"Energy Crossroads" Screening with Debbie Cook

Peak Oil Film & Discussion
Think Gas at $4.50 is Expensive?
Tuesday, July 29th

FEATURING: Award-winning film Energy Crossroads (2007)

SPECIAL GUEST: Debbie Cook
Huntington Beach Mayor and Candidate for Congress

Film begins at 7:00pm
Discussion follows at 8:00pm
Joyce Beers Community Center
3900 Vermont St. (in Hillcrest Trader Joe's shopping center)

RSVP to: Progress@ProgressiveSD.org
Suggested Donation: $10-20 (but no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

Think gas at $4.50 is expensive? Most oil industry geologists and analysts predict that within a few years, world oil production will reach a peak and then begin an irreversible decline, as huge decades-old oil fields are depleted. This is likely to significantly increase the price of everything produced from or transported using oil, including gasoline, plastic, chemicals, and food. Join Progressive San Diego and Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook for a movie and discussion about peak oil, its impacts on our sprawling region, and what San Diego can do to mitigate its effects.

Debbie Cook, Mayor of Huntington Beach, California is an attorney and environmental activist and is currently running for U.S. Congress in California's 46th district. She serves on the boards of directors of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO-USA) and the Post Carbon Institute, and has spoken internationally about what local governments can do in response to the imminent peak in world oil production.

For more information visit:
Progressive San Diego
Debbie Cook for Congress

Labor Votes to Oppose Developer’s Initiative of 10th Avenue

The membership of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO, last night unanimously voted to oppose a ballot initiative that would destroy maritime industry at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal.

The campaign to defeat the measure will be one of the Labor Council’s top priorities in this fall’s elections, according to Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez.

“These are some of the last good, blue-collar, middle-class jobs left in our region,” said Gonzalez. “The 120,000 working families of the Labor Council are outraged that a private developer is pushing a misleading plan that is destructive to the region’s working waterfront.”

San Diego Bay’s working waterfront provides the region with 42,000 jobs and adds an economic impact of $7.6 billion annually to the region.

The initiative, which will be placed on the Nov. 4 ballots of residents in San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and Coronado, would change the Port’s master plan to allow for the redevelopment of the 10th Avenue Terminal for private use.

The plan would allow for private building on a deck constructed on top of the terminal, and would reduce the region’s ability ensure both business growth and port security.

“This isn’t under-utilized land in desperate need of redevelopment,” said Gonzalez. “It is a valuable part of our economy. From the banana you eat for breakfast to the cement used to make the sidewalk below you, there is a good chance that every day you use a product that came through the 10th Avenue Terminal.”

Anti-Union Measure’s Defeat in Chula Vista is Final

The Chula Vista city clerk has officially notified supporters of an anti-union ballot measure that they have failed to submit enough signatures to qualify their initiative for the November ballot. The action makes the failure of the measure final.

The measure was aimed at stopping Project Labor Agreements on publicly funded projects. Interim City Clerk Donna Norris reported that 7,092 signatures were submitted in the permitted time window, well short of the 9,062 needed to qualify. Had election officials performed signature verification, the actual number of valid signatures submitted would have been far lower.

Earlier, proponents had lost a legal appeal to allow additional signatures to be submitted, because they had violated a state Elections Code provision requiring notice of a petition drive to be published in a local paper, and an affidavit of publication filed with elections officials within 10 days. The proponents of this measure filed their affidavit more than two months late, in violation of the law. The city clerk then properly rejected the petitions.

San Diego City Elections Ballot Order

The results from the random drawing held today:

City Attorney
Mike Aguirre
Jan Goldsmith

District 1
Sherri Lightner
Phil Thalheimer

District 3
Stephen Witburn
Todd Gloria

District 7
April Boling
Marti Emerald

Free ‘Duke’ Cunningham? Will President Bush Overlook the Minor Transgressions of an Otherwise Loyal Conservative-- Again

From today’s California Progress Report

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

It seems that former San Diego Republican Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham, now serving his sentence for corruption in a minimum security federal facility, has petitioned President Bush for clemency.

And what Republican is more deserving?

Elected on his war hero record, “Duke” became an icon of the Republican right.
Following the entrepreneurial spirit that guided his party, Duke parlayed his position in the government and his GOP credentials to a point where he could influence the award of tax-paid contracts. A friend got the contracts. “Duke” got, among other things, a mansion.

Isn’t that Republican teamwork? The American way?

Of course, it was against the law. But “Duke” was bigger than a few silly rules. Besides, the good he did in conservative causes deserved a more fitting reward than a simple Congressional salary. He made money for others, it was only right they give some to him.

Now, stripped of office and of his ill-gotten gains, he only asks that he no longer be treated like a common criminal.

After all, is he worse than Karl Rove?

Maybe the President should consider blanket pardons for all Republicans in public office during his two terms as President? After all, to err is human…

http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2008/07/cavala_free_duk.html

Booze Ban Ballot?

According to today’s Voice of San Diego, Peters and Faulconer are proposing to put the beach alcohol ban on the November ballot.

The amusing part of this is Faulconer:

"People have had a chance to come down to the beach and see the results," Faulconer said of the one-year trial ban that is set to expire in November. "Now it is time to allow the voters to have the final word on this."

This from a guy who was booed at Pacific Beach Town Council meetings for not taking a stand the issue in the first place.

Besides, I thought the voters already had a say in 2002.

Responsible drinking is about as elusive as responsible adulthood so I can see the point. I just wish Kevin had grown a pair earlier in the debate when it would have mattered instead of punting to the taxpayers.

The Other Propositions as of Today

Field Poll results, prepared exclusively for Capitol Alert, on California voters' views of several ballot measures on the Nov. 4 ballot.


Voters favor expanding high speed rail, improving the treatment of farm animals, notifying parents of teens seeking an abortion, expanding California's use of renewable energy and changing the state's redistricting process.

That's according to a new Field Poll that surveyed voters on five measures on the November ballot.

All five were ahead, though two (the abortion and redistricting measures) fell short of the 50 percent mark - which political strategists usually consider a poor omen for a measure's chances.

Proposition 1 (High speed rail)
Yes: 56 percent
No: 30
Undecided: 14

Proposition 2 (Treatment of farm animals)
Yes: 63 percent
No: 24
Undecided: 13

Proposition 4 (Abortion notification for minors)
Yes: 48 percent
No: 39
Undecided: 13

Proposition 7 (Renewable energy)
Yes: 63 percent
No: 24
Undecided: 13

Proposition 11 (Redistricting)
Yes: 42 percent
No: 30
Undecided: 28

Of note:
On four of the five initiatives measured – Props. 1, 2, 7 and 11 – less than one voter in four claims to have any prior awareness of the measure. The one exception is Prop. 4, having to do with parental notification of teen abortion, although even here less than half (45%) report any awareness.

Field Poll: California voters' disapproval rating on Bush highest since 1961

This isn't exactly news but it does show how much of a drag He has become to the Republican brand.


From the Sacramento Bee
By Kevin Yamamura - kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, July 19, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3


President Bush's disapproval rating in California has reached the highest mark for a president since the Field Poll began tracking White House numbers in 1961, according to its latest survey released Friday.

Less than a quarter of California voters – 24 percent – said they approve of Bush's job performance, compared with 71 percent who said they disapprove.

The latter mark is higher than Nixon's 70 percent disapproval rating in August 1974, the same month he resigned from office after his role in the Watergate scandal was revealed.

Only 18 percent of voters said they approve of Bush's handling of the economy, a drop from 24 percent who said the same in May. Voter appraisal of Bush's handling of the Iraq war has remained steady at 28 percent approval, compared with 27 percent in May.

"What's driving this particular poll down are the significantly lower ratings he's getting on the economy," said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo. "His Iraq ratings seem to have stabilized. I would consider those to have bottomed out."

More Republicans approve of Bush than disapprove, by a 54 percent to 38 percent margin. But the poll found that 90 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of independent voters disapprove of Bush.

Three-quarters of voters also believe the nation is headed on the wrong track, while 15 percent said it is going in the right direction, and 10 percent had no opinion. That is the gloomiest voter outlook since July 1992, when the state was mired in recession.

The Field Poll did not ask voters their feelings about Congress during its July survey.

In May, 30 percent approved of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, compared with 39 percent who disapproved. In December, 30 percent approved of Congress, while 56 percent disapproved.

"Institutional measures, whether it's Congress or the state Legislature, are often lower when things aren't going well because there isn't any one personality underpinning the institution," DiCamillo said. "The institution itself is often seen as not doing its job if the economy falls on hard times."

PRIDE and Republicans

With Sanders in support of gay marriage, where does that place Goldsmith, Boling, and Thalimier?

Anyone know?

And will it affect their races?

Your thoughts...

FPPC: DeMaio Violated Political Reform Act

This just came across my inbox from the Party:

San Diego City Councilmember-elect Carl DeMaio ran on a pledge to bring transparency to City Hall, but even before he finished filing as a candidate he was trying to hide information from the public, according to California’s political reform agency.

DeMaio was warned by the Fair Political Practices Commission last week that his Statement of Economic Interests fails to disclose required information about the clients of the consulting companies he owned until 2007.

He has until July 28 to come clean with the public about his clients at the Performance Institute and American Strategic Management Institute or face fines amounting to $5,000 for each violation of the Political Reform Act.

Officeholders and candidates for public office in the State of California are required to complete a Statement of Economic Interests, known as Form 700, so that the public is made fully aware of its representatives’ business interests before they’re elected to office. DeMaio’s statement currently does not include such information.

DeMaio’s Performance Institute made millions of dollars as a federal contractor, according to www.fedspending.org, a website that tracks U.S. government contract spending. His American Strategic Management Institute is a for-profit business that provides consulting to private companies. He reported selling both companies to Thompson Publishing Group, Inc. just before he began his bid for the City Council seat.

“Carl DeMaio’s failure to comply with this rule while he ran for City Council District 5 conflicts with his stated commitment to open government,” said Jess Durfee, Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party.

“It is ironic that Mr. DeMaio ran for office on a platform of making government more transparent when in fact he was violating open government laws by failing to disclose his own financial interests,” Durfee said. “If Mr. DeMaio were truly interested in open government, he would have told the public who his clients were.”

But DeMaio, a Republican, never claimed ownership in either business in his Form 700. Instead, he reported that he was the sole proprietor of an entity named “Carl DeMaio” and that both companies merely did business with “Carl DeMaio.”

“It is clear that Carl DeMaio is not being forthright with the public,” the Democratic Chair said. “He needs to come clean with the people of San Diego before we can trust he will have the public interest in mind when he becomes a councilmember.”

In light of DeMaio’s web of financial interests, Durfee further called on him to pledge that he will not conduct any private business with government contractors while holding public office.

Free Speech and the Blogosphere

So on the front page of the Business Day section of today's New York Times, a great story about balancing the law and blog posting. What is really interesting is that there seems to be a political bent to the specific blog that was targeted by the New York City's DA in attempting to find the IP addresses of anon posters criticizing Republican lawmakers and posting news reports about investigations that supported their criticism.

Luckily, the subpoena was withdrawn after “The district attorney was not aware that a subpoena was sent nor was he aware of the content of the comments, until after the subpoena was sent. The district attorney reviewed the matter, determined that a subpoena was not necessary at this time, and directed that it be withdrawn.”

But this story should give every blogger and those who publish blogs pause. We are a progressive blog but we don't try to stifle people in the expression their positions as long as it is done in a manner that is more or less in line with common decorum. I think we have only banned one comment in the time this blog has been up, which is a testament to our readers and our posters. However, if government entities begin issuing subpoenas to investigate posters just because they express their opinions anonymously how can real discussion take place? I would like to think that bloggers on both sides of the spectrum share this common thread of being able to express one's political views without fear of retribution from that politician or political entity. That is entirely anathema to what this country stands for. I mean wouldn't you be less inclined to share your opinions on say Jerry Sanders, Donna Frye or any other elected if they could find out who you are? Don't we have rights?

What do you think?

Some Republicans are Freer than Others

It appears that the freedom-loving Republican Central Committee has an issue with members who attempt to express their freedoms.

According to the San Diego Reader’s City Lights section this week, there were a series of slate mailers put out to advertise candidates running for positions on the Republican Central Committee. Thing was, the people selected for ballot placement were those most likely not to challenge Chairman Tony Krvaric.

According to Joe Deegan of the San Diego Reader:

Krvaric did not reply to my phone message asking if he were behind the Central Committee lists on the slate mailers. Members of the committee’s executive board haven’t confessed to anything either, according to Laura Sumrall, who thinks her close association with Steve Francis made them “a little cautious” of targeting her completely. (She opposed the committee on its endorsement of Jerry Sanders over Francis for mayor of San Diego.) “But the discussion of the Central Committee lists happened in a silent meeting the executive board members will all deny,” Sumrall tells me. “We have a mole who was sitting in the meeting outraged but kept his mouth shut and told us about it later. And a couple of them have slipped and said, ‘But, you know, you can’t have people on the committee who cause trouble and aren’t willing to work together.’ ”

And this:

“There are a few people,” according to Cowlishaw, “who would like to control everything, including Tony Krvaric. They want to have no dissent, no confusion about what they want done. They want everybody to get along and have the same idea and be on the same page. I can understand that to a certain degree, but there has to be some discussion. I am vocal in my opinions, though mostly outside of meetings. But I don’t think my views were anti anything.”

And this:

But things happened a bit differently with the recent mailers. Printed at their bottom, a note stated that an asterisk next to the names of the candidates meant the candidate had paid to be on the slate. All the candidates for the Republican Central Committee had the asterisks. But Sumrall says she didn’t pay a dime to appear on any slate. “So I called the number on the mailer that had my name, and I got a recording,” she says. “It did not identify a business. It just said to leave my name and number, which I did. I also asked why I was on the slate and who paid for it. Nobody ever returned my call, though I called twice.”

Records at the office of the San Diego County Registrar of Voters suggest what happened. Between January 1 and May 17, an organization called Citizens for a Better San Diego County took $18,300 in contributions, including $8300 from Atlas Hotels and $5000 from Thomas Sudberry. (Sudberry is currently petitioning the City of San Diego to build Quarry Falls, a massive condominium development in Mission Valley.) Citizens for a Better San Diego County, whose treasurer is Seventh District candidate for San Diego City Council April Boling, then made payments to five groups for “slate mailers to support SD Co Republican Central Committee candidates.” Family, Faith and Freedom Association and California Taxpayer Protection Voter Guide each received $2500. Citizens for Good Government received $2100, California Voter Guide, $2875, and Official Non-Partisan Voter Guide, $3000.


I’ll give the Democratic Central Committee this; It may be a chaotic and entertaining free for all but at least contrary opinions are expressed.

I guess freedom of dissent is not the Republican way, but buying a Central Committee is.

Democrats endorse Aguirre

My understanding was that the vote for the endorsement had one nay and all the rest aye.

From today's UT:


SAN DIEGO – Incumbent City Attorney Michael Aguirre won the overwhelming endorsement of the county Democratic Party last night and said afterward that he was eager to ramp up his re-election campaign.

“We'll soon be announcing our campaign consultants and our campaign manager and I'll be going door-to-door,” Aguirre said. “We're also setting up 50 coffees throughout the city, and we'll be carrying out a very vigorous campaign.”

Aguirre, a Democrat, faces San Diego Superior Court Judge Jan Goldsmith, a Republican, in the Nov. 4 election. While the race is ostensibly nonpartisan, party support can be helpful to candidates through mailers to party members and other assistance.

Aguirre finished second to Goldsmith on June 3 in a five-person race that included two other Democrats, including City Council President Scott Peters. The county Democratic Party did not endorse anyone in that race because it did not reach a consensus about which of the candidates was most electable, said party chairman Jess Durfee.

In November, however, “we're supporting Aguirre 100 percent,” he said.

Aguirre has been a polarizing figure at City Hall as he has frequently clashed with Mayor Jerry Sanders and the City Council on issues of the deficit-plagued employee pension fund and the role of the city attorney.

All the while, Aguirre has declared himself the city attorney for the people of San Diego – a posture that resonated with some in attendance at last night's meeting at the State of California Building downtown.

“I don't know of anybody who has stuck his neck out as much as Michael Aguirre,” said Mary Christian-Heising, a longtime Democrat. “Let's get behind the Democrat who has stood for us.”

How much the party will spend on campaign materials has not been decided.

“We haven't developed our plans for candidate support at this point for the fall campaign,” Durfee said. “We'll assess that as we look at our resources.”

Aguirre may need all the help he can get. He was elected in 2004 by a slim margin – 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent – over Leslie Devaney.

Help Strengthen Living Wage Enforcement in San Diego

The Center on Policy Initiatives has been on the forefront of pushing legislation that benefit all San Diegans. They were the principle movers on the Living Wage Ordinance that passed in 2005 and now are pushing for a strengthening of the Ordinance to include strict penalties for non-compliance and an enforcement provision that will safeguard compliance would prevent stuff like this and would ensure that the contractors aren't skimming off the fat of taxpayer dollars and stealing from the City. Please help CPI by contacting the City Council in urging them to support this effort. Click here to find out more! It's time to put some real teeth on this policy that is helping San Diegans out of poverty.

Bonnie D wants 3rd Term

So Bonnie Dumanis has decided not to run for Attorney General and instead focus on reelection in 2010. I guess partisan witch hunts don't play well outside of San Diego County. Also I guess vowing not to turn the D.A.'s office into a political office and then backtracking and endorsing in almost every race, thereby turning it into more of a political operation then one of the public trust doesn't play either. So know the question becomes will she waltz in the office like she did in 2006 or will someone challenge her in 2010?
Any ideas on who?

San Diegans Asked to Boycott Coca-Cola Products Starting this Fourth of July Weekend

As Fourth of July fireworks, barbeques and pool parties heat up, employees of San Diego County’s two Coca-Cola bottling facilities have asked San Diegans to forego Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite and other Coca-Cola beverages because of the company’s anti-union conduct.

Earlier this week, more than 600 drivers and warehouse employees at Coca-Cola Enterprises’ San Diego and Oceanside bottling plants went on strike to protest the company’s unfair practices. Last year, employees at the Oceanside facility voted to become members of Teamsters Local 683, yet the company has been unwilling to negotiate a contract that is comparable to those in other parts of Southern California.

“Coca Cola Enterprises wants to treat its Oceanside workers as second-class citizens,” Teamsters Local 683 Secretary-Treasurer Shannon R. Silva said. “They want to drag down the standard of living for Oceanside workers. These workers deserve parity with other Coke employees in Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles County.”

The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council is asking that its 120,000 members and all other San Diegans observe this boycott until Coca-Cola agrees to settle a contract that will provide equality for their employees in Oceanside.

“Unfortunately Coca-Cola has gone from asking San Diegans to ‘Have a Coke and a smile,’ to ‘Have a Coke, less rights, lower pay and fewer benefits,’” Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez said. “We will not stand by and watch as Coke tries to destroy quality middle-class jobs in our community.”

Coca-Cola products include: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Dr. Pepper, Fresca, Sprite, Minute Maid, Dasani Water, Squirt, Rockstar and Canada Dry, among others.

Uptown Throwdown!

So now that the general election is upon us let's look at one of the more interesting local races to come around in a while outside of the City Attorney's race. I'm talking of course between the throwdown between Todd Gloria and Stephen Whitburn for District 3. The reason why this is interesting is that who ever wins might become the premier locally elected city Democrat. I mean after all it's possible that one of these guys might run for Mayor or State Assembly in a few years. But it also going to be very contentious as both candidates have very similar positions on choice, marriage equality, equal rights and essentially share the same progressive values. Looking at the money side, if one checks the San Diego City Clerk's office you'll see that as of 5/17/08 Whitburn raised $114,730.66 and Gloria raised $61,788.00 and during that same fundraising period from 3/18/08 to May 17th Stephen raised $8,000 more than Todd. While impressive, $73,000 of that roughly $114,000 were loans so in essence they've raised the same money. Also, both have an impressive list of endorsements. Stephen has Rep. Bob Filner and Donna Frye. While Todd has Rep. Susan Davis (his boss), Francine Busby and the rest of the Democrats on the council with the exception of Toni Atkins and Scott Peters. So like all races that have candidates with similar positions, it's all about perception and minutia.

Todd has been presenting himself as public safety choice that understands the problems of crime since he himself lives in City Heights, a low income neighborhood that has yet to be revitalized like Hillcrest and many sections of North Park. He has been presenting himself as someone who understands that the needs of the city can't just be met by the city alone but with building partnerships with community stake holders like local business and community groups to continue the revitalization of D3 and push it to the El Cajon Blvd corridor and City Heights while maintaining the atmosphere of those neighborhoods.

Steven has been presenting himself as the real Democratic choice and wants to be the voice of the district and ensure that special interests do not run the table. He styles himself as a continuation of the activist model City Councilperson like Donna Frye. Someone whose door is always open to his community and won't be bullied into making compromises that may negatively impact the district.

Now personally, I think both are compelling and are great candidates and I don't envy those that have to choose between these great candidates. But, like many intra party fights. Sometimes they get ugly quick.

Stephen supporters keep talking about how Todd isn't progressive and is in the pocket of developers. While Todd supporters feel that Stephen is condoning some of the questionable statements made by his hardcore supporters and isn't ready for prime time.

Also the November election is a totally different animal than the primary as first-time voters and voters that only vote in Presidential elections come out. These voters might receive a mailer with Stephen and Donna (by the way, during each of her runs for Mayor, her strongest support was in D3) and vote his way. Or Todd might try the Obama act. Trying to bring together DTS's and moderate Republicans to his coalition, painting himself as someone who will listen to them and take their concerns to account.

So my thoughts? Like I said both are great and would be a wonderful addition to the Council. But looking at the landscape of the new City Council and we are going to need a counterweight to incoming D5 Councilperson Carl DeMaio. This guy is smart, ambitious and brazen. I mean one day he's taking orders from the powers that be and then the next he's hugging Donna Frye talking about how he's all about reform. This guy is already laying the groundwork to take on Kevin Faulconer for the Mayorship and we are going to need some that can keep this guy in check and match him toe for toe. I personally think that if look through that prism, Todd is that guy to keep tabs on DeMaio and would be the perfect counterweight to check him.

But then again those are my two cents.

Penny for your thoughts?

SAVE THE DATE: Peak Oil Film & Discussion

Peak Oil Film & Discussion
Tuesday, July 29th

Featuring: Award-winning film Energy Crossroads (2007)

Special Guest: Debbie Cook
Huntington Beach Mayor and Candidate for Congress

Film begins at 7:00pm / Discussion follows at 8:00pm

Joyce Beers Community Center
3900 Vermont St. (in Hillcrest Trader Joe's shopping center)

Think Gas at $4.50 is Expensive?
Most oil industry geologists and analysts predict that within a few years, world oil production will reach a peak and then begin an irreversible decline, as huge decades-old oil fields are depleted. This is likely to significantly increase the price of everything produced from or transported using oil, including gasoline, plastic, chemicals, and food. Join Progressive San Diego and Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook for a movie and discussion about peak oil, its impacts on our sprawling region, and what San Diego can do to mitigate its effects.

Debbie Cook is the Mayor of Huntington Beach, California; is an attorney and environmental activist; and is currently running for U.S. Congress in California's 46th district. She serves on the boards of directors of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO-USA) and the Post Carbon Institute, and has spoken internationally about what local governments can do in response to the imminent peak in world oil production.

http://www.debbiecookforcongress.com/

Eyes on the Prize.

The Prize, of course, is the 50th Congressional District. Nick Leibham, the Democratic nominee, has been aggressive in his quest to unseat Brian Bilbray. Bilbray, as you recall, won in a close election fight against Francine Busby in 2006 after the resignation of Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Yet thanks to the soft economy and general sour mood of the electorate against Republicans. Leibham has been chipping away at Bilbray, raising money and his profile. So much so that the D trip has jumped in with radio ads targeting 13 Congressional Districts including the 50th reminding voters about his support of big oil. So, have a listen and give your thoughts.

Jan Goldsmith at the San Diego Democratic Club

Last week it was reported in this blog that Mike Aguirre got the Dem Club nod but it did not mention that Jan was also there to plead for a no endorsement. Thanks to an old bylaw, Jan, a former Republican Leader in the State Assembly, could address the largely progressive and most effective Democratic party club in the county. Now to say this was weird is to understate it. I mean here's a guy who spent his entire political career trying to dismantle everything the Dem Club supports and is founded upon. He been on the record against marriage equality. He's endorsed by the San Diego Minutemen, who aren't exactly agents of tolerance with people of color. So this guy , that has questionable supporters at best, is talking to the Dem Club. A club that has carried the banner of inclusion and tolerance since its founding. What's next? Shrub joins The Climate Project and begins to crusade against Climate Change.

Your thoughts?

John & Cindy McCain failed to their property taxes for 4 years

According to Newsweek:

San Diego County officials, it turns out, have been sending out tax notices on the La Jolla property, an oceanfront condo, for four years without receiving a response. County records show the bills, which were mailed to a Phoenix address associated with Mrs. McCain's trust, were returned by the post office. According to a McCain campaign aide, who requested anonymity when discussing a private matter, an elderly aunt of Mrs. McCain's lives in the condo, and the bank that manages the trust has not been receiving tax bills on the property. Shortly after NEWSWEEK inquired about the matter, the McCain aide e-mailed a receipt dated Friday, June 27, confirming payment by the trust to San Diego County in the amount of $6,744.42. County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1. Told of the outstanding $1,742, the aide said: "The trust has paid all bills shown owing as of today and will pay all other bills due." [Link]

Now, I know when you're an heiress to a beer fortune and you have properties all over the country, sometimes it is hard to keep track of all those different property tax bills that you receive. And I can see how sometimes you might forget paying one of them for 4 years or so.

UPDATE:

Is anyone surprised that there has been no mention of La Jolla property issue in the local media. I cannot help to believe that if the issue was about a Democratic presidential candidate, the UT would be all over the issue.

Lieberman Must Go!

I cannot believe that just 8 years ago this guy was the Democrats VP nominee.

Mike Aguirre wins SDDC Endorsement

In what turned out to be a rather long and contentious meeting tonight, the San Diego Democratic Club endorsed incumbent Mike Aguirre for City Attorney. The meeting went on for over two hours, and during the discussion period became heated as some members of the club accused each other of making personal attacks upon each other. In the end, there were enough votes for Aguirre to secure the club's endorsement.

Now with the SDDC endorsement, Mike Aguirre will seek the Democratic Central Committee endorsement scheduled for July 8th. An endorsement he has failed twice before to secure.

Philly Boy Has Bad Money Sense

With the June election behind us lets look towards the November Election. Since the media is not talking about it, then I guess someone should at least remind people about the why Phil "Philly Boy" Thalheimer can't win in November.

We don't have to go back very far, just remember the infamous San Diego Union-Tribune story, besides the other ones listed below. Much of these are from his own words and why residents of District 1 should NOT vote for him:

1) Early on he invested all his money on margin, sold short and lost it all, plus another $30,000
- He said, "I didn't realize you could lose more than you had"

2) His first job as an orderly was tough for him, because he had a hard time relating to youth and
after two years his boss told him he was not empathetic and should find another job

3) He worked for the controversial San Diego Data Processing Center

4) He left his job with the City of San Diego over people skills
- He said, “I never liked working for other people,”
- Also quoted as saying,, “As much time as I spent in local government, I never felt like I fit.”
- Now Philly Boy wants to come back to city government

5) He lucked out with being able to run the Flight Training International, even despite himself.
- Even with in his own words he called his business plan, "flawed"

6) In his previous candidate statement he says, "Phil Thalheimer will use business skills to clean
up the financial mess," he said, "refused to accept one dime of developer money," and "I have not and will not take one penny of developer/lobbyist campaign contributions."
- Is his business sense something we can afford?
- Now that he found wealth as developer he is okay with their money.
- Looking through his reports, I now see plenty of developer & lobbyist money.

7) Flip flops on the Regents bridge

8) He spent over $1,000,000 of his own personal money on his last losing city council campaign.
- It seems he really didn't learn from his other past investment losses.

Sadly, the Voice of San Diego reported Philly Boy's company, Flight Training International is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration. People will be watching the results of the investigations.

Buffoon-in-Chief at it Again!

Via TPM:

Ben Hueso Happened

Disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign which has worked on the Blackwater issue, but these opinions are my own.

Earlier this week, I asked What the Hell happened in San Diego in the June 3 election. I explored a particularly underwhelming electoral performance and noted that there was a massive failure of leadership from the city's elected Democrats (active and retired). Councilmember Donna Frye supported GOP mayoral challenger Steve Francis and Council President Scott Peters ran against the Democratic incumbent City Attorney Mike Aguirre. Incidentally, both Francis and Peters failed to make it to the November runoff.

Then yesterday it happened again. Councilmember Ben Hueso, who in May was rallying to Block Blackwater in his council district, announced his endorsement of Republican city attorney candidate Jan Goldsmith. This is particularly notable because Goldsmith's opponent is incumbent Mike Aguirre. Aguirre has been a champion for the city in the fight to force Blackwater's permits into public hearing at a time when a number of other city leaders have...attended a rally and then thrown up their hands.

If Jan Goldsmith as City Attorney would go to bat over Blackwater or any other number of issues that might be uncomfortable for the Mayor or inconvenient for the City Council, I would be absolutely flabbergasted. The campaign, like every other challenge to Aguirre this year, has been centered around a promise to sit down and shut up. The last thing this city needs is another elected official who doesn't have the necessary combination of power and motivation to force important issues.

As the UT newsblog notes, Hueso and Aguirre have never exactly been close. And Aguirre has taken a lot of flack throughout his term as City Attorney for his rabid pursuit of Mayor Jerry Sanders for all manner of scandal- real or imagined. But as Councilmember Hueso well knows because he's at the meetings, the City Council hasn't exactly put on a clinic when it comes to keeping mayoral power checked by the legislative branch. Fighting the good fight has consistently taken a back seat over the past two and a half years to misguided "pragmatism" that largely allowed Mayor Sanders to get anything he wanted.

So what we're left with is Ben Hueso surveying this scene- Mayor Sanders re-elected to a second term with what CW will term a convincing mandate (it's not, the turnout was too low to carry a mandate) and a City Council that will likely go from a narrow Democratic advantage to an even split, further neutering a body that had given itself over to the inevitability of the Strong Mayor government- and deciding that the best thing for the city is that the single dissonant voice of any weight in the city government should be replaced by, as the UT put it,

Hueso said the city attorney's political persuasion is less important to him than getting "the best legal advice."

If the Democratic Party in San Diego is ever going to be able to capitalize on the tremendous infrastructure building being done at the precinct and street-corner level, leading Democrats need to stop undercutting both their party and basic points of fundamental governance at every opportunity.

What happened in San Diego? Ben Hueso and destructive politics like this happened.

Cross posted at Calitics

Sometime it is hard to tell the two apart

Oh, McCain

Response to the VoSD piece on the SDCDP

From Caltics:

David Washburn's slap at the San Diego County Democratic Party in the Voice of San Diego does readers a disservice, to say the least. I'll cite just a few examples where more serious analysis would have helped.

Consider this year's mayoral race, in which a Republican challenger spent $4.5 million to promote himself as a kind of progressive independent. He couldn't even force a runoff against the incumbent.

As the "Voice" has reported in the past, incumbent mayors in the City of San Diego are virtually never unseated. So who is really "openly wondering why established Dems didn't jump in" - other than a writer trying to justify a story?

The glib comparison to a special election for Congress in Mississippi doesn't shed much light on the political reality in San Diego.

The passing reference to Republican "financial support from the downtown business establishment" understates the huge fundraising disadvantage that our community-minded candidates often face. The fact is that Democrats remain competitive and are building momentum in those races, despite being outspent by 2-to-1 or 10-to-1 or more.

San Diego isn't the only area where the kind of low turnout seen on June 3 strongly favored our opponents. But our City Council candidate placed first in District 1, where Republicans still lead in party registration. In District 7 our candidate virtually tied to force a runoff for a seat that has always been dismissed as out of reach for Democrats.

This November, when turnout will be more than double what we saw in the Primary, Democrats will enjoy a very different playing field. We're also looking forward to demonstrating the actual infrastructure we're building, from data management and professional staffing to a robust training program for our growing army of volunteers. Unfortunately, this story is long on quotes from armchair analysts and short on facts that might show a more balanced view.

Take the instance where Washburn writes: "Another piece of conventional wisdom holds that the local GOP does a better job targeting absentee voters." Had he checked, he would have found that the early voting rate among Democrats countywide in June was actually slightly higher than for Republicans.

Campaigns are indeed primarily candidate-driven. But by any measure, the County Democratic Party is vastly further developed than it was even four years ago. We have undertaken a long-term program that will bear fruit over multiple electoral cycles, helping Democratic candidates at every level.

This year's separate Presidential Primary was one of many factors skewing the June results. But in February, the majority of the vote here went to Democrats, even in some of the county's most conservative districts.

While some aspects of our plan may take longer than others to materialize, it would be a mistake to ignore the signs of a real "new era in San Diego politics" that a more thoughtful study of the underlying trends would suggest.

By November, Democrats may actually have a countywide plurality thanks to our unprecedented voter registration program and our inspirational Presidential candidate. When we translate those numbers into local victories, I hope the Voice will take the time to set the record straight.

Jess Durfee,
Chair
San Diego County Democratic Party

Voice of San Diego piece on the SDCDP

Yesterday the VoSD ran a piece by David Washburn called “Where are the Democrats?”

Points, IMHO:

• The SDCDP is working on capitalizing on the growth of Democrats, but they have coming from just about nothing three years ago whereas the Republicans have been in motion in San Diego for decades.

• Blaming the party for bad candidates is a straw man argument. Until the SDCDP is in a position to groom and foster candidates, these candidates will be self-selected. John Kern’s comments nail this issue .

• Crediting local Republican leaders for their victories is another straw man argument. The local Republicans have benefited in spite of their party organization. With the Lincoln Club and other IE’s, the candidates just need the label and little else from the party. Duane Dichiara’s comment about the Republicans just getting lucky is solid.

• Chairman Durfee’s comments were right on about the criticism being ill-informed and unfair.

• Mr. Berg’s comments about District 3 was also right on but this goes beyond the SDCDP to the general body public who will support whomever they want regardless of the “official” position because the candidates are on the same page.

• As an observer of the SDCDP, Prof. Erie’s comments ring hollow. It has come a long way since 2006 but it has a lot of catching up to do.

• Lorena Gonzalez’s observation about being alone speaks to the infrastructure which is being assembled but wasn’t available when she ran.

Growth periods are not easy, but I agree that the SD Republicans are living on borrowed time.

SDCDP Chair Jess Durfee Elected to DNC

Congratulations to Jess Durfee, the chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, who was elected this morning to the Democratic National Committee. The election was part of the California Democratic Party's Executive Board meeting that took place in San Francisco this weekend. Jess, who has been the chair of the SDCDP since 2004, becomes one of 19 California members to the Democratic National Committee beginning in 2009. He also becomes the first DNC member to be elected from San Diego County.

UPDATE:

Over at the California Progress Report, Bill Cavala has a piece about Jess Durfee's election to the DNC this morning. [Link]

Did you miss Progressive San Diego's "Election Reflection?"

If so, check out the video and pictures of Progressive San Diego's post election event below.

Video of the Event: Click Here (provided by Pat Flannery's Blog of San Diego)

Photos of the Event: Click Here

Hosted by: Eric Isaacson and Rachel Jensen at the offices of Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP

Moderated by: Eric Wolff - Reporter, SD CityBeat

Panelists: Andrew Donohue - Executive Editor, Voice of San Diego
Donna Frye - San Diego City Councilmember
Lorena Gonzalez - Secretary-Treasurer & CEO, SD-Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Lani Lutar - President & CEO, San Diego Taxpayers Association

Stay Tuned for Upcoming Events, Election Information and Issues at www.ProgressiveSD.org

"Election Reflection" Panel Discussion

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
6:00-8:00pm (5:00pm Reception)

The Balboa Room Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP,
655 West Broadway, Suite 1900 San Diego, CA 92101

Expert Analysis of June 3rd Election
You are invited to join local San Diego leaders, activists and journalists as Progressive San Diego hosts a forum to discuss the successes, missteps, and future implications of the June 2008 primary election.

Moderator: Eric Wolff -- Reporter, San Diego CityBeat

Panelists:

• Andrew Donohue -- Executive Editor, Voice of San Diego
• Donna Frye -- San Diego City Councilmember
• Lorena Gonzalez -- Secretary-Treasurer & CEO, SD-Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO
• Lani Lutar -- President & CEO, San Diego County Taxpayers Association

Reserve your seat today!
Individual Tickets: $20

Host Committee:
Eric Isaacson, Rachel Jensen & Eve Schuh

RSVP to Tommie Watson at Tommie.Watson@ProgressiveSD.org

www.ProgressiveSD.org

Joint Reform?

No, it's not about marijuana.

DeMaio is using Frye to advance his own agenda and Frye is willing to be used because she sees him as a fellow outsider and she needs friends.

Frye is an activist, not a politician, and activists don’t like nuance. You’re with them or against them. Don't ever question their devotion. Because of the time they’ve put in and the amount of heart behind their issues only they know what’s best.

And the rookie mistake that activists make when they become elected officials is how easy they believe their own PR. How could it be otherwise? Your staff has proved they will support you no matter what. Your supporters look like they’d follow you off a cliff. How can you do wrong?

As such, she will always be an outsider fighting the system, even though she is a part of the same system. Her supporters identify with her “outsider shaking up the system” image and believe her when she says that no one else would dare fight corruption at City Hall except her. And outsiders don’t compromise. In fact, they see solutions where no one else does because they aren’t tainted by the status quo mindset.

The problem is that, as a legislator, she needs to govern and not just say no. It is always easier to be righteous than responsible which is why she hasn’t bothered to support and work to get reforms and progressive legislation through the city council. It’s easier to hold a press conference stating that the powers that be can’t be trusted instead of trying to do something about them.

The anti-Prop C campaign she spearheaded was convenient for DeMaio. Frye needs friends and he offered to help. The benefit is psychological for Frye and real for DeMaio. Frye can paint herself as the outsider willing to cross party lines and tutor this young radical into working with her on an agenda that she’s had six years to push.

Unless she never had one to begin with, which would explain these town halls.

For DeMaio, he can push his radical agenda by using Frye to whitewash the worst aspects of it (how bad can it be if Frye supports it?) and leverage her name to establish a base for mayor in 2012. Frye was burned by the Prop C and Francis losses and needs redemption. I guess she feels the enemy of my enemy is my friend. DeMaio is no Sanders supporter so let’s build a new Gang of Five and go to war with the mayor rather than actually doing something to improve the lives of the people.

Frye supporters have told me that she’s only using DeMaio to get elected President of the Council and then she’ll let him go, but he’s smarter than that.

It’s too early to tell if this “reform agenda” has any substance other than jawboning but it doesn’t look too promising from the get go. I just hope Donna wakes up soon.

Hon. Susan Davis Endorses Sen. Obama

From yesterday’s Capitol Alert:

"Democrats and all those who have chosen to participate in the Democratic primary have witnessed a sweeping, compelling and breathtakingly close contest among two exceptional leaders. As the representative of the 53rd Congressional District which saw slightly more than a 1 percent vote difference out of more than 100,000 votes cast (48.4% for Obama - 47.3% for Clinton), I experienced the difficulty of that choice. Both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama demonstrate the statesmanship, dedication and dynamism required to address the domestic and international challenges we face today.

"Given the closeness of the race, it was important that every voter be motivated to participate in this historic election. I am now happy to join the delegates from around the country in supporting Senator Obama to be our nominee and plan to work hard towards his election as President of the United States.

"I am confident that Senator Obama will be a legacy leader and move this country forward. With his ability to inspire, we will once again ask the difficult questions and uncover new ways of solving vexing and grave issues with strategic focus.

"I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on her campaign which can only be seen as one of the most singular displays of diligence in the pursuit of working on behalf of all people in our country. As a woman who has fought for the recognition of the role of women in leadership on every front, I am immensely proud of her and the impact she has had in defining the political, social, and economic landscape of our country.

"This contest has made us stronger. Millions of Americans are now inspired to engage in the debate on the future of our country."

Quick thoughts about that Election last night

With an accuracy rate of 33%, I’m having hats as post-hangover food. Before the working day begins, some musings:

AD 78
Block wins. IE’s from Sacramento hiring local consultants couldn’t get Sherard in. That’s what happens when you play both sides. Speaking of both sides, Arabo’s political future is in doubt but Arile lives to run another day

Mayor
I didn’t think Jerry was going to take it outright but a low turnout benefits incumbents.

City Attorney
It should have been Scott. Mike was in New Jersey last night. The Republicans locked up the absentees again. The local Democratic Party endorsement for this race should be interesting.

City Council 1
Go Sherri! Phil looked shocked last night in Golden Hall when the results came in. With a presidential election and Obama at the top of the ticket, we could hold onto this seat.

City Council 3
Speaking of interesting endorsement meetings, the San Diego Democratic Club will be the one watch. Todd looks good but Stephen proved he can run a ground game. Especially when Hartley doesn’t put up a fight that doesn’t involve mail.

City Council 5
DeMaio is one classy cat in declaring victory before the ballots have been counted. Vanity, thy name is Carl.

City Council 7
This should not have happened. Marti should have swept April into the dustbin of also-rans. I pray she shakes up her campaign because those that served her this time didn’t do a worthy job. She can do better and there are people willing to help Marti in. Just look outside the bubble because now is the time.

Finally
Labor splits the difference and the local Democratic Party has some stand-taking to do. The fall looks promising across the board. I’m off to get lots of coffee.

Pre-Election Predictions

Having selected a set of edible hats, I’m ready to go:

SD Mayor
Bidewell comes in third thanks to the Sanders campaign and the non-logical method in which San Diegans decide whom to vote for.

SD City Attorney
I’m feeling fuzzy for Peters. He sqeaks past Goldsmith in a heart stopper to take on Mike.

SD City Council 1
Lightner comes in higher than expected to challenge Phil

SD City Council 3
Although a Gloria-Whitburn match up would be a blast to watch, I think Todd will come in stronger than expected. It won’t be enough to take out Hartley but enough to show him the writing on the wall.

SD City Council 7
Marti either blows April away or loses in a narrow absentee battle.

AD 78
Auday now has ads on cable TV. I say he, Sherard, and Block will duke it out in an alcohol-inducing three-way fight and the winner wins by less than 500 votes.

See y’all in the Gaslamp!

My Vote for Steve Francis

I finally mailed my absentee ballot yesterday after debating who I was going to vote for mayor. Now being the good Dem that Gracchus is, I normally vote for the endorsed Democrat in the race. This time, however, I couldn't fill in the bubble for Floyd Morrow.

I have meet Floyd Morrow on several occasions, I have talked with him and I like the guy. I think he is sincere in why he is running for mayor, I just don't believe he is a credible candidate. So that left me with the "less-of-two-evils" candidate to choose from.

Now, I'm not one to buy into the "new and improved" Steve Francis despite receiving flashy mail pieces touting union endorsements and showing Steve with his new best friend Donna Frye. As Public Enemy says "Don't Believe the Hype." But what is the alternative to Steve Francis?

It is Jerry Sanders who has shown himself to be about as competent in the job as was Dick Murphy. Sanders is emblematic of a current type of Republican pol who believes that being both petulant and disingenuous are governing virtues. Mayor Sanders has refused to work with others on the council to try to solve some of the myriad of problems in the city. Instead he has demonstrated that he has no leadership skills and that his primary duty as mayor is in keeping the status quo when it has come to the special interest downtown.

Now, I know what supporters of Sanders are going to say: Hey, he came into office with the city in crisis, while at the same time embarking on a new form of governing with strong mayor. And how can you trust Steve Francis? He'll say anything to get elected.

Well that might be true about Steve Francis, but I'm willing to give him a shot at running the city after what I have seen Sanders do for the last three years. I know if Steve Francis is elected mayor, I might not agree with some of the policies he will put forward. But I believe that he will be more willing to work with the council in trying to solve some of the city's problems and for that reason I gave him my vote yesterday.

Thoughts on the 78th

As of this writing, here’s where I see this race: between Arabo and Sherard for the Democratic nomination.

Arabo
Say what you will about him. The fact is that he can put together a campaign. His people have been walking for over six months now and his signs are everywhere. Compared to the others, he has a solid shot.

Sherard
Were it not for Sherard. There is a Republican business IE that has about 30 walkers getting $16/hour canvassing and reinforcing her already high name ID. Sherard’s campaign hasn't done much because they’re broke. Oddly and through no effort of her own, she too has a solid shot.

Block
What will it take for Sacramento to wake up and stop going the Vince Hall-lite route? He has the institutional advantages. But he never walks. He campaign has only recently sprung into high gear and it screams too little too late. With IE’s and Arabo targeting similar universes, Marty loses out due to Arabo’s sign reinforcement of his name.

Ricasa
My heart goes out to her only because she has the best community profile of these candidates. She can still squeak through but only if her people are running a massive behind-the scenes operation. Not being privy to it, and only seeing a few of her sighs up, I’m counting her out of this one

How this turns out is anyone’s guess. The Republicans think Sherard is the weakest candidate and it makes sense they’d do what they could to help her. Were it not for Arabo, they might get away with it. Block could go balls out this upcoming weekend and kick up the percentage but I don’t think it will be enough And Ricasa is still viable for something else.

Shots anyone?

PSA: Campaigns

Because we are a week away from the Primary and campaigns are preparing their who’s or what will get blamed or take credit for their victory or defeat, let’s review some basics to see through the spin:

Labor does not run candidate campaigns
They can run IE campaign on behalf of candidates and issues but they are not the “campaigns.” Those belong to the candidate, their consultants, and staff. Regardless of what the other side would have you believe, Labor does not dictate to candidates how to run their campaigns.

The Democratic Party does not run candidate campaigns
Here, the other side gives the Dems too much credit. The purpose of the local party is to assist, though volunteers and the media, their endorsed candidates and causes. They do not operate candidate campaigns nor to they, like Labor, order campaigns to bow to their wishes.

Consultants run candidate campaigns
Ever notice how the local press goes to the consultant first, then the campaign manager? These hired guns are called in to give the campaign the oversight, direction, and keep said campaigns on course. They can tell campaigns what to do and can clue them into resources that these campaigns would otherwise not have.

Candidates run campaigns
The final nail of accountability goes to the name at the top of the letterhead. It is seen as a reflection of their abilities in being able to hire (and fire) the right people and to get elected. Some campaigns operate more independently of their consultant than others, but it is up to the candidate and their manager, chosen to be the right hand, to decide what is the best course of action. At the end of the day, it is the candidate who accepts responsibility for what has happened no matter who was at fault.

Unless there was some boneheaded move by a staffer, consultant or volunteer that gets press time, these are the tiers of responsibility.

So when consultants start blaming the “party” or “labor”, just remember that neither of these two can run the shop for the campaign. That’s why there is a campaign manager and consultant in the first place.

Memorial Day Is an Excellent Opportunity to Focus on the Needs of Our Veterans in California

Via California Progress Report:

Memorial Day Is an Excellent Opportunity to Focus on the Needs of Our Veterans in California

By Mary Salas
Chair
Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee

This Memorial Day while you are enjoying a backyard BBQ take a moment to ponder this little known fact: on any given night in California over 50,000 veterans are homeless, while other veterans may be suffering from mental health issues or experiencing difficulty transitioning back to work. Among the many needs and challenges we face as a state, appropriate care for our veterans must be a priority.

California is home to more than 2.2 million veterans. While it is correct to note that the care of our veterans is primarily the responsibility of the federal government,
the ability of the federal government to honor this obligation has been called into question. Time and again we have seen inefficient delivery of veteran services and benefits and a failure to anticipate and plan for an increase in health care problems associated with veterans, particularly those returning from Iraq.

Many veterans are in need of mental health and suicide prevention counseling and treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injuries from the Iraq War. There is also an estimated backlog of over 600,000 claims for federal benefit applications with the US Department of Veterans Affairs for disability compensation and pension payments. These can take months, if not years, to process.

Because less than 11 percent of eligible veterans in this state actually receive these payments (which ranks us 38th nationally in terms of participation), millions of dollars are not being paid to our resident veterans and therefore not being returned to our economy. If California could increase this rate to the national average of
slightly over 12%, more than $330 million could be returned to our veterans and our economy.

Unfortunately, our state and local governments are no position to help either, given the budget challenges we are currently facing. Nonetheless, more must be done to better use the resources we have.

The state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office indicates that approximately 144,000 military veterans in California who could be receiving comprehensive medical benefits from the US Veterans Administration (VA) health care system are enrolled instead in the state-funded Medi-Cal Program. The state could eventually save as much as $250 million annually from a voluntary shift of veterans from Medi-Cal into VA health care by implementing a data matching system which would identify veterans that are eligible to transfer to the VA.

California’s Department of Veterans Affairs administers a farm and home loan program that is restricted to serving only pre-1977 veterans and to lending for only single family mortgages. Meanwhile, thousands of veterans in need of transitional and multifamily housing receive little, if any, support. This program must be modernized to meet the needs of today’s veterans.

Regardless of how one feels about the Iraq war, we will all be forced to deal with its aftermath. Our state and local governments will be challenged to care for the veterans of past service as well as the soldiers returning from the Iraq war. These soldiers have sacrificed their welfare for ours. Let’s renew our commitment to these brave men and women as we commemorate Memorial Day.

Assembly Member Mary Salas was appointed Chair of the Committee on Veterans Affairs in 2007. Her father and six uncles all served in the armed forces. She represents the 79th California State Assembly District which includes the cities of Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach, Coronado, and portions of San Diego.

Maybe Mitt wants to run for Mayor too?

Earlier this week there was a post here about the future career prospects of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. It included the possibility of Núñez running for mayor of San Diego in 2012. This morning via TPM: I find out that former Massachusetts Governor and failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney is buying home in La Jolla. [Link] Who knows maybe in 2012 San Diegans will be lucky enough to have the choice between Núñez and Romney for mayor?

GOP only have two real choices for San Diego Attorney

Recently, I have talked to members of the local Democratic Party, Lincoln Club, local Republican Party and a union activist over the San Diego City Attorney race. I walked away from all those conversations with the Oh My Gosh moment. GOP has only have two choices come November, Scott Peters or Mike Aguirre.

We all know Mike will make the general election, the polls, the talk from the San Diego downtown establishment and the party insiders all know it. So, the second name on the ballot will make the difference on who will beat or lose to Mike.

Scenario 1 – Scott Peters wins the second spot. The unions support Scott, along with the downtown interests, developers and the Democratic Party. The GOP and Lincoln Club stays neutral. Mike won't get his party's endorsement again, is blocked from large contributions and can't mount a major campaign. Mike doesn't get many major endorsements to boost his case, except for maybe the likes of Donna Frye. Mike has no volunteer base, no money and no chance to beat Scott.

Scenario 2 – Jan takes second place and unions are forced to support Mike over Jan. Mike now gets his party's endorsement, which comes with major money and major endorsements. Mike can now mail, gets on the air and gets a lot of volunteers. Mike calls press conferences weekly about every scandal, or so called possible scandal of the GOP, linking it all to Jan. Lincoln Club and GOP are forced to spend major money on the race or look foolish. There are GOP and Libertians that like Mike, eroding Jan's base and the Dems vote and do it as a vote against Jan. Mike will win it.

Scenario 3 – Brian takes second place, the unions might do what they just did in the mayor's race and endorse in name only at the last minute. However, the Democratic Party now is forced to endorse Mike. Mike can now mail, gets on the air and gets a lot of volunteers. Mike calls press conferences weekly about every scandal, or so called possible scandal of the GOP, linking it all to Brian, including the pension underfunding. Lincoln Club and GOP are forced to spend major money on Brian who they really don't like in the race or look foolish. There are GOP that like Mike and hate Brian, eroding Brian's possible base, many Libertians vote for Mike over Brian and the Dems vote and do it as a vote against Brian. Mike will win it.

GOP make your choice Mike or Scott.


Off the topic, but can't help but say, if Mike McSweeney had won the San Diego Unified School District seat two years ago, then he would never had taken a job for the mayor, been the scapegoat for Tom Shepard as so many others have done before and now have his public political career ruined.

Eric Bidwell Is My Homeboy

Just when I thought I had seen it all from local Republican candidates comes the mother of all bonehead moves.

Voice has reported that Mayor Sanders' campaign manager and local GOP vice chair Mike McSweeney has resigned after Mayoral Candidate Eric Bidwell alleges that McSweeney tried to persuade him to read a statement bashing Steve Francis.

My questions is why would anyone think the anti-establishment, dreadlock wearing, "in a van down by the river" Bidwell would gladly sell out and join forces with the GOP and mayor's handlers?

This move reeks of stupidity, arrogance and being out of touch with reality. Smooth move.

Núñez for Mayor?

Departing Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez spoke with the U-T today about his time in the Assembly and his future plans. Of particular note was the notion of Núñez returning to San Diego for a run at mayor:

After an expected stint in the private sector, he could choose from an array of political options, including perhaps a bid for mayor of his hometown, Núñez said in an interview.

“I have deep roots in San Diego. I have a lot of friends there, and San Diegans have been great to me,” said Núñez, 41. “It's a city that has so much potential. With a strong leader, there is so much that could be done.”

Now, the U-T gives this quote most of its context, so who really knows if this is at all a real possibility. But even so, it's interesting to contemplate, as there seems to be plenty on both sides of the pro/con ledger to consider.

On the con side, Núñez left San Diego 20 years ago, and has spent his entire professional and political life based out of Los Angeles which would make him a carpetbagger of sorts despite being raised in San Diego. Also, in spite of many accomplishments during his tenure at Speaker, the past year particularly has seen a bitter and divisive series of battles with organized labor in the state over gaming compacts and health care. Finally, in a town that desperately needs to be "cleaned up" at city hall (still- thanks Mayor Sanders), Núñez has had several brushes with questionable-if-legal ethics probes. And four years from now, will there be some homegrown talent ready to step up to the Mayor's office that would better serve the strength of the party?

All that said, the San Diego Democratic Party is rather lacking candidates at the top. If Floyd Morrow is the highest-profile Democrat available to run against a Mayor with a spotty record, well, there's room for a heavyweight to get a few things done. And Núñez certainly knows how to organize and fundraise, two skills that you can never get enough of when rebuilding a party. Also, while there are some legitimate points of contention in his legislative record, better environmental standards, higher minimum wage, and other successes have come through under his watch. While it presumably wouldn't hurt that San Diego is a softer target than Los Angeles for a profile-boosting Mayoral gig, if it takes overpaying for an attendance-boosting free agent to re-legitimize the franchise that is Democratic Party in San Diego, it could be worth it.

Ultimately, I'm not sure who else I'm waiting or hoping for in the next mayor's race, so this is a possibility I'd at least be open to. There are a number of locals who have gotten off to promising starts, but that doesn't mean they'll keep going. And if there's a glut of mayoral candidates next time who didn't get to be, say, City Attorney this time around, it could be a tough field to crack if you don't have Núñez-level weight behind you. So heck, who knows? But given where things are in this city right now, I'm open to anything.

Friday - Quick Hits

Environmental and human rightsd groups join forces in opposing the border fence project that will fill in canyon. UT

The S&P restores San Diego's credit rating. UT

Oceanside city council agrees to talks with private firms over airport operation. UT

Now that Oceanside has approved project, developer claims it is not in a hurry to start building. UT

70 Hours and Counting: Where’s Jerry Sanders?

Even though blue-collar city workers from AFSCME Local 127 agreed to resume bargaining the moment Jerry Sanders’ poverty pension proposal was shot down late Monday night, Jerry Sanders has yet to sit down to the bargaining table 70 hours later.

Lorena Gonzalez, secretary-treasurer of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, called on Mayor Jerry Sanders to return to the negotiating table.

“We believe Jerry Sanders’ announcement to meet and confer by ballot box is another stunt by his political operation to scapegoat city employees in order to deflect attention from his inability to find solutions to our city’s challenges.

“Late Monday, when he made the political calculation that he didn’t have support for his pension experiment, Jerry Sanders – aided and abetted by Mike Aguirre – delivered a last-minute substitute that had never been formally offered before in order to save face.

“This offer was presented about 9 p.m. at night and away from public view. Had it been adopted, an average blue-collar city worker who had worked for 30 years would retire with an $18,500 annual pension with no social security benefits and no SPSP. On its face, the Jerry Sanders’ plan would have left hard-working employees to retire into poverty. Regardless of the proposal’s merits, the unethical tactics of Jerry Sanders and Mike Aguirre run contrary to the rules that they agreed to back when negotiations started months ago.

“The attempt by Jerry Sanders and Mike Aguirre to make a late-night switcheroo was aimed to unfairly shove down our workers’ throats a proposal that had never been discussed prior and was never and still has not been put into the public record of the City.

“Now, Jerry Sanders is trying to force his campaign timeline onto the hard-working blue-collar employees of this city, but it’s clear he’s the one on the clock. Over 70 hours have passed since the City Council shot down this half-cooked pension proposal, and he has yet to come back to the table.

“Instead, Jerry Sanders wants to put a pension proposal in front of voters, but AFSCME Local 127 has said they’re ready to bargain now. I’m calling on Jerry Sanders to end these shameless campaign tactics, for him and Mike Aguirre to stick to the rules he agreed to, and return to the table so the city can move forward.

“Clearly, San Diegans are tired of the bickering at City Hall. San Diego’s working families deserve a Mayor who is committed to moving things forward in cooperation with our City’s employees. Jerry Sanders is failing with every passing hour.

“The public has had enough of the excuses, half-truths and rhetoric of Jerry Sanders and Mike Aguirre. Now is as good of a time as ever for them to start working toward solutions instead of their next excuse.”

Thursday - Quick Hits

Blackwater permits cannot be appealed claims a city official. UT

City to use state bond funds to repair roads. UT

Campaign over height limit initiative in Chula Vista is becoming heated. UT

Port leases land from Navy so hotel project can move forward. UT

Despite city council opposition growth initiative in San Marcos qualifies for November ballot. UT

FDR Dem Club Announces Endorsements

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Democratic Club has announced the following endorsements:

California State Senate
39th District - Christine Kehoe

California State Assembly
76th District - Lori Saldaña
78th District – Marty Block
80th District – Greg Pettis

San Diego City Attorney
Scott Peters

San Diego City Council – District 1
Sherri Lightner

San Diego City Council – District 3
Todd Gloria
Stephen Whitburn

San Diego City Council – District 5
George George

San Diego City Council – District 7
Marti Emerald

San Diego Community College District
Area B - Bill Schwandt
Area D - Dwayne Crenshaw

San Diego County Board of Education
District 2 - Jose Preciado
District 4 - Mark Anderson

San Diego School Board
Richard Barrera
John Lee Evans
Shelia Jackson

City of San Diego Propositions
A – Yes
B – Yes
C – Yes

State Ballot Measures
Proposition 98 - NO
Proposition 99 – YES

The FDR Club was founded on the principles of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Economic Bill of Rights” from his 1944 State of the Union Address.

These principles include:

• The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;
• The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;
• The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;
• The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;
• The right of every family to a decent home;
• The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;
• The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;
• The right to a good education.

This Week's CityBeat Cover

As an homage to the Weekly World News, CityBeat's cover this week is a classic. There's no bat boy or alien endorsements, but there should be given the unreal nature of our local elections.

I especially like the "Hartley and Environment" bit at the bottom.

Check it out. It's a hoot.

Wednesday - Quick Hits

It is all about leadership on the school board. Article illustrates that schools don't necessarily have to cut layoff teachers in response to budget cuts. UT


Campaign for re-election twisting in the wind, as Mayor Sanders decides to place city workers pension reform on November ballot. UT


Why don't the Padres pay for it? Council approves money to build a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Drive from parking garage to Petco Park. UT


Carlsbad city council took a position to oppose new power plant to be located west of I-5. UT NCTimes

City of Vista drops neighborhoods from its massive expansion of its redevelopment zone. NCTimes

Tuesday - Quick Hits

At a PUC hearing in Borrego Springs last night hundreds showed up to protest the Sunrise Powerlink. UT

Council and mayor cannot agree on labor contract, so it is headed to the voters. UT

Court ruling is forcing County Medical Services to cover a larger share of the uninsure. UT

MTS and bus driver union reach an agreement on a five-year contract. UT

County board to consider the merger of two East County fire districts. UT

Carl DeMaio Not Playing Nice with Others!

According to the UT, Carl DeMaio and some of his campaign flunkies didn't like the idea that D-5 candidate George George has a 4ft by 8ft on his property. This video illustrates, how first some of the classy DeMaio campaign workers tried to place some signs next to George's. When that apparently didn't try to take the sign down. Is George's candidacy really that big of a threat to DeMaio?

Monday - Quick Hits

New and improved Steve Francis cites his passion for his success. UT

City selects oak trees to replace eucalyptus trees as part of Balboa Park's reforestation plan. UT

In its typical fashion, UT carries water for pro-city charter position up in Carlsbad. UT

City of Oceanside to hear presentation from developer regarding the largest deployments in the city's history. NCTimes

The Republican Justice League?

I ask after a neighbor supplied me with their voter guide sent out by the local GOP.

It talks about some “Reform Team”, made up of Jerry Sanders, Carl DeMaio, Jan Goldsmith, and April Boling, that needs to be sent to City Hall in order to thwart the interests of “special interest union bosses” that “have created a financial crisis with gold-plated pension benefits.”

I realize that a steady diet of FOX and wanting to believe that Bush was the right choice in 2004 lends itself to cognitive dissonance but I can’t think of any reality-based rational for labeling these four a “reform team.”

SANDERS
Oh please. Reform? We’ve had four years and all I’ve seen a poll-driven popularity seeker. People in his own party should remind him that “fees” can be interpreted as “taxes” and, like Golding before him, he’s not making any real changes lest he be responsible for a dip in his popularity numbers. Changes need to happen and the last four years seem to show a pattern of avoiding any meaningful reform beyond the cosmetic.

DEMAIO
Neo-libertarianism is not reform. DeMaio’s style of reform would have farmed out our police to Blackwater. That was an extreme example but a guy who started out feeding from the government trough has no right to bash it. Wanting to make a living again from the government while selling it off is not governing. I guess it is reform for those who liked Newt and Reagan.

GOLDSMITH
Yes, he is not Mike so that is reform of a sort. I just don’t see Jan doing much other that being another Casey Gwinn. His tenure in the State Assembly has become forgettable and I’m still not sure what a guy like him is doing in a race like this. His plans read more like a PowerPoint slide than a guide to action. If the GOP wanted a warm body to run, they could have done better.

BOLING
Out of many issues, I’ll choose one: Mayor Murphy’s Blue Ribbon Commission. If your idea of reform is downplay the severity of the problems in which you were tasked to address because they might be really bad, then you’re better off in the fantasyland of your mind. For a CPA to take part in this deception is beyond the pale. She’s been on just about every Republican campaign as an accountant so she has plenty of chits to call in. You have an idea of how reform minded she’ll be.

I just don’t see this GOP Justice League hanging out socially let alone reforming the city in a positive fashion.

Friday - Quick Hits

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday - Quick Hits

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

Eight arraigned from SDSU drug raid yesterday. UT

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

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

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

Escondido city council sharply divided over pending budget cuts. NCTimes