Progressive Newsweekly San Diego CityBeat Endorses Peters for Congress

Progressive Newsweekly San Diego CityBeat Endorses Peters for Congress

“Peters is smart, calm and savvy” and “represents the best chance of beating Bilbray” ~ San Diego CityBeat

San Diego -- In the first media endorsement in the race for the 52nd Congressional District, San Diego's leading progressive newsweekly, San Diego CityBeat, today endorsed Scott Peters over fellow Democrat Lori Saldaña citing Peters as the best chance Democrats have to beat entrenched Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray.

The magazine’s editorial write up said “Peters is well suited for Congress and well suited to represent the middle-of-the-road 52nd District. Peters is smart, calm and savvy and has a knack for behind-the-scenes diplomacy.”

CityBeat, considered a “beacon of liberal opinion,” also had plenty to say about Saldaña, “her volatile personality” and her “reputation for not working and playing well with others -- hardly a trait that’s desperately needed in Washington, D.C.”

Recounting an incident with Saldaña that occurred last month when she cancelled an interview over a benign tweet by its editor, the write up said Saldaña revealed her true colors: “she revealed herself to be shockingly sensitive and politically unsophisticated, and she missed an opportunity to reach out to tens of thousands of voters less than two months before the election. Dumb. We knew of her alienating manner before that, but the occurrence sealed it for us.”

“Most importantly,” the editorial said, “Peters represents the best chance of beating Bilbray in November.”

“Congress has plenty of volatility right now and that’s not working out for anyone,” said Peters. “When our government doesn’t work, who does that hurt most? It hurts the poor and the middle-class and working families and that’s wrong. I appreciate CityBeat’s endorsement. It adds to the great momentum that’s building towards a Peters-Bilbray run-off in November."

“We have always asserted that Scott had the best chance of beating Brian Bilbray in this newly drawn district, and CityBeat agrees,” said Campaign Communications Director MaryAnne Pintar. “Scott’s calm, cool, professional style of leadership won the day in this case, and I believe CityBeat’s editors know Scott will stand up for, and with, working families."

For more information about Scott, go to www.scottpeters.com.” 

Filner Joins in Introduction of Mortgage Foreclosure Protection Legislation for Servicemembers and Their Families

Filner Joins in Introduction of Mortgage Foreclosure Protection Legislation for Servicemembers and Their Families

Washington, D.C. – Ranking Democratic Member Bob Filner (D-CA) joined top Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Committee on Armed Services in introducing legislation that provides greater safeguards to protect servicemembers and their families from mortgage foreclosures, as well as other important improvements to the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act, a law that provides protections for our servicemembers and veterans.

“Our servicemembers protect our country, our way of life, and our homes,” stated Filner.  “We can do no less to protect their homes against mortgage foreclosure.  I applaud my colleague Representative Cummings for fashioning a bill making important improvements to the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act and for including language from my bill, H.R. 1263, to extend protections to surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers whose deaths were service-connected.”

Representative Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Ranking Democratic Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is the lead sponsor of this legislation.  “Our troops fighting overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan should not have to fight here at home just to keep a roof over the heads of their loved ones,” Cummings said. “This bill will expand current law to protect more of our brave men and women in uniform from losing their homes while they protect our freedoms abroad.”

Joining with Filner and Cummings is the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Committee on Armed Services, Representative Adam Smith (D-WA).  “Our servicemembers and their families act selflessly to protect our country and ensure national security, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice,” said Smith. “The last thing they should have to worry about while they serve is the financial security of their families and their homes.  This bill takes a much-needed step toward protecting deployed servicemembers and their families, discharged veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability, and surviving spouses.”

The measure will also be offered as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310) which is expected to be considered on the House floor this week.

“I call on all Members of Congress to join us in moving forward with this important legislation that will give servicemembers better protections against mortgage foreclosure,” said Filner.

Link to

Former San Diego Fire Chief Jeff Bowman Endorses Scott Peters for Congress

Former San Diego Fire Chief Jeff Bowman Endorses Scott Peters for Congress 

Bowman, who led the City through the Cedar Fire in ‘03, says he’s 
“eternally grateful” for Scott’s efforts to support the Fire Dept.

San Diego, CA – In a video released by the campaign today, former City of San Diego Fire Chief Jeff Bowman lent his strong support to Scott Peters for Congress. In the clip, Bowman says he and the firefighters at the time he led the department were “eternally grateful for (Scott’s) efforts” to support the fire department.

Bowman led the City of San Diego’s Fire Department through the great Cedar Fire that tore through northern parts of San Diego County in 2003 while Peters was a member of the City Council.  A staunch Republican, Bowman said he seldom gets involved in political campaigns, but that, in this case, he would make an exception to endorse Peters.

"I am not a very political person, but I believe in Scott, and trust his character, integrity, and ability to get things done," Bowman said. "I watched him navigate tough situations and meetings and he was always incredibly thoughtful and professional and acted with the best interests of the public he was elected to represent. I proudly endorse him."

“Scott’s record of accomplishment for San Diegans, and his ability to appeal to people from across the political spectrum are what make him the right candidate to beat Brian Bilbray,” said Peters Campaign Communications Director MaryAnne Pintar. “This is a great example of someone who knows him, trusts him, and is willing to get behind him based on his record of accomplishment for San Diego.”

The newly drawn 52nd Congressional District is a classic swing district - a third Republican, a third Democrat and a third other.  It supported candidate Obama by 12 percentage points in 2008, but also candidate Meg Whitman by eight points in 2010. It is impossible for any candidate to win this seat without broad-based support across party lines. Since he was the first Democrat elected to represent City Council District One, Peters has consistently drawn support from across the political spectrum. He is the only candidate in this race with meaningful support from progressives, moderates, labor, business and independent San Diegans who care more about results than pure party politics. 

For more information about Scott Peters for Congress, go to www.scottpeters.com.

‘Occupy OUR Arts’: A Celebration of the 99% Culture and Creative Arts is a FREE, Family Friendly, San Diego Community Event, happening at the San Diego Civic Center on June 9.

Women Occupy San Diego will host a family-friendly arts Celebration on the site of bitter clashes between San Diego police and Members of the Occupy Movement a few months ago
‘Occupy OUR Arts’ Family Celebration
10 am - 6 pm, Saturday, June 9
Civic Center Plaza, 3rd Avenue between ‘B’ and ‘C’ streets

The one-day event will share another side of the Occupy movement, the Art of We The People, with the larger San Diego community, focusing on creative arts and diverse culture and bringing together families from all walks of life, the 99%.

The celebration will feature two stages showcasing music, dance, acrobatics, street theater, comedy and spoken word performances. Displays by local visual artists will include sculpture, photography, painting, spray art and sidewalk chalk drawing. There will also be workshops, ‘Teach Ins’ and interactive art areas for attendees. Participants include artists from the Art of Pride, the Art Academy of San Diego, Ballet Folklorico, Sophia Isadora Academy of Circus Arts, and many more.

Children can participate in crafts, music and dance, ecological projects, face painting, a special parade and a children’s peace area.

The event will follow a proclamation by the San Diego City Council supporting Free Speech and Freedom of Expression activities in the Civic Center Plaza. The organizers have obtained all necessary permits for the event.

Women Occupy San Diego (WomenOccupySanDiego.org) is an independent organization of San Diego County women dedicated to creating an equitable economic system and restoring government for and by the people rather than for corporations and the wealthy. Through nonviolent, inclusive action and outreach, we support the goals and values of Occupy Wall Street and the 99% movement.

To learn more about Occupy OUR Arts or sign up to participate, please contact Wendy Sue Biegeleisen wsueb@aol.com, Mark your calendar for June 9!

Ducheny accuses Vargas of Smear tactics

Former Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny's campaign for CD 51 reports that the campaign of her opponent, Sen. Juan Vargas, is "once again using 'heavy handed smear tactics,'" claiming that the Vargas campaign distributed "a slanderous and deceptive mailer." The Ducheny campaign says that the Spanish language newspaper La Prensa editorialized against Vargas in his 2010 Senate race against Mary Salas and quotes from its editorial, "Heavy handed smear tactics best describes the Vargas style of campaigning and he has plenty of money to spread his vitriol thanks to the insurance companies that are bank rolling his campaign." Ducheny says, "My opponent knows that I have more knowledge, experience and respect for this district and that his only chance to win the district is to buy it." Ducheny, a Democrat, served six years in the Assembly beginning in 1994 and eight years in the Senate beginning in 2002.

The San Diego Mayoral Race after the latest Survey USA poll

The San Diego Mayoral Race after the latest Survey USA poll:

DeMaio - 31%
Filner - 21%
Fletcher - 21%
Dumanis -13%

As rule, you should never put too much stock into auto response polls. The market for this type of stock is volatile and the futures are constantly shifting.

The Fletcher campaign was wallowing in third place until he renounced his Republican Party membership and declared himself Independent. There was a flurry of national, state and local press coverage and an uptick in his popularity. A significant portion of his new supporters came from the Democratic Party. There are many politically plugged-in Democrats who had met Nathan and were impressed by his bi-partisan talk and Kenndy-esque presence. With weak local party discipline these Democrats didn't have problems expressing their lack of enthusiasm for Filner whose campaign appeared to be M.I.A. and were going to vote for him out of obligation to voting for anything anti-Republican at City Hall.

After corralling this low hanging fruit with YouTube videos and buying ad time on television programming targeted at women, the Fletcher campaign began going after DeMaio. The bleeding of Democratic support away from Filner dried up and the DeMaio campaign began to freak out. DeMaio has been used to controlling the media narrative (very easy to do in San Diego which is a wonder why others don't do it as well) and to have Fletcher take it from him was fun to witness especially at City Council meetings. DeMaio's ground operation went into high gear to hold onto voters they had and bank as many VBMs as possible.

This poll reflects these actions with DeMaio holding a solid lead in the low 30s which is where he has always been. Sometimes he has been a bit lower or higher but never beyond a third of the electorate. We often discuss candidates having a bases of support but rarely their ceilings. DeMaio looks to be one of those cases where he is near or at his. There are San Diegans who want to believe that a term-limited City Councilman is a "businessman" who was powerless to prevent wasteful government spending after being in a position to do something about it for 8 years. And there are the majority of San Diegans who want no part of his snake oil. Unfortunately, the majority is divided for the June election and we must wait to see who DeMaio will lose to in the fall.

Fletcher may have gotten the support of the plugged-in Democrats and anti-Carl Republicans but there are not enough of them to create a base. The Decline-to-State portion of San Diego's electorate is being true to form and not jumping behind Fletcher. This is where the real fight is for who will become the next Mayor: Fletcher or Filner.

Once the hype around Fletcher died down most voters returned to their bases for the Primary. This is what Filner will need to pull this one out. His campaign has been a mystery to most Democrats with his absence on TV and uneven media performances. A note to the campaign; you may not like the press but when you don't have the resources to go on the air, the media is your only real vehicle for getting your message out. Being the only Democrat in the race gives Filner a solid base of votes that aren't going to any other candidate. It remains to be seen if this can translate citywide but neither Filner nor Fletcher appear to be near their ceilings of support.

Which leaves Bonnie Dumanis of a-sitting-DA-illegally-posting-signs-all-over-the-city-and-on-state-property-because-there-aren't-enough-lawns-to-put-them-in fame. Mayor Sanders will be a special guest at a fund-raiser for her on Thursday, which is appropriate. The one thing that can be agreed upon by Fletcher, Filner, and DeMaio is that each of them will bring change to an ossified downtown establishment. Only Dumanis doesn't appear to want to alter the status quo.  Her position in the polls should be a reminder to the powers that be where they are in the estimation of most San Diegans. Remember 2004; Frye's plurality was more of a protest against the business-as-usual culture downtown than a pro-Donna movement.

I think the conclusions of DeMaio first and Filner-Fletcher walloping each other for second is accurate. Why Dumanis is still in remains a mystery but Fletcher could always offer to make her "Campaign Czarina" or get her appointed to something in Sacramento while he's still a legislator.

Remember, the futures market is unpredictable.

San Diego City Council to Pass Resolution Recognizing USWW Janitors; Janitors Begin Hunger Fast For Family Health Care

San Diego City Council to Pass Resolution Recognizing USWW Janitors;
Janitors Begin Hunger Fast For Family Health Care

San Diego, CA - On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, USWW Janitors will hold a press conference to announce the beginning of a 3-day hunger fast for health care most San Diego janitors are not provided with by their employers.  Following the press conference, the San Diego City Council will vote on a resolution recognizing the contributions, hard work and dedication janitors continue to make to keep San Diego America’s ‘Finest City’.  Tomorrow’s actions, which will conclude with a candlelight vigil at the Civic Center, are part of series of actions throughout the week over their ongoing fight for a dignified contract that includes a modest wage increase and health care for janitors and their families.

“I sacrifice time with my family in order to work enough hours to put food on the table. Even though I am there to see my children off to school in the morning, it is still not enough,” says Gloria Mejía, a janitor for 13 years currently working for ABM and one of the hunger fasters.  “What tenants need to realize is that us not having health care affects them too.  I work right next to them in their office space.  If there is an outbreak of some kind in my neighborhood, I am going be taking that to work with me. It could spread to them because I don’t have the health insurance to take care of myself and prevent it.”

As part of their statewide campaign for a new contract expiring in 2012, USWW janitors released a study that demonstrates that with a better health care system people in middle-class families could live four years longer.  Income inequality has taken center stage in the national discussion since the rise of the Occupy Movement. This third study in the “How Much is The 1% Holding Back Your Family?” series argues that the longer life expectancy of the extreme rich suggests that we can create a healthier California where everyone lives longer and more prosperous lives.

WHO:                 
Hundreds of Janitors from San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County, including community and interfaith leaders.

WHAT:                  
Press Conference to announce hunger strike, City Council Resolution (with Councilman David Alvarez and Marti Emerald), & Candle light vigil.

WHERE:                 
Press Conference, 12:30PM, Civic Center Plaza; SD City Council Resolution
2:30PM, City Hall; Candle light vigil with Hunger Fasters
10PM, Civic Center.

For more information about SEIU United Service Workers West or the study, please contact Mark Gomez at (408) 835-2713.

CD 52 Checklist

The race on the Democratic side of the aisle for the new 52nd Congressional District has been a wild one within the local party.

No other race has yielded such clear division between the "activists" that have more volunteer time than money and the "establishment" that has more money than volunteer time. In a year in which the mayoral campaign was expected to dominate, we have an intra-party food fight over whether Scott or Lori will take on Brian for the fall.

Bilbray has a solid chance of being one of the top two candidates. His Republican opponents haven't put in much of an effort trying to challenge him in November. Thus, we are left with which Dem will take on the carpetbagger from the north.

This is fun to watch for no other reason that it has yielded a number of lessons for all candidates running at any level about what to do and not do. I'll get into this later. For now, let's looks at where we are:


Mail
Peters - 11 from the campaign and one from Labor
Saldaña - 4 from the campaign
Peters has been flooding mailboxes since last weekend. His mail pieces look very D.C. establishment and don't appear to be doing much other than helping his name ID as in "who keeps sending all of this mail?" Saldaña has dropped 3 pieces and a letter (points for being different). The letter may have cut through the clutter but there are a lot of other campaigns (Fletcher, DeMaio, Prop A) filling up these same mailboxes. Both campaigns dropped their first hits at the same time and this may be why the mail war is oddly cool; mutual cancellation.
Winner for now: Tilts toward Peters because of volume

TV
Peters -Yes
Saldaña - No
Having television ads to not having television ads gives Peters the advantage. The questions are was his ad buy large enough and will the DeMaio-Fletcher ad war drown Scott out?
Winner for now: Peters

Local media coverage
The local press is familiar with both candidates and seems to be treating them well with a few exceptions. As it stands, both appear to be getting passes because the mayoral race is the big-ticket item and CD 52 fits the narrative of a story that won’t be a story until the primary.
Winner for now: Neither


Field campaign
There was a rumor that Peters was assembling a paid field operation two weeks ago. If he has done so it may be a little late. The Saldaña campaign has deftly used their volunteers.  They have also been on the ground for months.  Even so, paid operations give volunteer efforts a real challenge.

Yard signs are not the best indicator of a campaign's strength but Saldaña signs can be seen across the 52nd, whereas Peters signs seem limited to La Jolla, parts of University City and Coronado.
Winner for now: Saldaña


Overall
Democrats don't usually show up in primaries so this may come down to who can turn out the vote. If the election were held today, the winner would win by 3-5% of the votes cast. Scott is leading on this checklist but Saldaña's ground game is solid and can win the day. Activists are energetic and can work wonders when directed in a positive fashion.

I don’t know who will win but I know that it will be fun to watch.

San Diego D7 - Results from Albondigas May Poll

San Diego Letter Carriers Food Drive Celebrates 20th Anniversary

 

San Diego Letter Carriers Food Drive Celebrates 20th Anniversary

 

Nation’s Largest Single-Day Food Drive Helps Stamp Out Hunger

WHAT:         
On Saturday, May 12, 2012, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council will again join forces with San Diego letter carriers and others to Stamp Out Hunger across America, providing assistance to the millions of Americans who are struggling to put food on their tables every day. Now in its 20th year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. In 2011, drive organizers across the country collected more than 70 million pounds of total food donations for the eighth-consecutive year.

To participate in the Stamp Out Hunger drive, San Diego residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal, next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 12. Local letter carriers will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to The Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank.

WHY:            
Despite the generosity of millions of Americans who have supported the letter carriers' food drive in previous years, the need for food assistance still exists for many families. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, nearly 49 million Americans, including more than 16 million children, are struggling with hunger.

WHEN:            Saturday, May 12
                        All Day - along postal routes in San Diego              

                        Stamp Out Hunger! Food Drop Off
                        9850 Distribution Avenue, San Diego, CA 92121
                        5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

CONTACT:     Patrick Pierce
                        619-807-0850
                        ppierce@unionyes.org

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

SDLRLA Debate Details

Co-Moderators: Joanne Faryon, KPBS Evening Edition Host, and Elsa Sevilla, KPBS San Diego's Historic Places - Producer & Host

 Latino Issues
Mayoral Forum
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Shiley Theater
University of San Diego
6:30-7:30 p.m.

The City of San Diego is preparing to elect its next mayor. Please join the candidates in a discussion that affects our growing Latino population. Candidates will discuss a variety of issues, including: criminal justice, immigration, education, and labor in America’s finest city. 

Space is limited. RSVP by May 22 to: larazalawyers@gmail.com
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Rafael Castellanos at rcastellanos@smclawoffices.com.
For additional questions, contact Lizzette Herrera at lizzette.herrera@sandiego.edu.

Rudy Reyes letter to the California Energy Commission regarding the Quail brush power plant in east county

To esolorio@energy.ca.gov, jennifer.jennings@energy.ca.gov

I would like to ask the CEC two major questions in regards to possible bribery by the applicant. First I suspect that this whole CEC appication might be a bribe to make work for the CEC,, as the CPUC is need to determine "NEED" before the project is supposed to go to CEC. Therefore this order of the appication is not correct and making $$$ for the CEC. Second is the applicant has not been doing public meetings at all the last two months of their "extension" instead the applicant has been spreading $$$ in the community "bribing" as many as will take their $$$. I wonder when is the breach considered illegal and ask the public adviser to advise. Santee Patch is exposing "bribes" Not to count the applicant has hired specialists to Lobby/bribe(lori) the community!

Rudy Reyes

SDLRLA Mayoral Forum

SDLRLA Mayoral Forum

SDLRLA is proud to host the only mayoral candidates forum dedicated to Latino issues.  SDLRLA, together with its partnering organizations, will ask the candidates about their views on immigration, education, labor, criminal justice, and other issues that uniquely affect San Diego’s Latino community, in a town hall style format.  Award winning journalist Joanne Faryon, host of KPBS’ Evening Edition, and Elsa Sevilla, producer and host of KPBS’ San Diego’s Historic Places, will co-moderate.  Over 600 will be in attendance, including representatives from the Latino legal, business, education, health, and non-profit sectors.  For more information or to submit potential questions to the candidates, email Rafael Castellanos at rcastellanos@smclawoffices.com.  Space is limited.  RSVP now to larazalawyers@gmail.com!

DAVE ROBERTS OUTLINES PLAN TO BOOST ECONOMY AND CREATE JOBS

DAVE ROBERTS OUTLINES PLAN TO BOOST ECONOMY AND CREATE JOBS

Calls on More Assistance for Start-up Businesses 

SAN DIEGO - We need more corporate headquarters and more start-up businesses to help boost the San Diego region's economy and create new jobs.

I'm calling for a two-pronged approach to business development; a review of the county's regulatory process specifically as it relates to start-up businesses to help entrepreneurs expand and grow their business, and; I would like the Board of Supervisors to consider public/private partnerships with all cities in the region and appropriate economic development corporations to put forward a concerted effort to attract corporate headquarters to San Diego County.  This will be my number one priority as County Supervisor.

We worked together to attract Legoland to Carlsbad and I believe we should at least sit down together to see how we can pool resources to bring corporate offices to San Diego County. I know we work in this regard now but I think we should pull together a region-wide plan.  I am the only candidate who has a proven track record as a regional leader and incoming President of the League of California Cities-San Diego Division, and have the experience of pulling diverse bipartisan stakeholders together to solve problems.

We may also find that we can do things to spur new start-up businesses.  Let's work to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles that get in the way of businesses expanding and review the process specifically for start-ups to see how we can do better.  And we can do better!

A strong business base provides more than just jobs -- successful corporations commit to their hometowns.  They invest in civic affairs, they give to charities such as health and food programs, and they support community projects like the arts, youth sports and more. It is important to widen our corporate base and I have decades of experience doing just that.

San Diego County government can assist to the best of its ability in turning around our economy and help to create good-paying jobs that support middle class families and enable them to invest in their future.   I'm proposing a leadership role in this area.  It won't be easy but we can do it.   Local economic development corporations work on these things all the time. I just want to hone our collective efforts with leadership by the county. San Diego can offer so much more than good weather to attract corporations.

I have served as a corporate officer for a San Diego Fortune 500 company and started my own real estate management firm.   I also served as a councilmember, Deputy Mayor and Mayor over the past eight years and work closely with a number of local Chambers of Commerce.  Recently, I earned the coveted endorsement of the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce which facilitates and supports sustainable business practices that spur innovation, job creation, energy efficiency and an overall brighter economic future.  Together, we can make San Diego even better!

 ###

Saldaña applauds President Obama’s Stand on Marriage Equality

Saldaña applauds President Obama’s Stand on Marriage Equality

Vows to repeal DOMA

SAN DIEGO – Lori Saldaña, who co-authored California’s landmark Marriage Equality legislation, thanked President Obama for being the first American President to support marriage rights for LGBT Americans.

“Despite the setbacks for the LGBT community over the last few days, I believe this is a tipping point for marriage equality in the United States,” Saldaña said.

“For a sitting president to come forward after soul-searching and to acknowledge without reservation the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry is an important step forward.”

“I am very proud of Mr. Obama,” she said. “I believe his support will encourage more people to reconsider their position on the right of all Americans to marry.”

Saldaña signed onto Assemblyman Mark Leno’s Marriage Equality legislation immediately after being sworn in as a freshman assemblymember in 2004. The Gender Neutral Marriage Act was the first legislation of its kind to be passed by a state legislature. When Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill, Saldaña co-authored the second version in 2007. She was the only straight legislator to vote for the bill in the five counties south of Los Angeles.

Saldaña, who is now a congressional candidate, said she will upon election partner with Senators Feinstein and Boxer to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that allows states to discriminate against married same-sex couples.

“I will work with my colleagues in congress to repeal federal statutes like DOMA that codify discrimination,” Saldaña said. “We pioneered marriage equality in California and I will continue this work in Washington.”

For her work on LGBT equality issues, Saldaña received a 100% rating from Equality California and has been endorsed by LGBT elected officials Tom Ammiano, Mark Leno, Sheila Kuehl and LGBT civil rights leaders Nicole Murray-Ramirez and Joseph Rocha.

Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, who signed the nation’s first civil union legislation into law, will be hosting a fundraiser for Saldaña later this month.

###

Peters speaks out of both side of his mouth regarding cuts to Social Security, Medicare

 

Peters speaks out of both side of his mouth regarding cuts to Social Security, Medicare

“How can you trust someone like that to protect what’s important?”

SAN DIEGO – After being soundly criticized for his televised statement supporting cuts to Social Security and Medicare, Congressional candidate Scott Peters is attempting elaborate verbal gymnastics to wriggle free from his unpopular position.

A spokesperson for the Lori Saldaña, Joe Kocurek, said that Scott Peters has a pattern of changing what he says depending on who he’s talking to.

“The powerful thing about TV is that you can actually hear what Peters says,” he said.

“Scott Peters clearly said that he would be willing to cut Social Security and Medicare,” Kocurek said. “He doesn’t equivocate. But now that his pollsters are telling him that he’s losing and the public doesn’t agree with his position, he’s trying to weasel out of what he said.”

“It’s just like the living wage,” Kocurek said. “Peters joined with Republicans and voted against the living wage when he was on the City Council, but now he says he’s for it."

Kocurek noted that Peters, told a group earlier this year that he was ‘51 percent Democratic and 49 percent Republican’, and repudiated progressives in the same televised interview on KUSI where he said he supported cuts to vital social services.

“What Mr. Peters believes -or at least says he believes - is whatever is politically convenient.”

“How can you trust someone like that to protect what’s important?” Kocurek said.

###

Just when I thought I was Out, they pull me back in.

I was enjoying a nice sabbatical away from South Bay Politics. As a political geek living in the South Bay, it's very easy to lose sight of the simple pleasures in life because they is so much intrigue and turmoil. So much that it would make a great pulp political fiction novel. (I'm working on the draft so you can't have the idea!) Anyway so I was trying mightily to not get involved in the fights and let others comment on what's been going on with the Sweetwater Board, the City of Chula Vista races, the new 79th Assembly race, the San Diego Mayor's race, and the 51st Congressional. But with the latest stuff that has been flying around I felt compelled to post again and talk about the latest in South Bay politics. Hence the clip above... As we've seen in the past few days a lot has been happening so I'll start with the 51st Congressional District and maybe tomorrow on Chula Vista

As I stated in my last post so many months ago, anyone who has any knowledge of these two and the South Bay knows that this race was going to be big and these months have shown that to be the case. While Vargas has been fundraising at a good clip, got the State Party endorsement and California Labor Fed you would think he has this locked in and Ducheny should have gotten the hint and just let go.

Yet that hasn't been the case.

In fact, within the last few weeks with the Channel 10 poll and missteps by Vargas, like this, this and this. It has shown that this is not a cake walk and Juan's biggest hurdle is himself. Why do I say that?

Well, Juan has never been the favorite of Left-Center Democrats. Whether it was running against Bob Filner for Congress two times or voting against traditionally Democratic issues like health care reform, reproductive choice or consumer protection in the banking and insurance companies. He has either voted against or abstained against bills when he was in the Assembly and again in the Senate.

Of course when he was trying to court Democratic Party activists from late 2011 to early 2012, he was trying portray himself as a true blue Democrat that would fight for Democratic values but once he got what he wanted... The old Paco came back, true to his pro-business, anti-choice and pro-corporate banks soul.

Now the other thing has been his high name ID and very early in the campaign he was touting that he had the highest name ID and was trouncing Ducheny. Which is true, considering that he was just in a campaign in 2010 against Mary Salas but that name ID is a double-edged sword. Why? Because according to the SurveyUSA poll showed that almost half of the people who have heard of him don't like him.

The other thing is that people forget that Juan only beat Mary Salas in 2010 by only 22 votes. Considering that Mary did not exactly run a text book campaign and missed a lot of opportunities to really fight back against Juan shows that even with all breaks he got from his opponent he still only barely won.

So is Ducheny any better?

To start, Denise hasn't been the best on progressive issues either like gun control, helmet laws and labor issues. Also the fact that her fundraising has slowed down would have any armchair pundit be wary of her chances.

That being said, she does have a shot at beating Juan.

When talking about issues like choice, health care reform and consumer protection Denise has been consistently progressive. Also Denise has a reputation of being straight shooter when talking about issues and bills and is open to listening to all sides.

But her real strength is that any type of negative attack that Juan give would boomerang back to him and his negatives. For example if he attacks her from the left about gun control, she would respond about his wavering on health care reform. If he attacks her on the right on choice, she could respond about his attacks on personal liberty. Also Juan can't run as an outsider pushing reform because he's in Sacramento right now and last time I checked the approval ratings for the legislature ain't that great.

As for the rest?

Well miracles can happen...

CEPA Net Candidate Meet & Greet

FletchersFriends.com: The Story of a Rising Republican

FletchersFriends.com: The Story of a Rising Republican

Fletcher Deployed Last-Minute Appeal From Karl Rove in Failed Bid for Endorsement

Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher’s history of relationships with some of the most powerful and conservative figures in his former political party are now documented at www.fletchersfriends.com, a website launched this week by the San Diego County Democratic Party.

Taken together, the information on the site shows an unusually high level of access for a junior state legislator, from connections in George W. Bush’s administration to personal campaign visits by Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove to support his Assembly and mayoral bids.

The site makes public for the first time an email message signed by Karl Rove and sent by Fletcher’s campaign to San Diego County Republican Central Committee members the morning of March 10 – the day the committee considered an endorsement in San Diego’s mayoral race.

Bush’s former top strategist wrote, in urging a vote for Fletcher: “One of the best ways to know how an elected official will behave in the future is to see how they have behaved in the past.” Those words now have an ironic resonance in light of Fletcher’s failure to get the endorsement, his defection from the Republican Party days later, and his sudden repudiation of his own partisan history.

“Two months ago, Nathan Fletcher represented his campaign with a testimonial from one of the most divisive, extremist figures in the country,” said San Diego County Democratic Chair Jess Durfee. “When the Republican endorsement turned out to be a dead end, he pivoted in record time to paint himself as a centrist.

“Mr. Fletcher has another month and a million dollars to tell voters all about his independence. But I’m still waiting for the TV ad where he takes back his vote against cleaner energy standards and vows to return the campaign money he got from Big Oil. I’d still like to know why he accepted $100,000 from the insurance industry, then voted to let them charge women higher rates and deny them maternity care.

“Here is a candidate with a distinctly immoderate track record prior to March 10 of this year,” Durfee continued. “As someone who ran ‘Duke’ Cunningham’s congressional office, signed Grover Norquist’s loyalty oath, and recently went on the campaign trail trying defeat Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer, Nathan Fletcher still has a lot to answer for among San Diego voters.”

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Trailing, Peters Goes Negative

Trailing, Peters Goes Negative

Called out for sticking voters with $600,000 “Enron by the Sea” legal tab

SAN DIEGO – Voters across the 52nd Congressional District opened their mailboxes today to find Scott Peters trying to smear fellow Democrat Lori Saldaña.

Saldaña spokesperson, Joe Kocurek, called today’s development a last-ditch effort from a trailing candidate to confuse voters as they begin casting their ballots.

“Peters is dragging this race into the mud,” Kocurek said. “The fact is, Lori didn’t spend a dime of taxpayer money, so Peters' latest attack just doesn't make sense. And it's especially troubling coming from a multi-millionaire who used $600,000 of taxpayer money to defend himself from a federal investigation.”

While on San Diego City Council, Peters spent $600,000 on legal counsel when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigated him for voting to deliberately underfund the City of San Diego’s pension system and concealing that fact from investors.

The scandal--which led the New York Times to call San Diego "Enron by the Sea"-- left a $1.4 billion deficit in the pension system and the city’s finances in disarray for nearly a decade.

Investigators found that the city under Peters violated securities fraud statutes.

“With that kind of wealth, you’d think that he’d at least have the decency to pay for his own defense rather than leaving taxpayers with the tab,” Kocurek said.

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