Saturday, February 20, 2010

One Year Later California Democrats Praise Recovery Act

Bill Has Funded Thousands of Jobs in California and Saved Economy From Total Collapse


Sacramento — One year ago this week, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Since then it has funded up to two million jobs nationwide, including 70,745 jobs in California, and saved the nation’s economy from total collapse. As a result of the Recovery Act, California has received $21.5 billion in additional federal funding, with more than $7.7 billion received thus far.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Obama a year ago this week, has brought tens of thousands of jobs to California and helped to save our economy from total collapse,” said Timothy Paulson chair of the labor caucus for the California Democratic Party.

“California’s working families have seen a tax break because of this bill, and small businesses have received loans to help them build their businesses and create more jobs. President Obama and our Democratic leaders in Congress are working around the clock to get our economy back on track. There is still much work to be done to create more jobs here in California but it’s clear that the Recovery Act is doing its job.”

Friday, February 19, 2010

Democrats Endorse Term Limits Initiative

Reform Would Curb Political Free Rein on the Board of Supervisors

SAN DIEGO –- Joining a growing coalition of San Diegans who demand more accountability from their County government, the Democratic Party has endorsed a ballot initiative to impose term limits on members of the Board of Supervisors. Voters will decide the issue in the June 8 election this year.

More than 70% of the County Democratic Central Committee voted Tuesday to support the endorsement, which would restrict Supervisors to two four-year terms in office. Although Democrats now outnumber Republicans in San Diego County, such is the power of unlimited incumbency on the Board that it has consisted of the same group of five Republicans for the past 15 years.

Proponents of term limits argued that as a result, the Supervisors are disconnected from their constituents and have been derelict in their responsibilities to provide adequate health and social services, fire protection, environmental oversight, and transparency in government.

“This Board of Supervisors simply does not represent the interests of San Diegans,” said Jess Durfee, Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party. “They have set up their own fiefdoms for life through slush funds, redrawing their own districts, large staffs, and keeping voters in the dark.

“Passage of term limits will lead to more competitive elections and a more responsive Board to tackle the County’s longstanding problems –- like a weakened social safety net, an outdated general plan, and an inadequate regional fire protection system,” added Durfee.

A list of all the County Democratic Party’s endorsements to date is available at www.sddemocrats.org/endorsements.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Does something smell rotten: Dumanis doesn't want to get into endorsement

Did you read the voiceofsandiego.org article about District Attorney Dumanis had urged her deputies to remain neutral in the 2010 Sheriff race since her office deals with the Sheriff's Department regularly. Yet she endorsed appointed Sheriff Gore. Well, I started looking at their articles about Dumanis and found the article - She's Got Power and She's Willing to Use It where Dumanis admits she told her employees to stay out of the Sheriff race due to their working relationship with the Sheriff's office and she endorsed in it. What was really disturbing was the exchange the reporter had with the President of the San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association. When president was asked whether Dumanis had asked the association to stay neutral he said no, then when confronted that Dumanis told the reporter yes, he then suddenly remembered it.

Exchange from voiceofsandiego.org article: The president of the San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association at first said Dumanis has made no attempt to influence the association on the sheriff's race.

"She hasn't said a peep to us about the sheriff's race," said David Hendren, the association's president.

When a reporter told him later that Dumanis acknowledged asking the association to remain neutral, he said he'd forgotten about her comments. "Now that you say that, I do think she made a comment to that effect on a meeting on something else. That was my mistake then."

Question: I don't think this guy is so forgetful about these things. Shouldn't there be an outside investigation into whether Dumanis used her position in her office over her staff for political purposes?

San Diego County Democratic Party Votes to Endorse County Term Limits

This evening it is reported that the San Diego County Democratic Party voted to support placing term limits on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. It should send a shock wave about the determination the San Diego County Democratic Party has on challenging the status quo. You remember there are now more Democratic registered voters in the county, then Republicans.

Everyone at the meeting could agree one important thing, the Board of Supervisors are completely out of touch with the people they should be helping and do not represent the majority of the people of San Diego County.

Members talked about the supervisors $10 million a year slush fund (hmm, where did the previous community project fund lists go on the county website?) to reward their contributors, the large campaign war chests, the failed North County mental health outsourcing, need for campaign finance reforms, real redistricting reforms removing the Supervisors from directing the drawing of their personal fiefdoms and most importantly educating the voters about the real responsibility of the County Board of Supervisors - fire, social safety net and the topic missed, but still needed, was the badly needed revision of the outdated general plan for land use.

This evening the endorsement is already making the rounds on Facebook pages and status updates in the era of social networking. Interesting was the question about the Republican Party endorsing the term limits .

QUESTION:Does anyone know a term limit measure the San Diego County Republican Party or even the California Republican Party didn't support and were not asking about measures that would alter existing term limit lengths?