Friday - Quick Hits

Republican corporate welfare at work. Westfield seeks to expand its North County Fair shopping center and wants to extend the lease by 55 years and the city of Escondido isn't considering raising the rent? UT

State tentatively approves $100 million for Santee women's jail. UT

State seeks to delay Federal judge order regarding Rincon Indians. UT

Lindbergh Field authorities and state Attorney General office announce agreement to curb greenhouse emissions. UT

What a surprise, Supervisor Bill Horn's credibility at question again! NCTimes

Thursday - Quick Hits

Budget issues are taking top priority in Chula Vista city council races. UT

Eight arraigned from SDSU drug raid yesterday. UT

In District-3 race crime appears to be top issue for voters. UT

Downtown redevelopment proposal moves to Oceanside city council for approval. UT

Looming environmental disaster as Feds move forward with building border fence through Smuggler's Gulch. UT

Escondido city council sharply divided over pending budget cuts. NCTimes

Wednesday - Quick Hits

Higher education, 96 SDSU students arrested in drug raid. UT NCTimes

Board of Supervisors votes unanimously to lease 3 firefighting planes. UT

One of Aguirre's top lieutenants is leaving office for another job that pays $25K less. UT

City of Oceanside begins looking at $120 million city budget. UT

For the department of the ridiculous, Riverside DA files 47-page appeal to a $5.00 fine! UT

Boling's Hands in All the Cookie Jars

I paid a visit to the Registar's office this morning to take a look into the sources of Jan Goldsmith's fundraising. Before I got more than a couple pages in, April Boling's name caught my eye as "Mr. Ferret's" treasurer. Today, Voice casually mentioned that Boling supports Goldsmith's campaign. We'll I'd hope so since she is on his payroll.

Intrigued by her ability to be the treasurer for her own campaign as well as another race at the same time, I decided to look into all the campaigns Boling has treasured.

The list is pretty impressive, and serves as a who's who of Downtown insiders. Just since 2004, Boling has worked for:

1. Kevin Faulconer for City Council
2. Brian Maienschein for City Council
4. San Diego County Republican Party Central Committee
5. Shirley Horton for Assembly
6. John McCann for Assembly
7. Garrick for Assembly
8. Friends of Paul Hegyi
9. Associated Builders and Contractors PAC
10. Associated General Contractors PAC
11. Anesthesia Service Medical Group PAC
12. Building Industry Association
13. Gen-Probe International
14. Hispanic 100
15. New Car Dealers Association
16. BIOCOM
17. San Diego County Taxpayers Association PAC
18. San Diego Lodging Industry Association PAC
19. San Diego Restaurant and Beverage Association PAC
20. Richman for Treasurer
21. Rancho Santa Fe Taxpayers for Fiscal Responsibility – No on H
22. Lincoln Club of San Diego County
23. Rogan for Congress
24. Jan Goldsmith for City Attorney
25. David Bejarano for Assembly
26. TaxpayerAdvocate.org
27. 21st Century PAC
28. Zettel for Senate
29. Stirling for Senate
30. Tricia Hunter for Assembly
31. California Republican League of One Hundred
32. Taxpayers for Shirley Horton
33. Barnett for School Board
34. Brannigan for Judge
35. Abbott for Assembly
36. Clyde Fuller for School Board
37. San Diegans for Congestion Relief – Yes on A
38. Reff for School Board
39. Independent Grocers and Convenience Stores PAC
40. Friends of Bob Watkins
41. Women for Arnold – sponsored by the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition
42. April Boling for City Council
43. Friends of Dick Murphy
44. Phil Thalheimer for City Council
45. Leslie Devaney for City Attorney

Tuesday - Quicks Hits

Mayor Sanders trying desperately to cover his rear in Blackwater fiasco. UT


Steve Francis nets Sierra Club and union endorsement. UT


Humanitarian group claims Enrique Morales is wrongly taking credit for their work. UT


Supervisor Bill Horn and environmentalists seek Federal help in purchasing Rancho Guejito. NCTimes

Federal agency rolls over and says proposed toll road won't cause any wildlife extinctions. NCTimes

Campaigns that will proceed in spite of themselves

All three of the following campaigns have one thing in common, IMHO, which is a floor of support. As any political science professor and advertising staffer will tell you, name ID is key in a campaign and these three have it. It may be because of name ID that they actually make it past June:


Marti Emerald
Anyone with a TV set in San Diego knows who she is. The local Dem Party is turning people out. Labor is turning people out. As for her campaign, it seems to be turning people off.

If the volunteer coordinator can’t get volunteers and the campaign manager never emerges to promote her candidate, what is the point of having them there?

In another question, what does it take to turn a 20 year TV personality into Juan Vargas-lite? Apparently Juan’s consultant. Remer dropped two mail pieces that were ostensibly pro-Marti. I say that because they seemed to be wastes of resources rather than an effective use of them.

First off, the pieces are swathed in yellow. For a campaign that has chosen the color green as an identifier, you make the call as to what’s wrong. Next, there is a list of supporters which would be fine if people didn’t know who she was and needed names to legitimize her candidacy. Also wasting space are the photos that show Marti in people’s homes and not troubleshooting. I admit it took me a good minute to figure out what the message was here. I think I got it; that she’s not an interior designer but running for something.

The second piece, with screen shots, could have been done better. Again washed in yellow, it reads like a newscaster just moved in and is introducing themself to you. Not “I’m a problem solver here to help.” At least to didn’t have Marti on a bulldozer mowing down a crack house every election cycle like Juan Vargas.

Thankfully, Marti may pull this out in spite of her own “campaign”, if it can be called that.


Hartley
Were this LA, Hartley would be roadkill. His tale would still be making the late night talk show circuit and the “apology” mailer (Remer again) would have been lampooned for weeks. However, because the news media in San Diego would rather cover panda births instead of campaigns Harley will survive to run again.

The Whitburn-Gloria match-up is being seen as an intramural fight within the LGBT community which (surprise) isn’t a majority of the voters in the 3rd. Hartley has walked the district, on and off, for nearly 20 years and been on the ballot more times than Stephen or Todd combined.

As such, Hartley makes the run-off. And, as a final bit of advice to the Hartley campaign, stop it with the phallic imagery, such as open hands on the mail piece or “being caught in a pickle.“


Aguirre
All Mike has to do is lay low and the campaign will take care of itself. Mike’s appeal lies in the “they’re all a bunch a bums” mentality that Republicans have fostered since Reagan and that “government can’t be trusted” mentality that keeps getting Donna elected. There is a sliver of truth in each perspective, but in San Diego, they go unchallenged so they prevail.

Hell, all he has to do is put a few signs up and let his challengers do eachother in. No one wants to give to the challengers for fear of being targeted by Mike, yet no one wants to give to Mike lest they be targeted by his opponents. Such a vicious circle only benefits the status quo, which has Mike as top dog.

Therefore, all his campaign staff needs is a pulse to collect their check. Mike and the nature of San Diego politics have seen to the rest. He makes the run-off hands down

Labor Council Announces Open Endorsement in Mayor’s Race

The San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council announced an open endorsement in the race for San Diego Mayor, allowing individual unions to proceed with an endorsement should they choose to support a candidate.

“While no candidate garnered enough support to win the endorsement of the 120,000 working families that this Labor Council represents, it was clear that individual unions will want their voices heard in this very important election,” said Lorena Gonzalez, secretary-treasurer of the Labor Council. “We will use this opportunity to educate all of our members about the candidates, their positions and their individual union endorsements.”

Other endorsements for the June primary can be viewed here.

Monday - Quick Hits

Pipe bomb damages Federal Courthouse early Sunday morning. UT

Southbay toll road is meeting its expectations since opening. UT

County Board of Supervisors set to debate the leasing of three firefighting aircraft tomorrow. Debate more lead to broader firefighting policy? UT

City of Carlsbad to consider a smoking ban at all city parks and beaches. NCTimes

Whatever, Donna

In today’s Voice of San Diego, SLOP has a bit about Donna Frye getting bent out of shape because she was on a mailer sent out by local labor. She claims that it gives the impression that she is supporting Perters for City Attorney:


"It gives the false impression that I am endorsing Scott Peters for city attorney and that's absolutely false and extremely offensive," Frye said. "I'm getting phone calls from people asking about it and I don't appreciate it."

Frye said she doesn't plan to endorse any candidate in the city attorney or mayor's race.


Fine. What isn’t cool is Donna, once again, making this all about her. We received the mailer and it looked like a “thank you to our supporters on the City Council.” Scott is the presiding officer so it makes sense that he would get top billing.

Frye and Peters haven’t been the best of friends, but at least Scott knows how to work with people. With Donna, it’s either her way or no way. There isn’t room for compromise and when there is, she wants it to be in her court. An example would be the “compromise” she proposed to work out with Mayor Sanders after she gutted the big box ordinance last year. Only Donna knew about such an alternative and it has gone nowhere.

Why? Because, were I Jerry, I would have responded with “You and what army is going to move me on this? You just screwed your allies, so why should I trust you?”

Not that it matters to Donna or her followers. Frye decries the “system” yet she’s a part of it. She brings up valid points but then does little to resolve them because you need to work with your other councilmembers to legislate and she has a poor record of this.

She's offended by a thank you piece because it might send the wrong message. If she doesn't want to endorse in this race, she should say so. But I don't see her taking that step. It may offend the Mike supporters and Donna needs to remain "the outsider fighting the establishment."

I contact downtown told me that they’d never seen anyone go from selfless to selfish as fast as Frye had after her initial election. After six years, it’s sad to see that this self appointed voice of the people cannot see past her own ego to make real change happen.

Friday - Quick Hits

Class act they are running over there at city hall. City finally releases e-mail from mayor's office containing swears in it. UT

Airport Board approves master plan from Lindbergh Field that includes the building of a 5-story parking garage. UT

Mayoral candidate in Oceanside has an inaccurate list of supporters on his website. UT

Panel endorse county plan to lease three firefighting plans. NCTimes

Filner Calls for City Investigation of Blackwater Contract

From a Press Release dated yesterday


Congressman Bob Filner today requested City of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders to investigate the permit that Blackwater received as a “vocational trade school.” Filner also asked for Mayor Sanders’ support in preventing Blackwater’s presence in San Diego. Attached is a copy of the letter, which was also sent to all eight San Diego City Council Members and the City Attorney.

Filner wrote, “The secrecy under which Blackwater contracted its facility in Otay Mesa causes great suspicion and distrust among community members in my District. The lack of transparency in their plans forces me to question their intent to develop a ‘vocational trade school.’ Blackwater is a company that profits from war, and they will not hesitate to profit from insecurity in our sensitive border region. Developing a paramilitary training facility, less than one mile from our international border, would send a dangerous message to Mexico and would hurt business and diplomatic relations. A positive relationship with Mexico has never been more critical to our National Security, and we must not take any action that would jeopardize that bond.”

“As you know, Blackwater has been under investigation for the shooting of 17 innocent Iraqi civilians on September 16, 2007. Since this event, Blackwater has been investigated by Congress, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of State. More specifically, Congress filed an investigation of tax, small business and labor law violations,” added Filner. “As a private company hired by the federal government, Blackwater lacks accountability to government agencies. Once in operation, there would be very little or no oversight governing Blackwater’s operations in our border region.”

Congressman Filner concluded, “Blackwater does not exhibit any of the signs of a good neighbor or a productive business partner. We cannot allow a company with their reputation to do business in our community – the cost is too high.”

Blackwater recently announced that they plan to open an indoor training center in Otay Mesa to train Navy personnel. Blackwater will operate a 61,600-square-foot building, including an enclosed shooting range, in a business park on Siempre Viva Road, just south of Brown Field. The building has been permitted for use as a vocational trade school.

Tell Jerry Sanders: Block Blackwater

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign and cross posted at Calitics

Mayor Jerry Sanders got what he asked for when he was elected in 2005. Not just the office, but unprecedented "strong mayor" control over the city's operation. He's had two and a half years, and as he runs for reelection, we have to ask whether he's lived up to the responsibility.

At a recent debate, Mayor Sanders let his frustration get the best of him over the substance, or perceived lack thereof, in the current campaign. Well if he wants to talk about issues, Blackwater is a good one. Steve Francis, a leading contender for mayor, has accused Jerry Sanders of "presiding over the largest pay-to-play system the city has ever seen." If Mayor Sanders wants to get substantive and prove that the good of the community is is his top priority, it's time he get involved in the absurd permit process that has- thus far- allowed Blackwater to waltz into the city and start unpacking within spitting distance of the border.

Earlier today, Courage Campaign partnered with Jess Durfee, the Chair of the San Diego Democratic Party, to introduce a petition calling on Mayor Sanders to launch a full investigation into the questionable process that's brought Blackwater to the City of San Diego. He asked for this responsibility- he still wants this responsibilty. It's time to deliver.

You can read the email that Jess Durfee sent to Courage Campaign's San Diego members today at the Courage Campaign blog cross post

Senator Max Cleland: "Reporting for Duty"

Please Join U.S. Senator Max Cleland and Navy SEAL Commander (Ret.) Mike Lumpkin for a very special veterans' benefit:

Operation True Blue: Veteran for Veterans

Friday, May 2, 2008

8:00 am - 10:00 am

American Legion Post #282

8118 University Ave., La Mesa, CA 91941

Questions contact Chris Young at 760-525-5071 or chris@lumpkinforcongress.com

Thursday - Quick Hits

Yeah right! State agency finds no wrong doing in lottery at Liberty Station. UT

Rincon tribe scores big win against governor regarding gaming deal. UT

City council votes to make Redevelopment Division into its own agency. UT

No f-bombs this time, as Mayor Sanders and Steve Francis shake hands following candidate forum. UT

Must be a Republican appointed judge, as he rules in favor of Manchester regarding the Navy Broadway complex. UT

City of Oceanside to decide this month on an operator for its municipal airport. UT

Mayoral race in Oceanside starting to take shape. NCTimes