Friday, December 23, 2011

VOSD: Manchester Eyeing North County Times

"Everyone is looking at it," Manchester said. "It could add to our collection and it could be beneficial. We're probably the logical buyers, but we haven't met with anyone on it."

Read the article here.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

VOSD: Who Has the Power at City Hall?

David Alvarez, who was elected in November 2010, has been the only City Council member to vote consistently against the tourist lobby on both issues. Those votes are two in a series that has put Alvarez, a Democrat who represents San Diego's southernmost communities, in opposition to traditional big-time city interests. He's also stood against downtown redevelopment.

When he's explained his decisions from the dais, Alvarez has referenced his time growing up in poverty in the city's Barrio Logan neighborhood. Too long, he's said, the city has directed its energy toward areas that benefit the privileged at the expense of its neediest residents.

Read the article here.

HUffington Post: Customs And Border Commissioner Alan Bersin Resigns

Time's up for the head of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who announced Thursday he is stepping down at the end of the year when his recess appointment expires.

Read the article here.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Two Cathedrals: Roger Hedgecock peddling DeMaio hypocrisy

Original post here.

From his very own “Roger@CarlDemaio.com” email address today, disgraced former mayor Roger Hedgecock of all people sounded the alarm to Carl DeMaio supporters that “a leading architect of backroom deals for special interests” is planning to — can you believe it — discuss Carl DeMaio in public at some point!

The hyperbole would be a little more convincing if it weren’t so hypocritical. Carl DeMaio personally made millions off of government contractors seeking bigger profits and non-competitive government contracts of his own. And thanks to spending his professional life as a walking, talking special interest, he was able to personally drop more than $273,000 in seed money for his campaign over the summer. A quick spin through the same disclosure records finds more than $50,000 from more than 180 developers, government contractors, and lobbyists — some of whom have had business before the council that DeMaio voted on.

We could call the lobbyist part hypocritical also, since DeMaio was instructed by the City Attorney that he should register as a lobbyist because of his high volume of contact with the city council (before his election). But he refused to register, thus refusing disclosure.

And if you really wanted to read the whole disclosure report — or even just the first page (a challenge for DeMaio previously), you might notice that he just appointed his campaign treasurer to his new Task Force to begin pre-emptively implementing his pension reforms before the ballot measure is approved or DeMaio is elected mayor. No backroom deals though!

Hedgecock also frets about supposed plans “to skirt campaign finance laws.” That is, not break the rules but find beneficial loopholes. This strategy might sound familiar from how Carl DeMaio has run his entire campaign. He combined the mailing lists of his pension reform initiative and personal campaign. He used taxpayer dollars to fund the reports that now make up his campaign platform. He used taxpayer dollars again to hold a series of jobs forums, the results of which have so far only been announced at a private, pay-for-entrance campaign event.

And, of course, he’s told people at official government events not to email him with government business at his government email address (subject to public review), but rather his personal email address because, as he explained “No one sees it except me.” That email address is hosted by his campaign website, if you were wondering.

So in short, Hedgecock’s entire email amounts to petulant whining that the tactics that DeMaio has used for his nearly twenty years of professional politics might also be used by someone else. Hedgecock knows how absurd it is, and so does DeMaio. But they sure are hoping that nobody else notices.

by Lucas O’Connor (with clients including Too Extreme for San Diego)


SD News Source: New U-T owner has history of support for Carl DeMaio

What a shock.

Doug Manchester, the new owner of The San Diego Union-Tribune, is well-known for his wide range of political donations. But among the four candidates for San Diego mayor, he seems to have a favorite: City Councilman Carl DeMaio.

Manchester and John Lynch, the new chief executive officer of the Union-Tribune, donated almost half of the total funding for San Diego Citizens for Accountable Government, a public policy action committee DeMaio launched at the start of his San Diego political career. By the end of 2005, the committee had raised $328,500, including $110,000 of DeMaio's own money, $100,000 from Manchester and $38,400 in free airtime for commercials from Lynch's Mighty 1090 radio station, according to campaign disclosures.


Read the article here.

SD CityBeat: The Lincoln Club's unfunny Occupy Christmas spoof

A few weeks ago, CityBeat was passing through the Civic Center Plaza, checking out the dwindling Occupy San Diego crowd, when we spied Matt Donnellan, an aide to City Councilmember Lorie Zapf, coordinating some sort of stunt to ridicule the protesters. Donnellan (or “Fabio,” as the Occupiers call him) was directing a group of Republican college students dressed in elf costumes to march and wave anti-labor signs at a video camera.

Those clips ended up as part of a video skit at an “Occupy Christmas” banquet benefitting the Lincoln Club of San Diego County, a conservative, pro-business political organization.

Read the article here.

SF Gate: CA Dem chair John Burton lambastes story alleging party redistricting manipulation as “complete bull…t”

Chairman Burton calls it like it is.

“As the chair of the party, I know the party didn’t do this…the Democratic Party didn’t do sh..t,” he said. “As far as I was concerned, there was nothing you could goddamned do.”

Read the article here.

Labor Council and United Way’s Labor Participation Host Annual Holiday Food and Toy Drive for San Diego’s Unemployed and Underemployed




***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***
 

Labor Council and United Way’s Labor Participation Host Annual Holiday Food and Toy Drive for San Diego’s Unemployed and Underemployed



WHAT:          
Labor Council and United Way’s Labor Participation 2012 Holiday Food and Toy Distribution. The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council and the United Way’s Department of Labor Participation will serve food and toys to 500 families from Greater San Diego.

EVENT:         
Union members coming together to help San Diego families that have been affected by unemployment and underemployment this year by handing out turkeys, food bags, toys and bikes – all of which were donated by workers and their unions – to needy families.

WHO:             
500 San Diego families in need, including children of all ages; Union Volunteers; United Way Staff. All will be available to speak with media.

WHEN:         
Friday, December 23, 2011                       
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:        
Qualcomm Stadium, Parking Lot, San Diego, CA 92108

HIGHLIGHTS:         
· San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer/CEO Lorena Gonzalez will be available for interviews
· Opportunities for local, neighborhood news and personal interest profiles, including live-shots for morning newscasts
· Sharing positive, uplifting stories of families from San Diego who will now be able to provide a happy holiday season for their children
 
CONTACT:   
Patrick Pierce
619-807-0850 Cell
ppierce@unionyes.org



San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council
3737 Camino del Rio South, #403, San Diego, CA 92108
619-228-8101 Office
www.unionyes.org
# # #





SDUT: Latinos sue Escondido over elections

The lawsuit challenges the city’s at-large election system saying it violates the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 and the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 by discriminating against its majority Latino population. 

Read the article here.

VOSD: Mayor, City Attorney Respond to Bankruptcy Case

Both Mayor Jerry Sanders' office and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith responded to my post this morning on the revelation that retired police and firefighters from a small city in Rhode Island have agreed to reduce their pensions in bankruptcy. That's important because Sanders and Goldsmith have argued that pensions couldn't be reduced through Chapter 9 to combat the idea that San Diego should explore bankruptcy,

Read the article here.

Monday, December 19, 2011

OB Rag: Sit-In at San Diego Democratic Party HQ Being Planned for Monday, Dec. 19, to Protest Defense Bill

Upset over plans by President Obama to sign the National Defense Authorization Act, various members of local progressive groups had an emergency meeting Sunday morning and formed San Diegans to Save the Bill of Rights.  The group is holding a sit-in at the Democratic Party headquarters on Monday, December 19th.

Read the press release here.

VOSD: For Fletcher, Military and Political Identities Rooted in the Personal

More "news."

Read the article here.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

SDUT: SD council balance hangs on one election

Businessman Ray Ellis has stepped down as board chairman of San Diego’s pension system, setting the stage for a City Council run against incumbent Sherri Lightner.


The race won’t get nearly the same publicity as the campaign for San Diego mayor, but the outcome in the city’s toniest district could decide which political party holds the majority on a new nine-member City Council.

Reade the article here.

SDUT: County move to cut red tape threatens planning groups

Four decades ago the county created community planning groups to increase citizen input in land-use decisions. Now, some say the locally elected and appointed officials are gumming up the works and want to eliminate or severely curtail their influence.

Read the article here.