San Diego Mayoral Candidate Forum

I find it intriguing the two lines of banter about the San Diego Mayor's race with some of the below candidates that have filed an intent to run statement:

• Sharam Adhami
  
• Hud Collins
• Loch David Crane, M.E.D.
• Carl DeMaio
• Bonnie Dumanis
• Bob Filner
• Nathan Fletcher
• Steven Greenwald
• Robert Girly Girly Harter
• Christine T. Kehoe
• Toby J. Lewandoski
• Rocky Neptun
• Tobiah Lee Pettus

There is the one angle of talk about the actual campaign; who are the front runners, certain candidate ceiling and base of support, intensity of a campaigner, fundraising capacity, candidates with competing support, partisanship, flame out potential (dropping out of race), and then the potential match-up in a run-off.

There is the other conversation on the various candidates and their management as a mayor; a strong mayor, characteristics related to previous mayors, a coalition maker, partisanship, understand the complexity of the issues, relationship to council members, downtown establishment and labor.

I think we have an opportunity this far out before the Primary Election to allow the voters of the City of San Diego the opportunity to meet these real half dozen candidates, hear why they are running, what they intend to do in office and ask people for their vote through a type of multi-district townhall debate program.

First, there are currently 13 people that have filed intent to run, but only four that have opened a candidate account. While it would be grand to have every candidate that files speak at the forum it should be for the legitimate candidates. There should be a criteria for those who are invited and if they wish to attend each one can meet what I would outline as the required criteria:

1. They need to open a candidate committee;
2. They need to hire at least one staff member to run their campaign on a full-time basis;
3. They need to hire a treasurer to manage their candidate committee; and
   
4. They need to actually commit to run a real campaign (i.e. send out mailers, host phone banks, host fundraisers or self-fund a reasonable sum, etc...)

While many love the fringe candidates that run every cycle, and say everyone should be invited to the debates this is a real issue for the voters of the City of San Diego who need someone that will make this a real full-time job. You can't have a substance debate for the voters with 13 plus people answering questions. Sorry Crane.

Here is how I would outline the forums:

1. There should be two forums hosted in each of the current eight city council districts with one in each district each following week starting the first of the year, then a second in each district after the completion of the first cycle of debates are completed.
2. The forums should be no longer then two hours or some voters will leave, some will not be able to absorb the entire debate and it is hard for the working person to dedicate more then two hours to anything political, unless they are political wonks.
3. Each candidate should get a two minute opening and a two minute closing.
4. The debates should allow for real-time translation at minimum for Spanish and possibly a second or third language.
5. The forums should be funded by the lcoal Republican and Democratic parties, who would just solicit donations from their respective donors anyway. We don't have to have taxpayers cover the cost of these forums.
   
6. There should be a three person panel to ask questions, which should be someone selected by the Republican Party chair, someone selected from the Democratic Party chair and a third which both party chairs can hopefully deem as neutral. Panels are always charged with being partisan, so lets skip the theatrics of choosing only reporters, academia, or non-profits and allow there to be some meaty questions.
7. The forums should hold candidates to 1-minute responses.
8. Candidates should each be allowed a certain number of times they can ask one specific candidate a follow-up question.
9. The audience should be polled at the end of each question on whether they think the candidates answered the question and not whether they liked the candidates answers.
10. At the end of the forum there is a spin zone for reporters from print, on-line and social media representatives to ask questions of either the candidates, their campaign representatives, party designee, and allow the fringe candidates to have a representative to complain how they were not allowed to debate.

I have other ideas, but I think you can get my line of thought here. So, I call on the following organizations that have the ability to put together these types of forums, to step-up and help organize these forums:

• Center on Policy Initiatives
• Common Cause
• League of Women Voters
• National University System Institute for Policy Research
• San Diego County Taxpayers Association
• San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council
• San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce

No 3rd Round of Public Comment

Word on the street is that the State Redistricting Commission will not have a 3rd round of public comment. Monday night's meeting here in San Diego will be the last opportunity for public testimony before the commission locally.

Assemblyman Martin Garrick arrested for DUI

From the North County Times.

Democrats Again Outnumber Republicans Countywide; Party Invests in Voter Reg.

From the SDCDP:

As of this month, Democrats have regained the lead in San Diego County's voter registration, erasing a 5,000-voter advantage the Republicans held as recently as September.

Last year Meg Whitman dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into voter registration during her failed gubernatorial bid, boosting the Republican rolls with fraudulent and financially incentivized registrations. But the county's "blue" tilt since then suggests that the underlying political and demographic trends favor Democrats.

Registration numbers for the two parties have hovered within a razor-thin margin of each other countywide since the 2008 elections. With an eye toward greater potential in the 2012 presidential election year, the County Democratic Party is currently developing an expanded voter registration program in its updated strategic plan.

More immediately, volunteers are needed to register Democrats at events this summer, including the Juneteenth festival (June 18), naturalization ceremonies in San Diego (June 22) and Chula Vista (June 24), and LGBT Pride (July 16-17). To sign up for a shift, email sdvoter@gmail.com.

Brown vetoes budget

The SacBee has the story (and image below) here.

ATKINS APPLAUDS ON-TIME BALANCED STATE BUDGET AS KEY STEP TOWARD GETTING STATE’S FISCAL HOUSE IN ORDER

The state budget adopted today by the California State Legislature represents an important step forward in achieving stability and fiscal prudence in state spending, while it also promotes California’s economic recovery, according to Assemblymember Toni Atkins. The balanced, on-time budget that was approved today is critical both to how credit rating agencies view our state’s finances and to restoring the consumer confidence California will need to continue its economic recovery.

“By adopting the first on-time budget since 1986, we have acted early, responsibly, and made the difficult cuts needed to balance this year’s budget, without the additional revenues many believe were needed,” says Atkins. “This aggressive plan shows how serious we are about putting California back on the right path.”

“Let me be clear, this budget does include deep and difficult cuts that span the breadth of state government and which are in addition to cuts to the core of the state’s health and social services safety net that were made in March.” $2.85 billion in payments to public schools will be deferred and the public universities will take additional major cuts to their budgets.

But the budget adopted today also eliminates 60% of the state’s structural deficit, provides for a $600 million reserve for emergencies, and protects investments in programs that promote job creation and reduce unemployment. The budget includes reforms to enterprise zone and redevelopment programs which generate funds for job creation, education, and the elimination of blight. It restores $200 million for child care programs, ensuring that Californians can continue to work while knowing their children are safe and cared for. In addition, the budget restored critical job training funds that will enable people to get back to work as soon as possible.

Let the Games Begin!

Since the imposition of term limits, San Diego politics has been essentially a carousel - a politician starts out on one level, then slowly climbs his or her way up the ladder.  Take Christine Kehoe, for example.  She started as a San Diego City Councilwoman, almost beat Bilbray in 1996, then onto State Assembly, then State Senate.  Each time, she's done an admirable job, and rewarded with voters.  But she's also been able to take advantage of open seats as politicians above her got termed out.  And following Chris is Toni Adkins, an admirable politician in her own right. 

The one place where the carousel hit a wall was U.S. Congress.  Unlike political offices for the State of California or the City of San Diego, federal office does not have term limits.  As a result, Congressmen locally have held onto their jobs in Congress with both hands.  All you need to do is look at Juan Vargas' scars from his campaigns against Bob Filner to understand this principle. 

The other interesting factor is that until recently, the position of Mayor of San Diego was considered a crappy job.  Seriously, outside of the usual suspects (Ron Roberts, Jim Bell, Steve Francis, etc.), few politicians would even conceive of running.  And that's not a huge surprise, because the office of Mayor WAS a crappy job.  The Mayor would set the Council agenda and act as the 9th vote on the council.  While he/she would get credit and/or blame for the City's successes/woes, he/she couldn't do anything about it.  As a result, San Diego never seemed to have good races for mayor, and also not surprisingly, the last four mayors - Roger Hedgecock, Maureen O'Connor, Susan Golding, and Dick Murphy - have not held public office after their terms ended.  As a result, the carousel ends without many San Diegan politicians have a chance to move up in the world.

But two things have changed.  First, the Mayor of San Diego is now the chief executive of San Diego City Government.  The Mayor gets to do stuff, and not just look the part of the big cheese, but be the big cheese.  The kind of big cheese that gets talked about for state-wide office, like mayor of San Francisco or mayor of LA.  As a result, ten thousand people* are running for Mayor.  Not only are they running for Mayor, but they're leaving their other jobs to run for Mayor.  Second, redistricting has come to the Congressional districts, and these new districts with new lines and borders change everything.  Darrel Issa, for instance, has to move back into the district he's represented for the past ten years.

So what does this all mean? The carousel has ended folks.  For the next year or so, everything will be in play to a degree.  Democratic districts will probably remain Democratic, and vice versa, but who holds these seats will be a crapshoot as more and more seats open up. Once epic contests, such as Filner v. Vargas I, II and III, are ending peaceably as Filner vacates his Congressional seat to run for Mayor.  Or not.  I don't know, you don't know, no one knows.  That is going to make things interesting for the next few years because the rules have changed.

*All numbers are approximate.

Run Women Run Names Francine Busby to Executive Director Position

Former Congressional Candidate and Cardiff school board member Francine Busby has been named executive director of Run Women Run, announced Michelle Burton, president of the organization. Run Women Run, started in 2008, is a non-partisan political action committee that inspires, recruits, trains and mentors pro-choice San Diego women who are seeking elected or appointed office.

“We are excited that Francine has agreed to lead our organization as we approach an important election year,” said Burton. “National numbers indicate that women are still a minority in most state Legislatures, in Congress and as mayors of major cities.”

Busby, a long time advocate and mentor for girls and women, has served as an adjunct professor of Woman's Studies at California State University, San Marcos and as an elected member of the Cardiff School Board where she guided the district through a tumultuous transition involving critical personnel issues, multi-million dollar budgets, union negotiations and decisions that affected hundreds of families.

“While women are certainly not monolithic, women legislators are more likely than their male counter parts to support policies and laws related to the education, protection of reproductive rights and other issues impacting women and children,” said Busby.

Busby has mentored women in offices from school board and city council to state Assembly and Congress. She has also worked closely with Emily's List, the California List, California Women Lead, the National Organization for Women, National Women’s Political Caucus, Emerge, Planned Parenthood and other organizations that support women in leadership and elected office.

While raising her family, Busby served on governing boards of numerous community organizations including serving as the founding president of the Casa Teresa Central Guild in Orange County, as president of the Cardiff Education Foundation and as a Girl Scout troop leader.

Busby grew up in an Italian American family of small business owners in the Los Angeles area. She graduated from UC Irvine with a B.A. in humanities. She has been married to David Busby, a computer software engineer for 32 years, and they have two adult children. They have lived in Cardiff-by the Sea for 23 years.

Word on the Street: Saldana for Congress

Rumor - This has been swirling for over a month but now has picked up steam. A number of electeds have been talking about this possibility and it seems to validate the conventional wisdom that Bilbray's days in Congress may be numbered.

Bilbray draws another challenger.

This morning, local Democrats were introduced to Bob Nascenzi for Congress via e-mail. The link to his site is here. This appears to be his first foray into politics and we would love to know more about him.

His intention is to run against Brian Bilbray. Maybe moving to Clairemont was not the best for the current Congressman, who seems to be drawing challengers at a steady pace.

Word on the Street: Kehoe is out for Mayor and in for Congress

This is a rumor-Kehoe explored a Congressional run in 2000 but went for Assembly and cleared the field for Susan Davis. Now, Chris can replicate Susan's success at beating Brian Bilbray for Congress.

Redistricting, campaigns and the South Bay

So now that the draft maps are up and the announcements of Bob Filner running for Mayor and Juan Vargas running for Bob's seat frees up the 40th State Senate seat because let's be honest Paco(Juan) has a lock on this seat. So now the speculation is who would take over this seat in the special election to replace him in the State Senate.So far I think the following would be either obvious or interesting depending on your point of view.

The first thought would be Assemblyman Ben Hueso because the 79th would be entirely in the now 39th Senate district and he's a known commodity and would have access to Sac money. Also that has

been the trend in the South Bay that the Assemblymember becomes the Senator. Only Mary was unable to continue thistrend when she lost to Paco by less than 30 votes.

So I guess that's the obvious choice but I noticed something interesting on this Senate seat. This seat would include Clairemont which would mean that Lori Saldana, who has declared her intention to run for the 39th and technically this would be the 39th now. She's a former Assemblymember and has been die hard Juan Vargas supporter when he ran against Bob Filner back in `06 and Juan was the only person of clout to support Lori's first campaign, raising money and hooking her up with Larry Remer. Anybody who know politics in San Diego knows about Larry and that guy doesn't play politics for fun and games. She's Latina and past president of the Sierra Club which would fit this district. But she's not popular in Sac and with the local party establishment and her fundraising base is not as strong as others. So if she throws her hat who does

Paco endorse?

The other thing that occurred to me is what if Ben doesn't run. I mean it's possible but unlikely. So in that event who would run is Ben is out and Lori is in? That got me looking at the map and I saw that PB is in

this district so maybe just maybe Lorena Gonzalez runs for that seat. I mean her pedigree would be compelling as she went to Georgetown, UCLA and Stanford. She's been an environmental activist and was Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante so she still has loads of Sac money and contacts. Also as Secretary-Treasurer of San Diego-Imperial Labor Council she would be a lock for that endorsement and with Bob running for mayor the Republicans would be split on who they would want to defeat more which gives her a shot and she's Latina and she is way more palatable to the Senate Leadership so why not?

Now let's talk about the 79th. If Ben runs this leaves this seat open if he wins so who would run for that? Well there's Pamela Bensoussan. She's a sitting Councilmember of the second largest city in the County and a big part of it is in the new 79th. However she isn't Latina, which could be problematic and her fundraising base seems limited to Chula Vista which is a bigger problem. Also she might have tough reelection fight if a big name Republican comes in. Of course there is an open seat but depending on who runs for that would determine if a credible Republican decides to run against Pamela or an op

en seat.

Another possibility is Raquel Marquez-Madsen, she's a staffer to Ben and is President of the San Ysidro School Board. But she's not known outside San Ysidro and it's not know how much money she could raise on her own without an endorsement of Ben. While she been seen at Democratic Party events it is curious whether she would be able to break out unless she starts raising some serious money and Ben starts talking to the powers that be in Sac.

Now an interesting candidate for this seat would be someone who has worked in the area for almost 10 years who is well versed in this issues that impact all of South Bay and especially in the areas covered by the 79th. So why not Humberto Peraza? He's young, smart and Latino, served as Bob Filner's District Director and before that was a Field Rep for Barbara Boxer and reciently served as a Senior Policy Advisor to Ben Hueso. He's been active in Chula Vista for years he also has strong connections to National City and San Diego due his work with Bob and supporting Mona Rios in National City. With Bob's endorsement, especially if he's elected mayor and Ben's endorsement he could get some serious money and he would play ball with the Speaker's

office. Sure he lost his first campaign by a few hundred votes but didn't FDR, JFK, and Barack Obama lose at least one election or nomination? He would be an extremely attractive candidate and of the Caliber that Sac likes.

Finally there's Pearl Quinones, she ran against Ben and lost but she still serves on the Sweetwater Union High School District and is strong in National City. But National City is only a fraction of the

79th and she had problems in South San Diego and in the areas not served by Sweetwater. That and whether she can convince Sac that she can play ball and is able to diversify her support and hold on to Bob Filner's support if Humberto doesn't run gives her a shot.

Well kids this has been fun. Let me know your thoughts, click on the comments section and have your say.

SacBee: Maps analyze party registration for draft Senate, Assembly lines

The SacBee has the visual breakdown. Click here.

From SanDiegoRedistricting.net: Memo to Lani Lutar of San Diego County Taxpayers Association

"4. Memo to Lani Lutar of San Diego County Taxpayers Association: Put down your phone. Slink quietly away from redistricting. Your Republican Party good cop/bad cop plan has been revealed, your consultant/spokesman has abandoned you, your partisan agenda has been documented before the commission, and there is far more information flowing around town about your months-long redistricting collaboration with DeMaio, Krvaric, and the Lincoln Club than you realize. Your renewed efforts to establish yourself as a middle ground player are amusing, but embarrassing. " - SanDiegoRedistricting.net

FIrst Draft maps are up! Part 2

Up they go again. Click here.

A note about these maps

These were downloaded early this morning and, as of this writing, were removed from the state website. These should be considered pending until the website posts the maps.

Assembly Maps

Senate Maps

Congressional Maps

FIrst Draft maps are up!

Click here to view the proposed maps and the return of the coastal districts.

SDUT: State Sen. Vargas plans run to replace Filner in Congress

Not a surprise but it does begin the falling-dominoes sequence in South Bay. Check it here.

Ninth Circuit Upholds Corporate Contribution Ban and Other San Diego Campaign Finance Restrictions

You can read the press release here.

New lines come out tomorrow.

Click here on Friday.

Filner: "Let me be clear, this is not an announcement of some "exploratory" committee."

He also said that San Diego has not had a strong mayor since Pete Wilson. Let the games begin.

Voice of San Diego: Faulconer Out, Endorses Dumanis

Read it here.

Filner to announce tomorrow.

His former District CoS and current CoS have Tweeted this. We'll see on Wednesday.

Voice of San Diego 401(k) article worth reading

To quote the SDUT:

DeMaio has joined with Faulconer and Sanders on a proposed initiative that would appear on the same June 2012 ballot and calls for replacing guaranteed pensions with 401ks for all new city hires except for police officers.

DeMaio said the initiative will be the thrust of his campaign.

“People are going to see it as indistinguishable (from my campaign),” he said. “The pension crisis is the most pressing financial problem we face and I’m not waiting to be mayor to fix that problem. I’m doing it right now.”

And from the Voice of San Diego:

"The colossal problem for the city is trying to pay off that $2.1 billion pension liability," Hovey said. "The 401(k) plan doesn't address that."

For now, backers are insisting 401(k)s will save money, but aren't saying much else. They still have a year to make their case. When they do, they might not have to prove how much 401(k)s save, but whether they save anything at all.

This would not be the first time politician DeMaio has been less than factual. However, to base his campaign for Mayor on a false premise shows how little respect he has for the voters.

It should be mentioned that DeMaio constantly runs initiatives with his campaigns. It almost seems as if he could not win an election without them.

Re-elect Todd Gloria!

His campaign site is up.

Click here to see it

SDUT: Fletcher running for Mayor

This looks like a back door way of stepping on DeMaio's announcement later today.

Click here for the article.

CityBeat Article: DeMaio is back from the future

It all makes sense in this great CityBeat article. What matters is if these 1,027 contributors have already given, it would be illegal.

CityBeat Article: Goldsmith to Krvaric: Your lawsuit is a partisan, self-serving crock!

CityBeat says it all.

Stop the Republican Railroad

The Republicans started a petition a week ago attacking Redistricting Commissioner Carlos Marquez. After one week, they have collected 210 signatures. Let’s blow that out of the water.

Click here to help.

Kehoe files for Mayor

As per the San Diego City Clerk.

Democrats' Interest in S.D. Mayor's Race Shows the Future of a Changing City

From the SDCDP
MEDIA ADVISORY: Thursday, June 2, 2011



A year from the 2012 primary election, two major Democratic candidates have now taken steps toward running for mayor of San Diego, promising the most competitive race for the office in years.

State Senator Christine Kehoe this morning announced that she’s opening a committee to explore a mayoral campaign. Meanwhile, Congressman Bob Filner has made statements in recent months indicating that he plans to run. Both are due to make final decisions later this year.

“With the interest of two strong, experienced Democratic leaders in the mayoral race, San Diego is poised to have a Democrat on a general election ballot for the first time in 20 years,” said Jess Durfee, Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party. “San Diego is already a very Democratic city, and 2012 will be our opportunity to show what that means for City Hall.”

Politically and demographically, the city has moved decisively into the “blue” column over the past decade. For example:

• Today there are almost 50% more Democrats than Republicans in the City of San Diego -- an advantage of more than 75,000 votes.
• Republicans are just 3% away from being outnumbered by independents in the city.
• In 2008, President Obama won the city with 62% of the vote to John McCain’s 35%.
• Census data this year showed that 55% of the city’s residents are non-white, with significant increases in the Latino and Asian / Pacific Islander populations.
Chair Durfee stated that given the new political reality in the city, Republicans will have no choice but to court Democratic votes –- particularly in a high-turnout presidential election year.

“We can all expect to see Republican candidates with staunch right-wing track records suddenly pivot and sell themselves as ‘moderate’ or even progressive,” he said. “On behalf of the Democratic Party, I look forward to making sure that the voters know the truth about who’s on the ballot in 2012.

“And I am very pleased that two real Democrats are emerging to give San Diegans a better choice in electing our next mayor.”

# # #

Emerald files for re-election in D7

From the San Diego City Clerk.

State Senator Christine Kehoe to File Paperwork to Explore Run for Mayor

May 31st, 2010 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Colin Parent, Spokesperson, 858-442-7374, colin@christinekehoe.org

State Senator Christine Kehoe to File Paperwork to Explore Run for Mayor

May 31, 2011, SAN DIEGO – State Senator Christine Kehoe will open a committee this week to explore a possible run for Mayor of the City of San Diego.

Senator Kehoe issued the following statement:

“Since my first election to the San Diego City Council, I have been committed to addressing our City’s problems with practical solutions.

I have carried that approach to the State Legislature, where I have authored commonsense laws that protected our natural resources, ended redevelopment loopholes, and forced local agencies to better balance the needs of all San Diegans.

The challenges San Diegans face together can be resolved. We need honest solutions that don’t cause more problems than they solve. Working together and using commonsense, we can get San Diego back on the right track.

That’s why I am taking a very serious look at running for Mayor.”

Senator Kehoe is a Democrat representing the 39th Senate District, which overlaps about two thirds of the City of San Diego. She has a long record of practical problem solving for San Diego:

· Served as the Executive Director of the Hillcrest Business Association, where she worked for small business owners to cut through red tape at City Hall.

· On the City Council, Kehoe shepherded the City Heights Urban Village project, a 12-block public-private partnership that has become a national model of mixed-use neighborhood revitalization. She also completed the long-stalled portion of the I-15 freeway.

· Closed a loophole that allowed redevelopment funds to be siphoned out of neighborhoods. (SB 93, 2003)

· Reformed the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority by eliminating $400,000 in excessive annual salaries for political appointees and requiring efficiency between local and state agencies. (SB 10, 2007)

· Created the San Diego River Conservancy to protect the 52-mile water route. (AB 2156, 2001-02)

· Co-authored a landmark bill which granted equal benefits under California law to domestic partners, (AB 205, 2003), and authored a bill that prevents the state from contracting with employers who discriminate with regard to benefits for registered domestic partners. (AB 17, 2004)

Christine Kehoe became the region’s first out LGBT elected official when she won her first race for the San Diego City Council in 1993. She was elected to the State Assembly in 2000, and most recently was elected to her second term in the State Senate in 2008. Kehoe served as the chairperson of the Senate’s Local Government committee, and currently chairs the Senate Appropriations committee. She is a homeowner in North Park with her partner of 26 years, Julie Warren.

Senator Kehoe will make her decision for the Mayor’s race at a later time.

###

Game over: Marquez stays

The SDUT and Two Cathedrals report that the Registrar has found Marquez to be a registered voter in San Diego and can continue to serve.

Labor files an Eithics Complaint against DeMaio

It is about his early fundraising.

See "Carl's Indiscretion" below.

Carl's Indiscretion

The Voice has the story of Carl DeMaio putting up a campaign site asking for donations before he legally can.

To Labor's credit, they took advantage of the situation and, to Carl's credit, he took the site down.

Thanks to the webverse, we have a page of the now removed site and the solicitation in question.

Below is a page from the site.


And below is the Donate button in question.

Labor said they donated money through the site. If the money is processed, we have an Ethics violation from a politician who wants to clean up city hall.

Governor Brown Issues Memorial Day Proclamation

PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

On Memorial Day, we pay tribute to Americans who have suffered and died in war.

The custom of marking this day originated just after the Civil War. To help heal the wounds of war, Americans in all parts of the country began decorating the graves of the dead with flowers, a universal symbol of the renewal of life. As a small step in the lengthy task of reuniting a nation divided, we chose to honor all the dead, Union and Confederate, regardless of our own allegiances during that terrible struggle. After the First World War, we expanded our observance to honor all Americans who have fought and died in any of our nation’s wars. In 1971, the United States Congress declared Memorial Day to be a national holiday observed on the last Monday in May.

Today, I ask all Californians to pay tribute to our fallen military heroes. In their memory, I have ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on all state buildings and grounds throughout the state.


NOW THEREFORE I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 30, 2011, as “Memorial Day.”

Goldsmith leaves it to Seiler to rule on Marquez

Matt Hall has the scoop at the SDUT.

In brief, Goldsmith concurs that no laws have been broken and clarifies that the final ruling about Marquez's residency for voter registration purposes can be determined by the Registrar of Voters or a court. After consulting with County Counsel, the City Attorney has asked the Registrar of Voters to rule.

The Latest Republican Temper Tantrum

The following is from the latest "Blue View" by SDCDP Chair Jess Durfee.

On every school playground there's a type of spoiled brat who wants a do-over as soon as he thinks he's losing. Or, even worse, who tries to change the rules in the middle of the game.

Consider the San Diego Republican Party and their clumsy, whiny attempts to influence the redistricting process in the City of San Diego. Of course, the outcome of this fight is far from trivial.

Struggling for relevance in a city that over the years has become more diverse and more Democratic, Republicans seem to think they can railroad the process by submitting their own set of maps and discrediting the Redistricting Commission itself.

In a PowerPoint presentation they made to the commission this month -- partisan right down to the elephant in their logo -- they offered a gerrymandered map of districts contorted to make a Republican majority on the City Council. This despite the fact that they're far outnumbered by Democrats, and close to falling behind independent voters in the city. By law, the commission can't even consider feedback from a political party.

Betraying their evident fear of greater racial diversity on the City Council, the Republicans warned commissioners that "race can't be your motive" in drawing districts, though the law actually requires the consideration of race to empower "communities of interest."

When that didn't seem to be working, the Party hired one of their own officers to spy on a commissioner for a week, leading to a trumped-up charge that he's not really a San Diegan. That commissioner, a Democrat with deep roots in the city, just happens to be the only Latino and the only gay person on the panel.

The commission and the community were unimpressed by their antics, so yesterday the Republican Party Chair, Tony Krvaric, sued the City of San Diego to dispute the whole process. He claims that the judges who picked the commissioners (both judges appointed by a Republican governor) were illegitimate. In other words, he wants a do-over.

More of the public's time and money will now be wasted in court. Still, I don't think the result will change. The Republican Party might not accept the diversity of our city in the 21st century, but that's their problem, not ours. The Redistricting Commissioners -- Democrats, Republicans, and independents -- have an important job to do for San Diego. It's time for them to get on with the people's work.

San Diego Redistricting Maps

As a public service, we are going to show some of the proposed maps that have been presented to the City's Redistricting Commission. Below are the current lines.



This is the Coast & Canyons which is an effort to keep District 1 together.



Next up is the Asian Pacific American Coalition map.



Followed by the San Diego Republican Party map.



And we close with the Community in Unity map.

These maps require magnification to tease out their finer points. We are posting these to give the readers a vague sense of where the lines have been proposed.

We were unable to find a copy of the SDCTA map but we did find, on the site of the firm that did their map, links to PDFs from Columbia Law School that proposes Congressional lines.

San Diego Rostra welcomes SD Politico back

We here at SD Politico tip our hat to San Diego Rostra and thank them for welcoming us back. We are still in the process of re-tooling and hope to be at full strength in a few weeks. Until then, we will contribute what local coverage, tips, and thoughts we can from the left side of the aisle.

See Jim Sills post about SD Politico at San Diego Rostra here.

Re-elect Sherri Lightner!

She filed yesterday:

http://www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk/elections/city/120605.shtml

Statement of California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton on Janice Hahn’s Victory in CD36 Primary

I want to congratulate Councilwoman Janice Hahn on her first place primary finish in the CD36 special election to replace Congresswoman Jane Harman.

All of the Democratic candidates ran spirited and passionate campaigns but the primary has ended and we urge all those who voted for Debra Bowen and Marcy Winograd to unite behind the Democratic nominee.

The voters of the thirty-sixth Congressional District will be well represented by a Democrat like Janice Hahn and we look forward to helping make her the 34th member of our California Democratic Congressional Delegation.

Peace and friendship,

John Burton,

Chair

California Democratic Party

Statement of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus on the Filibuster of Goodwin Liu's Nomination to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


LOS ANGELES - California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair Clark Lee released the following statement on the Senate Republican filibuster of Goodwin Liu's nomination to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals:


"The Senate Republicans' filibuster of Goodwin Liu's nomination to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals today is a blatant disregard for fairness, equality, and diversity. The Republicans' continued partisan attacks to mischaracterize Liu, a highly-regarded Asian American legal scholar with the highest possible rating by the American Bar Association, through the entire nomination process are pure partisan political ploys. Their scheme is not only a setback for Asian American civic participation and representation on the federal bench; it is an undermining of the American democratic process."

###

The California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (CDP API Caucus) is the officially chartered caucus of the California Democratic Party representing Democrats of Asian and Pacific Islander origin in the State of California. The CDP API Caucus works under the general direction of the California Democratic Party. The CDP API Caucus supports all CDP endorsed candidates and ballot measures. For more information, visit www.apicaucus.com.

Republicans Cry "Overuse of Race," Push Partisan Gerrymander for San Diego

SDCDP MEDIA ADVISORY: Thursday May 19, 2011

Struggling for relevance in a city that has become more diverse and more Democratic in the last decade, the local Republican Party is attempting to railroad San Diego’s redistricting process by offering a wildly partisan plan and discrediting the legally required consideration of race.

* UNLAWFUL PARTISANSHIP: By law, the city’s redistricting process must be strictly nonpartisan. Commissioners are forbidden from considering partisan input. Yet the Republican presentation – partisan right down to the elephant in their logo – offered a gerrymandered map of districts contorted to create a Republican majority on the City Council. For perspective, Democrats have a 12% voter registration advantage in the city, and 62% of San Diegans voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

* CLAIMING “OVERUSE OF RACE”: In a formal presentation to the city’s Redistricting Commission, Republicans told members that “race can’t be your motive” in drawing City Council district lines. Their clear goal is to undermine the Voting Rights Act and the City Charter, which require the recognition of “communities of interest,” including racial groups, in redistricting. In a city where the majority of residents are now non-white, their strategy reveals the Republicans’ fear of greater racial diversity on the City Council.

* PERSONAL ATTACKS: Failing so far to achieve their political goals in redistricting, the local Republican Party has methodically tried to discredit individuals associated with the Commission. They planted news stories essentially criticizing the Commission’s chief of staff for her youth, and they even went so far as to hire a right-wing operative to spy on and harass one of the commissioners who is Latino and openly gay.

“San Diego’s redistricting commissioners must listen to community members, follow the law, and stay above the partisan fray,” said Jess Durfee, Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party. “The Democratic Party is respecting those rules, but we will not sit by silently as the Republican Party tries to railroad the public process to achieve their partisan power grab.

“The Republican Party might not accept the diversity of our great city in the 21st century, but that’s their problem,” added Durfee. “The Redistricting Commission has an important job to do now for all of the people of San Diego, so I call on them to reject the Republican distractions and scare tactics -- and just get on with their work.”

# # #

We're Re-tooling

We'll be back up soon.

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine’s Statement on the Midterm Election Results

Washington, DC– In response to today’s midterm election results, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine released the following statement:
 
“In November 2008, the American people voted for change – for a President that would stand up for the needs of middle-class families and a government that would work together to address America’s biggest challenges.  In the two years since then, Democrats have worked hard to rebuild America’s economy and renew the American Dream.  But tonight, voters sent a message that change has not happened fast enough.   The American people are rightly frustrated by the economy, and Democrats are ready to redouble our efforts to create jobs and accelerate growth.   With the two houses of Congress now divided between Democrats and Republicans, it is incumbent upon both parties to take responsibility for governing so we can move the nation forward. 
 
“In the face of stiff historical and economic headwinds, many of our candidates – with the help of committed volunteers and supporters across the country – outperformed expectations tonight.  Democrats will maintain control of the Senate and we are fighting hard in key governors’ races across the country.  I am extremely proud of our Party and the Democrats across the country who ran strong races based on records of fighting for the middle class, holding Wall Street accountable, ending the worst insurance industry abuses, and repairing the economic damage created by nearly a decade of failed economic policies. 
 
“While there are many races still undecided, we must turn our attention back to the business of the American people and in that, we hope that Republicans will join us in looking for common ground from which we can make the progress the American people expect and deserve.”
 
###

Predictions

Unless there is a Republican surge or heavy rain tomorrow, here is where I think the chips will fall:


Overall - Turnout makes the difference
GET OUT AND VOTE! We win when we vote. If you don't vote, rest assured the Right will. No matter how much the other side bellyaches about government, they're not stupid. If nothing, they will vote. And so should you.


D6 - Wayne by a hair
This race should not be this close. Labor divided its resources between Prop D, Wayne and Hueso in D8. The local Dems have been a funnel for the Whitburn effort. With such "allies", the Wayne Camp has fought heroically against the unified resources of the local GOP and Lincoln Club as they thrust one of the worst candidates forward that this city has seen onto the public.

Had the party been less focused on Whitburn and if Labor had not let their guns go silent with their "Don't get Zapf'd" campaign, Wayne would take this in a walk. As it is, expect a long night where there shouldn't have been one.


D8 - Alvarez
The Alvarez campaign has been plugging away while the Hueso campaign seemed stuck in neutral. With the UT articles over the weekend about the improper transfer of funds between Ben and Felipe using Labor as the go between and Labor's hard headed approach with the SDCDP regarding Alvarez, Labor and Ben have tipped this election into Alvarez's favor. He has gained support from a wide swath of South Bay activists as a reaction to the Ben/Labor effort.

Felipe never seemed awake to the fact that he was running for office. And calling Alvarez a "youngster" on KPBS didn't help his cause. His entire candidacy seemed to be a vanity project. Much like Sudberry & DeMaio's attempt to elect an obviously unqualified candidate to office (Zapf), this Gonzales & Hueso (Ben) attempt to elevate Felipe just smells bad.

And it didn't have to be. It's a Dem v Dem race ferchristssake! Do we not have enough issues as progressives in this city without our "friends" making enemies when there was no rational need to make them? Until the powers that be stop thinking with their guts and start thinking with their heads the progressive agenda in this city will have to wait for yet another cycle.


S4 - Roberts
While we are discussing vanity projects. Whitburn had a window in which to make his case and Roberts did seem rattled. Yet, Whitburn never made the case (though there is a good on to be made) and, even with a full court press from SEIU and the local Dem leadership (at the expense of Gronke and Wayne), Team Whitburn never seemed to catch fire.

Within the progressive circles, there is still some resentment about the Gloria win over Whitburn in D3. But Gloria has proven himself while Whitburn doesn't appear to have learned much from his race against Todd. In D3, Gloria worked for it while Whitburn seemed to expect other to do it for him. We don't have a Lincoln Club to make such things happen on the Left. As such, Roberts easily wins re-election.

Let's hope that S.S. Titanic Whitburn doesn't take down Wayne in the process.


Prop D - Fails
Let me just say that this was the wrong time to propose such a Proposition and the Yes side needed more help than Shepard could provide. The entire "Yes" effort seemed custom made to foster the growth of politician DeMaio's ego. "Nuff said.


See y'all at the bar!

CDP voting guide

In Tuesday's election it is not enough just to vote for Jerry Brown, Barbara Boxer and Gavin Newsom.

It's important to reject the TV smears paid for by the tobacco companies, the oil companies, big mortgage banks and right wing billionaires by electing:

-- Kamala Harris as Attorney General. She will fight crime, polluters and mortgage fraud.

-- Dave Jones for Insurance Commissioner, he'll protect consumers from increases in insurance rates.

-- And Tom Torlakson as Superintendant of Public Instruction. He is supported by parents, educators and school superintendents.

Additionally you must vote on the important ballot propositions:

-- Prop 20: NO - Just another power grab by a Republican billionaire.

-- Prop 21: YES - Protects state parks.

-- Prop 22: NO - Would cut schools and public safety by billions of dollars.

-- Prop 23: NO - Protect green jobs and say no to Texas oil companies.

-- Prop 24: YES - Increase funding for schools by ending corporate tax handouts.

-- Prop 25: YES - Protects 2/3 vote on taxes and punishes legislators for late budgets.

-- Prop 26: NO - Vote no, don't let polluters off the hook.

-- Prop 27: YES - Eliminates state bureaucracy and repeals Schwarzenegger's Republican reapportionment scheme.

Four Days Away

Top of the Ticket
With Brown and Boxer pulling away from Meg and Carly, volunteers should look at helping on local races because they are hot!

D6
The Voice explains what a Zapf win would mean for the future of San Diego. This the the most important local race, the one that had been a bare knuckle bruiser and the only race that any progressive within City limits with half a mind should be volunteering for. Call (619) 761-6951or go to the Wayne Campaign website to keep Zapf away from the City Council.

D8
The only exception to this is if you reside in Ben Hueso's City Council District. The UT has a great story about Ben giving Felipe $25,000 through an IE run by the Central Labor Council. D8 has been chronically used by their council members as a stepping stone for higher office. Help Alvarez and put a stop to the dynastic attempts at succession.

S4
We advocate for an all out effort for Wayne because without an Obama-like wave we don't see Whitburn making it. Even with a full court press by some local Dem leaders, SEIU, and the Dem Unity campaign, Whitburn has run a lackluster campaign. As we enter the final days, resources must be used where they can have the largest impact and that looks like Wayne.

California Democratic Party Features President Obama in Mailer Opposing Prop. 23, an Initiative That Would Eliminate Thousands of Clean Energy Jobs

SACRAMENTO – The California Democratic Party today announced a new mail piece, arriving in voters’ mailboxes as early as today, featuring President Barack Obama’s opposition to Proposition 23.  This dangerous initiative on California’s November ballot, sponsored by polluting out-of-state oil companies, would eliminate clean energy standards and thousands of green jobs created by California’s landmark greenhouse gas law.

In fact, because of our new greenhouse gas law, California’s clean-tech industry is thriving: More money is being invested in California alternative energy start-ups than anywhere else in the world, and green technology is creating 10 times more new jobs than any other sector.

But Prop. 23 would reverse that economic progress and turn back the clock on clean air protections. It would jeopardize the 12,000 clean energy businesses, 500,000 clean energy jobs and more than $10 billion in private investments that have been created.

President Obama understands that California and our nation can be the worldwide leader in green-tech industries, and opposes Prop. 23 because it would ship clean energy jobs overseas.  The same Texas oil companies behind Prop. 23 are trying to stop federal climate change legislation, as well.

Prop. 23 is also opposed by respected California organizations including the American Lung Association in California, California Professional Firefighters, AARP, California Nurses Association, the California Democratic Party, National Venture Capital Association, the California Solar Energy Industries Association, California Wind Energy Association, Small Business California, Attorney General Jerry Brown, Senator Barbara Boxer and many others.

A pdf of the Prop. 23 mailer can be found here:
http://www.cadem.org/admin/miscdocs/files/Prop23ObamaMailer.pdf

# # #

KPBS

Listen to Howard Wayne answer questions while Lorie Zapf ducks from the issues.

Wayne-Zapf

And listen to Felipe Hueso charge David Alvarez with being a "youngster."

Hueso-Alavarez

Brown coming to San Diego

Call the SDCDP at (858)277-DEMS(3367) for more information.

D6 and D8

D6: Then
In June, the Lincoln Club stuffed boxes in District 6 with over-sized mail attacks against Wayne and puff pieces promoting Zapf. The local GOP gave Zapf 20K and were able to insert voting guides into Republican ballot statements. Wayne and Hadley were fighting within the Democratic party for support and Tran had won the sign war.

When it was over, Zapf was heading into the runoff with 2nd place Wayne.

D6: Now
The local Dems gave Wayne 17K, both Hadley and Tran have endorsed Wayne and the mailers against Zapf all have a sting. The Lincoln Club is repeating their mail strategy but the Wayne campaign has the edge. The "Don't Get Zapf'd" tag line (Thanks, CityBeat) has a life of its own thanks to the IE mailings about Zapf's record of defaults, hateful remarks, and poor fiscal management.

Honestly, the UT's lukewarm endorsement of Zapf tells you that their decision had more to do with their simplisitc "labor v. business" theme that the UT loves rather than critically looking at the candidates. That would require thought.

Zapf's history of ducking out of debates and her performance at Clairemont using cue cards have confirmed suspicions that she's a lightweight who needs talking points from another politician (Carl DeMaio) in order to speak about anything substantive.

Right now, Wayne is winning the sign war and has been using the new media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) very well to get their messages out. In fact, on the Wayne website is a release about LAPA endorsing Wayne after endorsing Zapf in the primary. The SDRA also backed away from their Zapf endorsment. We hope these signs point to a Wayne victory in November because the last thing San Diego needs is to get Zapf'd.


D8: Then
In a district that relies on getting voters to the polls, Alvarez and Hueso barely survived to fight another day.

D8: Now
And now they are ready to rumble. Alvarez and Huseo both dropped mean attack mailers on each other this weekend. With the local Dems supporting Alvarez and Labor supporting Hueso, this looks like a wicked match-up. But labor is not unified behind Hueso, such as the Firefighters who are supporting Alvarez, and the Dems are dividing their time between Whitburn and Wayne.

Expect Ben to help out his brother by sharing staff and resources like he did in the primary. As the KUSI post below shows, Felipe seems like a nice enough guy but is miscast as a candidate.

Alvarez can vote on issues facing his district because of he is not conflict-of-interested out and has the community credibility. He is currently winning the sign war but remains to be seen if this campaign can survive a full on labor onslaught.

Really, this shouldn't be happening. Whomever wins is going to be a better vote for labor than the GOP alternative. And heaven knows that Wayne could use the help. But for reasons that seem more emotional than rational, we have a Dem vs. Dem death match.

District 8 Debate on KUSI

Last week, the two Democrats vying for San Diego's District 8 City Council seat discussed their candidacies on KUSI.

David Alvarez immediately got Filipe Hueso on the defensive. Watch for yourself.

D6: Clairemont Debate Review - Easy Wayne Win

After passing through a mass of Wayne signs, volunteers and sitting through a Ron Robert's hosted info session about Cal Fire, the debate for District 6 was held before a filled (about 150 people) cafeteria at Clairemont High.

In a tightly run debate voters had a clear sense of their choices. Zapf continued her pattern of not answering the questions and using the opportunity to attack labor. Wayne began hitting back landing solid rhetorical blows on Zapf for her lack of a record and the hypocrisy between her statements and her actions.

What was very telling was the use of cue cards by the Zapf campaign. A member of the Zapf camp was in a corner with a few pieces of cardboard that had notes in large type on them. When questions about city finances would come up, he would switch these notes out and Zapf would look to his corner before responding.

This is pathetic. It's not like we need more evidence of Zapf's vacuous campaign. But this is just sad. At this stage in the calendar, any candidate worthy of being elected should be able to speak on the issues without a net. Zapf has ducked debates and appears to be in hiding unless she can be scripted.

Really, without DeMaio's talking points and Sudberry's money, would there even be a Lorie Zapf candidacy? With her constituency of two and her weak showing last night, the last thing District 6 needs is a puppet at City Hall.

Wayne won last night in a big way. He was smarter, convincing, and called Zapf out on her BS when she tried to let it fly

And kudos to Janet Miller of the Clairemont Community News for moderating this debate and keeping things on schedule. This was one of the only debates that ever let out on time.

Official Democratic Voter Guide

Early voting has begun! If you're holding on to a ballot, please help all our candidates by filling it out completely and mailing it in right away. You can view and print our official Democratic Voter Guide online here: 

www.sddemocrats.org/endorsements 

Please forward this link to your friends and family through email, Facebook, and any means you have to promote the Party's recommendations. As an informed Democrat, you are a vital source of information for other voters in your personal network.

For more information, please call Democratic Headquarters at (858) 277-3367 or email info@sddemocrats.org.

Former District 6 Candidate Kim Tran Endorses Howard Wayne

Statement from Kim Tran

Character. Honesty. Ethics. In order to protect our community and our children, we need to elect officials whose words we can trust.  

With this criteria in mind, today, I announce that I am endorsing Howard Wayne as my choice to be the next Council member for District 6. I am encouraging all the people who supported me in the June primary to please vote for Howard.

We need the person representing our district to be honest, capable and truly committed to helping our communities.

Howard Wayne has proven his honesty. He is a deputy attorney general who has protected our communities from violent crime and consumer fraud as a prosecutor for 30 years. San Diego needs a leader we can trust.

Howard Wayne has proven his capability. He understands the legislative process and knows how to make things happen. And he’s maintained his own financial and personal integrity. San Diego needs a leader with experience.

Howard Wayne has proven his commitment to the community, as evidenced by his extensive history of community involvement in the 40 years that he’s lived here. San Diego needs a leader who cares about the community he lives in. 



While I don't agree with Howard on some issues, Howard has given me his word that he is committed to revitalizing our communities by creating middle class jobs, restoring fire and police protection and repairing our streets. He is also committed to reforming the pension and reducing the budget deficit. 



We have a choice between two candidates here in the 6th district. One candidate in this race is honest. One candidate in this race is capable. One candidate has shown true commitment to the community. And that one candidate is Howard Wayne. Please join me and Steven Hadley this November, and support Howard Wayne for City Council.

Bad News Keeps Piling Up for CA GOP

From the CDP:

In case you missed it: Bad News Keeps Piling Up for CA GOP

Two articles today that offer windows into the state of the race for the GOP candidates at the top of the ticket: Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina.

Yesterday, Meg Whitman hit the unprecedented $140 million mark in campaign spending, and she’s still not done. Why is that bad news? Her campaign remains stuck in neutral and has even started sliding in several polls. This is not where Meg Whitman and her high-priced consultants hoped to be at this point in the race — not after outspending their opponent 14 to 1.

Also, a new Field poll out today shows what California Democrats have known for months about that darn Sarah Palin endorsement that now hangs around Carly Fiorina’s neck like an albatross. In short, California’s Democratic-leaning, moderate electorate does not hold the half-term Alaska governor in high regard and is inclined to vote AGAINST a candidate who has received her endorsement.

The bad news is far from over for Fiorina as Governor Palin is scheduled to fly into California for an RNC-sponsored fundraiser in Orange County next week. If there’s one thing that follows Sarah Palin, it’s media attention — and that’s now part of the problem for Carly Fiorina and her team heading into the homestretch.


http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/06/3082867/whitman-spends-record-140-million.html
Whitman spends record $140 million on campaign
By Jack Chang
jchang@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 - 10:28 am

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman spent a record $140 million on her campaign through the end of September, including about $55 million since winning her party's nomination in June, according to campaign finance records filed Tuesday.

Her Democratic rival, Jerry Brown, spent less than a tenth of Whitman's total – about $11 million – but didn't face any serious primary challenger and could count on unions to run anti-Whitman advertising through the summer.

Five of the biggest union-funded independent expenditure groups, including California Working Families, Working Californians to Support Jerry Brown and Level the Playing Field, spent about $13 million through the end of September running ads and campaigning against Whitman, the records show.

The groups were funded by an array of unions, including the California Nurses Association, the California Teachers Association and the California State Council of Service Employees.

On top of that, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spent $2 million on TV ads opposing Whitman.

The filings don't show the cost of issue ads run by the California Teachers Association against Whitman or U.S. Chamber of Commerce ads targeting Brown.

Whitman had $9.2 million in reserves at the end of September, while Brown had $22.6 million in cash on hand.

Whitman, the billionaire former CEO of online auction firm eBay, has invested more than $119 million of her own money in the campaign and has said she's prepared to spend up to $150 million of her wealth. Last month, she surpassed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the biggest self-funding candidate in U.S. history.

Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei noted that outside contributors were also pitching in, to the tune of at least $29 million by the end of September. Whitman collected $10.8 million in outside contributions from July to September, compared to Brown's $9.5 million.

"Our campaign has a budget designed for victory, and we've invested the necessary resources for success on Election Day," Pompei said.

Brown spokesman Sterling Clifford said state voters just aren't buying Whitman's message, despite the record spending. Public opinion polls show Brown and Whitman are locked in a tight race.

"It's an indication that you can spend a lot of money but if it's in the service of a message that voters don't buy from a candidate and that voters don't believe, you're still going to lose," Clifford said.

Whitman's campaign finance statement contained several eye-popping numbers in a race that has already smashed political records.

She has spent about $95 million so far on radio and TV advertising, with the radio spots debuting more than a year ago. By comparison, Brown has spent about $9 million on such advertising, which he launched on Labor Day.
Whitman has poured $8.2 million into campaign literature and mailings, including two editions of a glossy policy magazine mailed to hundreds of thousands of households.

She's also spent $11.7 million on consultants, including top adviser Mike Murphy, who earns $90,000 a month, close aide Henry Gomez at $36,000 a month and campaign manager Jillian Hasner at $30,000 a month.

Pompei said the Republican has had to invest heavily to battle Brown and the unions.

"There's no question these unions have bought and paid for Jerry Brown's campaign," Pompei said. "And if he's elected to his third term in office, they'll be looking to collect their IOUs."

Clifford responded that Brown, who was governor from 1975 to 1983, has proved he'll make decisions independent of the unions. In fact, Brown has said he'll seek pension changes and some cuts to bridge the state's budget deficits.

"There's one candidate in this race who's actually vetoed pay raises for employees, and that's Jerry Brown," Clifford said.

*****



http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=824D3D9A-E818-FBF0-04F235DB495B0BCB
POLITICO
Poll: Palin woes could hurt Fiorina
By: Andy Barr
October 6, 2010 12:08 PM EDT

Nearly six of 10 California voters have a negative view of Sarah Palin, whose endorsement could be dragging down the state’s GOP Senate nominee, according to a new Field Poll.

The former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee has a 58 percent unfavorable rating in the Golden State, compared to a 33 percent favorable rating. Only 9 percent of the registered voters polled had no opinion.

Palin’s polling woes could have coattails as well.

Carly Fiorina, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, has frequently touted her endorsement from Palin, but the survey shows Palin may be a drag on Fiorina’s numbers.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they would be less inclined to vote for a candidate endorsed by Palin, while only 21 percent said they would be more inclined.

Among those who said they plan to vote in the Senate race, 47 percent of Fiorina supporters said they were more likely to back a candidate because of Palin’s support. But 84 percent of Boxer supporters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate with Palin’s blessing.

The Fiorina campaign is not concerned about Palin’s poll numbers. “Voters are evaluating the candidates in this race as individuals,” said Fiorina spokeswoman Andrea Saul.

Palin is scheduled to appear in California next week for a Republican National Committee fundraiser in Orange County. She will be at another RNC fundraiser later in the month in Orlando.

Palin’s numbers in the state have declined since she was first introduced as John McCain’s running mate in September 2008, when both her favorable and unfavorable rating stood at 43 percent in the Field Poll.

The Field Poll survey included responses from 414 registered voters from Sept. 14 to Sept. 21 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Sierra Club gives high marks to San Diego Democrats

From Today's UT:

Local Republicans fare poorly in report card

Read it here

LA Times says Jerry for Governor!

"Californians must choose. One candidate is a stranger to the political and governmental landscape; the other knows every superhighway, back road and dead-end. We opt for real-world experience, know-how and creativity. The Times urges a vote for Brown."

Read it here.

In case you missed it: LA Times Poll Shows CA Voters Choosing Democrats over GOP

From the CDP:

With one week to go before more than 6 million California voters begin to receive their mail-in ballots, top-of-the-ticket Republican candidates remain stuck in neutral, and in some cases, are sliding backward.

Despite spending more than $130 million bombarding the airwaves with ads for over a year, candidate Meg Whitman just can’t seem to buy her way into the hearts of California voters, according to the latest LA Times poll, which shows her five points behind Jerry Brown in the race for governor (Brown 49 – Whitman 44).  

Whitman’s poll numbers have been sliding downward in the past few months as the election draws closer -- a stinging rejection for a candidate who has outspent her opponent by 20:1.  In fact, Whitman’s paltry ratings (47% unfavorable vs. just 37% favorable) must have her media consultants running for the hills and scratching their heads, wondering why their slick, shiny ads haven’t persuaded Californians to even like their candidate, much less vote for her.

Meg’s fellow CEO counterpart and GOP “running mate” of sorts, Carly Fiorina, also hasn’t earned the trust of California voters, many of whom no doubt find Fiorina’s extremist, right-wing views on abortion, off-shore drilling and the environment, alarming. Fiorina trails Senator Barbara Boxer by eight points, (Boxer 51 – Fiorina 43), despite her barrage of negative attack ads on the Senator. 

Still more bad news for Republicans: California remains a state where President Obama remains popular among voters in general and overwhelmingly popular among  Democratic voters in particular. Voters here just aren’t buying into the latest rehashed and repackaged right-wing Republican ideas – or candidates – in fact they are rejecting them outright.  

* * * * * 
 
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll-20100926,0,1560189,print.story

Labor Council rips into Lorie Zapf with new mailer

CityBeat posts the first salvo of the D6 race and it's strong.

To quote Evan McLaughlin, political director for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, “Judging by the amount of mail cued up in District 6,  San Diego CityBeat will be a household name by November 2…I’m saying there will be plenty of mail plugging your good reporting in voters’ mailboxes.”

Its a bold move from the Labor Council and I hope it's not the last. Wayne needs to win this and it will not be easy going against the nearly unlimited funding of the Lincoln Club. Any attempt to sink Zapf will be appreciated.

What $111 million will get you

According to most recent Field Poll, all of that money will get you 75% of the Republicans and only 38% of the Decline-to-States.

Running at 41% of likely voters for both Brown and Meg, you must conclude that the ROI on such an investment is far too high for comfort.

Advantage Jerry. He has yet to spend and understands that timing is everything.

Meg and her nose

From the Brown campaign:

How is Zapf paying for it all?

She's out of default but what is she doing for a living?

From Dave Maass at CityBeat:

City Council candidate Lorie Zapf is no longer in default on a home loan according to records filed with the San Diego County Recorder’s Office.

As CityBeat originally reported (here and here), Wells Fargo filed a notice of default (often called a foreclosure notice) against Zapf’s home in Clairemont. According to the March document,  Zapf and her husband Eric had not made their mortgage payments in about six months.

At the time, the campaign said the Zapfs were renegotiating the home loan and that these notices of default were just part of the process. Experts disagreed, however, as the Zapfs predicted would happen, the notice of default was removed.

The document is called a Notice of Rescission and it was filed with the Recorder on August 27.

The question now is how are the Zapfs paying their mortgage.  Although Lorie Zapf describes herself as a small business woman, her company, Zapf & Associates, was dissolved in April.

Click here for the article.

Brown Campaign ad is up

Finally!

How is Zapf making her mortgage payments?

Inquiring minds what to know what it is that Lorie Zapf does for a living.

See CityBeat

The longer she remains silent, the larger a campaign issue this becomes.

Boxer vs. Fiorina Senate Debate Watch Party

Bamboo Lounge - 1475 University Ave. San Diego, CA 92103

Don't miss the first and ONLY televised debate between Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and her Republican challenger and former CEO of Hewlett Packard, Carly Fiorina.

What does Lorie Zapf do for a living?

For someone who claims to care about business, it looks like she should find one.

From CityBeat:

City Council candidate’s small business was dissolved months ago
District 6 candidate Lorie Zapf listed only one business interest: “Zapf & Associates, Inc.,” a corporation engaged in “consulting, creative, sales” activities. She listed herself as the president and CEO.

CityBeat has learned that Zapf & Associates Inc. has gone out of business.
According to records on file at the California Secretary of State’s office, the corporation was dissolved on April 6, 2010, which means it no longer exists. The corporation had been registered to Zapf’s home address in Clairemont—the same address against which a bank filed a “notice of default” in March that said she and her husband, Eric, were behind on their mortgage payments by several months.

And
On the campaign trail—and on the ballot—Zapf describes herself as a legal advocate and a small-business owner. However, it is unclear what happened to her small business and what, exactly, she now does for a living.

Zapf has also publically described herself as the regional director for Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, a non-profit organization that advocates for tort reform. This position was not disclosed on her Form 700 (as is usually required) and instead Zapf listed CALA as one of her company’s sources of income.

Sudberry and Kvaric know how to pick their candidates. "So long a they look good on camera, there's no need to vet them." Gotta love these conservative values.

California Democratic Party To File Complaint Against Shady Whitman Front Group “Small Business Action Committee”

From the CDP:

SBAC Using Its 501(c)(4) Status to Hide Donors While Engaging in 527 Advocacy

Sacramento – The California Democratic Party today announced it will file an official complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against a group supporting Republican Meg Whitman’s run for governor by waging dishonest attack ads against Jerry Brown. The complaint will allege that the “Small Business Action Committee” is spending hundreds of thousands more on political activities than is permitted under its 501(c)(4) status, and that as a possible consequence, SBAC may have to disclose the identity of its donors who are currently anonymous.

“If Meg Whitman and her Wall Street cronies want to fund a dishonest and deceitful ad that’s certainly their business,” said John Burton, Chairman of the California Democratic Party. “But they do not get to abuse the tax system to do so. People have a right to know who’s behind these sleazy ads.”

The “Small Business Action Committee” endorsed Meg Whitman just two days after receiving a $10,000 check from her campaign.

SBAC’s treasurer, James Lacy, is the co-founder of the National Campaign Fund, which runs the website ExposeObama.com , a site that devotes significant space to “news” and commentary questioning the validity of President Obama’s birth certificate and citizenship by relying on the thoroughly discredited claim that the President was not born in the United States.

San Diego Realtors reconsider their endorsement of Zapf

From Jim Abbot at the Gay and Lesbian Times:

Like Lucille Ball after any number of harebrained schemes gone awry, The San Diego Association of Realtors (SDAR) “has some ‘splainin’ to do” over its recent endorsement in the Sixth District San Diego City Council race of on-the-record mega-hater Lorie Zapf.

As reported by SD Citybeat reporter Justin MacLachlan on March 9, 2010, Republican Zapf’s opinions range from goofy to illegal given the protected status of GLBT Californians. Here are excerpts from emails she wrote to notorious “ex-gay” James Hartline.

“I absolutely want to keep homosexuals out of public office and not be allowed to influence our schools, textbooks, altering marriage, children and on and on.”

“...I do believe homosexuality is a sin. I have three homosexual first cousins. I love them all and would ‘be seen’ in a photo with them. I believe they all live in sin and frankly all are very unhappy people and had horrible childhoods as well. “

“...for whatever reason God allowed people to choose homosexuality. So there must be a reason for it, although I don’t get it, like so may (sic) other things that don’t make sense.”

And

I thought nothing more of it until Friday afternoon, when I suddenly recalled the recent disagreeable money solicitation Zapf inflicted upon me. Having not yet seen her hater-stripes, I politely confessed that I had already endorsed a competitor to which she snapped, “I guess you really don’t care about your business, do you?” Before I could advise this total stranger of my 25 years as an agent/broker and of my years of volunteer service to the profession, she showed me… by hanging up. I guess Zapf’s skin is as thin as her qualifications.

SDAR’s leadership must rescind Zapf’s endorsement. The Realtor imprimatur cannot be applied to a candidate who hasn’t the faintest notion of equality, especially when a strict Code of Ethics and a commitment to Equal Housing Opportunity guide everything we do as Realtors.


So only Zapf cares about business? That's not very business-like.

Irony and Zapf

From Tom Blair at the UT:

Lorie Zapf, in a tough campaign for San Diego City Council, cites her experience as local director of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, which aims to stop frivolous lawsuits. Now, her opponent’s backers are citing her experience with lawsuits, too. According to Howard Wayne’s camp, Zapf and her husband filed nine lawsuits between 1992 and 2002 — including two against her in-laws. Says Zapf, conceding the nine suits, “We’ve never filed a frivolous or abusive lawsuit. These were business disputes, and that’s what courts are for.” The suits against her in-laws? “They were disputes over the value of shares in our company. And they were very painful to the family.”

Of course. Everyone who files a lawsuit will say their lawsuits have merit. I'm willing to bet the average San Diegan doesn't have nine lawsuits under their belt especially if they direct a group dedicated to reducing the number of lawsuits filed.

A definition of irony is "the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character."

I think that sums up Lorie on this issue.

Burton Nominates GOP Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina for Hypocrite of the Year Award

From the CDP:

CDP Chairman John Burton released the following statement:

If there is an award for Hypocrite of the Year, Carly Fiorina has laid claim to it after her shameless performance at the GOP convention this weekend in San Diego.

It’s simply amazing to hear talk of “job creation” coming from someone who is directly responsible for laying off 33,000 workers at Hewlett Packard during her disastrous tenure as CEO. The only jobs she created were in India and China where she outsourced thousands of American jobs.

Fiorina has no credibility on the issue of jobs, and even less on the issue of job creation. California voters know that we can’t afford Fiorina’s brand of failed-CEO leadership and backroom dealing.

Statement of California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton on the Passing of Latino Civil Rights Pioneer Mario Obledo

From the CDP:

Mario Obledo will be remembered as a tireless advocate for justice and equality whose contributions had a direct impact on the lives of millions of Latinos in the United States. As founder of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, he leaves behind a lasting legacy of advancement and accomplishment that continues to benefit all Americans.

Mario never stopped fighting, and his place among the great American civil rights champions was assured long before President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.

Our condolences go out to his wife and his nine brothers and sisters.

Bounties

It says a lot when the only way Republicans can register voters is by paying them.

From KPBS:

The California Republican Party is paying out $5 bounties for each validated new registration.

San Diego's Democratic Party chair, Jess Durfee, doesn't think the county is likely to go red this year though. And even if it did, he said registration bounties can't ensure new voters are dedicated to one party.

"I always question the loyalty of a voter who is registered by somebody who is getting a heavy bounty like that because there's an awful lot of coercion coming from the person doing the registration," he said.

Meg Whitman says she would defend Proposition 8

From Capitol Alert:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said this afternoon that if elected governor, she would defend Proposition 8, which prohibits same-sex marriage, by appealing a recent federal court ruling declaring the proposition unconstitutional.

And
“The issue right now is, as I understand is 'Will Proposition 8 have the appropriate support to actually make an appeal to the circuit court of appeals?' " Whitman said. "And I think the governor, the attorney general today has to defend the constitution and has to enable the judicial process to go along and has to enable an appeal to go through. So if I was governor, I would give that ruling standing to be able to appeal to the circuit court."