Party
From: Gus
To: Heather

Although I really appreciate my adult sons, the stories of Charlotte with a flashlight and tennis racket make me miss my little guys.

There were really some magical years with each one of my little guys where we went to Disneyland every six weeks and it made all of the crap that I went through to make a living worthwhile.

G

February 20, 2013

Erin

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Memories of Gus, by Shelly Haggerty

Gus at the Democratic Club of West Orange County's holiday dinner in December 2012 at Claim Jumper in Fountain Valley. Photo by Shelly Haggerty.

Gus at DCWOC's holiday dinner in December 2012 at Claim Jumper in Fountain Valley. Photo by Shelly Haggerty.

Gus spoke about the election results at the Democratic Club of West Orange County's meeting in November 2012.

Gus spoke about the election results at DCWOC's meeting in November 2012.

I met Gus at the Democratic Club of West Orange County (DCWOC). I liked him immediately, which I’m sure is the case with all of his friends. Before I Googled his name, I had no idea he’d been Mayor of Fountain Valley, that he was a consultant on countless campaigns, or that he was instrumental in protecting the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. He was just a regular guy, but one who was so funny and so dynamic, that he always had a small crowd gathered around him. Gus was like everybody’s favorite uncle.

I had to drop by his house quite often, and while I was there he would show me whatever he was currently working on. Though I’ve worked in political communications, I don’t have much experience in creating mailers so he was teaching me how to convey the message clearly. I learned why he chose certain photos, and why one line might be in bold and another would not. He started asking me for feedback and I was proud that he valued my opinion…though I didn’t really have much to offer that he hadn’t already thought of! I have a copy of the mockup for the No Deal with Poseidon campaign mailer. I wish I’d studied it sooner so Gus and I could have further discussed it. He never did get tired of sharing his knowledge.

Most people as sharp as Gus make sure everybody knows they’re the smartest person in the room, but Gus didn’t act that way; he made people feel like they were a valued part of the cause and had something to contribute. He was excited when I joined our Democratic club because another young person was joining the ranks. When he found out I wasn’t so young, he made jokes that the Young Democrats were starting to check ID and would kick me out if I crashed their meetings.

Gus enjoyed swapping stories and one of my proudest moments was when I got him to double over with laughter with my story of a presidential candidate, the Secret Service, and a priest. How we’ll all miss that legendary laugh of his. I will also miss his tutelage and his generosity with his time. Oh Gus, I hope wherever you are that you’re still laughing, and Ayer family, I thank you for sharing him with the community and letting him enrich all of our lives. Now I’m going to go study that angry little water drop that’s holding fistfuls of cash and learn what a bad deal this Poseidon proposal would be for our county---I can’t think of a more fitting way to honor Gus.

Gus at the DCWOC meeting. Photo by Shelly Haggerty.

Gus speaking to DCWOC members. Photo by Shelly Haggerty.

February 19, 2013

Erin

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Advice to the recently elected

Heather Pritchard sent this in. It is an e-mail (below) that Gus wrote to her husband, Gary Pritchard, shortly after Gary was elected to the school board.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Gus Ayer
Date: December 8, 2010 7:25:33 AM PST
To: Gary Pritchard
Subject: Congratulations and advice

Now you find out what the hell you have gotten yourself into.

The most important thing you can do right now is to immerse yourself in the details and ally yourself with the staff by reading their reports, doing independent research, and ask questions.

One of the Fountain Valley staff people confided in me one time that they thought I was the first Council member who had ever a critically read their reports rather than just the executive summaries, and it really changed the way they did things knowing that someone would actually read things.

There's also a culture of thrift that you can help instill through your personal behavior. Don't let them buy you new stuff. Take pride in recycling used stuff.

Finally, warn your superintendent about the questions you are going to ask in open meetings so they don't have a deer in the headlights moment, and they will be prepared to respond.

Gus