Darrell Issa Keeps Digging, Still Hates 9/11 Rescue Workers

Yesterday I noted with considerable disdain that Darrell Issa doesn't give a crap about 9/11 victims and is, not surprisingly, an ass. Turns out that Issa's heartless BS isn't finding much of an audience elsewhere either, as people from coast to coast line up to tear him a new one:

"That is a pretty distorted view of things," said Frank Fraone, a Menlo Park, Calif., fire chief who led a 67-man crew at Ground Zero. "Whether they're a couple of planes or a couple of missiles, they still did the same damage."

"New York was attacked by Al Qaeda. It doesn't have to be attacked by Congress," added Long Island Rep. Pete King, a Republican.

"I'm really surprised by Darrell Issa," King added. "It showed such a cavalier dismissal of what happened to New York. It's wrong and inexcusable."

Lorie Van Aucken, who lost her husband, Kenneth, in the attacks, slammed Issa's "cruel and heartless" comments.

"It's really discouraging. People stepped up and did the right thing. They sacrificed themselves and now a lot of people are getting really horrible illnesses," she added.

New York Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler and Anthony Weiner and GOP Rep. Vito Fossella also added some heated criticisms of Issa. Issa, however, remains mostly unrepentant:

"I continue to support federal assistance for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks," he said.

But he didn't retract his wacked-out rhetoric claiming the feds "just threw" buckets of cash at New York for an attack "that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it."

He went on: "I have to ask ... why the firefighters who went there and everybody in the city of New York needs to come to the federal government for the dollars versus this being primarily a state consideration."

In his statement yesterday, Issa insisted he only "asked tough questions about the expenditures" during a hearing Tuesday on an aid bill for sick New Yorkers.

And if that wasn't enough, contrast this with another recent dumbass maneuver by Issa in which he DID scurry to apologize for his missteps. Back in February during hearings into a million missing White House emails, Darrell Issa enthusiastically did his water carrying for the Bush administration, declaring it entirely reasonable that converting from Lotus Notes to Outlook would cause such a loss of information. He went so far as to compare Lotus Notes to wooden wagon wheels and Betamax. But once big business got agitated about it, Issa fell all over himself and even officially correcting the Congressional record. But 9/11 rescue workers? Apparently not on the same level as keeping Lotus happy. I mean after all, according to Issa, 9/11 "simply was an aircraft" hitting the World Trade Center and causing "a fire."

I don't know what world Darrell Issa is living in, but he certainly doesn't have much company.

Robert Hamilton is challenging Darrell Issa this year.

Cross posted at Calitics

Labor Council Membership Endorses City of San Diego Propositions A, B and C

The San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council announced its endorsement of Propositions A, B and C, which would amend the San Diego City Charter to ensure greater independence of the City’s auditing process, forbid the City from outsourcing the jobs of Firefighters, Lifeguards and Police Officers, and provide voters with the opportunity to vote in 2010 on whether to continue the Strong Mayor Form of Government in a responsible and balanced manner.

Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez noted that a coalition has formed to support the checks and balances the Labor Council championed very early in the charter review process, such as (1) increased independence for the City Auditor, (2) a fair mayoral veto, and (3) patience to see the trial Strong Mayor government play out before judging it.

“Although we disagreed during last year’s Charter Review, I am excited that San Diegans from all sides of the discussion can come together to rally around a package of reforms that we have said all along will keep City Hall accountable to working families and their neighborhoods,” Gonzalez said.

Propositions A, B and C were placed onto the ballot by the San Diego City Council after a contentious charter review process. Despite heavy pressure by a few in the community who wanted to concentrate more power in the hands of the Mayor, the City Council proposed a very balanced set of charter amendments that will improve the charter changes voters made in 2004 and 2006.

The Labor Council also endorsed George George (San Diego City Council, District 5), John Lee Evans (San Diego Unified School Board, Seat A) and Steve Castaneda (Chula Vista City Council, Seat 4). Additionally, the Labor Council recommended to the California Labor Federation the endorsements of Robert Hamilton (49th Congressional District) and Mike Lumpkin (52nd Congressional District).

George won the Labor Council’s endorsement after impressing union members with his on-the-job experience protecting San Diego’s homes. George served in the San Diego Fire Department for 31 years and later became the Fire Chief of Solana Beach.

“In a region that is woefully underfunded when it comes to fire protection and public safety, San Diego’s neighborhoods will really benefit by having an experienced first responder like George fighting to do what’s right on the City Council,” Gonzalez said. “Voters know the difference between real-life experience in the field and empty buzzwords when it comes to keeping neighborhoods safe.”

Bilbray Prefers Fence over Environment, District, Effective Reform

Does anybody remember when Brian Bilbray sold himself as a moderate? I know it seems like a lifetime ago (or maybe some sort of absurd dream), but it was just 1995 that he first went to Congress. And I've heard the stories from reasonable people with clear eyes about how once he was (relatively) a champion of the environment, particularly clean beaches and water. He was (and perhaps still is) a surfer and lifeguard after all. And yet, it's not at all surprising that he was doing rhetorical backflips in celebration yesterday when Homeland Security decided to waive 30 federal and state environmental laws in order to more quickly build 670 miles of border fence:

"It's great. This is the priority area where most of the illegal activity is going on and where most of the deaths are occurring," said Rep. Brian P. Bilbray (R-Solana Beach), chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus. "The quicker we can get the physical fence up, the sooner we'll avoid situations like the deaths of agents. And it's still a national security issue. You just have to stop this kind of open traffic along the border."

DHS head Michael Chertoff opted to blatantly lie about the situation, claiming:

DHS is neither compromising its commitment to responsible environmental stewardship nor its commitment to solicit and respond to the needs of state, local and tribal governments

Right. Because not adhering to existing environmental law is the same as being commited to it. Much closer to the truth is:

Critics, however, said the waivers were intended to sidestep growing and unexpectedly fierce opposition -- especially in Arizona and in Texas, where concerns have been raised about endangered species and fragile ecosystems along the Rio Grande.

While the section of this project in East San Diego County hasn't met with much opposition (yet?), Brian Bilbray should know- if he's been paying any attention at all- that local opposition to the destruction of communities and habitats can be a real pain in the ass for right-wing ideologues. And as proponents of comprehensive (read: effective) immigration reform note, just building a fence really is a simple-minded approach to securing the border. Nevermind that impeding the cross-border flow hurts the local economy and the people that Bilbray purports to represent. This "wall or bust" outlook from Bilbray fits nicely with his America should create more uneducated poor people economic plan and his Protect the employer (as long as they contribute to the campaign) enforcement policy.

Yesterday the Defenders of Wildlife sent around an email asking people to call their representatives in Congress. If you're in the 50th, where Brian Bilbray thinks it's politically astute in 2008 to run to the right of President Bush, you may want to just skip straight to your Senators.

Cheryl Ede and Nick Leibham are Democrats running against Brian Bilbray this year.

Cross posted at Calitics

Darrell Issa: 9/11 Fallout is New York's Problem

I'm not sure if he's just a soulless ass or if he's also actively trying to undermine the entire foundation of post-9/11 conservativism, but Darrell Issa is doing his level best to spit on the rescue workers who got sick at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the twin towers attacks. He's flatly refused to vote for federal funding that would provide medical care to these victims of the attack because, in Issa's mind, it apparently was just a local thing, and not a major one at all:

"It simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft, and residue from the materials used to build this building," Issa said during a hearing into whether a new 9/11 victims' compensation fund should be launched.

Which is odd since, as Rep. Anthony Weiner notes, "The gentleman voted for [original 9/11 funding] because we had the national sense that this was not an attack on New York City, this was an attack on our country."

But hey, keep up the dispicably cruel hypocrisy Rep. Issa. Feel free to even bring some friends along. Because all it proves is that 9/11 to you is nothing more than a tool to intimidate people into sacrificing Constitutional rights and attempt to justify the $3 trillion Iraq boondoggle. That's when it's a national issue. That's when America is at stake. Only when it serves the political interests of Darrell Issa.

But when the heroes who sacrificed at Ground Zero need help? For Darrell Issa, that's not America's problem and it apparently sure isn't his problem. It's...well...somebody else's problem.

Robert Hamilton is challenging Darrell Issa this year.

Cross posted at Calitics

Wednesday - Quick Hits

SDG&E launches PR campaign on the benefits of the Sunrise Powerlink. UT NCTimes

Council votes comes up short on the private bond sale deal. UT

Two candidates for judicial seat spar in court over ballot language. UT

Chula Vista adopts green building rules. UT

Chula Vista city manager will present over $10 million in budget cuts to the city council on Thursday. VOSD

Riverside county supervisors agrees to labor deal with Sheriff's Association. UT

Oceanside begins construction on plant to treat creek water before it reaches beach. NCTimes

City of Vista considers sign ordinance. NCTimes

Tuesday - Quick Hits

Union members and their supporters march through downtown San Diego for higher wages and in honor of Ceasar Chavez. UT


Secretary of State Debra Bowen investigating allegations tha DMV changed voters registration. UT


City council to foolishly consider interest only/adjustable rate private bond sale. UT

Investment firm buys California Theater. UT

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell to give keynote address at June Biotech Convention. NCTimes

Followup on the 78th Race

I have received several e-mails today regarding the race in the 78th. Regarding endorsements, I'm told that the San Diego County Central Committee does not endorse in partisan races. Hence there will not be another opportunity for Marty Block to come up short on the required votes for a Democratic Party endorsement.

Speaking of endorsements, I have been told be several people that Speaker Karen Bass didn't endorse Auday Arabo. He does have the endorsement from former Speaker Fabian Nunez just not Bass' endorsement. There is a rumor going around that if Speaker Bass does choose to endorse in the race, she will endorse Arlie Ricasa. Stay tune for more....

Progressive Picks

Progressive San Diego tipped its hat to two Democratic candidates for San Diego Unified's school board, handing endorsements to Richard Barrera and John Lee Evans.

Barrera's endorsement isn't a big surprise: The labor organizer sits on Progressive San Diego's board, and is currently the sole qualifying candidate in the race to replace trustee Luis Acle.

Evans, a Democrat and a psychologist who works in Poway, is competing with incumbent Mitz Lee, a Republican.

According to PSD, Barrera and Evans were the only candidates in their respective races to answer the group's request to enter the endorsement process, which includes a questionnaire and an interview.

Progressive San Diego hasn't endorsed in the third school board race, for Sheila Jackson's seat, because the group has yet to meet with Jackson and her competitors, said Tommie Watson, the group's operations director. Watson explained that the group had prioritized more heavily contested races. (Prior to Acle's failure to qualify, the race for his seat look competitive, Watson said.)

~Emily Alpert
Voice of San Diego

Monday - Quick Hits

Students round SDSU are learning to tone down the noise the hard way. UT

Tribe want to increase their land, so they can build a casino near Mexicali. UT

Caveat emptor? North County couple is suing a realtor for purchasing a home just before the house bubble burst. UT

After years of delays, phone cable has started to burying phone line in Carmel Valley. UT

Climate change effecting the gray whales migration to Baja. VOSD

Several Hundred Union Members Honor Cesar Chavez Day by Marching for Better Working Conditions Across the Region

In honor of Cesar Chavez Day, several hundred union members will march through the streets of downtown San Diego to highlight the need to increase the number of quality jobs in the region.

The “Journey for Better Jobs” will stretch from the San Diego Convention Center to the County Administration Center, making six stops throughout downtown to demand that all workers receive fair wages, benefits and working conditions.

“Forty-two years ago Cesar Chavez marched from Delano to Sacramento to bring attention to the plight of farm workers,” said Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez. “Today the 120,000 working families of the region stand together and say, ‘We will not stand idly as we see injustice on the job.’”

Several faith leaders, community groups and elected officials will join the workers on along the route.

Elected officials speaking at the various rally points include San Diego City Councilmembers Scott Peters, Toni Atkins, Tony Young and Ben Hueso and State Assembly Members Lori Saldaña and Mary Salas.

The event will highlight the need for San Diego workers to receive livable wages, health care and respect at the workplace. As the housing market collapses, the economy struggles and the prices of basic goods continue to rise, the region’s middle class is finding it more difficult to survive making justice on the job an important issue 15 years after Chavez’s death.

The principles that caused San Diego’s labor community to organize the event are the same as those that guided Chavez, one of the most prominent labor leaders of the 20th Century.

“Cesar Chavez said, ‘We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community,’” said Gonzalez. “We in the labor movement take that to heart, and will always stand beside our brothers and sisters who are in need of help. Some of us work for employers that realize the value of their workforce. We must stand up for those who aren’t as fortunate.”

Labor Council Unanimously Re-Elects Lorena Gonzalez as Secretary-Treasurer

The San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council’s delegates voted unanimously to re-elect Lorena Gonzalez to a four-year term as Secretary-Treasurer and CEO on last week.

The delegates, a representative body of members from all 119 local unions affiliated with the Labor Council, declared Gonzalez the winner of the regularly-scheduled election after no other candidates were nominated.

Gonzalez served as the Labor Council’s political director from September 2006 to the end of last year, when Jerry Butkiewicz stepped down from the position.

“It is an honor to represent the working families that make up the Labor Council,” Gonzalez said. “I look forward to growing San Diego’s labor movement during the next four years and beyond.”

Labor Council President Mickey Kasparian nominated Gonzalez.

In addition to winning another term themselves, Kasparian and Gonzalez were re-elected alongside First Vice President Sandra Oleson, Second Vice President Virginia Cobb and Sergeant-at-Arms Ricardo Guzman.

The Labor Council conducts elections for all five officers and 25 executive board members every four years. Delegates are allowed to nominate another delegate for any of the 30 spots.

The San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council is a coalition of 119 local unions that represent 120,000 working families in the region. The Labor Council strives to ensure that all workers in the region earn a fair wage and health care for their families.

Marty Block Fails to Get Dem Endorsement

Once again Marty Block came up a few votes short on getting the Democratic Party endorsement for the 78th Assembly district primary race. By coming up short for a second time, the big winners tonight were Arlie Ricasa and Auday Arabo. Speaking of Arabo, tonight the assembled delegates he announced that he had gained the personal endorsements of Speaker Fabian Nunez and Speaker-to-be Karen Bass. The timing of the announcement obviously helped to deny Block the party endorsement, but was nowhere enough to get Arabo the party endorsement himself.

One final note: Since the CDP has officially taken no position on the 78th race, it now falls to the San Diego County Democratic Party if they want to take a position on the race.

Can Marty Do It?

Two weeks ago at the Region 21 pre-endorsement caucus, Marty Block came up two votes short of the 70% required for the Democratic Party endorsement in the 78th Assembly race. In a matter of hours, the Region 21 caucus will be meeting at CDP Convention in San Jose to vote again for the Democratic Party endorsement in the 78th Assembly race. This time threshold for endorsement is only 60%. It will be interesting to see if Marty can get the endorsement this time.

Also, on the agenda at the Region 21 caucus, will be the endorsement in the 53rd Congressional race, between incumbent Susan Davis and challenger Mike Copass. Congresswoman Davis easily won the endorsement two weeks ago, but because of a snafu on the part of the CDP, enough delegates challenged the results to force another vote at the convention.

Friday - Quick Hits

City of San Diego credit rating improves from negative to positive. UT

District-3 candidate John Hartley arrested on indecent exposure charge. UT

City Attorney Mike Aguirre notifies SDG&E that they might violate their franchise agreement with city. UT

Camping fees for the Cleveland National Forest may rise. UT

Judge orders county to rewrite rules on county medical program for the poor. UT

City of Chula Vista to consider mandatory green building standards for new homes and business. UT

Largest hotel on West Coast proposed for East Village. UT

Novel concept, improving mass transit to airport. UT

Thursday - Quick Hits

Another roadblock for controversial Sunrise Powerlink. UT

If voluntary cutbacks don't work, maybe the county water authority should try mandatory cutbacks. UT

La Mesa council member says mayor Art Madrid should foot bill for police investigation. UT

The Port Commission is moving ahead with lighting project for Coronado Bridge as it seeks submissions from artists. UT

Logan Heights eyed as the next area for redevelopment. VOSD

Dirty DeMaio

San Diego needs real leadership - not more mismanagement and dirty politics. We need leaders who look beyond their own personal gain and work for all San Diegans.

What we don’t need is more dirty politicians – but that’s exactly what we would get with Carl DeMaio.

When DeMaio showed up at City Hall in 2002, nobody knew what was behind his buzzword-driven proposals for “cleaning up City Hall.” It turns out that it’s DeMaio’s own record that needs cleaning up. The truth is, Carl DeMaio is just one more dirty politician. And his record proves it:

DeMaio claims to be a fiscal watchdog. In fact, he can't even balance his own books and has regularly violated tax laws.

DeMaio says he’s running to represent fellow San Diegans. In fact, he recently said in a sworn affidavit that he is a resident of Arlington, Virginia.

DeMaio has criticized City Hall corruption and special interests. In fact, he is a lobbyist and consultant who represents corporations and special interests.

See for yourself. Get the facts on DeMaio's dirty record and help clean it up. Go to DirtyDeMaio.com.

This message was paid for by the thousands of firefighters, nurses, teachers and other workers of the San Diego Labor Council.

Wednesday - Quick Hits

Pot selling pastor given pardon by president. UT

Art Madrid saga in La Mesa continues. City manager hires investigated to look into police action on the night of the incident. UT

County moves closer to new libraries in Fallbrook, Ramona, and Alpine. UT

County looking at creating a fire warden position. UT

Riverside county board of supervisors approve affordable housing plan. UT

County home prices in practical free-fall. NCTimes VOSD

Tuesday - Quick Hits

Street Scene set to return to the downtown streets that give it its birth back in 1983. UT

Not a good sign, Agurrie falls short on fundraising. Has only raised $7400 between Jan 1 and Mar 17. UT

Council approves mini-dorm ordinance. UT

Scripps Research Institute plans first new medical school in U.S. in 40 years. UT

City council committee pushes forward with recommendation to hire 17 more auditors. UT

Marti Emerald raises more money than April Boling in D7, Steve Whitburn barely out raises Todd Gloria in D3. UT

Steve Francis is outspending Jerry Sanders 4 to 1 in mayoral race. UT

President of Vista Unified School Board to run for Oceanside city council. UT

Monday - Quick Hits

UCSD is planning on building another biomedical research building on campus. UT

Housing crisis continues. County homes sales drop 17.9% compared to same time last year. UT

Wow, the D.A. discovers that juries tend to be overwhelmingly white. UT

Another example of failure of modern conservatism as a governing philosophy. Report states city needs an audit staff five times its size to adequately do its job. UT VOSD

I'm shocked! Bill Horn is doing the right thing? Supervisor Horn taking on role to preserve Rancho Guejito from development. NCTimes

Challenger to Susan Davis?

As the CDP’s Pre-Primary Endorsement Process winds its way to conclusion in San Jose, it appears that a democratic challenger has emerged to take on Susan Davis. Mike Copass garnered enough delegate votes to pull Davis from the consent calendar.

This is the first time I have ever heard of a sitting Congressperson being pulled from consideration locally. It’s not a secret that Davis isn’t exactly loved in San Diego. But the fact that someone from out of nowhere was able to get enough support to do this is worthy of note.

Hope Jim Cramer Has a Defined Benefit Plan

A video of Jim Cramer from CNBC's Mad Money has been making the rounds on the Internet following the historic collapse of Bear Stearns.

A lot of people are now vilifying Cramer for his bad (understatement) advice, but it isn't really fair to pick out one mistake and project it to everything the man has done. Especially in light of claims now being investigated by the SEC.

Today, the LA Times reported that the SEC is looking into claims that traders who benefited from the collapse intentionally spread rumors to cause market panic.

I know this isn't a blog for financial advice, but I think this is a perfect reason why all Americans should strive for a defined benefit plan for retirement.

The bigger issue is that people like Cramer are on television every day making the financial world look easy. People who promote defined contribution retirement plans point out that over time the stock market comes out ahead.

Of course someone in their late 50s who was heavily invested in the fifth-largest securities firm in the country would probably disagree with those claims after the Bear Stearns fiasco.

It is easy to tell everyone who lost large chunks of their retirement that they should have been smarter. But, how can you expect people to make informed decisions when even so-called experts such as Cramer struggle?

It is insane that more and more employees are being pushed toward a retirement system that punishes those who make the wrong decision based on the best information they have available to them.

"It's a paradigm shifting election." An interview with Nick Leibham

I shared breakfast with Nick Leibham last week and discussed where he stands on a number of issues. I mostly just lobbed topics and let him talk; this is the relevant transcript edited to be a remotely reasonable length and minus fun stuff like us chatting with the waitress and our occasional divergence into non-relevant shop talk. Some parts I liked, some parts less so. But here it is. Note this is a contested primary.

Iraq

Each and every day we remain in Iraq we're compromising our national security further. It's a blood feud that goes back 1400 years between the Sunnis and Shiites. American military forces are not going to be able to sort this out for them and at the end of the day they've got to want peace; they've got to want their own stable form of government; they've got to want democracy more than the American Marine Corps wants it for them

The longer that we're there, the more strain it puts on our own men and women in uniform. They're going out on third, fourth, fifth tours of duty, and you read about it all the time of course because we're just miles away from Camp Pendleton

We need to come out and we need to set a date certain for when we are going to redeploy out of Iraq.

Military and Security

There’s one...threshold question that needs to be answered whenever even the thought of American military use is involved, and that is 'Is it in the interests of the United States of America; Is it in the national security interest?' Obviously the United States military has a role to play in ferreting out al Qaeda, in ferreting out terrorist organizations, in...making sure that our own interests abroad are taken care of.

But the United States military has no business in trying to create whole cloth [or] molding different societies. It's kind of antithetical- democracy can't be imposed at gunpoint.

They’ve got to figure it out for themselves. It can't be the United States government doing it for them.

Immigration

The most fundamental job of a nation is to protect its sovereignty, and when you can't secure your borders and ports you can't protect your sovereignty...As a nation we need to recognize that we are going to have to put a significant amount of money, time and effort into suring up our southern border.

As a former prosecutor...if you really want to dry up illegal immigration, you hold employers accountable, and I’ll be the only one up on stage that has ever prosecuted an employer for hiring illegal immigrants. After that's done, you get to other questions.

Health Care and SCHIP

We should be providing health care to kids and Brian Bilbray has staked out a position of essentially rabid ideology at the expense of some 10 million American kids...I think that it's a disgrace that he decided to stand on ideology and stand with the President as opposed to providing these kids with proper medical care. I think it's just very mean-spirited and worse, it's bad public policy.

My endpoint [on health care] is that every family should be able to see a family doctor of their choosing. The way in which we get there I think is going to be a battle royale come January 2009. And what is being pitched today out on the campaign trail- there isn't going to be even a shade of resemblance once this thing actually gets done.

There is a little bit of overlap between Democrats and Republicans on a few issues. One, I think all parties agree that you're going to have to see rapid and massive adoption of information technology and digital patient files. That will cut down on everything from medical errors to back office expense. And the estimates on what that would shave off- I've seen 10-12% of the total healthcare dollars. Secondly, another overlapping area is preventative care. There are certain areas of medicine where this makes a lot of sense. This makes a lot of sense in the area of inoculations...it makes a lot of sense as it concerns preventative screening for certain diseases. From a cost benefit analysis and a quality of years lived analysis.

You've got to have a very serious debate on how else you get there. we're the only westernized country in the world that tells the pres drug companies that they can charge anything they want and it doesn't matter...I think that's something that needs to be addressed.

What that final product is going to look like, I’m not exactly sure. But I know that...we need to look at that end goal...and say let's try to get there.

FISA

we spoke briefly about the general nature of modern privacy before FISA

What's much MUCH more disconcerting to me is the entire FISA bill...As somebody who has been a prosecutor and dealt with the 4th Amendment, I can tell you that this happened to have been the one amendment in the Bill of Rights that all the Founding Fathers could agree upon; that in order for the government intrusion there had to be probable cause signed off on by an independent magistrate that says you may have committed a crime. I find the entire FISA process to be constitutionally dubious. That doesn't mean that it couldn't be made constitutionally valid but I think that anytime you have wiretaps involved...that deals with an American citizen, you've gotta have a court sign off on it. The only question in my mind is whether or not that has to be done prior to there warrant being executed or whether or not there is some grace period. There is no doubt in my mind that the executive branch itself cannot act as both overseer and executioner (of warrants or wiretaps). That, I think, is constitutionally impermissible; I think it's a violation of the judiciary's proper role of interpreting laws.

As a former prosecutor [and] law clerk in the US Attorney's office in the Major Frauds and Economic Crimes section...I've never heard of anybody being given immunity when you don't know what they've done. It's not how the immunity process works. You don't say to somebody 'Whatever you've done, don't worry about it.'...It's unthinkable to me as a lawyer and as somebody who will have...sworn to uphold the Constitution that I could ever support that.

California Emissions and the Environment

I’m not a scientist, but from what I have read...the EPA seems to have made their decision to deny California its waiver based on faith based science. That’s not good enough. If it's warranted by the facts and the evidence, it should be granted. During the next administration, if it's a Democrat, I think we'll get a fair hearing. And if we don't, that's ripe for congressional action to clarify the rule. Because it's the congress that makes the laws, the executive branch simply carries out those laws.

The debate on the science (of global warming) is over. There is no doubt in any serious scientist's mind that global warming is happening. There is virtually no doubt that mankind is directly causing global warming. The only question at this point is 'What is the causal relationship and what are the consequences going forward?'

The role of government as it concerns energy and the environment I think is going to be crucial in the next 5, 10, 20 years. One of the things I very much hope to work on as a member of Congress...is pursuing and advocating for alternative energy in the areas of wind, solar, some biomass, hydrogen. And the role of the government here is to set high standards, it's to help foster innovation- especially in the very early stages of research and development- and then I think it's to turn it over to the market who does a great job of packaging this up...and if people can make a...fortune doing it, great. It makes good public policy, it's good politics, I think it's a good way to return some manufacturing to...the Americas.

It's also an issue of national security. We send hundreds of billions of dollars each year to...Middle Eastern regimes many of them hostile to our interests. We know...that some of that money ends up with Hezbollah; that it ends up with Hamas; some of it filters down and ends up with al Qaeda. We're funding both sides of the war in this particular time.

Then there is the great moral calling of our time which is addressing the global warming problem itself...There is no doubt that our kids will bear the full brunt of this, and we need to figure out now a way to mitigate it because to do anything other than that is nothing short of...long-term child abuse.

Economy

Two prime reasons (for the current economic situation). One, it has been fiscal insanity on the part of the Bush administration...We see that in everything from the weakness of the dollar which hits you...at the pump and in the grocery aisle, to being able to sure up many of those social programs which we know have a pending disaster: Medicare, Social Security, our infrastructure, etc. Secondly, the war. You cannot talk about anything else in this campaign until you address the war.

We are spending- the estimates are- $10-12 billion a month. We have direct outlays to Iraq...upwards and including $500 billion. For one single solitary day of war making in Iraq, we could have sent 160,000 low-income students to college for a year. For 3 1/2 months of war in Iraq we could have provided healthcare coverage to those 10 million...American kids for 5 years under SCHIP. Until we end that, again, we are committing long term fiscal child abuse. Because we're not paying for it...we're borrowing money from...foreign creditors to finance this thing. It's completely and totally irresponsible and it must end.

There’s some middle class tax cuts that...we should retain. We should retain the 15% capital gains rate as opposed to seeing it revert back to 20%. More than 50 million Americans at this point have 401Ks; hat benefits them greatly. We need to once and for all end the AMT. These last couple years it has snagged a whole cross section of our population that it was never meant to hit, and the doubling of the child tax credit is a positive thing. It's a positive thing for San Diego families and San Diego parents. Of course, the recklessness as it concerns the Bush giveaways in terms of the top 1%- no. That's fiscal insanity and I will be a voice to end it.

Most interesting for me was an interlude about halfway through the interview where we lapsed into discussing this year's election in an historical context:

We win this fight because their platform is old and it's worn out...The Reagan Revolution...which started really in 1964 with Goldwater's defeat...it culminated in 1980 and 1994 and the end of the Bush years are a bookend. It's tired, it's played out, and it no longer offers up a positive agenda for America. This isn't just a change election in the sense of Democrats or Republicans. This is a paradigm shifting election and Democrats can capture that...they've got a lot of work to do but we can capture it and I think the pendulum is swinging our way.

Cross posted from Calitics

Monday - Quick Hits

Sanders names two to stadium advisory board. UT


Mexican officials belive they have arrested a top member of the Arellano drug cartel. UT


Seven local students honored as some of the state's top scholars by the governor. UT


After first week, Sprinter rail service getting positive reviews. UT

School District Budget Slashing A Harbinger For Future Of Public Services

Since the Office of the Governor began spouting off bleak projections of California's state budget shortfall, currently estimated at $16 billion, trustees who preside over regional school boards in San Diego County have scrambled to deal with their consequential district deficits.

The analysis and subsequent action that each school board has chosen to take have been unique and telling of their commitment to the lives of workers and the students they serve. Members and staff of SEIU Local 221 have aggressively lobbied the trustees of each school board within our jurisdiction, including Fallbrook Union High School District (FUHSD), Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD), Poway Unified School District (PUSD), and the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD).

While the school boards governing FUHSD, SDCCD, and PUSD have employed a collaborative and transparent process in approaching their budget shortfalls, others have been less demonstrative of their commitment to equalize these imminent budget cuts. For example, the FUHSD voted unanimously to forego their stipend and health benefit expenses during the next few lean years in an effort to soften the brunt of cuts to classified and certificated employees. The SDCCD and PUSD have consistently engaged in good-faith discourse with our members, choosing to address their financial woes humanely and responsibly.

As examples of rational, non-political, and compassionate school boards continue to make headlines with their creative proposals about how to humanely address the largest cut to public education in California's history, it is our hope that our Board of Supervisors will emulate the exemplary governing bodies above when dealing with the County's budget shortfall.

Gore Vidal to Attend Peace Rally and March

Legendary essayist and author Gore Vidal will be in San Diego tomorrow to attend Peace rally marking the 5th anniversary of the disaster was in Iraq. Theme of the rally "Costs of The War" which has now surpassed a half a trillion dollars and nearly 4000 American servicemembers deaths.

The event is being sponsored by the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice. The first rally is scheduled for noon at Fairmount and University avenues in City Heights. [Map] At 1 p.m., protesters will march to Teralta Park, 40th Street at Orange Avenue [Map], where the second rally will go from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Friday - Quick Hits

Crime and wildfires top concerns for city voters. UT

Registrar of Voters overcharged some cities and districts by almost $500,000 during the 2006 election cycle. UT

Housing crisis continues, San Diego County home prices are off by 20% from peak in 2005. UT

Oceanside still desperately trying to shake its image as a military town, is planning $1 billion worth of downtown projects. UT NCTimes

Tribal leaders discuss impact of planned casino hotel in Valley Center. UT

Thursday - Quick Hits

State Senator Ducheny has gone off the rials by proposing a bill that would strip the Coastal Commission of its ability to self-initiate appeals. NCTimes

City finances are getting a hard look by candidate. But is it a serious look. UT

Community of Potero trying to move past the Blackwater saga. UT

Another candidate jumps into the Acle held school board seat race. UT

D.A. will not investigate Art Madrid incident. UT

Residents taking the initiative to have their older neighborhoods designated historical districts to prevent misguided infill development. UT

Increase in home foreclosures are having a serious impact on housing market. UT

Healthcare Workers Respond

In a previous post regarding Sal Roselli as a hypocrite here is a response from healthcare workers to that post :

The response from SEIU-UHW, posted on their website [Link] shows there is a real debate.[Link]

In particular, long term care members of UHW's Executive Board responded that Tyrone Freeman of 6434 has "repeatedly refused to participate in developing a coordinated bargaining plan for the dozens of facilities operated by national and regional chains where both UHW and your local represent nursing home workers." [Link]

UHW's Convalescent Division Director John Vellardita's response to Freeman claims ongoing efforts and calls to coordinate bargaining with 6434. [Link]

These are real healthcare workers in a real debate.

There will be future posts regrading this debate as it continues.

Democrats Have Their Say Last Night

Last night's Democratic Party Central Committee turned out to be the contentious meeting that many were expecting. The big item on the agenda of course was the endorsement for city attorney. As reported elsewhere, incumbent City Attorney Mike Aguirre failed to receive the endorsement from the party last night. Besides Mike Aguirre, both Scott Peters and Amy Lepine were in attendance to seek the party's endorsement too. The process quickly boiled down to the Aguirre v. Peters match that everyone had expected it to be.

During the candidate discussion period Aguirre continued to play the role of martyr. That he was the victim of backroom deals being orchestrated between corrupt politicians, labor bosses and the downtown establishment. For many of the central committee members, Aguirre's manichean view of city politics played to their sympathies. Agurrie also took several jabs at Peters, arguing that he was responsible for the financial mess in the city.

Scott Peters, on the other hand touted his Democratic bona fides that fell on a deaf ear for many of members in the audience. Peters additionally argued that unlike Aguirre, he has demonstrated an ability to work with others council in his role as president of the city council. It was painfully obvious that the central committee was divided Aguirre and Peters with Aguirre having more supporters there that Peters. After two votes Aguirre fell 1% short of the 60% required for the party endorsement.

Aguirre has now twice failed in the last 6 months to capture the party endorsement. It appears that he wasn't able to enlarge his majority on the central committee enough for him to break the 60% threshold. If he ends up making the runoff for the November election, he can once again go before the central committee in July to try to get the "hat trick" in no endorsement from the party.

Correction: In a post the other day I made mention that the Democratic Party in 2004 had endorsed Kathryn Burton over Scott Peters in 2004. The information I received was wrong from a central committee member was incorrect. Scott Peters and Kathryn Burton were co-endorsed by the party.

Wednesday - Quick Hits

Just as long as it is not a Wal-Mart. Developer proposes a 5-story vertical big box development on the edge of downtown. UT

Metropolitan Water District voted to raise water rates by 14.3 percent. UT

County had no voice in the regional meeting during the wildfires to allocation of resources. UT

City attorney candidates lock horns at debate. UT VOSD

Valley Center planning group has say on proposed casino hotel, now public will have their say. UT

City of Vista rolls over and approves expansion of Wal-Mart into a Supercenter. UT NCTimes

Union workers rally in Riverside County administration complex for temp workers to be allowed to organize. UT

Tuesday - Quick Hits

City Council approves updated blueprint for future growth, but tells poor people there is no place for you here in San Diego. UT

City to appoint "relocation experts" in order to properly compensate De Anza Cove residents. UT

Poll says that Aguirre would lead all candidates in June primary, but would lose in general elections. UT

Cal State San Marcos students and staff unite to fight budget cuts. UT

Growth management initiative petition turned in San Marcos for June ballot. UT NCTimes

Preview: Aguirre vs. Peters

Tuesday evening the Democratic Central Committee will be meeting to discuss endorsements for the upcoming races in June. The big item on the agenda will be the endorsement in the San Diego City Attorney's race. Last November incumbent City Attorney Mike Aguirre came up two votes short of the 60% threshold in order to receive the early incumbent endorsement. Since then council president Scott Peters has joined the race for city attorney and will also be seeking the party endorsement. It should also be noted that when Scott Peters ran for re-election back in 2004, he didn't win the early incumbent then, instead is went to Kathryn Burton. If the November central committee meeting was any indication, Tuesday night's meeting stands to be quite contentious.

DeMaio Musings

I spend a lot of time in District 5, and recently discussed the topic of Carl DeMaio with friends and family in the Carmel Mountain Ranch/Rancho Bernardo area.

The discussion is often pretty short, with friends being able to tell me he’s going to fix San Diego’s finances followed by silence. No one can answer how DeMaio, as just one of eight votes on the City Council, is going to be able to do this. No one can tell me his plan for solving all our problems. Just that DeMaio can fix everything, as if he were magic.

The fact is that to this point DeMaio has been somewhat of a one-trick pony insisting that the solution to solving all of San Diego’s fiscal problems is by selling-off city services one-by-one. Good luck telling parents in D5 that their children can’t visit their branch library because it closed early or their child’s Little League games at Community Park or Highland Ranch Park are canceled due to poor conditions, all because the contractor has profits as higher priority than service.

Having grown up in the heart of District 5, living there until I was 25, I know there will be questions about what are DeMaio’s plans after he “fixes” city finances. This is where I think he will struggle due to the area’s ultra-conservative values.

I remember debates in my high school civics class where the majority of the class would argue, passionately, that the widow of a fallen soldier should not receive any government assistance since she was “foolish” to marry and have children if she couldn’t have been able to afford life without her husband. My senior year a fellow progressive-minded student and I searched for a teacher who would brave the stigma from ultra-conservative parents and sponsor a campus Future Democrats Club (we found a closeted gay teacher, but with just two members in a school with 2,800 students we couldn’t sustain a full club).

So I can’t help but think that, as sad as it may be in this day and age, DeMaio’s sexual orientation will be a factor in this election.

This is still an area of the city where there was more outrage that a student was asked to remove a t-shirt referring to a Bible verse than that said t-shirt was hateful towards fellow classmates.

This is the same area where a local country club recently settled an anti-discrimination lawsuit with a lesbian couple.

This is the same area where the fear of high school girls wearing the wrong type of underwear resulted in a disgraceful school dance.

It’s unfortunate, but I have to think at some point DeMaio is going to run into problems from those spouting traditional family values.

Monday - Quick Hits

Maybe his heart just isn't in it. School Board trustee Luis Acle fails to qualify for the ballot. UT

For the next four weeks San Diego and Tijuana will be an hour apart. UT

Future of Balboa Park was the subject of forum held on Saturday. UT

After years of planning, and a half a billion dollars, North County finally has its rail service. UT NCTimes

They should try recycling the water. Escondido has a disposal program for its much waste water. UT

Thoughts on the 3rd SD City Council Race

It’s a solid Dem district with three good Democrats running. Here’s where I see things:

Todd Gloria
This guy may only be 29 but he’s running a campaign like a pro. From the signs blanketing University just after the Pride parade last year to racking up endorsements from the P.O.A., the League of Conservation Voters, and Francine Busby, this guy’s got it going on. From the beginning, I was impressed with his campaign and the tightness of his team. This shows an executive ability to put together a staff and manage operations.

But I don’t think he can clear this in June because of…

John Hartley
Say what you will about him, his shoe-leather campaign will pay dividends. San Diegans dig a bit of old school in their politics and John has the time and energy to walk the district. This bodes well for him making the run-off. Hell, he can win without Remer even though, like a lamprey, Larry is present.

Gloria has a more professional operation but Hartley has name recognition and recognizes that, for all its bluster, this is not a “gay” seat. Just look at the numbers. Any strategy based only on the community may get you in the run-off but won’t deliver the election, at least the first time.

Which brings me to….

Stephen Whitburn
An upstanding young man with the San Diego Democratic Club and some of their more active members behind him. Were the community unified, either he or Gloria could have a shot at taking this in the first round. As is, he’s got a lot of ground to cover having been out-hustled by Gloria early on. With Hartley pounding the pavement, Whitburn is caught between toe skilled operators plying their skill which leaves him, IMHO, the third man in this race.

I know labor is split, as is the gay community, on this race. I don’t know who will win, but, so far, things haven’t gotten bloody and this bodes well. Any of these three would be necessary for progress on the City Council. I just hope things don’t get too ugly before it is all over.

Francis hits the Mail

Steve Francis has taken his pitch to the mailboxes, it seems. A friend of mine told me this evening that she received an 8 page mailer from Steve Francis - proclaiming him to be the "independent for mayor." (She is a Democrat, PAV) The mail piece was described as a typical introduction piece, just like his commercials, with pictures of him and wife, him as a boy scout, etc. Nothing about his right of center politics, just feel good stuff. Anyone know who is doing his mail?

Friday - Quick Hits

I'm shocked! Another anti-Aguirre piece in the UT today. UT

The 9th circuit strikes again. Revives defamation suit against Supervisor Dianne Jacobs. UT

From the irony department, the UT decries the partisanship in city council races. UT

More on Art Madrid. Now La Mesa councilmember want county D.A. to investigate Madrid incident. UT

Residents in Kensington a going to court to stop the development of Kensington Terrace. UT

The Sprinter rail service hasn't even started yet, and NCTD to be fined for water pollution violations. UT NCTimes

Hypocrite Sal Rosselli Exposed!

A letter was sent by Tyrone Freeman the President of SEIU-ULTCWU to Sal Rosselli the President of SEIU-UHW-West.

In the letter Tyrone tells Sal that he just learned that Sal has been having secret back-door meetings and deals with a group of nursing home employers over economic issues covering bargaining unit workers where the two SEIU unions have joint representation to a master collective bargaining agreement. He goes on to say it is a violation of the responsibility and fiduciary duties of a union leader and in violation of the fundamental principles of trade union democracy.

The secret deal was signed by Sal's union on 1/21/08 with the employers of Covenant Care, Kindred, Country Villa, Sun and Salva. None of SEIU-ULTCWU members or even their staff were apart of the agreement or conversations, which means member contracts were being negotiated without the members or their knowledge. The reason for this posting is the hypocrisy of Sal, who has tried to call out SEIU International's President Andy Stern for doing exactly what Sal is now caught doing himself, making deals with employers without member involvement. In addition, Tyrone states Sal has been doing this without Sal's own members, the rank and file workers, but a group of hand picked workers bound to the secrecy of a pledge.

The secret agreement uncovered states that both sides (Sal's union and the employers) will be "off-the-record", except where terms of this agreement are sought to be enforced, absent the written consent of all parties. It goes on that all parties shall not disclose their conversations to the media, the NLRB, or other government agencies, a mediator, arbitrator or court of law. However, if you are under oath with a THREAT of judicial contempt, then tell the parties, before testifying.

Tomorrow in Los Angeles Sal is arranging a protest of Andy for what Sal has just been caught doing. The interesting question who now turns out, who turns out knows about this back door deal and will they still support Sal? Finally, will Sal's own members believe these uncovered documents or follow him blindly into the abyss.

Cross-posted at Calitics.

Thursday - Quick Hits

Old Police headquarters on Market St. is headed for redevelopment as a commercial center. UT

Wow! The UT has discovered that gay people live in other neighborhoods besides Hillcrest. UT

Art Madrid saga continues. Independent investigator might be hired as early as next week. UT

Still more on Art Madrid. La Mesa Police release dispatches from night of incident. UT

County's top administrator to pen a column on the life and times of being a government bureaucrat. UT

Mini-dorm ordinance is headed back to city council for approval. UT

SANDAG panel asserts that Sunrise Powerlink contradicts San Diego County's long range energy goal. NCTimes

Enviros split endorsement in D3

I received an interesting announcement today. The League of Conservation Voters San Diego chose to support Todd Gloria in the San Diego City Council District 3 race. Anyone who has been watching this race closely has to be a little surprised. The Sierra Club came out early to support Stephen Whitburn and John Hartley, basically saying anyone but Gloria. Then, there was a lot of talk about the number of enviros that were lining up for Whitburn, because of all the developer money that showed up on Gloria's campaign disclosures. So, how did he squeeze a sole endorsement from the League? Their board is full of real enviros, so this is really a coup for Gloria. Or, maybe a signal that people on the ground think he has it tied up?

Wednesday - Quick Hits

With real estate crisis, city is having hard time selling property to meet budget shortfall. UT

Oceanside school officials decide to place $195 million bond measure on June ballot. UT

SDGE agrees to tear down steel power towers along bay front in Chula Vista. UT

Fair and balanced UT still doing the PR work for Gaylord Entertainment. UT

UCR wants to build medical school. UT

Tuesday - Quick Hits

Another gun battle in Tijuana, this time between the army and members of a kidnapping ring. UT

Sanders begins radio ad push for re-election. UT

Peters presently is an "inactive" member of State Bar. VOSD

Questions being raised on how Red Cross spent donation money during wildfires. UT

Council votes to put measure on ballot, that would allow the mayor to continue selecting the city auditor. UT VOSD

National City may join plan to zone waterfront between residents and industry. UT

Carlsbad set to vote on pay raise for city workers. NCTimes

Don't be Afraid!

San Diego Ready to Build Up, Not Out

For the first time since 1979, the City of San Diego is reviewing and updating its general plan for growth and development. The report is more than 300 pages long and not even *I* am nerd enough to read it all (ok, not yet), but it's kicking up quite a stir as it recommends a rather dramatic shift to infill, redevelopment and other building up instead of out priorities. Why the shift? Well, there's no more room. As the U-T points out, only 4% of San Diego remains open for new development. Which means it's time to start thinking like an actual city instead of neverending suburbia.

This notion has of course stirred up plenty of controversy. Some of it is legitimate, like Councilmember Donna Frye's concerns about infrastructure and services keeping up with increased density. Some of it is mostly just people just trying to cover their own butts without regard for the broader picture. I'm all for making sure that the projects are executed correctly, but criticisms along the lines of "if it's done wrong, it'll be bad" really don't help me much.

Calitics has, on many occasions, discussed the need to change the way California thinks about development. Robert in Monterey has led the way on the notion that building density and a non-car based transportation system is key to the next generation of planning. So while I'm cynical like many people around town who say "The plan has these wonderful platitudes but on every page," I'm also encouraged by just the notion of setting a goal of building forward-thinking urban density.

San Diego's take on it will apparently focus on these ten priorities:

The proposed new blueprint for San Diego is guided by 10 principles. They are:

An open-space network formed by parks, canyons, river valleys, habitats, beaches and ocean.

Diverse residential communities formed by the open-space network.

Compact and walkable mixed-use villages.

Employment centers for a strong economy.

A regional transportation network of walkways, bikeways, transit, roadways and freeways that link communities to each other and to employment centers.

High quality, affordable and well-maintained public facilities.

Historic districts and sites that respect San Diego's heritage.

Balanced communities that offer opportunities for all San Diegans.

A clean and sustainable environment.

A high aesthetic standard.

Mayor Jerry Sanders, in a serious battle with fellow right-winger Steve Francis (hitting from the left and the right cause there's no major Dem in the race) for November's mayoral election, is dusting off his anti-labor credentials by complaining about the promotion of living wage regulation for low-wage industries like, say, tourism. Center for Policy Initiatives has coincidentally (not at all a coincidence) reminded San Diegans this week that the local economy has not exactly been churning out the big bucks (pdf). Via email:

In San Diego County, two-thirds of all jobs created since 1990 are in the bottom third of wage levels -- with median pay of $24,500 a year. Research from the California Budget Project shows that even a person living alone needs $28,000 a year to meet basic living expenses in our county.

Nice. So San Diego is producing jobs that pay too little to live in San Diego, thus the living wage is a bad idea. Clearly. Living is bad. Affording to live in San Diego is bad for the local economy. Jerry Sanders is an economic mastermind.

But where this really will start hitting problems is when people have to pay for it. Not because people are unwilling to pay for good stuff, but because of the near-toxic combination of politicians who demonize government inefficiency (that they contribute to), the media that laps up the notion (because it's easier than being a legitimate watchdog), and the years of (to put it nicely) crap government in San Diego.

But as Planning Commission Chairman Barry Schultz puts it, "if we want to have this vision we have to be willing to contribute our part."

Exactly.

Cross posted from Calitics

Monday - Quick Hits

I think the word is called zoning. Groups seek to created a buffer zone between residents and waterfront. UT

Extension of Route 52 to connect with Route 67 is underway. Don't expect to drive on it until 2010. UT

Firefighters use controversial Sunroad building as part of training exercise. UT

NCTD ironing out last of the problems before the Sprinter rail service starts. UT

Questions continue to pile up regarding the desal project in Carlsbad. NCTimes

Everyone think they are Obama these days

It seems every where you go in Democratic circles these days every candidate is comparing themselves to Obama. Mike Aguirre made the comparison in Voice of San Diego . Auday Arabo has been drawing the comparison, as stated in a previous post. So, where are our local Hillarys?

Questions about the local GOP

1) There looks to be a number of Ron Paul supporters taking out papers for Republican Central Committee. Will it make a difference in what the San Diego Republican Party does?

2) Give the number of IE’s, donors, and others involved in elections, does the San Diego Republican Party actually matter or is it a straw man for other interests that can actually get something done?

3) Given the bang–up job that Nehring is doing in Sacramento, can we expect a similar legacy of “leadership” from the San Diego Republican Party?

Barack Obama = Matt Santos

New Candidate in District 5?

Well, I guess it is official. Republican Carl Demaio will face a serious challenger in d5. The County Clerk shows a George George pulled papers today. Funny name. But, he is legit. Has Jen Tierney as a consultant (think consultant to Bonnie Dumanis, Kevin Faulconer, Todd Gloria, Michael Zucchett, Firefighters) I hear he is a retired Fire Chief. Not bad for a district that just was so heavily affected by the fires. Also, I hear he is a VERY moderate. Perfect! Now, if only someone would start telling the truth about Carl Demaio. I anticipate that day will come.

Friday - Quick Hits

Documents reveal that city council granted Mike Aguirre permission to litigate over pension benefits. UT

Brian Maienschein officially kicks off his campaign for city attorney. UT

Art Madrid saga continues as La Mesa city council probe into the incident. UT

What about Floyd Morrow? Steve Francis wants to have 8 debates with Mayor Sanders. UT

Tri-city decides against placing another bond measure on June ballot. UT NCTimes

Developers are biggest donors in San Diego elections

Developers are biggest donors in San Diego elections
CPI analysis reveals campaign contributions by industry

The big money in this year's San Diego city elections is coming from the real estate and development industry.

Donors connected to real estate and development interests already have given $228,345 -- far more than any other industry -- to the campaigns for mayor, city attorney and four city council seats. That’s 21 percent of the total $1.08 million the candidates received from donors in 2007. Candidates gave another $280,105 to their own campaigns.

The industry analysis by the Center on Policy Initiatives is based on donations made through December, which candidates had to report to the city clerk on Jan. 31. The next filing of donations received since then will be on March 24.

CPI makes all the reported donations available in an online, searchable database called Follow the Money. The industry categories are assigned based on the occupation and employer information supplied by donors.

Real estate and development was the biggest spending industry in all six contests, topped only by the total for miscellaneous individuals in two races and by the aggregated sector of lawyers, lobbyists and advocacy organizations in the city attorney's race.

The largest chunk of the real estate and development money -- $90,803 -- has gone to the mayoral race, all of it to incumbent Jerry Sanders, since challenger Steve Francis is self-funding his campaign. Development-connected donors also have given $49,970 in the District 5 Council race, 94% of it to candidate Carl DeMaio.

Other sectors contributing sizable amounts, and their totals for the six campaigns, include:
· Lawyers, lobbyists and advocacy organizations: $117,923
· Finance and insurance: $76,560
· High-tech and biotech: $62,932
· Business services: $62, 575
· Tourism: $54,218

For more details, the Follow the Money database can be searched by donor name, employer and other factors. Candidates who did not file statements with at least $1,000 in contributions by Dec. 31 are not included. Loans and independent expenditures by political organizations are not included.

Labor Council Membership Endorses Scott Peters for San Diego City Attorney

The membership of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council voted to endorse Council President Scott Peters’ candidacy for San Diego City Attorney last night.

The endorsement was based on Peters’ demonstrated respect for public service, his commitment to San Diego and his desire to bring civility back to city government.

“We represent thousands of firefighters, nurses, teachers, letter carriers, social workers, sanitation engineers and other public servants,” said Lorena Gonzalez, secretary-treasurer of the Labor Council. “We need elected representatives who understand and respect the value of these jobs, and don’t simply vilify people who work for a living. Electing Council President Peters as City Attorney will help bring an end to divisive politics in our fine city.”

The Council also voted for a tri-endorsement in the race for San Diego City Council District 3. The unprecedented move for a triple endorsement of candidates Todd Gloria, John Hartley and Stephen Whitburn came after all three candidates’ demonstrated to the Labor Council’s Committee on Political Education their commitment to lift up San Diego’s working families.

“Although individual unions may have favored one candidate over the others, we all agreed that we had never had such a pro-labor trio of candidates vying for our endorsement in a San Diego City Council race,” said Gonzalez. “Whoever is elected in District 3, it is clear that the working men and women of San Diego will have a true advocate on our City Council.”

The tri-endorsement allows individual unions to independently endorse a specific candidate in the race, if they so desire.

The Labor Council also endorsed San Diego City Council District 1 Candidate Sherri Lighter and San Diego School Board Candidates Richard Berrera and Shelia Jackson. The Labor Council also recommended to California Labor Federation the endorsements for Assembly Candidate Marty Block (78th AD), Greg Pettis (80th AD) and Congressional Candidate Nick Leibham (50th CD).

Thursday - Quick Hits

Art you should have called yourself a taxi. More questions being asked regarding special treatment by police for a drunken mayor of La Mesa. UT

Recruiting is up and attrition is down for San Diego Police since the pay raise last year. UT

State Sen. Christine Kehoe taking the lead on making it easier for communities to raise the revenue necessary for more fire protection. NCTimes

Noticeable positive effects since alcohol ban has gone into affect in beach area. UT

Three days of marathon hearing by the PUC over Sunrise Powerlink, vast overwhelming majority opposed to it. UT

City of Santee votes to become a charter city. Will place measure on November ballot. UT

Karen Bass to be the Next Speaker of the Assembly

The SacBee is reporting tonight that:

Assemblywoman Karen Bass has secured the votes to become the next speaker of the California Assembly, elevating an African American woman to the post for the first time in California history, several Democratic colleagues said tonight. [Link]

This is great news since in my opinion the reign of Fabian Núñez as Assembly Speaker cannot come to an end soon enough.

What is going on in the City Attorney's Race?

For the last week, I have been hearing all sorts of things happenings in the race for city attorney. Take all of it with a grain of salt, but here is what I have heard from multiple sources.

Mike Aguirre: I have been told that Pat Flannery who publishes the Blog of San Diego, has taken on a prominent role in Aguirre's re-election campaign. You got to wonder how at good and open government type like Pat will get along with Al Ducheny, who I understand is managing Aguirre's campaign.

Dan Coffey: With Scott Peters entry into the race there has been an effort by the friends of Scott, to get some of the other Democrats to drop out of the race. Lee Burdick saw the handwriting on the wall; dropped out and endorsed Peters. As of this writing, I'm told that Dan Coffey has been approached but has decided to continue in the race.

Jan Goldsmith: This is the most interesting thing I have heard. Apparently, he was caught off guard by the entry of Brian Maienschein into the race and this has created a bit of turmoil in some Republican circles. I understand that he is having a harder time raising money than he expected. I have also been told that he really doesn't want to fight itout in a contested primary and might drop out of the race before the filing period ends.

Wednesday - Quick Hits

La Mesa mayor tries to explain to council last night, the drinking and driving incident from last week. UT

City of Santee set to discuss becoming a Charter City. UT

City council once again cannot say no to a developer. UT

State budget crisis hits North County. Oceanside school district looks to close two schools and Carlsbad school district looks to fire 185 teachers and staff. UT

Still more on the budget crisis, San Marcos schools decides to layoff 120 teachers and staff. NCTimes

Federal government moving forward with $577 million expansion plan for San Ysidro border crossing. UT

More on house crisis, San Diego posted largest drop nationally in home depreciation during Q4 in 2007. NCTimes VOSD

SD City Council 7: Who’s on first?

After what appeared to be a sustained campaign to stick something on her, the right-wingers won in getting the Emerald campaign to reveal her donors.

I’m not here to debate the merits of whether what Marti did was right or wrong. What concerns me is that she responded to this matter in a way that the accusers wanted her to. In doing what was asked, her campaign has become reactive rather than active.

In letting the Republicans set the tone, the Boling campaign could lead the Emerald campaign into a place it doesn’t want to be in and pull out a win. I believe it was The Art of War that emphasized never letting your enemy set the battlefield otherwise they will set it to their advantage and you will lose.

Remer is know for wasting a lot of money on mail and getting it out late, not cultivating strategy and building winning coalitions. As far as I know, Jacobson has never run a race.

I am now raising a flag of warning to the Emerald camp that this is their race to lose. The early signs are there. This is far from over and I hope that this post won’t forecast the future.

Nevertheless, as someone who reflexively spits out Kool-aid, I have to call this one as I see it, without the sugary-sweetened goggles on.

Tuesday - Quick Hits

City council decides to postpone pay raise recommendations. UT

In La Mesa, police provided taxi service for drunken mayor to get home. UT

City council to hear appeal on Broadway Complex proposal today. UT

Another day, another report on last October's wildfires. This one avoids criticism of Cal Fire. UT

Federal agency in their infinite wisdom has decided to relocate 25,000 lbs of emergency medical supplies from San Diego County to Los Angeles County in order to save a few dollars. NCTimes

Boycott the San Diego U-T

Join the Rally

Today, February 26th
Time: 12p.m
Location: U-T, 350 Camino de la Reina, San Diego, CA 92104

The U-T is trying to bust the Teamsters in its latest negotiations. The contract being proposed will destroy the working families at the U-T.

Under the proposed contract:

• Wages cut by 40 percent.
• Employees' children not covered by company-paid insurance.
• Union employees will pay 50% of insurance premiums while non-Union will pay 5%.
• Eliminate seniority for vacations shift selection.
  

Labor Council's Delegate Fight

This Wednesday, the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council's delegates will again have a fight over whether to endorse CA-53 Representative Susan Davis.

Susan Davis was originally endorsed by the Labor Council back in 2000, when she took on Representative Brian Bilbray in his former district. Bilbray was a bad vote time and time again at both the local and the national level for Labor. So, they organized, as unions know how, and helped then Assemblymember Davis beat Bilbray and sent her to the House of Representatives.

Representative Davis made a controversial vote during her first term by voting for CAFTA. This earned her the wrath of Labor in the following election cycle. Davis made it through the election without issue. However, time and time again she comes before Labor, asks for their support and time and time again Labor never forgets and never forgives her for that vote.

There seems to be no consideration by the local unions of Representative Davis’ overall record. She has voted for minimum wage increases, Head Start funding, the Employee Free Choice Act, environmental and labor rights including in future trade deals, healthcare reform, welfare re-authorization and so forth. Even though, the sentiments among the anti-Davis folks are strong, she still continues to receive the support by some of the labor unions that make up the Labor Council. Take a look at her PAC numbers; she receives money from AFSCME, AFT, Postal Workers, Fire Fighters, Letter Carriers, SEIU, Boilermakers, Transport Workers and so forth.

Labor needs to ask themselves the hard question. Do they oppose Susan Davis yet again this year, or try to reach out to her and figure out how they can work together? Does Labor move forward or continue to look backwards this Wednesday night? I hope they look forward. TQ

OOOH, AHHH!

Well, I hope the naysayers on the Right are happy. Troubleshooter Mart Emerald released all of her donors under $100 today and clearly there wasn't much to write home about. As expected, her low-end donors included a couple dozen retirees, about half a dozen union organizers and business agents, a handful of non-profit types, a couple of independent writers, and a few interesting Republicans. (Do the names Horsman or Roth sound familiar?) The funny thing was how few $99 donations she received. Most under $100 looked legit... $25 or $50.

Some other interesting things to note: 3 EDCO (Trash Haulers) executives gave at $95 each (Is $95 the new $99?)

Mayor of Lemon Grove - Mary Sessom - lists educator as her job, as does Lemon Grove School Board Member George Gastil. Guess they don't want to fess up?

Monday - Quicks Hits

Hypocrisy in action, GOP complains about earmarks but it hasn't stop Representatives Hunter, Issa and Bilbray from securing their own earmarks. NCTimes

Housing crisis continues. Home sales fall to their lowest level in a decade. UT

Cliff erosion is forcing NOAA to evacuate to buildings in La Jolla. UT

State might consider raising gas tax to offset revenue shortfall. NCTimes

Cities of Carlsbad and Oceanside discuss possible land swap. NCTimes

78th AD – Sherard?

Last week, a debate was held in Bonita in which Arabo, Block, Ricasa, and Sherard were invited. After waiting for quite some time for Sherard, the debate went forward.

Does anybody, outside of some Republicans looking to play spoiler, think Sherard has a prayer in this race? Arabo has the money, Block ahs the establishment, and Ricasa has the street cred.

Other than being the sacrificial lamb in the last cycle, what does Sherard bring to the race that makes her credible?

Does anyone know?

Honestly, the fact that she got the nomination last time wasn’t all that shocking especially in a low turnout primary. This time, she has real competition on the ground, which is where she got her support in 2006.

I don’t think she has a shot unless the Republicans offer to pay off her campaign debts and use her as cover to viciously attack the Democratic nominee.