Censorship

As a person who reads blogs, newspapers, print media, watches television and listens to radio I find it interesting on what will make people offer their two cents. Whether it is sending a letter to the editor, posting a blog comment, e-mailing a television station or calling a radio host these people have a strong adverse reaction to what they hear or see and must let the “public” know it.

A friend the other day told to me how they read a blog posting, and then how many people commented on the posting and the various reactions the post received from people. People were very angry from both sides of the issue and for every response from one side the other grew more vicious and hostile or the side of issue jumped on the previous post. With the age of the blog, people now don't have to give their name and have this cloak of secrecy where they can hide and say anything they like, without the threat/ fear of someone knowing who they really are or any possible repercussions.

Recently, it seems some blog sites have taken it to another level. I was reading a blog postings about some politician. The comments on the posting had gotten so bad or away from the point of the posting that the person controlling the blog 1st threaten to sensor comments, then deleted comments and finally blocked computer IP addresses. People even changed computers, when their computer IP address were blocked, to continue their comments. What I found interesting was the controller of the blog said their blog was not an area of free speech and if someone wanted that freedom, then start your own blog.

People have a strong desire to comment on what they see as just or unjust. To what level do people have the freedom to express themself or suppress someone else?

The Threat of War with Iran: An Evening with Reese Erlich

Progressive San Diego presents "The Threat of War with Iran: An Evening with Award-Winning Author and Journalist Reese Erlich"

Film Screening of "War Made Easy"

Featuring Norman Solomon and Narrated by Sean Penn

Saturday, November 17th
6:30pm Film Screening
8:00pm Reese Erlich Talk

Joyce Beers Community Center (Corner of Vermont and Cleveland, across from Trader Joe's)
RSVP to: Tommie.Watson@ProgressiveSD.org

For more information visit: Progressive San Diego

Reese Erlich, an independent radio producer and journalist. He reports on Iran in the latest issue of Mother Jones and is author of the book "The Iran Agenda: the Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis." Mr. Erlich will respond to questions regarding to the film "War Made Easy" as well as speaking about the current crisis in Iran. Additionally, Mr. Erlich will talk about the connection of the War in Iraq to the San Diego Fires.

Friday - Quick Picks

Coastal commission tentatively approve Calsbad's desal plant. UT

Aguirre calls off KPBS investigation. UT

San Marcos City Council votes to limit mini-dorms. UT

Chula Vista votes to increase parking meter rates by 400%. UT

Chula Vista residents starting to show some skepticism regarding Chargers stadium. UT

Leibham to Launch Campaign for Congress

Nick Leibham is kicking off his campaign for the 50th Congressional District from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, January 8, at the Bullpen Bar & Grill, 149 So. El Camino Real in Encinitas, one block south of Encinitas Blvd.

Nick's campaign has planned a unique Coast-to-Coast celebration. We'll watch the exciting first Presidential Primary results come in from New Hampshire, then, we'll give Nick a hearty send off from "The Bullpen" to challenge Brian Bilray in 2008.

Mark your calendar. This is going to be fun. It will be a special evening of great expectations, surprises, from coast to coast. Suggested contribution: $20 per person includes buffet. RSVP: alec@nickleibhamforcongress.com

Thursday - Quick Hits

More on Mike Aguirre failing to secure an early endorsement. VOSD

California Coastal Commission to weigh in on Carlsbad desalination plant. VOSD

Jan Goldsmith take first step toward running for City Attorney. VOSD

Who cares about the residents of Del Cero. CSU Trustees approve SDSU expansion. UT

Two weeks late in opening, but city's Winter Shelter finally set to open this weekend. UT

Encinitas bans smoking on city beaches. UT

Study recommends expanding State Route 76 to four lanes. NCTimes

San Diego GOP is it all about the $$$?

Matt Potter in the Reader has interesting snippet regarding the candidate endorsement questionnaire used by the San Diego Republican Party. According to Potter, the questionnaire seems to overly focus on fundraising. Including questions such as:

Who is your Campaign Fundraiser?
How much do you expect to raise for June '08?
How much have you raised so far?
How much are you willing to contribute yourself?
Do you belong to one of the party's Donor Clubs?
Will you actively help raise money for the party?
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? [Link]

Now, I have not seen this questionnaire, but I would like to see a copy of it. So if someone has a copy and would like to share with me, please feel free to email me a copy at: sdpolitico@gmail.com.

The Ghost of Prop. 13 continues...

As the housing slumps continues to worsen, a looming $10 billion state budget deficit awaits the Governor and Legislature.[Link] I wonder, whatever happened to the campaign promise by Governor Schwarzenegger to eliminate the structural deficit problem? It is apparent that this problem still exists:

The analyst said $2.7 billion of the state's reserve fund will be eaten up by lower-than-expected tax revenue through next summer. The state will take an additional $1 billion hit on falling local property taxes from shrinking home prices. Additionally, the state must make up for lower property tax revenue so schools will remain fully funded. [Link]

So now that the Governor is face with projected deficits for the remainder of his term, it will be interesting to see which Arnold Schwarzenegger takes the lead in solving this problem. Is it going to be good Arnold who works on a bipartisan basis to comes up with a solution that includes both taxes increases and budgets cuts, or are we going to see the bad partisan Arnold who is only going to propose budget cuts? Which one will it be?

What happen last night....

Following is a synopsis of what transpired based on an e-mail I received this afternoon from a friend who attended the meeting last night:

It turned out that last night's Democratic Central Committee meeting was quite the eventful evening. The highlight of the evening was the early endorsement of Mike Aguirre for City Attorney.

In attendance there were representatives from the City Attorney's office including Karen Heuman and Kathryn Burton as well as representatives from the Municipal Employees Association who were distributing photocopies of anti-Mike Aguirre articles to Central Committee members outside the room. Also there was Dan Coffey, who is a Democrat and announced candidate for City Attorney.

Mike Aguirre spoke to the members on the Central Committee and detailed the accomplishments of his office since he took over three years ago. He also spoke very passionately about the Democratic values he believes in.

The discussion was limited strictly to Central Committee members, 10 of them spoke. During the discussion among the members that were both Aguirre supporters and Aguirre non-supporters they argued their positions enthusiastically. One of the individuals who spoke on Aguirre's behalf was 76 AD Assemblywoman Lori Saldana.

The person who probably had the most impact in swaying some undecided members to vote against the endorsement for Aguirre, was a member who had once worked in Aguirre's office.

I think the vote surprised the Aguirre supporters in the room, with the vote being 23 for and 19 against. Aguirre falling short of the 60% requirement by two votes.

Following the Aguirre endorsement vote, the early incumbent endorsement for San Diego School Boardmember Sheila Jackson was brief opened up for discussion. The reason was her intention to vote for Republican Luis Acle as president of the School Board next month. By this point most of the committee just wanted to get out and her endorsement sailed through with no opposition.

One final note from last night's meeting. I am also told that the party amended its bylaws to allow for early endorsements in open races. Setting the stage to endorse in City Council seats 1 and 7 at the January meeting.

Candidate Marti Emerald fights for District 7 residents

Channel 8 last night had a story about district 7 candidate Marti Emerald, who is already fighting for the residents of the district. Today, she is going up to Long Beach to urge the CSU Trustees to delay the vote on the SDSU expansion plans. You can see the video to the story here.

Wednesday - Quick Hits

Year after City Council passes plan to end homelessness, still no movement on the plan. VOSD

Peters re-elected to another term as Council President. UT

CSU Trustees to meet to discuss SDSU expansion plans. UT

Long time in the making. Council makes recycling mandatory. UT

Kissing demonstrators at the border, arrested by Border Patrol agents. UT

Mayors of Poway and Vista both endorse Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination. NCTimes

No Endorsement!

I just received a test message from my friend who attended the Democratic Central Committee meeting tonight. In what turned out to be a close vote, San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre failed to get the required 60% of the vote for an early incumbent endorsement. I'll have more on what transpired at the meeting in a later post. Stay Tune....

Former Steve Peace protege fined

A one time staffer to former State Senator Steve Peace, now turned consultant/lobbyist was fined by the San Diego Ethics Commission on Friday for failing to file disclosure reports on time.[Link]

Art Castanares, whose recent clients have included Cheryl Cox, Chula Vista Mayor and Ron Morrison, National City Mayor [Link], received a $4500.00 fine for being 5-months late in filing his disclosure reports. The fine was a negotiated settlement between the commission and Castanares.

Sacramento’s Heavy Hand?

In MySpace, a profile called Dump Arabo appeared with rainbow flags, a picture of men together, and other homosexual themes.

This site is in response to an incident where Auday Arabo, on behalf of his grocers association, apologizes for Miller’s sponsorship of a gay function in the Bay Area.

Whether true or not, I was struck by the use of a MySpace profile to hit a candidate in the primary. The fingerprints seem to point in the direction of Sacramento and here are my reasons:
The Arlie Ricasa’s campaign wouldn’t waste its time trying to tear down Arabo and Marty Block’s people are too establishment to think in this direction, at least in San Diego. Because in the 78th, the “gay issue” only really moves votes among conservative to moderate African Americans who, due to demographics, are falling as a voting bloc. The new voters, the new homeowners, and the recent immigrants are too much of a “wild card” to bet on as votes in the district so you go with what you know. It saves on money and manpower.

This is not how we San Diegans would call it, but this is how Sacramento would. If all you know of the 78th is what you read as far as registration goes, then you have misjudged the district and, lets be honest, Sacramento has done this hat trick too often to be an “accident” every time.

If it turns out that the hit is false, the LGBT community may otherwise look at Arabo as a viable option because he was attacked.

And the use of the Bronski Beat song? I mean, come on! That smells of someone called in to be stereotypical rather than real.

Which gets me back to MySpace. Unless you’re twelve, why would you even go there? Teens can’t vote. And the 78th isn’t know for being a hub of wireless Internet connections. Again, another example of how little is known about voters in the 78th and the sad attempts to manipulate the voters there.

Cross-posted at Calitics.

Endorsement for Aguirre?

I received and e-mail last night from a friend who is a member of the County Democratic Party Central Committee, the e-mail lists over a dozen incumbents to be considered for early endorsements on tonight's agenda. On the list is Mike Aguirre. My friend also tells me Aguirre should win the endorsement fairly easily even though another Democrat Dan Coffey is an announced candidate for City Attorney.

The question I would ask: Has Mike Aguirre been good for the County Democratic Party, and is he worth the early endorsement?

Tuesday - Quick Hits

John Moores to resign as U.C. Regent after outspoken and controversial tenure on the board. UT
Fight to prevent the ridiculous Manchester Project at Navy Broadway Complex is getting a bit nasty. UT

Just what Mission Valley needs more condos and another shopping center. UT

Poor Planning again, costs city 450K as it is order to pay environmental activists over Regents Road bridge. VOSD

San Marcos to target "Mini-Dorms" with ordinance. NCTimes

Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq

Author and Journalist Dahr Jamail will be speaking at the First Unitarian Universalist Church (4190 Front Street) on November 15th at 7pm.

Dahr reports regularly on Pacifica Radio, on http://www.dahrjamailiraq.com/

Dahr Jamail is an independent journalist who has covered the Middle East for more than four years. He has reported extensively from inside Iraq for eight months, and has also reported from Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. Jamail writes for the Inter Press Service, The Asia Times, and many other outlets. His reports have been published in The Nation, The Sunday Herald, The Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus and The Independent. On radio as well as television, Jamail has reported for Democracy Now! and numerous other stations around the globe.

Beyond the Green Zone is Dahr Jamial's first book with the forward written by Amy Goodman.

"While the powerful media conglomerates embedded on the ground with the invading and occupying forces, Jamail embedded with the suffering people of Iraq and uncovered the horrors of this ware of 'liberation.' - Jeremy Scahill.

Cost: Donations Requested but no one will be turned away.
Info: 858-459-4650

Presented by: The Peace and Democracy Action Group of the First UU Church, Activist San Diego, National Lawyers Guild, SD Veterans for Peace, SD Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Progressive San Diego.

Chula Vista Budget Deficit Part II

Okay, the City Council had two "workshops" to talk about the $8.4 million budget shortfall. Oh, wait it went up another $800,000 last week, so make that a $9.2 million shortfall.

It seems there was a plan from the start to lay-off people and open union contracts, then really find possible waste, duplication of services, non-priority projects, obsolete programs or cuts to unneeded spending in addressing the budget shortfall.

If you disagree, then look at what recently happen:
The Council put on two "workshops" and I use the term workshop very lightly. The public had very little comment, was never provided much information (just look at the City's website), not all the department directors placed realistic cost savings on the chopping block and most of the deep cuts were coming from bodies. There was not one request to delay a single improvement project for 6 months to close the shortfall and no large budget item was proposed in cuts, except in laying off people. Interesting, the business community made no stink of any cuts, except for the City not cutting its party planner???

During the middle of the last "workshop" the Council had voted to eliminate almost enough spending to address the shortfall and could have gone a little further to not lay-off real people. However, the NEW city manager jumped from his chair, like someone lite a match under his foot, to ask the Council to stop anymore from talks of more budget cuts. Here comes the best part - Deputy Mayor Jerry Rindone asked to continue with cuts, but Mayor Cheryl Cox asked for a recess. During the recess the Mayor and Deputy Mayor huddles. Coming back from the recess, both Councilmembers Rudy Ramirez and Steve Castaneda voted to continue, but strangely Deputy Mayor Rindone voted with the Mayor not to continue on with the workshop. Remember, these workshops were only to help the Council learn more about the cuts and not to make the cuts. I guess Deputy Mayor Rindone wasn't given the whole playbook from the start.

Lastly, it seems to me the only councilmembers to get what is going on and asked questions of the city managers were Rudy Ramirez and Steve Castaneda.

I think the City and the City Council needs to step back, address this shortfall and include everyone in the process having an open mind and without a playbook.

Week Wrap-Up

Things have been especially quiet on the Democratic political front these past few weeks. But are looking to heat up soon.

** Next week the Democratic Central Committee is scheduled to vote on an early endorsement of Mike Aguirre. Quite a few Central Committee members are balking at the idea because of Mike's increasingly erratic behavior. A few people are even suggesting a possible Scott Peters run would be more acceptable to party insiders. The big unknown is if labor will take a position before Tuesday.

** Apparently Marti Emerald's name id may be helping Marty Block in his Assembly Race for the 78th AD. A poll that has been circulated shows Block with unusually high name id, especially in areas where the 78th and the 7th City Council District overlap, and some are speculating it has to do with voter confusion. I am sure Marty will take the a primary win anyway he can get it.

** San Diego's City Council Presidency looks like it will stay with a Democrat. According to the VOSD article today, Scott Peters will retain his position as Council President rather than letting a Republican take over the reigns. Kudos to the Dem Party for insisting the Dems on the Council act like Dems for once, maybe this will become a trend.

** Another Steve Francis sighting. This time, Francis was seen at the progressive environmental dinner for San Diego Coast Keepers. I guess he is really going for a full make-over. Maybe Jim Bell will drop out of the Mayoral race and endorse Francis.

** According to our conservative counterparts at Red County, San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein is considering a challenge to incumbent County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price. The best part of the post, which was up yesterday, were the now deleted comments. According to bloggers, Maienschein is getting a divorce and has been having an affair with a city hall staffer. I am all for free speech, so if anyone knows more FACTS, feel free to post here.

Friday - Quick Hits

From the arena of continued bad planning, city's homeless shelter set to open next week at Tailgate Park near Petco Park. Will close one month earlier than normal so as not to interfere with Padres. So much for compassion! UT

FEMA to deliver trailers to La Jolla and Rincon Indains who lost their homes during the fires. I hope they are not the left over trailers from Katrina that have been sitting in the mud in Arkansas for two year. UT

Councilman Peters seeking third term as council president. VOSD

Raising their children to be model citizens, Poway school trustees confronted over klan costume and noose. UT

Chula Vista postpones decision regarding budget cuts until December. UT

District 3: Race Update

Last night the Chicano Democratic Association in a close vote endorsed Todd Gloria over Stephen Whitburn for next year's Council District 3 race. The endorsement is another sign that most of the momentum in the race seems to be going in Todd Gloria's direction. And it is hard not to think that Stephen Whitburn's campaign has stalled a bit, especially considering that a few weeks ago he replaced his campaign manager. It is going to be interesting to see how this race continues to unfold in the coming months.