Hale Media CEO and publisher of San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, Johnathan Hale, has been volunteering his time in Orange County to help his husband Carl DeMaio (R) in a grassroots effort to recall CA Sen. Josh Newman (D) and ultimately the car and gas tax.

But, in what should be a calm and peaceful approach to signature gathering has become a battle ground started by the Democratic Party which has since escalated into name-calling and a foot chase through a Walmart parking lot.

It all began with a smear campaign of which the California Democrats created flyers and posters using DeMaio’s face and captioning it with reference to a bogus accusation that was thrown out of court two years ago; deemed hurtful to DeMaio’s career by a federal judge.

But California Democrats appear to have donned a sinister strategy against the recall efforts which include rogue petitioners who accost interested voters for the recall, and handing the flyers out even though they know what’s written on them is misleading.

“I spent fifteen years as a member of the Democratic Party,” says Hale. “And it was this type of campaigning that made me decide to become an independent.”

Also this past week, Democrats pushed for a bill that would improve Newman’s chances of remaining in office.

“The measure would virtually assure that any recall election would be held at the regularly scheduled June 5, 2018, legislative primary election, reports the Sacremento Bee. “Regular election turnout historically is much higher than turnout for special elections, which helps Democrats.”

In Orange County, the Democratic Party doubled, then tripled down on their tactics this past weekend as volunteers continued their quest for signatures in front of a Walmart.

In a shocking turn of events, the co-chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County Jeff LeTourneau happened to be present at a storefront signature gathering and emerged to confront DeMaio and his team.

Fox News also picked up the story this week.

“Which one of you a**holes is the gay?” LeTourneau asks as he approaches the volunteer table behind which DeMaio is standing. "You're a f*cking disgrace to any gay person I know!"

Armed with a chest cam, Hale captures the whole confrontation on video as LeTourneau goes on a tirade filled with expletives and vitriol.

“You fu**ing belong to a Party that writes our destruction into its platform,” LeTourneau yells to the group.

Hale is not a Republican, nor is he a Democrat. He is an Independent who stays in the middle when it comes to policy.

Yet it doesn’t appear that policy is being discussed in these instances, it is straight-on bullying and aggressiveness and the face-to-face challenge doesn’t end there.

Once the initial confrontation is over, Hale yells to call the police after LeTourneau follows him to his car.

"I am not opposed to either party discussing policy," said Hale. "But when it comes to this type of bullying and name calling I get concerned about the state of politics and where the democratic process is headed. I will not be bullied or verbally attacked for practicing my rights as an American citizen or a member of the LGBT community from either party.I will use my resources to expose it when it happens."

Hale also had a message for LeTourneau:

"You and the Democrats are not the arbitrators of whether or not I belong to the LGBT community; that is between me and my maker. I was born this way baby!"​

As a matter of full disclosure, Hale Media Publisher Johnathan Hale is married to Carl DeMaio.