Steinberg, Bass Respond to Governor's State of State Address

SACRAMENTO – At a joint press conference held Thursday afternoon, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) gave the legislative response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s State of the State Address. Below are President pro Tem Steinberg’s remarks, followed by remarks from Speaker Bass.


Senate President pro Tem Steinberg:

“We stand here together on behalf of our respective houses to tell Californians that we are working hard to find common ground with Republicans and the Governor on a budget solution.

“We all understand what is at stake: California will run out of money if we fail to act. Tax refunds delayed. Job creating construction postponed.

“There is nothing easy about making up a $41 billion shortfall in our state budget.

“We have children to teach. Roads to build. Natural resources to protect. Seniors to care for.

“But we don’t have the money to do everything this year, thanks to a national and international economic crisis that some say is the worst since the Great Depression. In bad economic times many Californians know what it means, in fact, to cut back.

“State Government must do the same, but in a way that does the least damage to public education, to the environment, to the economy and to those most vulnerable protected by our social safety net.

“We have to and we will, throw out the harsh rhetoric in times like these.

“It’s no time for finger-pointing – Californians want and deserve more from us. They expect us to work together to fix the problem and that’s exactly what we are in the midst of doing.

“To the extent that we have real differences with our Republican colleagues or the Governor, there will be policy differences and we will work them out the best we can. We have no choice.

“Like the Speaker, I am still extremely proud that the majority party sent the Governor an $18 billion deficit reduction plan that would have fixed nearly half the budget shortfall and perhaps forestalled the cash crisis.

“And I genuinely believe that our action in that regard, in part has lead to the resumption of Big 5 negotiations and the effort to solve the entire $41 billion problem.

“But I think our action was indicative of where our hearts and minds are at.

“In serious times, you don’t just wait for solutions to fall into your lap – you work overtime to find the solutions.

“So we are working overtime and beyond to find a solution with the Governor and Republican leaders. The Governor is right, the negotiations have been productive, but we need to keep going.

“There really is an opportunity to turn this situation around on a dime.

“Everyone talks about late budgets. When we get this agreement done over the next weeks, we will have then accomplished the earliest budget in the history of California.

“I can’t wait for those couple of weeks to pass and for the legislature and the Governor to come together on a budget agreement because then we can begin focusing on a positive agenda for California.

“We need to tackle the high school drop-out crisis, education, and the economy.

“We need to get a water agreement. Renewable energy. Health care. There’s so many positive issues, so many positive agendas to tackle.

“Let’s put this behind us so that we can get started on all of those things.

“Thank you.”


Assembly Speaker Karen Bass:

“This week we celebrate the birth, 80 years ago today, of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – a man committed to empower those left behind in our society.

“We look ahead next week to the inauguration of Barack Obama – a community organizer with his own record of empowering others– as he becomes the President of the United States.

“Looking back at the life and works of Dr. King, and looking ahead to the values and promise of President Obama, we can see great changes that were won at immense cost and great changes to come – along with the shared sacrifice they require.

“Here in California, the governor’s state of the state address underscored the sacrifices ahead of us in guiding our state through this economic emergency.

“In his address the governor committed to working with the legislature to solve the budget problem, and that’s important.

“Californians want us to negotiate a solution to the budget and avoid the cash crisis. They don’t want school districts to go broke and layoff teachers…they don’t want small business vendors getting IOUs and they don’t want their income tax refunds delayed.

“Democrats have stepped up by passing an $18 billion package of solutions ….we’ve stepped up by cutting our operating budget 10%.... we’ve stepped up by introducing bills to aid unemployed Californians ….we’ve stepped up by introducing a green economic stimulus package that will create more than 40,000 jobs …and we’re stepping up by pursuing foreclosure relief and mortgage reform.

“When the governor and legislature work together as partners, real achievements like AB 32 and the infrastructure bonds get done. The same can happen on the budget.

“One of the lessons we can see in looking back at Dr. King and looking forward to President Obama is that even in tough times, even when there is great challenge and sacrifice, there is also hope and opportunity.

“In the Assembly we look forward to working with the governor to make sure California remains the land of hope and opportunity.”

CDP Chairman Race Over, so what about the Vice-Chairs?

Last week, Alex Rooker dropped out of the race for Chair leaving John Burton unopposed for the top position.

She, like Eric Bauman, decided against taking on Burton and is running for Vice Chair where she is the favorite to win.

It looks like we shall have Vice Chairs Bauman and Rooker who have both expressed an interest in the top position. The question then becomes can they work together without undermining Burton's agenda while positioning themselves as the heir apparent?

This is not an academic question. It is unknown if Burton can, or will, pull the CDP away from Sacramento enough to make a difference in races that are not Assembly or State Senate based. Torres has built up enough frustration through his 14 years as chair that it would be difficult for anyone to resolve this in a single term.

The Vice Chairs under Torres have been little more than window dressing, only trotted out for party functions and photo ops. This is unfortunate because both Bauman and Rooker bring skills (organizational, fundraising, etc.) to the table. It is hoped that Burton can utilize them in a positive manner. After all, the role of the Vice Chair is defined by the Chair the serve.

A little friendly competition can make all the difference four years from now when the next Chairman will be chosen.

CA Gov Race – January 09

It’s never too early to speculate, so let’s cast our runes with an eye on the 2010 Governor’s race:


NEWSOM
The Mayor of San Francisco is not exactly loved but his constituents but too many people find him “hot.” Outside of the Bay Area most Californians associate him with Prop 8 and gay marriage. There is little else in the minds of the public and this gives him a chance to create an identity as the change agent for California. His web presence is innovative and he is a proven fundraiser. He’s young and from a progressive and wealthy bastion but he has never has to run in a race larger than the 232 square miles that make up the city. And at least he has an issue.

VILLAGROSA
The Mayor of Los Angeles is not exactly loved but his constituents but too many people find him “viable.” His Sacramento connections are a double-edged sword. Even though he was Speaker of the Assembly most people do not know what he has done. Unlike Newsom, Villagrosa’s reach is larger, in both geography and population, and, as such, has more hurdles to leap over to make it to the Governorship. There is a reason why electeds coming from San Francisco have historically done better then those out of Los Angeles; LA is too big and you need a larger than life figure to keep it together whereas San Francisco, although more Byzantine in its local politics, is smaller and easier to emerge from. Running a race in LA is not easy and he has done it so he gets nods for being able to manage a large campaign operation. He just needs to get out of the city alive. And figure out a rationale for running.

GARAMENDI
Our Lieutenant Governor is repeating his early 1990s career track making another gubernatorial run inevitable. That time he had a credible youth presence and focused campaign yet he was crushed by the establishment both within and outside the party for Kathleen Brown. Having been yanked out of the way of that cannonball, he rises to run again and has learned, somewhat, from his mistakes. He has been making the rounds with the grassroots fairly consistently and has built up considerable goodwill across the state. It remains to be seen if he can translate this support into a winning campaign. He has mounted a statewide campaign before and did well. So long as he can get over the ghosts of the 1994 campaign, he can be a contender.

ANGELIDES
Oh God no. He’s a great guy, was a kick-ass party chair, and is doing well for himself and good for the cause. But no. His campaign should be seen as a cautionary tale that those who live in the past are doomed to die in the present. His run against Arnold was not going to be easy, but when the campaign runs as if it was 1992, you cannot win. The tactics and efforts of the last Angelides campaign were not as effective in the 21st century as they were in the 20th. No. Angelides can do more for the party and people by not entering this race. For the record, I’m addressing a rumor.

O’CONNELL
In a just world, this man would be our top contender. He’s a great guy, a good leader, and affable enough to be loved by moderate Republicans. But in a universe that gave us W, Arnold, and the 2/3rd vote to pass a budget, all bets are off. This dystopian dimension has rendered his candidacy almost done. Given his competition, he has a slim shot at squeezing through like Davis as the last man standing or the nice guy alternative to the rest, but his signature issue, education, is going to be a tough one for financial reasons to propel him into the finals

BROWN
The thing with Jerry is that his people ooze out from the walls to vote for him. He just has to do say he is running and a campaign will magically appear that will not be very professional but will get bodies to turn out. There are voters who only vote for Jerry. Given the size of baby-boomers as a segment of the population and his name identification, his candidacy automatically becomes real. Republicans love to hate him and his various stints in public office reflect a guy who can win at almost every level. Do not discount him.

THEREFORE:
I think Jerry makes the final and the rest fight over the Obama-change mantle. Newsom is it as it of right now. Villagrosa and Garamendi have not begun full-blown campaigning. Should they, Garamendi could take it if he positions himself as the responsible change agent. Villagrosa needs to make said change happen in LA before he can take it.

WILD CARDS: FEINSTEIN
Event though she has the Intelligence Chair in the US Senate, she is not getting any younger and is thinking of a legacy. Pelosi is the Speaker of the House and the grassroots love Boxer so a final run is not out of the question She could take out Jerry and pummel the rest. Only if is she can be coaxed out into streetfight would she lose.

WILDCARDS: WESLEY
He is close to Obama, was part of the California operation, has money, and would be the de facto change agent if he jumps in. The California Obama operation and frustrated party activists would rally to his candidacy. He could take Jerry and be assured of institutional support lining up behind him.

Whats up with the State Chair race?

Greetings, new Democratic blogger here..long time friend, contributor, volunteer and observer of the Democratic Party here, at the local, state and national level...my only purpose is to ask good questions and get us thinking.

One of the most important decisions upcoming is the selection of a new State Democratic Chair. John Burton (of SF and State Senate leadership fame) and Alex Rooker are the two candidates left standing.

What we have accomplished in San Diego has been on our own, with little help from the San Francisco/Walnut Hills axis..why do we want to embrace that now? I realize there is a spike of Burton support here in San Diego, now ...but why, really? Are we hoping for something? Perhaps readers can tag on and answer.

Farewell to W at the W, Obama Inauguration Event

What: Party and celebration for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
When: January 20, 2009, 7:30 P.M. – 1:30 A.M.
Where: W Hotel, 421 W B St, San Diego, CA 92101
Hosted by: The San Diego County Young Democrats

On the night of January 20th, 2009, the San Diego County Young Democrats are hosting a party at the W Hotel for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The event is expected to be the largest inauguration celebration in the County of San Diego.

As of January 5, 2009, over 350 people have submitted an RSVP for the event. While no RSVP is necessary to attend, an RSVP is encouraged at the Young Democrats website. (http://www.sdcyoungdemocrats.com/).

On the November 4, 2008 election day, the Young Democrats hosted a party to watch election returns at the W Hotel, the same location of the Obama inauguration party. The election night party attracted over 200 people, without the benefit of a coordinated press or media campaign.

“Obama has inspired a huge number of young people to be interested in politics, both nationally, and in San Diego,” said David Gersz, president of the San Diego County Young Democrats. “We wanted to make sure that Obama’s supporters would have a central place to celebrate for this historic night.”

The San Diego County Young Democrats:

The San Diego County Young Democrats is an organization of young people, under the age of 36, who live in the County of San Diego and belong to the Democratic Party. Their members range from activists and concerned citizens, to lawyers, political staff, and elected officials. (http://www.sdcyoungdemocrats.com/).

The Event:

The event is free and open to the public. RSVP’s are encouraged by visiting here: http://www.sdcyoungdemocrats.com.

President Obama’s inauguration speech will be replayed at the event starting at 9:00 P.M..

There will be a cash bar and drink specials throughout the night.

A smart move by Jerry Brown.

California's Attorney General Jerry Brown did a politically smart thing opposing Proposition 8 last week.

Brown is making no secret of his desire to run again for Governor of California. And to some observers, it might seem a foolish, if brave thing to stake out a legal position to overrule the will of a majority of California's voters.

However, Brown isn't yet running in a general election. Instead, the first major hurdle for his return to the Governor's mansion will be the Democratic primary. By supporting marriage equally, Brown is able to publicly display his commitment to equality, garnering support of the progressive and LGBT communities who are important constituencies in the Democratic primaries.

With two terms as Governor under his belt, a mayorship of Oakland, and numerous runs for the United States presidency, Brown already has more name identification than any potential rival, save possibly Dianne Feinstein. But with a crowded and talented field, Brown won't be able to rest on that familiarity to win over a plurality of the party's regulars.

Among others, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is a strong likely rival to Brown for the Democratic nomination. Newsom has a statewide and national profile for ordering San Francisco to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Newsom's decision may not sit well with all Californians, but it's made him a hero to the LGBT community. Furthermore, support for same sex marriage is quickly becoming a prerequisite for California's Democratic primary voters, and Newsom has the most irrefutable bona fides for supporting marriage equality. He doesn't just support same-sex marriage, he married people.

Brown's decision to oppose Proposition 8 in the courts allows him to try to eat into Newsom's inroads with the LGBT community. It shows that he's not just someone who'll just talk about marriage equality. Like Newsom, Brown can now point to an official act that he's taken to advance the cause of civil rights.

Once more, the question of whether marriage equality should be the law of the land in California was not put to rest by Proposition 8. It is still tied up in the courts. And no matter what the California Supreme Court rules on the validity of Proposition 8, we can assume that its decision will be followed by initiatives either to support or restrict marriage equality. And with Newsom running in the primary, there can be no doubt that the issue of marriage will feature prominently in the political debate.

But Brown's decision isn't just a tactical, short-term move to diminish Newsom's singular status as a lion for LGBT equality. This isn't just a smart move for Brown in the context of the Democratic primary. Brown will soon find himself on the winning side of the marriage issue.

We are trending rapidly into a pro-marriage state. Proposition 8 passed by 52.30%, versus 47.70% who opposed the measure. That's a spread of only 4.6%. Only eight years earlier, Proposition 22, which banned marriage equality in California, passed by a margin of 22.8%. Assuming the historical trend remains constant, a majority of California voters will support marriage equality in two years.

Of course it's possible that the historical trend toward supporting marriage won't progress in a neat linear form. There will probably be some leveling off of support, and the numbers will stabilize. But the fact of the matter is that the bare majority who oppose marriage equality today will be fewer in a general election in 2010, and they may in fact be resigned to a minority. Brown's support for marriage equality today may win him support with the Democratic primary voters, and by 2010, the majority of general election voters may very well support marriage equality.

None of this is to say that Brown is a Machiavelli here. I suspect he really does believe in equality, and that he thinks in his heart of hearts that the initiative process shouldn't be used to strip rights, including marriage rights from minority groups. But he's also a shrewd political operator. And that's a good thing. Whoever wins the Democratic primary for governor of California should be an able and deft politician. They'll need to be fierce competitors against their Republican general election opponent. As someone who supports marriage equality, I want my party's nominees to be willing and eager to do the same.

In fact, I think Brown deserves some accolades for understanding the particular direction of this issue's political winds. He's not just sitting out on the sidelines, letting the cards fall where they may. Instead, he's taking some action to advance the cause of equality. But let's not presume that he's falling on his sword here. The old lion may be in winter, but he knows what he's doing.

Election Reflection Panel Success

Around 70 people filled the Balboa Conference room at the law offices of Coughlin Stoia a couple weeks back. The crowd was eager and excited to talk about this years election. The panel consisted of Scott Peters, Richard Barrera, Leslie Wolf Branscomb and Howard Wayne, along with moderator Len Simon. The panel discussion which lasted for two hours cover topics including: the council president, Prop 8, the city attorney, Obama, city council elections and more.

You can view photos of the evening at Progressive San Diego's Flickr page.

Panelists Announced: Election Reflection

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Reception at 5:00 p.m. | Program at 6:00 p.m.
Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP
655 West Broadway, Suite 1900 | San Diego, CA 92101

Panelists
Scott Peters
President, San Diego City Council, District 1
Richard Barrera
San Diego School Board-elect, San Diego Regional Organizer for United Healthcare Workers
Howard Wayne
Deputy Attorney General, Office of the California Attorney General, former State Assemblymember
Leslie Wolf Branscomb
former Legal Affairs Editor and County Government Reporter, SD Union Tribune

Moderated by
Len Simon
Of Counsel, Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP

Cost: FREE
Parking in the building is available for $5
Street parking and other downtown parking is also available

RSVP: http://www.acslaw.org/chapters/lawyer/sandiego/rsvp

Refreshments will be provided

Topics will include the structure and composition of the City Council, the City Attorney election, the state propositions, and the effects of the presidential election.

_____________
The PSD Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization that works to empower all San Diego residents and communities to work together to create an equitable and sustainable society.
_____________
The ACS for Law and Policy is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. Founded in 2001, ACS is a rapidly growing network of lawyers, law students, scholars, judges, policymakers and other concerned individuals.

Election Results Show Big Wins for Region’s Working Families

Working families came out ahead in Tuesday’s election as voters chose at least 68 candidates and propositions endorsed by the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

Highlighted wins include Marty Block and Manuel Perez for the State Assembly; Sherri Lightner, Todd Gloria and Marti Emerald for San Diego City Council; Steve Castaneda for Chula Vista City Council; and the failure of Proposition B.

The Labor Council is confident Pamela Bensoussan, who is trailing by approximately 100 votes as of Friday, will ultimately win the other Chula Vista City Council seat once all the ballots are counted.

“The real winners of Tuesday’s election are the working families of San Diego County,” Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez said. “Voters went to the polls not to point fingers or continue the rhetoric of blaming working families for San Diego’s woes, but to find real solutions to the challenges that face our neighborhoods and our economy.”

The wins were cemented with the help of nearly 1,500 individual union members who volunteered for 4,000 shifts during the course of the election season, a total representing 16,000 hours of volunteer time dedicated to informing voters of the candidates’ support for working families.

“I want to thank and recognize every union member who helped our endorsed candidates win,” Gonzalez said. “They are the ones who sacrificed countless weekends, holidays and evenings to make a difference in their communities.”

Trick or Vote San Diego Featured on Travis Smiley | PBS Web Exclusive

Progressive San Diego lead a team of organizations and individuals a week ago today (Halloween) to go door to door in the SDSU area and "trick or vote." The group knocked on doors in a number of precincts and were followed by Video Your Vote, a collaboration between PBS and Youtube. The co-sponsors of the event were: Common Cause, The N3twork, League of Women Voters, the Bus Project and the SDSU Debate Class.

TRAVIS SMILEY | Trick or Vote | PBS

PRESS RELEASE: Progressives Leave Big Mark on Election Day

-- For Immediate Release --

San Diego, CA – On November 4, 2008, voters in the San Diego region made a loud statement to the region’s conservative establishment by electing numerous progressive candidates endorsed by Progressive San Diego. Progressive candidates won expected as well as surprising races on the San Diego City Council, on the San Diego Unified School District, and in the California Legislature.

San Diego City Council

PSD’s endorsed city council candidates Sherri Lightner, Todd Gloria and Marti Emerald all won their respective elections. In District 1, Sherri Lightner put on an impressive performance to beat Phil Thalheimer, who previously ran against Scott Peters. Todd Gloria won in District 3 against another PSD-endorsed progressive, Stephen Whitburn. In District 7, Marti Emerald holds a small advantage over her conservative opponent, April Boling.

San Diego Unified School District

The biggest upset of the night came from another PSD-endorsed candidate, John Lee Evans, in the School Board District A race against incumbent Mitz Lee. Evans won the seat by an impressive nine percentage points. In San Diego no school board member has been unseated in almost 30 years, but Evans broke that record. Additionally, PSD board member Richard Barrera won the School Board District D race without opposition.

California Legislature

Another big win for progressives came in the open seat of the 78th Assembly District, where endorsed candidate Marty Block won by almost ten percentage points. A republican has held that seat for the past six years. In the 76th Assembly District, progressive Lori Saldana was easily re-elected to serve another term. Also, incumbent progressive Christine Kehoe retained her seat on the State Senate.

Progressive San Diego

Formed in 2003, Progressive San Diego is a non-partisan political action committee that works to create a more equitable and sustainable society in the SD region by promoting progressive candidates and policies. Active in the community, PSD has hosted candidate forums and trainings, public speakers and film events. PSD has been vocal on such issues as San Diego City Charter Reform, attacks on livable wages, the big-box ordinance, quality and affordable healthcare and same-sex marriage.

Endorsements

San Diego City Council: Sherri Lightner, Todd Gloria, Stephen Whitburn and Marti Emerald.
San Diego Unified School District: John Lee Evans and Richard Barrera.
San Diego City Attorney: Michael Aguirre.
California State Assembly: Marty Block and Lori Saldana.
California State Senate: Christine Kehoe.

Tommie Watson
Progressive San Diego

ELECTION REFLECTION -- Nov. 11th

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Reception at 5:00 p.m.
Program at 6:00 p.m.
Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP
655 West Broadway, Suite 1900
San Diego, CA 92101

Cost: FREE
Parking in the building is available for $5
Street parking and other downtown parking is also available

RSVP: progress@progressivesd.org

Refreshments will be provided

Join us as we discuss the rule of law in San Diego post election. Topics will include the structure and composition of the City Council, the City Attorney election, the state propositions, and the effects of the presidential election.

_____________
The PSD Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization that works to empower all San Diego residents and communities to work together to create an equitable and sustainable society.
_____________
The ACS for Law and Policy is one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations. Founded in 2001, ACS is a rapidly growing network of lawyers, law students, scholars, judges, policymakers and other concerned individuals.

Statement in Response to Anti-Whitburn Mailer

When Progressive San Diego’s board of directors considers whether to endorse a candidate, the candidate’s ability to wage a clean campaign and spread a positive message while civilly debating his or her opponent is the subject of much discussion. Because PSD believes that candidates must have a positive agenda and be willing to stand up for progressive principles rather than simply opposing an opponent’s nonprogressive positions, we also believe that campaign strategies must focus on spreading that positive message and be limited to responding to attacks on a candidate’s character and integrity. Attack ads, no matter how effective they may be, have absolutely no place–none whatsoever–in a progressive candidate’s campaign. There is nothing progressive about cutting down one candidate so that another will stand out. Progressives have a strong message to spread, but personal attacks and other mud-slinging seriously undermine that message and fuel speculation about the credibility of those who benefit from such tactics.

In the strongest possible terms, Progressive San Diego condemns the recent “hit piece” against City Council District 3 candidate Stephen Whitburn. We do so not because Stephen, along with Todd Gloria, has earned our endorsement. Our condemnation stems from our deep commitment to promoting clean, honest, positive debate among all candidates for public office and keeping gutter politics out of elections. People certainly have the right to express their views about political candidates. But PSD also has the right to call out anyone who tries to stain the respectable campaigns that its endorsees try to run.

This morning PSD spoke to both candidates about the attack on Stephen. Todd unequivocally denied having anything to do with the attack, and PSD takes him at his word. Both candidates rejected attack ads as illegitimate campaign tactics.

What makes the attack especially disturbing is the false light that it casts upon Stephen’s campaign contributors. While PSD is not familiar with every contributor listed in the ad, the overwhelming majority of them are people with impeccable progressive credentials, people who have dedicated themselves to putting public interest over self-interest and are anything but back-room dealers. For the attack’s sponsor to suggest otherwise not only tempts candidates to respond by stepping out onto the slippery slope of gutter politics, but it leaves an unfair and unacceptable trail of collateral damage. It should be obvious to every good progressive candidate that allowing committed members of the progressive community to be sacrificed for political gain is intolerable.

For these reasons, PSD calls on Todd to immediately and publicly denounce the recent attack ad against Stephen and other members of the progressive community; and further calls upon both Stephen and Todd, along with their surrogates and supporters, to refrain from similar attacks. In the final days of this election, each campaign should focus on affirmatively demonstrating that its candidate is the best man to represent the residents of District 3.

Approved by the Board of Directors, October 30, 2008

SIGN UP: Largest GOTV Canvass ... in Costume, Oct. 31st (Halloween)!

Join Progressive San Diego, Common Cause, League of Women Voters, The N3TWORK and others to GOTV around SDSU and enjoy some free food, prizes, goody bags, giveaways, fun and more.

Good money chasing bad?

Rumors about the shift in Republican spending from the 7th to the 1st may be due to the rumor that Mrs. Thalimier isn't too keen on dumping truckloads of her money toward her man this time.

East County Chaldeans going Obama

I was in El Cajon yesterday and heard these hard core Chaldean Bush supporters going for Obama. As expected, it's about the economy and basic governance.

Goldsmith Poll Spread

Latest rumor is that Goldsmith ran a poll earlier this month showing him over Aguirre by 5%. The margin of error: 5%

From the 7th to the 1st

Just heard that the Republicans are shifting resources out of the 7th and into the 1st. No reason given as of yet.

Thoughts?

Setting Sherri Lightner's Record Straight

There has been a lot of mail coming from Sherri Lightner’s opponent lately—firing plenty of attacks, but offering little, if any, substance. It seems that he is more interested in tearing down Lightner’s image than building up his own.

Since he does not seem to want to address any real issues, I thought I might take the time to compare Sherri Lightner with her opponent.

Neighborhoods

Lightner is actively involved with planning and community groups to understand the concerns of residents and stand up for important issues even while running her campaign [more]…
Where is Thalheimer?

Accountability/Openness

Lightner provides detailed answers to questionnaires, shares her political values and positions on major issues on her website, attends many public forums and debates, and has a plan for active public outreach…
Thalheimer ignores or refuses opportunities to answer questions from the public and often replies (when he responds at all) to questionnaires with one-word answers and no explanation.

Outsourcing

Lightner believes in a cautious approach to outsourcing to ensure proper oversight, no loss of service levels, and real savings to taxpayers [more]…
Thalheimer wants to outsource as many services as possible now.

Pension

Lightner realizes that there are no easy answers, that the grim reality may be that the City of San Diego is legally responsible for already-promised benefits, and that much of the funding for these benefits is dangerously invested in the stock market [more]…
Thalheimer thinks that halting the DROP program (which has already been eliminated for new city employees and may not be legally possible to end for older employees) is the silver bullet to solve the problem (GOP mailer, September, 2008).

Budget

Lightner believes that a line-by-line review of the budget will reveal costly and unnecessary expenses and programs that will not impact crucial city and neighborhood services [more]…
Thalheimer prefers to fund things he can “touch” (LJVCA Candidate Caucus, 4/23/08).

Economic Development

Lightner wants to partner with local universities and businesses to bring green industry and green collar jobs to San Diego in order to strengthen our economy by creating good paying jobs and create a new tax base [more]…
Thalheimer has not proposed any ideas.

Overdevelopment

Lightner believes we must ensure that roads, water, open space, parks and available transit be in place before runaway density overtakes us [more]…
Thalheimer says, “We must go up” (La Jolla District 1 Primary debate, 4/22/08).

Paid Parking

Lightner led the effort to prevent paid parking at the beach and on our streets [more]…
Thalheimer was first in favor of paid parking (11/23/07), then against it (4/22/08), and now…?

Regents Road Bridge

Lightner knows that we need results for fire and traffic safety now—many of which can be gained through building a fire station in south University City and improving traffic flow along the Genesee corridor [more]…
Thalheimer was first against it (2004), and then in favor of it (4/22/08), and then against it (La Jolla Village Community Association Forum, 4/23/08), then in favor of it again (5/7/08), and wants to spend millions of dollars and waste several years on designs and planning while ignoring residents’ current needs.

I-5/S-56 Connector

Lightner has signed on to Stop5Noise movement and opposes the removal or destruction of any residential property [more]…
Thalheimer refuses to rule out the destruction of private homes; has not signed onto Stop5Noise.

Code of Fair Campaign Practices

Lightner signed the pledge in March 2008 and has focused her campaign “on issues rather then untruths or distortions," as promised [more]…
Thalheimer signed in March 2008 as well, but has he really kept his word?

It is clear that we have a stark choice in this election. Sherri Lightner is the obvious choice if you would like a say in government, want to know where your councilmember stands (and why), believe that infrastructure should lead development rather than follow it, and is willing to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty with the details instead of glossing over big problems.

Come November 4th; let’s make the choice for Sherri Lightner!

Four of five S.D. Congress members vote against bailout

By George E. Condon Jr. and Finlay Lewis
U-T WASHINGTON BUREAU
September 29, 2008


WASHINGTON – Undeterred by heavy lobbying and threats of reprisals, four out of five members of San Diego County's congressional delegation voted against the Wall Street bailout hammered out by the Bush administration and the bipartisan leadership of the Congress.

Only Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, voted for the $700 billion plan. Voting against was Democrat Bob Filner of San Diego and Republicans Duncan Hunter of Alpine, Darrell Issa of Vista and Brian Bilbray of Carlsbad.

For Hunter, who is retiring, the measure presented perhaps the last big vote of his 28 years in Congress. And the administration trained one of its big guns on him to pressure him for his vote.

Vice President Dick Cheney personally appealed for Hunter's support. But Hunter said he told Cheney he could not because the measure amounted to a “massive exposure for the American taxpayer for what's at best a very limited return.”

“He said he appreciated my rationale and that he disagreed with it,” Hunter said. “Over the years we've had a lot of conversations on important issues. A lot of the time we agree; a lot of the time we don't.”

For Issa, the stakes were particularly high, as he angered the Republican leadership and threatened his hopes to become chairman or ranking minority on a key House committee.

Issa was particularly outspoken in denunciation of his own party's leadership at the White House, the Treasury Department and the House. “Our president and our Treasury secretary are wrong on this issue,” he said.

On the other side of the aisle, Filner showed no reluctance to attack his own party leadership. “There was arrogant leadership on both sides,” he said.

“The leaderships want something that the rank and file doesn't. They did it all amongst themselves. The four principals went in a room and then reported back to the caucuses but they didn't take any input from the caucuses. ... This is a push back from the people who want some input.”

Davis couched her support of the bill with an acknowledgment that its provisions represented a wrenching adjustment to the rapidly weakening economy but she argued that the measure's approval was nonetheless a necessary step.

“No bill is a magic bullet but the cost of doing nothing may be far greater than the painful steps we take today,” she said in a statement prior to the roll call.

Bilbray explained his vote in a statement, contending that the measure would not do anything “to address the systemic problems that created the current financial crisis.” Bilbray, who did not return a call for comment, also complained in the statement that the bill offered “nothing but a promise to ensure that this is just a one-time deal.”

“It is not the responsibility of the American taxpayers to foot a $700 billion bill for the irresponsible actions of Wall Street and borrowers,” Bilbray said.

Bilbray's opponent in the Nov. 4 election, Democrat Nick Leibham, claimed the incumbent's vote helps prolong “the current financial crisis and sent Wall Street into free fall.”

“This man is a disaster. Literally,” Leibham said in a statement. “He has turned his back on the economic well-being of San Diego families and businesses.”