Here’s all you need to know: “Politics is like driving. To go backward put it in R. To go forward put it in D.”
By Doug Porter
As the mayoral election campaigns enter their final days of campaigning there is unanimity on one point- the election results will be determined by turnout.
After all the in-person campaigning, all the advertising and all the debates, it’s going to comedown to how motivated voters are. Media reports say the mail-in ballots already received (but not counted) seem to favor Kevin Faulconer (counting districts he carried in the last election). The Alvarez camp’s ground game, on the other hand, is as good as it gets in San Diego politics.
While Kevin Faulconer has been advertising on Facebook for paid canvassers, hundreds of David Alvarez volunteers have been going door-to-door advocating for their candidate. Polling sponsored by mass media organizations indicates a dead heat. A “sixteen point gap” in earlier surveys has disappeared.
Perhaps nothing tells the story of these campaigns better than each side’s selection of venues for their post election rallies. The Faulconer campaign will be gathered at the US Grant Hotel, an elite destination for the power brokers in America’s Finest City. The Alvarez effort will be located at Barrio Logan’s Public Market, a re-purposed warehouse turned public venue and market space via a KickStarter campaign.
This quote from UT-San Diego’s Sunday front page tells the story
“Faulconer cannot seal the deal,” said Jay Leve, founder and editor of SurveyUSA. “Alvarez is demonstrating the same kind of remarkable, last-minute resilience that he showed in the general election, where he came on strong and overtook Nathan Fletcher at the wire.”
Bikers for Alvarez in OB, via Gretchen Newsom twitter
The strategy of mobilizing the Democratic base via a robust field operation is responsible for that resilience. Over 700 people showed up on Saturday to walk door-to-door for David Alvarez. From Ocean Beach to Clairemont to San Ysidro, volunteers went door-to-door. And their enthusiasm has proven to be contagious.
President Obama’s endorsement of Alvarez in this race came after the latest round of polling, but just in time to even further energize the final round of the get out the vote campaign. One need look no farther than the pages of our Daily Fishwrap, which buried the endorsement on page six, to appreciate the significance of this gesture. This morning the campaign announced that Gov. Jerry Brown had broken his silence and endorsed Alvarez.
Carl campaigning for Carl via Twitter
For Kevin Faulconer, victory also lies with Republican base voters. An increasingly desperate advertising blitz is seeking to push their ‘fear buttons.’ Alvarez is too young, too liberal and too “other” is the message, and it’s being hammered hard.
I don’t know if the GOP’s ‘rising star’ Carl DeMaio’s decision to campaign for his congressional run this past weekend means anything, but maybe that’s just Carl being Carl.
As San Diego enters the final hours of this hard fought campaign, the question that really counts is: “Have you voted yet?”
The Koch Brothers Weigh in for DeMaio
Perhaps Mr. DeMaio’s personal campaigning this weekend was just a tip of the hat to his latest support from Americans for Prosperity. DC’s Politico reports the conservative group is spending $145,000 on negative cable TV ads over the next three weeks aimed at first term Congressman Scott Peters.
From Politico:
Americans for Prosperity, which has been linked to the billionaire Koch brothers, has rapidly emerged as the dominant Republican outside group in the 2014 midterm election. The Peters ads are the latest front in its cross-country push to prop up Republicans and unseat Democrats in high-profile House and Senate races.
The group is currently involved in three congressional districts in Florida. On Wednesday, it launched a TV ad, praising GOP Rep. Steve Southerland, who is embroiled in a competitive race in Florida’s Panhandle. And on Thursday, The Washington Post reported that the group would air advertisements against two Florida Democratic congressmen, Joe Garcia and Alan Grayson. Those ads, according to the Post, total $400,000.
Americans for Prosperity already has spent more than $4 million in House races and about $15 million in Senate races this cycle. A spokesman for the organization would not comment on the Peters ads.
On of the participants in the Koch Brother’s latest Palm Springs gatherings left some very interesting documents behind, and it’s been posted over at Mother Jones. Perhaps the most significant disclosure is the list of players, big and small. Next time you think about ordering a Papa John’s pizza, realize that some portion of the profits from purchases there ends up supporting this gang…
Crime and Loathing in San Diego
Even as yet another policeman was being arrested for sex crimes this weekend, our witless City Attorney was moving to obtain a gag order applied to all attorneys and witnesses in a pending civil case seeking justice from earlier offenses committed by SDPD officer Anthoney Arevalos. Recently the City Attorney hired a private investigator to look for disparaging personal information against victim “Jane Doe” in that case.
While the Jan Goldsmith’s spin machine has been trying to persuade the public that City Attorney is simply trying to protect tax payers from a gold digger, the fact remains at least one that “Jane Doe’s” disclosures about this case come as the result of discovery motions filed in connection with her demands about steps towards a long term solution regarding sexual assaults by SDPD officers.
Via UT-San Diego:(Emphasis mine)
Arevalos was convicted of sexual battery and bribery against Doe. After stopping her in 2011 for drunken driving, he said he would not charge her if she gave him her underwear. Her complaint to police led to his conviction and was hailed by Chief Bill Lansdowne as courageous. Her lawsuit calls for an independent monitor over the department because of an alleged history of covering up for corrupt officers, including Arevalos.
Two weeks ago the city came under fire for saying in a court filing that Jane Doe tried to bribe Arevalos with her panties, then removed the language after a public outcry.
No hearing on the gag order has been set yet.
Note the defensive tone by police chief Lansdowne in today’s UT-San Diego coverage of SDPD officer Christopher Hayes, who is charged with suspicion of false imprisonment and misdemeanor sexual battery with four women.
“This officer, if the allegations prove to be true, will go to prison,” Lansdowne said.
Lansdowne said that four cases were uncovered through an internal investigation after a woman came forward in December to report that she had been inappropriately frisked by an officer. Police detectives checked every case Hays had been involved in since he was hired four years ago and three more women were found with similar claims involving incidents with Hays that occurred between Nov. 12, 2012, and Dec. 23, 2013. All four cases were turned over to the District Attorney’s Office last week.
“This has been a very thorough and complete investigation,” Lansdowne said.
A fifth woman came forward through her attorney on Friday.
Via CBS8News:
Attorney Dan Gilleon is representing a 33-year-old female who claims Officer Hays approached her while she was a passenger inside of a broken down car in October 2012. He allegedly told her that she was in trouble for an unspecified issue and manipulated her into performing a sex act.
“He offered to give her a ride home and she said, ‘Yeah,'” said Gilleon. “And when they arrived that’s when he said, ‘Listen, you won’t be in trouble if you go down on me.’ She was stunned and scared, but just did it. She didn’t really feel like she had any other option.”
UT-San Diego reports this morning that a sixth victim contacted the District Attorney’s Office over the weekend.
Remember folks, the City Attorney wants you to believe his outrageous actions are just about the money.
On This Day: 1933 – The singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegraph Company of New York City. 1956 – Little Richard recorded “Long Tall Sally” 1989 – Ron Brown became the first African American to head a major U.S. political party when he was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
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Doug Porter
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These police sexual assault cases make me sick to my stomach. We need to demand an honest and comprehensive investigation into this stuff. Practice and pattern are words solidifying in my mind.
Love you, Doug Porter. Keep on keeping on!