Managed Competition & You

So once in a great while something that U-T prints catches my attention other than the Fry's ad.

Yesterday, it was Gerry Braun's article on managed competition. In it, Braun explains the complexity of the seemly simple task of dead animal removal. While on the surface, the job seems simple enough. You pick up the dead animal and take it to the dump to be disposed of. But there are so many variables that muddy up that simplistic notion that you begin to ask.

Does any private contractor really want this hassle? If some heartbroken person, frantically looking for their beloved pet calls to see whether their pet was picked up. Will the contractor find out? If there is a licensed pet that is picked up, will contractor try to contact the owner? I mean the list can go and on.

Now imagine if this was wastewater? Or water purification? Will the contractor put the public interest over profit? Will the contractor adhere to the guidelines in place to ensure the city isn't getting skimmed? Will the contractor bid honestly? I don't know about you but sometimes the private sector isn't the best place to run public works because public works inherently are types of projects that must be done in a manner that is done safely and securely for all. After all it's our money and our services and I don't want to worry the some contractor wanted to save some money by hiring people that weren't properly trained in order to pocket a few bucks at the expense of the city because it wanted to squeeze out a little bit more profit.

If Managed Competition is the future; by what mechanism can we be assured that our tax dollars aren't used in a manner that benefits contractors who are looking to maximize profit by endangering the public and shortchanging it too.

What are your thoughts?

"The Change You Deserve."

Warning: slightly salty language at the end so it might be NSFW
but still funny...

Say No to the Governor's Attacks on State Workers

If a state budget is not passed and the Governor's illegal Executive Order remains in place, we need you to support state workers by protesting with us:

WHAT: Informational Pickets

WHERE: State Building
1350 Front St.
Wednesday, August 6
12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

DMV
3960 Normal St.
Thursday, August 7
7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Also, call the Governor at (916) 445-2841, and tell him to exercise leadership and get a responsible budget passed!

Schwarzenegger proposes tax increase

From Today's Capitol Alert:

Last Updated 3:38 pm PDT Monday, August 4, 2008
By Jim Sanders and Kevin Yamamura - jsanders@sacbee.com

http://www.sacbee.com/1090/story/1132181.html


Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a temporary one-cent increase in the state sales tax for the next three years in exchange for long-term fixes he believes would solve the state's perennial budget woes, several sources familiar with the negotiations said Monday.

The governor's proposal comes as he and lawmakers are 35 days into the fiscal year with no approved spending plan.

Schwarzenegger has said he opposes tax increases, but was willing to consider all options to close an estimated $15.2 billion shortfall in the $101 billion general fund.

The state sales tax is 6.25 percent, but most counties have local tax additions, such as those for transportation projects, that drive the actual rate higher. A one-cent increase statewide would raise $4 billion to $5 billion a year, based on $29 billion in sales tax revenue expected in the current year.

Aaron McLear, a Schwarzenegger spokesman, had no immediate comment Monday when asked about the one-cent sales tax proposal.

The governor's sales-tax proposal appears to put him squarely at odds with his own Republican Party, which consistently has argued that the state has a spending problem - not a revenue problem.

Democrats are not certain to embrace the sales tax hike, either. Critics argue that sales taxes are regressive, meaning that the greatest impact falls on low-income Californians.

The long-term budget fixes that Schwarzenegger wanted in return for a sales-tax hike would include a system to save revenue in a rainy day fund during good years to bridge budget gaps in down years.

If we lose the 78th in November, this may be a reason why.

From today’s Wall Street Journal:


The Democratic State Central Committee of California has paid $450,000 in legal fees for state Senator Don Perata, while a separate group, taxpayers for Perata, has paid $550,000, according to filings with California’s secretary of state.


People give to the CDP to elect Democrats, not cover the asses of elected who spend money and then abandon the cause for which they were spending other people’s money.

More reason to give locally.

Wal-Mart's Anti-Worker Tactics Continue

The Wall Street Journal today reported that anti-worker mega-company Wal-Mart is holding mandatory meetings where they strongly encourage their employees to vote against Democrats in November.

According to the WSJ:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers and department supervisors around the country to warn that if Democrats win power in November, they'll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies -- including Wal-Mart.

The article claims that Wal-Mart's reasoning behind the move is to stop passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Wal-Mart has stooped to a new low in trying to force their employees to vote Republican.

I wonder if these mandatory meetings where they "informed" their employees of how they would like them to vote were any different than the intimidation and other practices that are used to prevent employees from forming a union.

I shouldn't be surprised since it is just another example of Wal-Mart doing everything it can to prevent the fair treatment of their employees.

From the CDP

John Chiang, our Democratic State Controller, is standing up to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I'm writing to ask you to stand up with him.

Unfortunately, in the midst of a looming multi-billion dollar budget crisis and a protracted budget battle, Gov. Schwarzenegger has decided that the best thing he could do was put the screws on our state workers by attempting to withhold all but $6.55 an hour of their pay until a budget is signed.

Despite withering criticism from almost every corner of California since he announced this scheme last week, Gov. Schwarzenegger just signed an Executive Order mandating it.

Not only is it extremely unfair and mean-spirited to force state workers to involuntarily loan the state money during a time when everyone is feeling the pain of our struggling economy, it's also not even Arnold's call to make.

According the non-partisan Legislative Counsel, it's our Controller not our Governor who has the authority to decide these types of things.

Fortunately we have a fighter in our Controller John Chiang, who has declared that he will stand up to Arnold's unfair and unproductive gimmicks and pay our state workers what we owe them.

Please stand up to Arnold and stand with Controller Chiang by writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper today.

www.cadem.org/standuptoArnold

Over the last few days, over seven thousand of you have signed our petition supporting John Chiang in his courageous stand against Arnold Schwarzenegger's irresponsible and unwarranted plan to slash the pay of state workers.

Now we need to step it up.

Today we're asking you to take your support for Controller Chiang to the next level. Please send a letter to the editor of your local paper explaining why you support John Chiang and oppose Arnold Schwarzenegger's harebrained scheme to use state employees as pawns in the budget impasse.

There will almost certainly be lawsuits filed about this, but right now the fight is in the court of public opinion. The Letters to the Editor section is one of the most widely-read sections of any newspaper, and politicians take what appears in that section very seriously.

The California Democratic Party has set up a web page that makes it easy to write a letter to the editor on this topic. Just go to www.cadem.org/standuptoArnold. We have sample letters, talking points, and some pointers to help you get started.

This fight is not only about the wages of our state workers. It's about the differences between Democrats and Republicans. It's about leaders like John Chiang who are trying to be productive and politicos like Arnold who only engage in stunts. It's about who we are as Californians and whether we are going to allow our state to act as though a civil servant who puts in an honest day's work doesn't deserve an honest wage.

Please take a moment and send a letter to your newspaper today.

Sincerely,

Sen. Art Torres (Ret.)
Chairman

Tony Young Recall effort

According to today’s UT,



San Diego City Councilman Tony Young has become the target of a recall effort in part because he supported the ouster of Carolyn Smith, president of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp.


The Fourth City Council District has always been a fractious place. You’re either loved or not. Mediocre popularity is not tolerated. Tony Young has been in this zone of “not exactly loved but above tolerable” for a while. I was only a matter of time before someone tried this. All that was lacking was a pretext.

I personally don’t think this recall has the legs to work but the Fourth is anything but predictable and I wouldn’t be very surprised if it did pick up steam from the dissatisfied.

The question isn’t if there are enough names out there; it’s about getting them. Besides, I think the scare of a recall will help keep the office focused on their task at hand.

First Teachers, Now State Employees...Governor Likes Playing Budget Games with Other People's Pay Checks

While we have always known that Governor Schwarzenegger does not think too highly of worker's rights, he recently announced a plan that would make the state's 200,000 employees the lowest paid workers in all of California.

Under the Governor's proposed executive order, which could be signed at any minute, state workers' pay would be slashed to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until a state budget is passed.

Luckily, State Controller John Chiang has stood up for all of the state's workers by openly defying the Governor's plan. While the Governor states he must do this to bridge the gap until a budget is approved, the Controller contends that the state has enough money on hand to cover bills through September.

In the meantime, state workers are asking for help from all Californians. Members of SEIU Local 1000 will be holding informational picket lines at DMV offices tomorrow starting at 7:30 a.m. If you have time, stop by to support all state workers. The offices are located at:

Chula Vista
30 N. Glover St., Chula Vista
(near N. 4th Ave. & Hwy. 54)

El Cajon
1450 Graves Ave., El Cajon
(near Hwy 67 & Bradley Ave.)

San Diego -- Clairemont
4375 Derrick Dr.
(off Genesee Ave. N. of Balboa Ave.)

San Diego -- Otay Mesa
6111 Business Center Ct.,
(off Hwy. 905 & Corporate Center Dr., 2 ½ miles E. of I-805)

U-T R.I.P.?

Because the Union-Tribune isn’t exactly coving it’s own sale, the Voice of San Diego had this bit from Randy Dotinga’s article:
http://voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2008/07/28/news/01ut072808.txt


"Given the devastation and uncertainty in the industry, it is unlikely that a public company would make a large purchase right now, as they would have their head handed to them," said Lauren Rich Fine, a retired Merrill Lynch newspaper analyst who teaches at Kent State University.

Instead, analysts think the most likely buyer would be a private company or a group of investors. But even that's a long shot considering that the few newspapers on the block aren't attracting offers.

At this point, everything is speculation, of course. Details about the U-T's financial condition are hard to come by since it is privately owned and not required to release data publicly.

One thing is clear, however: Battered by sharp falls in subscribers and advertising, the nation's 21st-largest newspaper is not in a position of strength. Its bid for buyers seems to be a sign of desperation.

"It defies all reason to want to sell the newspaper now, unless they believe that things are only going to get worse from here," said Alan Mutter, a media analyst and former newspaper executive.


What I find interesting is that even though San Diego is the 6th or 7th largest city in America, the U-T has the 22nd largest circulation of the country’s major dailies.

Huh?

Maybe the free-marketers on the editorial board should do a piece on how their own newspaper’s inability to compete, especially in a monopolistic situation, is a sure sign that they shouldn’t be in this business in the first place.

The Voice the San Diego is regularly scooping them with one-tenth of the resources and nowhere near the same size of staff, although with layoffs at the U-T there may now be parity.

Diversification of portfolios, especially when it comes to revenue streams, is a basic lesson in business. I guess the management at the U-T thought it better not to try to improve their product beyond the superficial.

Well, the market has spoken.

John McCain get Computer Help

Rep. Davis left off labor list

From Capitol Alert
Posted by Shane Goldmacher on July 24, 2008 10:08 AM

On Wednesday, Captiol Alert published the list of endorsements for the California Labor Federation, which backed Democrats -- and only Democrats -- across the state.

But one incumbent congresswoman was left off the list.

The San Diego Union Tribune noticed that area congresswoman Susan Davis was missing. The paper reports:

Bryan Blum, political director of the statewide labor group, said it followed the recommendation of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council that it withhold an endorsement from the four-term San Diego Democrat because of an inconsistent voting record on trade issues.

"It does go back to her voting the wrong way on some trade issues," Blum said. "The folks in San Diego had some issues because they felt she made a commitment to vote one way and she voted the other."

And if you act now, we'll give you an another Shamwow set for free!

Nope, not talking about Shamwow. I'm talking about today's headline in the U-T about putting the paper up for sale. I'm not a big fan of the U-T. I mean on any given day the front page of the U-T is essentially stories pulled by either the New York Times News Service or AP. If I wanted a cut and paste newspaper I can make myself one without the U-T's help. I can't remember the last time I actually bought a U-T and when I do get a copy from somewhere I mostly check what are today's deals at Fry's. (Oooh! a 4GB USB flashdrive for $12! The Deer Hunter DVD is only $5.99!) Another thing I hate about the U-T is how it avoids any bad news about San Diego that make news on major nationwide newspapers.

A great example was an expose by the New York Times and Frontline about corrupt ICE agents getting rich helping smugglers transport drugs and other contraband into the US. The biggest case was here in San Diego. It was a front page story on the New York Times and that night was the focus of a Frontline documentary. All this attention but not a peep from the U-T. And don't get me started on the Editorial page.

Should this paper be sold, would it really be a "...sad day for San Diego." like Mayor Sanders states? I don't think so. If anything it might help San Diego to have a premier newspaper befitting it's status as second largest city in the most populous state in the union. After all, let's be honest it seems that all the biggest stories in the last few years have been broken by Voice of San Diego or someone else other than the U-T. Hopefully new owners can build a newspaper that will serve all San Diegans; not just a select few. But then again, the sale may just speed up the decline.

Sigh.

Your thoughts?

P.S. Is it me or does Mayor Sanders look like Shemp?

"Energy Crossroads" Screening with Debbie Cook

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

FEATURING: Award-winning film Energy Crossroads (2007)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

San Diego City Elections Ballot Order

The results from the random drawing held today:

City Attorney
Mike Aguirre
Jan Goldsmith

District 1
Sherri Lightner
Phil Thalheimer

District 3
Stephen Witburn
Todd Gloria

District 7
April Boling
Marti Emerald

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

From today’s California Progress Report

By Bill Cavala
A veteran of over 30 years in Sacramento

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

And what Republican is more deserving?

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

Isn’t that Republican teamwork? The American way?

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

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

After all, is he worse than Karl Rove?

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

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

Booze Ban Ballot?

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

The amusing part of this is Faulconer:

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

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

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

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

The Other Propositions as of Today

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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