San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

A Voter App for San Diego Progressives Now Available

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A regular reader of this column has developed an app allowing voters to compare side by side recommendations of five organizations, make a choice, and generate a list to help in filling out the ballot.

The five groups included are San Diego Free Press (yay!), Democrats for Equality, the San Diego Democratic Party, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood. Further info on candidates and ballot measures, sans recommendations, is available via the SD Indivisible Voter Guide link on the left side of the page in the app.. (Full disclosure: I am one of the authors of the Indivisible Guide)

Creator Viola Glenn says this guide is a living document and is willing to add more lists from progressive organizations. Give it a try!

 

Screen Shot

There are thirteen days to go until election day and, according to PoliticalData.Com, 13% of the City of San Diego’s mail-in ballots have been received at the Registrar’s office.

It’s still early in the game, but Democrats and younger voters appear to be mailing in their ballots slightly faster than Republicans in general, especially if you consider that older GOP types always vote.

I’m taking a week-long break from writing, so today’s post is mostly about wrapping up a few loose ends hanging out in my inbox. The column will resume next Wednesday.

***

Uncertainty over voter turnout and crowded ballots led the Cooks Political Report yesterday to shift California Congressional contests in the 39th and 49th House districts to “toss-up” from “leans Democratic” One other factor at play in California is President Trump’s rising approval ratings, possibly coming from positive economic reports and the possibility of success in the Korea talks.

While the Democrats lead in polling on generic ballots has dropped to 5%, there does not appear to be a drop in that party’s enthusiasm, as better than usual turnouts in primaries around the country indicate.     

Photo: Doug Porter

One wildcard for Republicans is the internecine battle in the House over immigration reform. Should either side (less vs more restrictive) prevail in a vote, the losers voter bases will be energized.  

Representatives Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas), are circulating a discharge petition enabling a vote on immigration if they can collect signatures from 218 lawmakers. They have 203 signatures at present and expect to make it over the top in coming days.

A successful effort will mean four immigration proposals that deal with the DACA program will be voted on and the bill with the highest number of votes over 218 will pass.

***

Polls Part One: A USC/Los Angeles Times poll shows the fight for second place in the governor’s race is on between John Cox, a Republican, and Antonio Villaraigosa. Given the high number (39%) of undecided voters and the closeness of the polling sample (11 & 10%, respectively) the winner is anybody’s guess.

The Cox campaign is benefitting from PAC advertising paid for by supporters of Gavin Newsom looking to make the general election contest a slam dunk. Villaraigosa’s riding a massive cash infusion for PACs from charter school advocates.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom leads both by at least 10%. Only the two candidates regardless of party will appear on the November ballot.

Polls Part Two: ‘Congressman Duncan D. Hunter may be a crook, but at least he’s one of us’ seems to be the prevailing sentiment in the 50th Congressional District.

A poll sponsored by the Union-Tribune and 10News says 43% of those queried support the incumbent Congressman, who is being investigated by the FBI following complaints of illegal campaign expenditures.

The poll found that President Donald Trump’s job performance is the single most important issue with voters, with 29 percent saying it was the biggest factor when they’re considering who they’ll vote for in the midterm. Another 19 percent said the proposed border wall — a project supported by Hunter as well as his father, Duncan L. Hunter, the district’s immediate past representative — was their most important issue.

The poll found that voters’ opinion of Trump is strongly tied to who they’re supporting for the House.

Seventy-three percent of voters who approve of the president are supporting Hunter, while 9 percent are backing Wells. Another 5 percent support Republican businessman Shamus Sayed. Another 11 percent who said that they approve of Trump are undecided.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about the polling was the fifth place finish (5%) for Democrat Josh Butner, widely regarded as the national party insider’s favorite. Patrick Malloy, Hunter’s 2016 opponent who has barely campaigned this year, polled at 7%.

Ammar Campa led the Democrats in the polling (10%). One in four voters remains undecided.

Law and Disorder: Is there something Sheriff Bill Gore ought to be telling San Diegans?  Like maybe, ‘I’m sorry?’

Outside Agitator: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has endorsed San Diego District Attorney candidate Genevieve Jones-Wright for the June primary.

Genevieve Jones-Wright talking with voters. Photo by Doug Porter

Krasner is considered a national model for reform-minded elected prosecutors across the country. In addition to transforming his agency into one leading the fight for criminal justice reform, he’s refusing to seek the death penalty, rejected the illegal use of stop-and-frisk, and is working to reform Philadelphia’s cash bail system.

While refocusing the DA’s Office on prosecuting serious crimes, Krasner’s office seeks alternatives to incarceration — dramatically reducing the number of prisoners held, saving millions of tax dollars and helping break the cycle of recidivism in Philadelphia.

This endorsement will doubtlessly be seized upon by the defenders of the local status quo as further evidence of Jones-Wright’s subversive nature.

See you next week… 

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Doug Porter

Doug Porter

Doug Porter was active in the early days of the alternative press in San Diego, contributing to the OB Liberator, the print version of the OB Rag, the San Diego Door, and the San Diego Street Journal. He went on to have a 35-year career in the Hospitality business and decided to go back into raising hell when he retired. He won numerous awards for his columns from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Doug is a cancer survivor (sans vocal chords) and lives in North Park.

Comments

  1. File this under Kreepy. Among the more colorful and questionable “election lierature” that muddied today’s mailbox were two pieces from a Torrance address sent by the Coalition of Literacy. Under a heading “Educate Your Vote” the nonprofit lists a mix of candidates including Gary Kreep for re-election as Superior Court Judge. While space on this endorsement flyer was probably sold, the integrity of this nonprofit is called into question by associating literacy with choosing to vote for a man who was formally disciplined in 2017. Critical thinking seems not to be a component of the organization’s objectives.Ye gads. Enjoy your getaway, Doug Porter.

  2. Wondering why the four endorsers on this guide were cherry picked, when people in the progressive trenches are coming out in force for CA’s own Elizabeth Warren for State Assembly 76.

    She has statewide endorsements like CA’s Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party and Progressive Democrats of America-CA, endorsements nationally, like former Rep. Alan Grayson, and endorsements locally like Sue Alderson and the Democratic Club of Vista, and Progressive Democrats of San Diego County and of North San Diego County.

    It’s your call to endorse Mrs. Horvath, but let’s not pretend she is the progressive in the race.

    The Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region

    Barrio Carlsbad Community Advocates
    California Democratic Party Chicano-Latino Caucus (recommended)
    Moms Demand Action/Everytown (Candidate of Distinction)
    Oceanside for a Safer Community
    Democratic Socialists of America, San Diego

    • As it very clearly says in the story the creator is interested in adding more voter guides. These are the ones she, as a person wanting to do something good, found. Do you know of any? There’s a contact me link on the site.
      There is no “cherry picking” going on here. And you’ll find it a lot easier to get people to join your causes in the future if you can spare us the “it’s a conspiracy or you’re stupid” tone.
      When we at SDFP were doing our research for our voter guide we did not see the very impressive information you provided. I’m not sure why. I do know that candidates who reached out to us–we have a long history in San Diego–were automatically given at least passing consideration.

      • Thank you, Doug, for your reply.

        I appreciate the guide creator requesting other guides. I am currently unaware of guides which curate various endorsers as hers did, but I am certainly aware of various endorsers who put out lists of all their endorsements.

        What I posted here is just a partial list of the dozens of endorsements California’s own progressive Elizabeth Warren has received. (see https://www.lizwarren4ca.com/endorsements )

        I want to make sure people understand that this is a race between a very establishment candidate (Horvath) and a candidate with serious progressive credentials (Warren.)

        Thank you.

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