Did I Just See That? Am I Drunk?!?!

Minutes ago, NBC 7/39 ran a story on a new designated driver program that bar owners in Pacific Beach will be starting. Right after a bar owner stated that bartenders will proactively seek DDs, and offer them free food and non-alcoholic beverages, our favorite opportunistic councilman popped up on my TV screen.

Neither the video nor the story on the station's Web site mentioned the City having a part in the program, which is a partnership with San Diego State. Despite this, District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer was right there to bask in the glow of something actually being done to stop the alcohol problems in PB.

Kevin, good to see you are attempting to take credit for this one.

By the way, it only took a brawl for him to look at the problem of alcohol on the beach, but people actually dying in PB due to drunk driving isn't enough for him to actually come up with a solution.

Bigger than Manhattan!

Via Daily Kos: The following link takes you to an interesting graph showing the total worldwide square footage for fast food restaurants and chain stores. Naturally, Wal-Mart by a wide margin has more square footage than anyone else, but what is really disturbing is that Wal-Mart's total acreage is 20% larger than Manhattan. Check out the graph to see it for yourself. And thanks to Donna Frye for her flip-flop back in July on the Big Box ordinance, San Diego may soon be adding to that square footage total for Wal-Mart.

Where's the Party?

Is it just me, or is the attack on Mike Aguirre by the Republican Party going unanswered by the Democrats? The one, two sucker-punch thrown by the UT Editorial Board and the Republican Party yesterday, alleging Aguirre violated a portion of the City Charter that has been found unconstitutional, seems to be calling out for an official response from OUR party. But, if you listen closely... you hear absolutely nothing. So, does anyone know...where's the Party?

Quick to Recommend: An Overview of the Mayor's Charter Review Committee

Somehow, in a six month period a committee put together by the Mayor has been able to go through the San Diego city charter, while not only actively listening to the public for their input, but hearing from all experts on the subject, and being completely objective without any allegiance to their clients (a couple of the committee members are lobbyists that have corporate clients, including Sunroad). It is quite an accomplishment. Well, that is at least what they want the people to believe. Instead, the process illustrates that the agenda was carved out from the get-go by the Mayor's staff before the committee even sat down for the first meeting.

The committee did not stray from the path. The Mayor's Charter Review Committee's finalized recommendations will be discussed at the October 24th meeting of the San Diego City Council Rules Committee. The draft report of their recommendations can be found here. The Mayor's committee plan is to put these initiatives on the June 2008 ballot. The issues include: the creation of three additional city council seats, making the strong-mayor form of government permanent, increasing the mayor's veto power with a two-thirds majority of 8 council members in order to override a veto, making the Mayor executive director of the Redevelopment Agency and the ability to make nominations to the Port District.

It is pretty obvious that this is just a power grab by our city's Mayor. The committee has done its part, so it will be up to the "spin doctors" to market these changes as "necessary" and "vital" for our city. I am sure that they will be warming up in the bullpen in the next month or so and given the Mayor's special fund of over $111,000 that Voice of San Diego (VOSD) exposed in this article, they will not be hurt by a salary cap. Hopefully, the public is able to figure out the real motives behind these changes, and realize that the veto issue for example, has not been such a major problem for the Mayor, let alone the residents of San Diego.

In addition, here are a couple of recent articles that give an overview of the committee's decisions and go into detail about the backroom style of this committee:

San Diego's backroom 'reform'L.A. Times Op-ed by Steve Erie and Norma Damasheka
What a Super-Size City Council Would Look Like VOSD's Evan McLaughlin
Charter Suggestions Move Forward VOSD's quick overview

Fighting Mercenaries in Our Own Backyard

Local activists jumped into carpools and showed up en masse in the rural town of Potrero this weekend. Beautiful and secluded, this wide open space is a picture of peace and tranquility. The township of Potrero, CA, has a population of 600. This sleepy little town seems an unlikely place for a peace rally, and an even more unlikely place for the residents to have to confront Bush's private army. Potrero is the site chosen by Blackwater to open up it's west coast training facility on an 824 acre ranch. [Link]

The residents of Potrero, along with several peace and social justice groups, organized a two day event to educate and illuminate. During the two day encampment event, close to 300 people participated in workshops, a night-time concert with local musicians, and an environmental walk. By Sunday, when many more of us arrived, this quiet little town was packed with media, from CNN, to all the local network affiliates.

Rep. Bob Filner was one of many speakers at the rally. He will introduce a bill in Congress, calling for all military training to be conducted on military bases only. At the conclusion of the rally, the culminating event was a march to the gate of the proposed Blackwater West facility. Blackwater mercenaries were out and about. They were trying their best to look menacing, filming us, and in general being the bad neighbor that they said they weren't going to be.

Residents of Potrero were very grateful to see the show of support from so many San Diegans. To learn more about Blackwater, see Blackwater: Shadow Army by Jeremy Scahill.


To take action, check out Courage Campaign. [Link]

Back in Town

After leaving town for a few days, I came back yesterday to see San Diego was literally crashing in on itself. I saw the national news coverage of the La Jolla landslide, but missed the internal politics. Seems that Mike Aguirre may have given the insiders (the Mayor, the UT, the downtown establishments) enough fodder to make him look like he has gone off the deep end. That, combined with the ugly UT story yesterday pointing out the cost of his pension lawsuits, marks the official start of the "Anyone But Mike" campaign. We Dems need to be careful and start looking for a real Dem candidate (read: NOT Alan Bersin), in case Mike really is in trouble or decides to run for Mayor.

Some pieces of gossip I picked up this morning:

1. New names being floated among Dem circles for Mayor of San Diego: Scott Peters and Bob Filner. Both are intriguing, but have some serious negatives. I heard both were being floated in circles at the San Diego Democratic Club Dinner this weekend. The beauty is, with Francis and Sanders duking it out, whoever the Dem candidate ends up being, s/he almost guarantees themselves a spot in the November run-off. In a Presidential year, you gotta believe a Dem has a great shot at pulling it out against whatever bloodied Republican makes in into the general. So, who is going to stand up and make it official?

2. I had a friend e-mail me about the Labor Council's Candidate training this past Saturday. I guess there were quite a few Republicans who came out for the pre-endorsement meeting. That should be interesting. Are we going to have Republicans looking for favor with the unions this go around? I guess appearing mainstream must poll well.

3. It looks like there will definitely be two viable Republicans running in San Diego City Council District 1 (Scott Peters is termed out). Lincoln Club endorsed candidate - Phil Thalheimer is facing opposition from millionaire-Republican Marshall Merrifield. This means Sherry Lightner may be able to get into the run-off just by being the Democrat in this swing district. Not an exciting candidate, Lightner lacks the polish you would want from a candidate in that district. But, I hear she has a substantial following in La Jolla and is willing to spend her own money. We will see, but it looks like another likely November showdown.

Duncan channels B-1 Bob Dornan

Via Brad Blog: During the Republican Presidential debate at Morgan State University back on September 27th, you know the debate that the top four leading Republican Presidential candidates were too busy to attend. Our very own Duncan Hunter did his best to channel B-1 Bob Dornan. In response to the following question from Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Recently a push to give the District of Columbia voting representation was defeated because of heavy Republican opposition. In addition many voting rights advocates are worried about rigid voter ID laws which require photo ID like a drivers license. Are you concerned that some eligible voters will be denied theright to vote simply because they don't have a drivers license?[Link]

Representative Hunter's response was pretty pretty standard wingnut fare:

On the issue of allowing...mandating some type of ID, you know the first twenty-one black Congressmen were Republicans who came out of the South. And they went into a series, they went into a series of poll taxes and, and all types of...all types of...deals that the Democrats, roadblocks that the Democrats put in their place to keep them from voting. So I don't, I don't agree with those types of stumbling blocks. But I would say this: We have right now a real danger of people that are illegally in the country being rounded up, herded into the polls --- we've seen that in California --- voting illegally. That disenfranchises everybody in that community. I think you have to have some IDs.[Link]

Wow, I never knew I could feel nostalgic for B-1 Bob and all of his crazy statements.

UPDATE: Here is the YouTube clip from the debate.

Ron you're no longer in the Minor Leagues

I'm sorry, I'm late on posting this, but props go out to Lucas O'Connor who is a regular contributor at Calitics blog, as well as a part time contributor here San Diego Politico. He has a great article is this week's City Beat detailing the sorry saga of Ron Nehring's reign as head of the California Republican Party. In particular his failured effort recently to try change the way California allocates its electoral votes. Go read the whole article, its a good read.

Republicans fooling themselves on the 78th

The local Republican leaders have lost their supposed hero, former Police Chief David Bejarano and scrambled to re-hype Chula Vista Councilman John McCann. This is the same person the party forced out of the race for Bejarano.

Now, the party is looking at what they can do to hold on to the district seat and there was only one way, money, money and even more money. However, they seem to be missing why Assemblywoman Shirley Horton was able to win the seat in the first place and I'm not going to tell them.

The 78 Assembly District has a total registration of 204,938 voters and the party breakdown is 84,033 Dems, 69,443 Reps and 42,955 DTS. Remember the 76 Assembly District has a total registration of 214,340 voters and the party breakdown is 84,797 Dems, 63,564 Reps and 54,012 DTS.

So, again it wasn't the party registration that won the seat for Horton and with a higher turnout for the Presidential election next November McCann will need more then money.

Help Prevent Animal Cruelty in California

On Friday night, a group of more than 100 dedicated animal protection advocates gathered in San Diego to launch a statewide initiative for the November 2008 ballot. The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act provides the most basic protection for animals in factory farms: allowing them to turn around, and to extend their limbs or wings.

The purpose of this measure is to ban three of the cruelest forms of intensive confinement in the world of animal agribusiness: veal crates (where male calves are chained in tiny crates), battery cages (each egg-laying hen has less space than a piece of paper), and gestation crates (where pregnant sows cannot even turn around). These inhumane practices cause a great deal of pain and suffering throughout the entire life of these animals. All three of these practices have already been banned in the European Union. The following video Life Behind Bars will take you behind the scenes of factory farms.



The campaign kickoff events began on Monday, Oct.1st, in Sacramento, followed by San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and finally, in San Diego on Friday evening. This initiative is sponsored by Californians for Humane Farms. This is a coalition of animal welfare organizations, food safety organizations, environmentalists, and concerned citizens.

To qualify this initiative for the 2008 ballot, we must collect 650,000 signatures in the state of California. The deadline for the signature gathering phase is February 22nd, 2008. All of the people gathering signatures are dedicated VOLUNTEERS like myself. Become a crucial member of our team and help put this precedent-setting measure on the ballot. This measure, when passed by voters, will improve the lives of millions of farm animals in California. Thank you!
Check out: http://www.humanecalifornia.org/

Heads Roll - Part II

I was glad to see in the Voice of San Diego today post the article In Mayor's Office, Politics is Take-It or Leave-It, which seems to be examining the recent firings and the not so recent department of Rear Admiral Ronnie Froman. Maybe this is why the Mayor's poll numbers are hitting the floor.

However, what I found most interesting was the short blurb on Kris Michell and Fred Sainz. It throws their names out, but didn't say anything more about them, other then their titles and they were two veterans from former Mayor Susan Golding's office.

Here we have two people from a previous failed mayoral office and now key "players" in another mayor's office. Why would they be chosen? What happen to Tom Shepard? I think it would be interesting to see a story on Kris, a former chief of staff becoming a deputy chief operating officer for community and legislative services? Or a story on whether they were in anyway connected to Mayor Golding's underfunding of the city pension or even the ill-advised funidng of the 1996 Republican Convention.

Now that would be another interesting piece.

Still more on the 78th

Today's UT reports on the Assembly Republican Caucus ham-handed attempt to clear the field for former Police Chief David Bejarano to run for the seat being vacated by Shirley Horton in the 78th AD. Unfortunately, the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men (or at least Assembly Republicans), went awry when Bejarano decided not to run for the seat.[Link] On the bright side, they side have John McCann.

Free Screening of "The Corporation"

Progressive San Diego is putting on a screening of "The Corporation" this Saturday, 7pm at the Joyce Beers Community Center in Hillcrest. The film is a must see for anyone that is concerned with the direction that our society is headed in. The film is about the rise of the dominant institution [the corporation] and the impacts that corporations make on the economy, environment and culture. "The Corporation" has won countless awards and is really part film, part movement.

The film will be followed with a discussion led by Progressive San Diego's own Bruce Reznik. Mr. Reznik is the Executive Director of San Diego Coastkeeper and is one of the main leaders of the San Diego environmental community.

What: "The Corporation"
When: Saturday, October 6th @ 7pm
Where: Joyce Beers Community Center in Hillcrest (Vermont Street, two blocks north of University Street, across from Trader Joe's)
Price: Free (though donations will be accepted in order to keep the ensure more film screenings)
RSVP: tommie.watson@progressivesd.org or 617-365-6788
Snacks and Drinks Provided

Must Be An Election - Heads Continue To Roll At City Hall

As we have read in the news, another two more members of Mayor Jerry Sanders inner circle have lost their heads. Advertisement Assistant Chief Operating Officer Rick Reynolds and Purchasing and Contracting Director Lance Wade were the latest in a series of firings down at City Hall.

First, we saw the public firing of Jim Waring two months back, then the sudden disappearance of Marcela Escobar-Eck last month. They were connected to the ill advised role the Mayor took in the Sunroad debacle. When a major campaign donor does not get his way, then heads role and since their disappearance the media has dropped the ball on any further investigation of the issue. Funny how that happens.

Now with the Mayor's contracting out project on the ropes and possible local donors to the Republican Party not getting the bid we see two folks from his inner circle loss their jobs. I guess the Mayor learned from his last mistake. Fire people and the media won't cover the issue and donors will be happy.

We should expect more firings next month, because there is bound to be some other problem in the Mayor's office uncovered or an unhappy donor for another head to roll.

The Cost of Privilege

I went to a wonderful event last week at the World Beat Center to hear Chip Smith, author of the book “The Cost of Privilege: Taking on the System of White Supremacy and Racism.”

Privilege is an important subject that should be talked about more often, whether in the community, the media or the government. However, the only way that most individuals, or the media for that matter, are able to talk about the subject is through the oppressed. There is another approach that can be taken which is often forgotten—that if there is an oppressed, there must be a privileged. In a town where the dividing lines are almost visual, such as the difference between parts of town on different sides of Interstate 8, one can make plenty of arguments why it is important to not just identify the oppressed, but to also make people aware of the privileged and the society in which they benefit from on a daily bases.

The privileged have created over 300 years of white supremacy rule. Now, I am not referring to the KKK form of supremacy, but rather the built-in institutional systems that the majority shareholders have made for themselves. The privileged white population has been living for hundreds of years with their own form of affirmative action that is much more widespread and effective than what people of color supposedly enjoy. If you take a moment to read history textbooks, you will see the biases that I am referring to.

Though this is a national problem, it is certainly an issue that is being dealt with everyday in San Diego County. The more educated we become on issues of privilege and oppression, the more we will understand the agenda and bias that come of out of the articles we read and the news stories we watch.

Another Blow to The Proposed O.C. Toll Roll

The onslaught of bad news for the proposed 241 toll road extension through San Onofre State Park continues. This afternoon the California Parks Foundation released a poll they commissioned of Orange County residents. According to the findings from the poll, a majority of O.C. residents favor toll roads, however, 66% of them don't favor the construction of the toll road extension across San Onofre State Park.[Link] This news comes just days after the release of a report from the California Coastal Commission claiming that the proposed toll road "would cause widespread violations of state environmental laws by threatening endangered species, marring natural resources and compromising recreational opportunities." [Link] It will be interesting to see what new P.R. attempts the advocates of the toll road try now.

Cross posted to Calitics

Issa: Green Party Contribs Show Blackwater

Courtesy of TPM: Rep. Darrell Issa for CA-49 does a wonderful job carry water for Blackwater at today's Government Oversight hearing.

More on the 78th

So, I would be remiss to not respond to some of the comments regarding yesterday's post on the race for the 78th AD. Truth is, I don't think Auday Arabo has a chance to become the Democratic nominee for the 78th. Personally, I have met Auday. I think he is a nice guy, affable - someone I could enjoy a beer and a ballgame with. But, he is not electable. In a Dem primary, he has no party credentials, save some out of town legislators who have benefited from his lavish donations. One might say that he has basically bought every endorsement he has received. Second, the Speakers office and Labor only care about winning this thing in the general. Hard to imagine that a guy who is on video as a voter in the Iraqi elections is going to win any critical conservative Dem or cross-over vote in the general. I think the troops will rally around one of their own: Marty Block or Arlie Ricasa. That being said, JAgatha is a loyal Dem who will be glad to support Auday IF he is the nominee. After all, Republican John McCann is the epitome of sloppy seconds, and no one likes those.

What's up with Voice of San Diego?

One of the things I like about VOSD is the Cafe San Diego, where they have different local personalities host every weekday. For the second day this week, however, Cafe San Diego has featured Loren Casuto who is a writer for Bolttalk.com on to discuss the Chargers.

Now, I'm a San Diego sports fan like everyone else, and it has been a rough two weeks or so watching both the Chargers and Padres play. But are you telling that their are not more important issues to be discussed? Just my opinion.

Don't You Just Love Mondays?

I love Mondays. I really do. My favorite part of the day is hearing the tidbits of gossip that made the rounds over the weekend. Here are some of my favorites to start the week:

1) The Republicans are trying to encourage Maxine Sherard to throw her hat in the ring for the 78th. They figure that her name recognition, as a result of the millions spent last year, would make her the front-runner for the Dem nomination. Why would they want that? She would be a much easier candidate in the general compared to a Marty Block or Arlie Ricasa. Especially now that former Police Chief David Bejerano has decided to wait it out for Sheriff instead, and all they have is their "yes man" John McCann. If the Black Caucus wants a candidate in the 78th, I doubt it will be Maxine Sherard, I would say San Diego City Councilmember Tony Young is much more likely a candidate. Although, neither have expressed much interest.

2) Republican Luis Acle, I hear, will not be running for re-election on the San Diego City Schools Board of Trustees. That will leave that position wide open for Democrat Richard Barrera.

3) Republican Shirley Horton is planning to return to Chula Vista for a City Council run against Steve Castenada. Gotta love how the Republicans eat their own. I hear she wants to set herself up for a 2012 run for Greg Cox's seat. However, Senator Denise Ducheny and Councilmember Ben Hueso have also previously expressed in interest in that seat.

4) There has been some talk about the Republican elected officials who WON'T be supporting ethically-challenged April Boling's run for District 7 City Council. Among those past and present Republican electeds who supposedly have a beef with Boling: the entire County Board of Supervisors, former Mayor Dick Murphy, former Councilwoman Judy McCarty, current Councilman Jim Madaffer, La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid, County Treasurer Dan McCallister, (need I continue). I'll be interested to see if Marti can pull endorsements from any of the above, or if they will eventually fall in line with the Downtown Establishment. Seems Boling has a hard time making and keeping friends, even among her base.

Please don't eat your young

The Democrats in Washington, D.C. are about to complete their first year as the majority of both chambers. In addition, next year's election they could take back the White House and win enough seats in the Senate to stop a Republican fillerbuster. The House could even get closer to over-riding a Presidential veto, but that is still far off.

In Sacramento, the Democrats could take the additional seats needed to have a 2/3 membership in both chambers and make the Republicans useless for good.

However, the Democrats are going to follow the lead of the Republicans and eat their young. The Republicans are about to eject Mayor Jerry Sanders, because he has finally seen the light and supports gay marriage, they are ejecting Assemblymember George Plescia, because he supports Carl Demaio for coming out of the closet (yes, he is gay), Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for supporting health care reform and Mayor Rudy Giuliani over a woman's right to choice.

The Democratic Party and activists should first focus on finding where they can agree and pass legislation, then to fight about their differences. Remember, the Republicans will have enough to fight Democrats over.

Don't eat your young and just elect more of your Democrats!

Its Just a Fish Wrap....

One commentor yesterday suggested this article regarding the District 7 race between Marti Emerld and April Boling. The suggested article, happens to be written by Johnnie Perkins, a well known lobbyist, Republican operative, and often discussed candidate for the District 7 seat. The article is also published in the Mission Times Courier, whose Editor and Publisher is Sally Ortega Madaffer the wife of District 7 councilman Jim Madaffer.

As reported in VOSD back in July of 2006, councilman Madaffer and his wife have:

[f]or nearly a decade, ... owned the Mission Times Courier, which offers blurbs about the happenings of nearby schools, planning groups, youth sports leagues and new construction projects. Rarely does a story about City Hall pass without at least a passing reference to Madaffer's efforts, if not a friendly pat on the back. The councilman can be seen smiling with police officers and girl scouts or handing checks to community leaders in the periodical's photographs.

It is also reported that the freely distributed Mission Times Courier reaches an estimated 25,000 homes and businesses throughout most of the communities that are north of I-8 within Madaffer's district. [Link]

As the campaign season moves forward, it will be interesting to see how far this community paper the Madaffer's own is prepared to slant its coverage on behalf of April Boling. In the meantime, I suggest that the paper makes for a good fish wrap for your catch after a day fishing at Lake Murray.

Mayor Aguirre?

It must have been a slow afternoon over that the VOSD yesterday. They posted a piece on the idea of Mike Aguirre running for mayor. The basis of which came from a question that a reporter had asked Aguirre on "Why doesn't he just run against Sanders in next year's mayor's race?" Aguirre said he didn't want to be mayor and responded that "I love being city attorney." [Link]

Now, I know there are many people in the press that enjoyed covering the ongoing "slap fight" between the two citywide elected officials. But I really do hope this stays as dueling press conferences between Jerry Sanders and Mike Aguirre and doesn't become dueling political campaigns.

About Time!

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not one to praise Fortune 500 companies that often. I think they are some of the biggest impediments from having more progressive legislation passed at both the Federal and State level.

This afternoon, however, I saw this story in the UT regarding AT&T's decision to ask the North Carolina Utilities Commission to "allow the company to test the Web-based phone listings in Raleigh and Charlotte." According to the proposal AT&T will still distribute the Yellow Pages, but will only distribute the White Pages on either CD-Rom or hard copy on a per request basis. [Link] Finally! In my opinion this should have been done 10-years ago!

To me the phone book seems so archaic in the age of Google. Not to mention it is quite a waste of paper. Every year, I have delivered to large phone books, that sit around and collect dust until the next year, when I throw them in a recycle dumpster because I have just received two new phone books. Now I know there are people like my mother, who will not use a computer and phone books will continue to be necessary for them. But for the vast majority of us, Web-based White Pages are the way to go. How soon until AT&T brings this program to California?

Cap on Condo Conversions

San Diego City Council rejected a cap on condo conversions this past Tuesday. The cap would have limited the per-year conversions to 1,000. The only city council members that stepped up to the plate to actually put an end to this matter and place a limit on the number of condo conversions done in a given year were Donna Frye and Toni Atkins. The council with a 6-2 margin decided to work on the issue further in a closed session. San Diego's condo conversion market has been out of control over the last couple years. San Diego is also way behind the times as San Francisco has a cap of only 200 per year and Berkeley limits condo conversions based on vacancy percentages (none of which exceed 500 units per year even at the highest rate).

According to the UT, even though the number of conversions have dropped so far this year to 400 (with over 1,400 applications in as of July), it does not mean that we should not be mindful of years like 2005 where owners tried to convert over 10,000 rental units. As a renter, I find the matter extremely disconcerting; we are allowing the market to completely dictate the system instead of the government doing it's role to serve the people, so that these extremes do not continue to persist. Hopefully the council will come to its senses and help the poor renters. To the shock of many, most of us [renters] cannot afford to purchase a condo in San Diego.

D3 a Two Man Race?

Interesting happenings in the San Diego District 3 Council race. It seems John Hartley has decided to take on Todd Gloria as if this is a two man race. Hartley fired off a letter to Gloria, as reported in VOSD, condemning The Center for holding their dinner at a non-union hotel. The stunt served two purposes. First, a clear message to the unions that Hartley will be more of an advocate for their issues than Gloria. Second, that Hartley sees this as a contest between the two. Insiders have been saying Hartley's only shot to win this is in the primary, with low GLBT turnout. Those chances get better if he can snag a labor endorsement. But what does this mean for the flailing campaign of Stephen Whitburn? Did he peek too soon and rely too heavily on the (now controversial) Donna Frye endorsement? Is this really down to battle between Gloria and Hartley?

GOP Dirty Rotten Scoundrel - Dead On Arrival!

The GOP's attempt to steal 20 - 22 of California's 55 electoral votes is going down in flames. Their attempt to "reform" only our great state is a blatant attempt to steal the 2008 presidential election. California, like 47 other states, awards all of its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes. In the last four elections, all of California's electoral votes have gone to the Democratic nominee.

According to the LA Times, the reasons for the early demise of this ballot initiative are the lack of funds, and the resignation of two of its original backers.

If any similar measure should ever be considered in the future, it must be done across all 47 states. I suggest that we start with Texas and Florida!

Call me cynical, but I don't trust the GOP. If they can't win hearts and minds, they'll cheat! So watch out for their next dirty trick!

Another Wingnut Alert!

Friends be aware, because the week of October 22-26 has been dubbed Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

I know this sounds crazy, but according to this website it is “a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college campuses.” Here in San Diego County, both CSU San Marcos and Palomar College will be participating in the festivities. Whose started goal is to confront “the two Big Lies of the political left,” one being that George Bush created the war on terror and the other being that Global Warming is a greater danger than terrorists to the United States.

Interestingly, the organization that is sponsoring these ridiculous events across the country is call the Terrorism Awareness Project which happens to be fronting for the David Horowitz Freedom Center. My concern is that this so called Terrorism Awareness Project will attract some people who are genuinely looking for an honest discussion on terrorism related issues but instead will be exposed to hatred and bigotry.

For those who don’t know David Horowitz, he was once a militant leftist and former editor for the leftist Ramparts magazine during the 1970s. Then sometime in the 1980s he figured out that is more profitable to whore himself out to crazy rightwing millionaires like Richard Melon Scaife and their foundations. He then started publishing FrontPage magazine and thus became the rightwing whack job he is today.

Horowitz, who once associated with members of the Black Panther party, now chooses to associate himself and praise people like white supremacist Jared Taylor of American Renaissance magazine, an individual who has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “the cultivated, cosmopolitan face of white supremacy.“ [Link]

In recent years, Horowitz has become one of the biggest merchants of hate in the country. Regularly appearing on Fox News to trumpet his crazy ideas. So be aware of anything or group that is associated with him.

California Assembly 78th - Are you in or out?

Rumor has it to the disappointment of the Republican establishment, former City of San Diego Police Chief David Bejarano (R) might be jumping out of the Assembly 78th as quickly as they talked him into the Assembly 78th race. With the possible departure from the crime scene of Bejarano, Chula Vista Councimember John McCann (R) is rethinking his earlier departure from the race. Yet, another disappointment to the Republican establishment, because they worked so hard to find another candidate and forcing McCann out.

Not completely surprised with Bejarano's potential action, because everyone knows he is really interested in the County of San Diego Sheriff 's office. Though, it will be an uphill battle for him, because he will need to take on Under Sheriff Bill Gore. It is speculated that Sheriff Bill Kolendar takes an early leave from office over the much talked about health problems, which allows the County Board of Supervisors to appointment Gore.

The only major issue Gore might face in an election will be explaining while as head of the San Diego FBI office he was active or inactive on tracking potential terrorists over the 9-11 hijacking.

Better Luck Next Time...

The LA Times is reporting tonight that the supporters of the scheme to change the way California awards its electoral votes are pulling the plug on their effort to qualify an initiative for the June 2008 election. [Link] So much for the GOPs attempt to game the system here in California.

UPDATE:

Here's the [Link] to the LA Times article this morning detailing the departure of two key consultants from the initiative effort.

Wither San Diego? Part I

Democrats have held the majority in Sacramento for over a decade and in that time; San Diego has not been well served.

With the introduction of term limits, the Speaker’s Office has become a revolving door. The exodus of qualified policy staff, and the state of the Speaker’s Office of Majority Services (SOMS), went from being the “Praetorian Guard” to the Keystone Cops in a rather short period of time.

As such, the thinking among Sacramento Democrats became very short term and cyclical focused on the following question: What do we need to do to maintain the majority and the Speaker for the next cycle?

In this environment, the survival of the status quo became paramount. Thus deal-making takes on an increasing prominent role. Therefore, anyone or any region which could disrupt the current balance of powers needs to be placed in check or gotten out of the way, at least until the next election cycle in over.

As the second largest city in the state, I have wondered why, San Diego is not treated as such in Sacramento. IMHO, here’s one reason: It makes sense for the leadership in Sacramento to marginalize areas like San Diego, San Jose, and the Inland Empire at the expense of promoting Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

The obvious answer is that there are more Democrats in these two areas so they deserve the lion’s share of the spoils. I won’t argue that, but I would challenge the assumption that the other areas should fall by the wayside.

San Jose is bluer than San Diego and the I.E. is wall-to-wall red, which is why I think San Diego deserves attention as the next battleground.

What makes San Diego so special? We are the largest city in California with a Republican mayor. There is a very good chance of a gay Republican being elected to city council and the Republican candidate for State Assembly in the 78th district is a Latino former police chief. In a nutshell, San Diego is in danger of becoming the launching pad for the next generation of Republican statewide candidates.

We need all the help we can get, and this requires Sacramento Democrats to get out of the box they’ve placed themselves into and actually start doing things differently, to challenge Republicans in this area. The standard response is that’s what the party is for.

As a San Diegan who has watched Sacramento air-drop staffers and pour money into the 78th AD over the last three election cycles all to be destroyed by an above average Republican operation, all I can think is that if Sacramento wants to win here, they’re not lacking in resources or money. What they seem to lack is the temerity to try something different.

From a negotiating perspective, I can’t help but think it makes perfect sense to keep San Diego on the outs. So long as San Diegans are fighting for control of their own city and county, they won’t look to the Assembly or State Senate for much. It’s almost as if Sacramento is willing to surrender San Diego and other places like the I.E. as wastes of money in poor campaign operations, while they shore up Democrats in safe seats elsewhere in the state.

So where does this leave those who life in the fastest growing areas of the state? I guess in the hands of the mega-churches, which seem to be the only body doing any outreach of significance.
-TQ

Showdown for the 78th starts tonight

So tonight is one of the key endorsements for the Democratic primary in the 78th AD. The San Diego Democratic Club - the largest and most powerful of clubs in the county - are hosting their candidate forum and endorsement. Rumor has it, all three of the Democratic candidates (Auday Arabo, Marty Block and Arlie Ricasa) are going to vie for it. Block is the obvious front runner, having spent a ton of time working the vote. But, don't discount the female / ethnic factor that Ricasa brings. Plus, in a club that values warmth - Ricasa definitely has the right personality. I have to admit, I almost feel sorry for Auday Arabo. Tonight he will get a taste for how Dem activists take to his former life as a Republican staffer and Lincoln Club donor. Does anyone remember the outrage pointed toward Rich Grosch when he tried to run for District 2 as a Democrat after previously endorsing Kevin Faulconer? Or the questions Todd Gloria faced as a result of giving $50 to Mayor Sanders? That is nothing compared to the anger from Dems to have a candidate that gave thousands to Congressman Bilbray (in his race against Francine Busby) and the local right-wing Lincoln Club. Stay tuned...

Hey, O'Reilly ... its call the Gaslamp District!

Via Altercation: Victor S. Navasky the publisher of The Nation has embark on a project to collect quotations from experts regarding the invasion of Iraq who turned out to be wrong which will later be published. This quotation from Bill O'Reilly caught my attention:

"I will bet you the best dinner in the gaslight district of San Diego that military action will not last more than a week. Are you willing to take that wager?"
-- Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Channel, January 29, 2003. [Link]

Memo to Bill O'Reily, you were wrong on two counts!

Susan Davis Condemns MoveOn, Protest, Free Speech

In a direct slap in the face to anyone who's ever felt that free speech or the right to protest the government are, you know, Constitutional imperatives, Susan Davis voted today to condemn the Petraeus/Betray us MoveOn ad. That's what your congress is doing. Not ending a war. Not passing a law that will make people healthier, wealthier, wiser, or safer. Spitting on free speech. Thank you to Bob Filner and the 79 Democrats who stood with him for getting this vote right, and no thanks to the 195 Republicans and the 145 other Democrats in the House who joined Susan Davis in telling the nation to sit down, shut up, and leave governance to the grownups without passionate public input. If you think MoveOn was disrespectful to the troops by running an ad in the New York Times Ms. Davis, where exactly does paying for the troops to get shot at rank?

It's time to get angry. Congress is telling people what they're supposed to say and not say. I don't remember learning about that congressional duty in government class.

Cross posted to Calitics

Update: Prompted by a Calitics comment, I want to lay out what just happened here more directly. Susan Davis, with this vote, did not disagree with what MoveOn said. She disagreed with there being anything said at all. It's not a difference of opinion or even an objection to a certain opinion, but rather a condemnation of people expressing opinions at all. -Lucas

San Diego Wants to Bill Bush for Undocumented Immigrants

The San Diego Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to attempt to bill the federal government for the supposed cost of undocumented immigrants.  In an exceptionally pathetic (even by normal standards) attempt to steal money and headlines without any underlying logic, the Board commissioned a report to examine only the negative economic impact of undocumented workers and ignore the economic benefits of taxes paid and goods and services purchased.  The kicker?  They want the bill to be paid with money that the undocumented immigrants paid into the Social Security system via taxes. Taxes of course were not included in the study.

The Board specifically voted to enlist the aid of immigration zealot and all around xenophobic crazy person Brian Bilbray (who is "eager" to work on this with the Supervisors) in getting legislation passed which would:

make it easier for local law enforcement officials to track illegal immigrants wanted for crimes;

change the Medicare Modernization Act to pay local hospitals $155 million for unpaid bills from illegal immigrants;

make the federal government pay local governments from the Social Security fund into which people pay but do not collect, often because they have worked using phony Social Security documents. Reports have estimated that illegal immigrants pay $7 billion in taxes into that fund each year.

Supervisor Bill Horn commented on the maneuver which echoes previous attempts to squeeze funding from the feds in 1994 and 2001, saying "I don't want to just grandstand, I really want the money this time," apparently confirming that the last two times they didn't really want the money and were, in fact, just grandstanding.

There is a legitimate point to be made that the tax dollars generated by undocumented immigrants generally go to state or federal coffers and not to localities via property taxes while the outgoing money often flows from the local level.  But this is a completely backwards and shameful way to go about, let's face it, really lame and overdone grandstanding.

The North County Times notes pokes further holes in the study by pointing out that "the study did not account for the costs of education or unpaid medical bills for illegal immigrants, although it used estimates from the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties to come up with its figure of $155 million in unpaid medical care costs."

Nor, from what I can gather, did the study delve into the degree to which local taxes mitigated the poorly-determined "cost" for citizens.  Hell, I don't pay property taxes cause I can't afford property.  But I pay many of the same state and federal taxes that undocumented workers would.  What's the economic difference?

This was a pathetic attempt by the Board of Supervisors to validate their greed and anti-immigration hysteria, and they got a study that, by completely ignoring reality, gave them the answers they wanted.  Freed from the chains of a responsibility to logic or competent governance,  the Board is now going full bore after money and social divisiveness.  I'm looking forward to a governing body who spends less time casting blame and more time actually improving the community.

Cross posted from Calitics

No to the Toll Road

The San Diego City Council voted 6-2 to oppose the toll road proposed through San Onofre State Park. Councilmembers Scott Peters, Kevin Faulconer, Toni Atkins, Tony Young, Brian Maienschein and Donna Frye voted for the resolution. Ben Hueso said he only voted against endorsing the council's resolution so that he didn't taint his position prior to voting at the Coastal Commission. Pretty good actions by our Councilmembers lately - and signs that San Diego is moving to the left-center where it belongs.

GOP expects to lose more House seats

I thought the below article without any additional comments from The POLITICO was worth reading:

GOP expects to lose more House seats
By: Josh Kraushaar
September 25, 2007 09:55 AM EST

Top Republicans are privately bracing for the possibility that they could lose additional House seats in next year’s elections as a result of untimely retirements, ongoing scandals and unexpectedly gloomy fundraising forecasts, according to several members and aides.

(Click here to read more...)

Chat with Rep Bob Filner

Marc Ash from Truthout.org has a interesting interview with Rep. Bob Filner on how a progressive Democrat succeeds in representing a conservative leaning district. [Link]

Only Half the Story....

On Saturday the UT had a front page story about attorney Bill Lerach and the influence he wielded within the Democratic Party. Lerach "who plead guilty to conspiracy in a scheme to pay kickback to recruit plaintiffs for 150 class-action lawsuits against U.S. Companies." Has agreed to forfeit over $7 million in unlawful gains, pay a $250,000 fine and will accept a prison sentence of up to two years.[Link]

The obvious focus of the story was on how Lerach, who was a large contributor to the Democratic Party had tremendous influence among elected Democratic officials like Bill Clinton and Gray Davis. Such much influence in fact,that it force the high-technology industry of Silicon Valley to become political players themselves.[Link]

In typical UT fashion, they only tell half the story regarding Lerach. During his career as a lawyer, Lerach was the consummate champion on behalf of the shareholder against corporate malfeasance. He represented both public and private pension funds in numerous cases surrounding corporate securities fraud. For this he won for his clients billions of dollars in awards and settlements, from such model corporate citizens as; Enron, WorldCom and AOL/Time Warner.

In the end, Bill Lerach will pay his penalties and end up doing time in prison for his wrongdoing he committed. Something that Ken Lay never did.

KLSD Dumped from AM 1360 by October 15th

Rumors that Clear Channel San Diego was going to drop KLSD progressive talk format from AM 1360 apparently are coming true. SDRadio.net is reporting today that Scott Tempesta (aka Scooter) who is the producer of the Stacy Taylor morning show was fired on Friday.[Link] All indications are "AM 1360 is preparing to shift programming, most likely Monday, Oct. 15. A new set of call letters are expected to used."[Link]

Despite the best efforts of activists to show their continued support for KLSD, it appears that AM 1360 will become an all sports station within the next couple of weeks. As for the progressive talk format and Air America radio here in San Diego, it doesn't appear that right now it is going to move to another station.

So much for Being a "Compassionate Conservative"

President Bush this morning is his weekly radio address vowed to veto a bill to expand health insurance coverage for children.[Link]

WTF Mr President! We can spend $1 billion every three days in Iraq, but we can't spend $35 billion over 5 years to cover 6.6 million children. Come on Mr. President, try for once to be the compassionate conservative you claim to be!

Maybe, the UT is not so Conservative?

A week ago last Wednesday, Media Matters for America a progressive media watchdog published a report on the political balance of op-ed pages for the nation's newspapers.[Link] According to the summary of the report "Conservative syndicated columnists reach millions more than progressive columnists." That sixty percent of the nation's newspapers print more conservative columnist every week than they do progressive columnists.[Link] According to Media Matters, however, their own research shows that the Union-Tribune has more centrist columnists than they have either conservative or progressive columnists on their op-ed pages.[Link]

Now, I'm not one to quibble with the research that Media Matters has done regarding op-ed pages, but I can tell you that when it comes to covering local stories pertaining to any number of progressive issues, the UT has a decisive conservative slant. Don't believe me, then ask any number of local Democratic candidates who have sat down with the editorial board regarding endorsements.

Busby Set to Endorse Leibham in CA-50

Got a tip that sometime in the very near future, Francine Busby will be announcing her endorsement of Nick Leibham for the Democratic nomination in the 50th district. The field has been slowly clearing for a while now, with Michael Wray opting against a run and John Lee Evans running for School Board. Steve Schechter has also filed FEC paperwork to run in the district, but this endorsement would line up the one major recognizable Democratic face in the district behind Leibham. Putting to rest any remaining speculation that she might run again, much of the drama is likely over in the primary, leaving now more than a year of Bilbray-hunting. The district has a Partisan Voter Index of R+5, but Charlie Cook considers the district competitive more than 13 months out, rating it yesterday as Likely Republican in his new Competitive House Race Chart.

Also at Calitics

Republican are Cry Babies

I watched the Jerry Sanders news conference and was reminded of something: Susan Golding's pathetic breakdown on TV in the Mayoral election against Peter Navarro. Made me think, what a bunch of cry babies.

Republican Conference Announces They Are Out Of Step With Mainstrean America

Republican Western States Leadership Conference is being held this week in San Diego. As with either political party, this conference, like most political party conferences is a place where the party has a whole bunch of speeches, strategy sessions and a campaign school about how much greater their party is then the other one.

The point of this posting is at this conference it seems the extremes of the Republican Party got another major dose of reality. Republican Stephen M. Kinney, a pollster with Public Opinion Strategies told the crowd that the Republican Party is no longer in line with mainstream America. He said across the board, except in one area mainstream American views the Democratic Party in a greater light, including holding down government spending. The only area where mainstream America has a higher regard for Republicans, this is a kicker, get this, morality. Yes, total shocker...

Even Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's gets that his own party is out of touch with reality, which is why he is doing this whole post partisan political thing and beating them up. Read the Sacramento Bee article about his speech a few weeks back.

So, the next time you see a Republican, please give them a big hug, because they really do need it!

Kevin Faulconer: How to Win Friends and Influence People

I guess some people are still unhappy with Kevin Faulconer's flip flop on an alcohol ban on at the beach.

Grandma What have you Gone and Done?

I saw this story on the AP wire this afternoon that I wanted to share it. A controversy is brewing in Kansas City, as the mayor named 73-year old grandmother to the city's park board. However, Francis Semler's appointment has rightly drawn fire from both the National Council of La Raza and the NAACP for her membership in local Kansas chapter of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. [Link] Both La Raza and the NAACP are now threatening to pull their respective national conventions that are scheduled to be held there in 2009 (La Raza) and 2010 (NAACP). This could cost the city upwards of $15 million dollars in convention business.

Semler said she would not resign and that it was, "the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." [Link] She claims that she only joined the Minutemen because the Federal Government's failure to enforce the immigration laws. Last Friday the Kansas chapter of the Minutemen announced that they are going to hold their two day conference in Kansas City scheduled for this December. The conference is expected to drawn 300 people. I wonder if they'll have a screening of Birth of A Nation in the evening?

UT has Pickup Loren Nancarrow Assault Story

As first reported yesterday here on San Diego Politico. 10News weatherman Loren Nancarrow had a confrontation with a union activist Tuesday afternoon were he proceeded to commit assault and battery on the activist. This afternoon the UT finally pickup the story and confirms that Loren Nancarrow was cited for misdemeanor battery by Harbor Police. [Link] I could easily imagine this story being ignored by the UT had it not been for the video being available on YouTube.

Odd Display of Emotion

OK, I completely respect the decision of the Mayor to sign the Resolution in support of the brief on Marriage Equality. He did the right thing, without a doubt. But, did anyone else think his tears were odd? Why would you cry because you did the right thing? I could see crying if you vetoed it, and your heart said you shouldn't. Was he crying because his daughter is a lesbian? Or maybe because this may cost him the Republican nomination for Mayor? Someone help me out here...

Another One Jumps into the Race for City Attorney

As reported in the VOSD yesterday, “Deputy District Attorney William Gentry has declared his intentions to run for San Diego city attorney in 2008, according to the city clerk.” [Link] William Gentry joins South Bay resident and attorney Dan Coffey as challengers to City Attorney Mike Aguirre next year.

VOSD also mentions that Mr. Gentry is most likely a Republican since he has contributed this year to the San Diego County GOP. [Link] I asked a friend of mine last night to check the voter file and it does appear Mr. Gentry is a registered Republican. So, I suspect that he’ll be receiving checks soon for the Spanos family soon.

It will be interesting to see who else decides to join the race for City Attorney. The name I keep hearing is that of former superintendent of San Diego City Schools and current member of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Alan Bersin is considering a run for City Attorney.

Fireworks, and It Isn't Even the 4th of July

Those of you who missed last night's 5 p.m. 10News broadcast, missed some excitement right at the start of the weather segment. The beauty of live TV!

Weatherman Loren Nancarrow grabbed a protestor shouting "10Newsunfair.com," and threw him towards the bay.

From what I have heard, the Harbor Police were called out. They issued a citation to Nancarrow for battery.

The behind the camera workers at Channel 10 have been fighting for a fair contract for more than two years. The station, which had operated under a fair contract for 52 years since KGTV's inception, is refusing to negotiate in good faith.

The Dismantling of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission

From State Senator Sheila Kuehl:
This is my sixth essay for 2007 and I’m departing from my essays on the 2007-08 Budget to write about the plan to dismantle the enforcement abilities of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission by the Schwarzenegger administration. As you read this essay, the Commission is scheduled to meet to approve a comprehensive and destructive plan put forth by Secretary of Consumer Affairs Rosario Marin.

Visit my website at www.sen.ca.gov/kuehl to read my previous essays. For those of you who received this essay by forwarding, it is written by California State Senator Sheila Kuehl. If you wish to subscribe to receive these essays on a continuing basis, (no charge), please send an e-mail to Sheila.Kuehl@sen.ca.gov, titled “subscribe”.

Enforcement of all State Civil Rights Laws
The Commission is entrusted with the enforcement of all the various civil rights laws in the state. Employees, renters, home buyers, and consumers of all types are protected against discrimination in several of California’s statutes. These laws are nothing but empty shells without the enforcement provided by the opportunity to go to the Fair Employment and Housing Commission for enforcement. Cases filed with the Commission are heard by a panel of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) specifically trained and assigned for these duties.

Moving the Commission Staff and Doing Away With Judges
Secretary Marin has decided, in order to save such a miniscule amount of money it would be referred to as “budget dust”, to move the Commission staff to Sacramento and do away with the cadre of ALJs who hear the cases. Instead, she will throw all these cases to the more general Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), a catchall for the enforcement of all general laws.

Why This Change is Bad for Civil Rights Enforcement
A little history......in 1992, with the support of Pete Wilson’s administration, the Legislature specifically authorized the Commission to hire its own ALJs. This was done because the OAH, which had been hearing cases and which Secretary Marin and the Schwarzenegger administration want to put back in charge, had proven to be both uneconomical and inexpedient, not to mention highly ineffective, because the legal staff of the Fair Employment and Housing Commission had been required to revise and rewrite over 90% of all OAH decisions in this area as incorrect on both the law and Commission policy. At the time the Legislature found it shocking that hearing officers knew so little about the area and wrote such ill-informed opinions. One decision would have overruled the Commission’s own regulations. Another allowed an employer to ban all women from his workplace.

The Advent of ALJs for Civil Rights
After the establishment of specific ALJs for these cases, the Commission, over the years this has been in place, has approved 92% of all decisions. This has saved quite a bit of money over the years. During the current Administration, the staff of the Commission, including the legal staff, has been reduced every year, down to a little more than half of what it had been. Even so, the Commission has maintained its workload, as have the ALJs.

Dispute between Schwarzenegger Admin. and FEHC
Secretary Marin has made no secret of her animosity toward the Executive and Legal Affairs Secretary of the Commission, Ann M. Noel. Ms Noel’s major flaw has been her steady insistence on the enforcement of civil rights law, even in the face of great diminution of the staff. The Secretary attempted to replace Ms. Noel with a woman who couldn’t even answer the first question asked of her: “Do you know the difference between FEHA and the ADA?” Answer: “Well, I know one of them is federal.”

The Move is Contrary to Legislative Intent
The Legislature intended that civil rights enforcement be given a high priority and that the staff and ALJs be specifically trained for the adjudications. In moving the office to Sacramento, allegedly to give it more “oversight” and to “save money”, the Administration is dismantling civil rights enforcement in California. Eliminating Commission ALJs and returning to reliance on OAH is a substantial policy change, inefficient and contrary to legislative intent. The move and the diminution of staff would also controvert the goal of expedient drafting of regulations, given that drafting regulations is one of the functions of the ALJs, and there would be only one FEHC staff person available to do these tasks. The Secretary’s office has already overseen a good deal of foot dragging on regulations concerning sexual harassment and the workplace treatment of people with disabilities.

What to Do
A letter was sent to Secretary Marin signed by Senate Pro Temps Perata, Speaker Nunez, myself, and the chairs of Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Labor Committee, Senate Budget Committee, Assembly Labor Committee, Assembly Judiciary Committee, Assembly Budget Committee, Latino Legislative Caucus, Legislative Black Caucus, API Legislative Caucus and the Legislative LGBT Caucus. So far, there has been no response. If you are concerned, email Secretary Rosario Marin at rmarin@scsa.ca.gov or the Governor’s Cabinet Secretary, Dan Dunmoyer at dan.dunmoyer@gov.ca.gov.

Judge Forces Bilbray, Hunter, Issa to Disclose Soledad Cross Records

U.S. Judge John Bates in the DC District Court ruled yesterday that Representatives Bilbray, Hunter and Issa must provide some of their official documents to a Jewish Veterans group who filed suit last year. The veterans group is attempting to demonstrate that federal seizure of the land was designed to advance a religious goal.

The New York Sun runs through the decision:

Judge Bates said that by sponsoring a bill to federalize the cross, Messrs. Bilbray, Hunter, and Issa opened themselves up to the demand for records. "These members in particular had every reason to suspect that their words and deeds as the Act's sponsors would be the subject of post-enactment scrutiny; they played a high-profile role in the federal government's acquisition of a large Latin cross that had been the subject of extensive prior litigation, made numerous public statements, and boasted of their role in campaign literature," the judge wrote. "This Court's case-specific ruling allowing discovery from these three Members neither works an injustice to them nor opens a proverbial can of worms for legislators generally." Judge Bates's ruling was something of a split decision. He said the legislators were entitled to withhold records pertaining to "legislative acts" but had to disclose records about attempts they made to convince executive branch officials to seize the land by public domain. The judge also said records of contacts with local officials, citizens' groups, and the press might constitute "political activities" that are not protected from subpoena.

The ruling could reveal interesting insights or may land with a dull thud once the surrendered documents are reviewed. And while this is a case-specific ruling which does not directly carry precedent, it does mean that legislators in the future will not be able to count on the Speech and Debate clause as definite protection.

Cross posted at Calitics

Carl DeMaio Sells Private Think Tank

Voice of San Diego reported yesterday that Carl DeMaio is selling his private think tank for an undisclosed amount to Thompson Publishing Holding Co. What exactly will that mean for the Performance Institute?

Well, don’t worry about Carl he has his own plan for the future, which includes running for the District 5 City Council seat. Let’s just hope that he is not as successful with his next venture as he was with his first.

Voting on Paper

This morning's UT reports that with the decertification of the electronic voter machines by Sec. State Debra Bowen paper ballots will be used here in San Diego County. I'm glad to see this happen. After seeing the HBO documentary Hacking Democracy, I sure had my doubts about the security of electronic voting confirmed.

UPDATE: Monday's CQ reports that bill HR-811 which is scheduled to come to a vote this week in the House is now facing stiff opposition from within the Democratic caucus. The bill would require a paper record for every vote cast nationwide beginning next year. I don't know why this bill is facing opposition from within the caucus?

Leave General Petraeus Alone

For those of you who missed the president's address to the nation last night. Here is the condensed version.

Hard Truths about Donna Frye

I want to strongly recommend Carl Luna's column in this week's issue of City Beat regarding Councilwoman Donna Frye. Luna puts down on paper what I know a lot of people have been thinking about her for quite sometime now. He argues: "In trying to best serve her constituents in District 6 as well as the city at large, Frye has often--this observer would argue too often--forfeited her own judgment in favor of some ill-defined vox populi." [Link]

Many of us admire and respect Donna Frye for the leadership she has demonstrated in trying to change the way politics is conducted here in the city of San Diego. Donna's problem as so pointedly described by Carl Luna is "[her] often admirable but also sometimes extreme commitment to doing what the people want runs the risk of demagoguery." [Link]

This I think gets to the core of the problem with Donna Frye. She has not been a truly effective politician, because she has not been able to or is unwilling to find that area between maintaining your core principles and compromising on some of them to achieve some accomplishments. Go read the whole column and come back and comment. [Link]

Half of San Diego County households live in unaffordable housing

That's the headline from a new issue brief from the Center on Policy Initiatives here in San Diego. A study of 2006 Census data released this week discovered that "about 53% of both renters and homebuyers in this county can't afford their housing, according to federal standards." Those numbers according to CPI add up to more than 500,000 households countywide.

Perhaps coincidentally, FoxNews last night ran a story aimed at revealing the "human side" of the foreclosure crisis throughout the county. The story ultimately focused on analysing all the mistakes people make on the way to foreclosure, conveniently blaming those who end up losing in all of this rather than getting particularly ruffled about predatory lending practices or subprime mortgages that have disproportionately hit Latinos and African-Americans with foreclosure (also touched on in the CPI report among other places).

More than half. That's not an ingredient for economic growth, improved test scores, higher health standards, public safety, or anything else generally considered desirable for a community. The San Diego housing market is already in decline, with dozens if not hundreds of condos sitting vacant and unsold. Where exactly is this county going and why are we in this handbasket?

Cross posted at Calitics

Lack of Leadership from The Mayor Again!

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders held a press conference today to again voice his opposition to water reuse. Now, I am the first to admit that the cleverly coined "toilet to tap" sounds disgusting, but science consistently shows that highly treated waste water pumped into reservoirs is completely safe. In fact, we are already drinking it from the Colorado River! Apparently, the Mayor doesn't argue with the science, but doesn't like the "yuck" factor. Now that is leadership when we need it. As we face severe water cutbacks, we will stop the smartest, most environmentally sound water source available, because it sounds gross. I might suggest a play date for Mayor Sanders with my two-year old niece. She doesn't care about science either, and she would agree that it just sounds "yucky" .

Sen. Ducheny Votes Down Protection for Children and Firefighters

AB 706 was introduced and championed by Assemblyman Mark Leno and named one of the six must pass bills of this legislative session by the LA Times, yet it failed to escape the State Senate yesterday. It was supported by children's advocates and firefighters as a vital step towards eliminating dangerous fire retardants which release toxic, cancer-causing smoke during fires. The manufacturers of these fire retardants spent millions of dollars on a group they called "Californians for Fire Safety" and promptly sent out glossy mailers with pictures of firefighters but not their actual support, whipping up a veneer of false public pressure over the bill.

In the end, it was enough. Republicans in the Senate didn't even matter because so many Democrats broke ranks when push came to shove over protecting corporations that poison our children and public servants. Democratic Senators Correa (Orange County), Ducheny (San Diego), Florez (Bakersfield & Fresno), Machado (Stockton), and Vincent (LA) all voted nay, providing the razor thin 20-19 defeat (1 abstained).

This one really wasn't ever controversial. It's very basic protection for firefighters, for children, for pregnant mothers. It might not have been sexy, but it was very necessary. Senator Ducheny appears to have found the concerns and the money of the chemical manufacturing industry more compelling than public health and safety. I haven't seen or heard any statement from her or her office on this vote and can't call this morning. I welcome the Senator's explanation in any forum and would be happy to update this post, but it would have to be quite compelling to explain this away.

When Will The Mission End?

I haven't been doing much blogging lately because for the past two days I've been watching the Petraeus and Crocker "song and dance" routine before Congress on CSPAN. What really frustrates me is the disingenuousness that has been exhibited by the both of them in their appearances before the respective committees. Behind all of the charts and statistics discussed as to whether or not progress is being made by the surge, what is lost is that we are after all talking about people who have been injured or killed in Iraq.


I was thinking about that this evening after reading Greg Mitchell's column in Editor and Publisher. Back on August 19th, seven active-duty soldiers serving a 15-month tour with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq wrote an Op-Ed for the New York Times titled "The War As We Saw It." The Op-Ed was very skeptical of the U.S. mission in Iraq and whether our aims could be achieved. It ended with with a rather ominous stated "We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through."[Link]

As the E & P column discussed, two of the seven soldiers who had authored the Op-Ed last month--a Sgt. Omar Mora of Texas and a Sgt. Yance T. Gray of Montana, died on Monday in a vehicle accident in Western Bagdad. This was about the same time that General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker began their "song and dance" to Congress in order to maintain the surge through next summer.

Tilting at Windmills Alert!

Is Mike Aguirre looking for a new job in broadcast media? Or is he just tilting at windmills again? From the UT this morning, "Aguirre to review KPBS documents." Apparently the city attorney has moved from rooting out corruption at city hall to investigating the decision-making processes at KPBS radio and television. According to the article:

City Attorney Michael Aguirre wants to know the story behind KPBS' decision to cancel its public affairs TV show “Full Focus.” He also wants to know how the public broadcast station selects participants for its “Editors Roundtable” talk show, which is carried on radio and TV. [Link]

I have a hard time trying to understand how KPBS falls under the purview of the city attorney's office. But what really bothers me about this story is this part:

"In addition to seeking documents related to “Full Focus,” Aguirre also requested documentation of the station's 20 largest donors for the past two years." [Link]

To me this doesn't strike me a being a watchdog, instead it strikes me as being very Nixonian.

Join Progressive San Diego for 'Control Room'

There is a great event going on this weekend that progressives will surely enjoy.

Progressive San Diego is showing the documentary "Control Room" Saturday night.

When: Saturday, September 15th @7pm
Where: Joyce Beers Center, Hillcrest 1220 Cleveland Ave. across from Trader Joe's
RSVP to: tommie.watson@progressivesd.org or 617-365-6788
Snacks and Drinks Provided

About: The documentary film dives deep into the relationship between Al Jazeera television and the US Central Command (CENTCOM), along with other news organizations. The film takes place during the start-up of the Iraq War and have been nominated for numerous awards.

Local Documentary Producer Andy Trimlett will be leading a discussion on Middle Eastern Broadcasting and American Media. Mr. Trimlett is currently producing a documentary about the recent war in Lebanon titled "One July in Lebanon."

Andy Trimlett received his M.A. in Middle East Studies from the University of Washington and his B.A. in International Security and Conflict Resolution from San Diego State University. He has worked with Alternate Focus since 2004 producing a weekly television program about Middle East issues that airs on the satellite and cable television. Andy spent a year and a half as the General Manager (USA) of the Middle East Broadcasters Association, an organization for broadcast professionals in the Middle East. Andy worked in Beirut for over a month for the MEB Association and has also visited Turkey and Yemen, where he studied Arabic. Andy has produced and co-produced several programs for Alternate Focus, including Divesting from Violence: Presbyterian Policy in the Middle East. He also interviewed two former Israeli Soldiers for Burning Conscience: Israeli Soldiers Speak Out, and is currently producing a documentary about the recent war in Lebanon, "One July in Lebanon." He is currently employed by KPBS TV/FM.

For More Information Please Visit: Progressive San Diego

Hope to see you there!

Calitics.com Quarterly Fundraiser - San Diego Edition

Please join us on September 19th for the first-of-its-kind Calitics.com Quarterly Fundraiser as Democrats from across the San Diego area come together to celebrate Democratic victories throughout the state of California and build momentum towards future success.

Just steps from the ocean at the Firehouse American Eatery and Lounge in Pacific Beach, we look forward to an informal evening of committed Democrats of all sorts laying the groundwork for greater innovation and cooperation as we look forward to the elections of 2008.

We'll have office holders and candidates for Congress, Assembly, Mayor and City Council, humble local bloggers like Terry Williams (and me), Jesse Rubin and the Drinking Liberally crew bringing the party, and perpetually underappreciated activists from all over the region. Bill Clinton is charging hundreds of dollars for entry on Monday, and while we don't get secret service protection, we're cheaper and way more fun.

Calitics.com is dedicated to building a progressive online community that provides all Californians an opportunity to discuss the issues facing the state and a platform for state and local candidates to interact with activists from their district and throughout the state.

Founded in 2005, it is now run by a five-person editorial board representing San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego and sees more than 25,000 total page hits each week. Calitics has been an innovator in online fundraising at the state level and is excited to be expanding its projects for the 2008 election cycle.

Money raised for the Calitics state and federal PACs will be used to support strong Democratic candidates throughout the state and the work of the Calitics editors. Examples in the past have included coverage of the YearlyKos Convention and nationally recognized reporting from the California Democratic Convention.

Suggested donation is $10-$20 and may be made to either Calitics PAC in advance or at the event via the Calitics ActBlue page.

Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Firehouse American Eatery and Lounge, 722 Grand Avenue

Please e-mail Lucas@Calitics.com to RSVP or with any questions about the event.

It's true

Based on a comment to the last post about the rumor of State Senator Denise Ducheny possibly running for Mayor, I started making some phone calls.... and YES! I have confirmed with a source in the know, that there are Dem interests pushing Ducheny to enter the race, and that she is considering it. I have to admit, she would be a great candidate. She is a business Democrat, with great appeal for small government Independents. She has a solid record on environmental issues, LGBT and civil rights issues and she is the guru of budget and finance at the State. Plus, it would be a free ride for her, as her seat is not up this year.

Only problem I see may be with labor. She voted against the hotel workers union earlier this year, but I am sure that the Tribes will remember: she definitely carried their water.

All I can say: Ducheny in '08! (Denise, of course, not Al)

What a choice...

So, I got an e-mail from a friend who got polled this weekend on the Mayor's Race. She said it definitely sounded like a push towards Steve Francis, but still unbiased enough to be called a poll. The sad thing - according to my friend - was they ask, if the election were held today, who would you vote for Donna Frye, Jerry Sanders or Steve Francis? That's it. They didn't even allow her to choose Jim Bell. Let's be honest - if that is the threesome you have to choose from, and you are looking to escape by voting for Jim Bell -things have gotten pretty bad for Dems in San Diego. Where's our leadership when we need it?

Some other interesting points about this poll:

They tested if the voter would be swayed to vote for Francis if Frye endorsed him. (Is there something our fair lady hasn't told us? Maybe she is a Republican at heart). Also suggested he may pull from bipartisan support.

They got personal on questions about Sander's reasons for leaving the United Way, citing stress and health problems.

They tested a bunch of questions about illegal immigration and / sanctuary city as a hit on Sanders. Sounds like a typical race-baiting Republican election.

All I can say is... can't we do better?