By Eva Posner / Democratic Woman’s Club
Last week we provided an overview of Doug Manchester, the U-T, and the influence this combination has on the electorate of San Diego County.
This week, the goal is to delve a bit deeper, using a recent issue to illustrate the intensity of collusion with the publisher of the region’s largest paper and other powers that be. [Read more…]
By Eva Posner / Democratic Woman’s Club
U-T San Diego, formerly the San Diego Union-Tribune, is the largest daily newspaper in the region. According to the U-T advertising rate book, U-T San Diego reaches 29.9% of the adult population of San Diego during the week, and 41.2% on Sundays. U-T San Diego.com receives 29.5 million page views per month.
The U-T Community Press, which consists of 8 newspapers that formerly brought communities hyper local and independent news but where bought by the U-T’s owner Doug Manchester, has a weekly readership of 221,905. One of those newspapers is the North County Times, which was the U-T’s biggest competitor.
Even assuming these numbers are inflated to sell ads, it is obvious that the management/ownership have incredible influence over the information taken in by a large portion of the population of San Diego County and the surrounding region. [Read more…]
By Eva Posner & Linda Perine / Democratic Woman’s Club
Relationships and money trails tell us who wields the power in our community.
It is hard to imagine, that in the 5th largest county in the United States, only a handful of people have any real influence on the day to day decisions that effect the lives of over 3 million people. But it’s true. And a lack of voter participation isn’t helping.
In both the February 2014 election to replace Bob Filner as Mayor of San Diego and in the June primary voter turnout was abysmally low. Overall voting turnout in the County in June was an anemic 27.2%, but many precincts registered in the single digits.
Pundits and analysts give many reasons for the lack of engagement: voter fatigue, uninspiring candidates, disillusionment surrounding the Filner debacle, and the lack of a culture of voting in areas with a large immigrant influence. We are told that working two (maybe three) jobs with transportation issues, childcare and other deterrents make it difficult to get to the polls. And indeed, all these causes had some influence on the undeniable “none of the above” message from the electorate. [Read more…]
By Doug Porter
The story in last Friday’s UT-San Diego seemed pretty straightforward: the local legal establishment closed ranks, telling Carla Keehn that she wasn’t welcome to challenge incumbent Superior Court Judge Lisa Schall.
The newspaper’s account stemmed from a decision by the Tom Homann Law Association, a group for gay and lesbian legal professionals, to withdraw an earlier endorsement. It seemed a little odd, but not too far out of line in a city where truth and reality are regularly mangled in the quest to keep business as usual on track.
The San Diego Free Press ran a profile of candidate Keehn early February. Contributor Eva Posner met Keehn, found her to be an interesting person and wrote a profile. She certainly didn’t seem to be any kind of troublemaker, having worked in the US Attorney’s Office in San Diego as a federal prosecutor since 1995.
So I thought this political shunning might make fore an interesting item for one of my daily columns. Then two things happened: the SDPD misconduct scandal reached a peak and I started getting emails by the inbox full about this judicial race. I decided to hold off writing the story until I poked around a bit. [Read more…]
By Eva Posner
It’s no secret San Diego is suffering from election fatigue. First there was the mayoral primary in June 2012, then the general in November. For reasons we all know, another race for mayor started less than a year later in September of 2013. The primary was held in November and we are coming up on the general on February 11.
Unfortunately there will be no rest for the weary, because no sooner will we know our next mayor than the battle for Congress will begin in earnest. And Governor. And Assembly. As well as ballot measures regarding the Barrio Logan Community Plan Update and likely the Linkage Fee. Maybe recreational marijuana or a minimum wage proposition as well.
With energy and money being spent on high profile races and hot button issues, even the most ardent politicos can sometimes ignore races further down ballot. Which is how we end up with people like Gary Kreep, the birther judge who made San Diego a laughing stock long before Filner, getting elected to office. [Read more…]
This 10-year-old has done more to help the homeless in the last year than most people do in their entire lives.
By Eva Posner
From the time he was in preschool, Wyatt Phillips, 10, has had an intense amount of compassion for the homeless.
“Whenever I see a homeless person it just makes me very sad,” he says. “No person should have to go through that. I just want to do something to help them.”
His mother recalls when he was three years old, he saw a homeless man on the side of the road.
“We had just gone through the drive through at Wendy’s. He said to me, ‘Mommy, turn around. I want to give him my food.’ And he did. He handed a perfect stranger his kid’s meal. I was astounded.” [Read more…]
By Eva Posner
Taking inspiration from Andy Cohen calling B.S. on the right wing and downtown big wigs for their “JOB KILLER” rhetoric, I have decided to propose an experiment:
Since this crap works so well, why don’t we coopt it for ourselves? It’s not like nuance wins arguments.
Below are my ideas for talking points. I have included a few facts and some links here and there. But feel free not to use them. Just shout “JOB KILLER!” at the next person who disagrees with anything you say. We all know that’s how it really works.
[Read more…]
By Eva Posner
Blackfish has been on my DVR since it aired on CNN for the first time in October. I knew I should watch it but I didn’t want to. I’ve never been to SeaWorld, and I wanted to go. I wanted to see the whales. I wanted to watch them jump in the air and wave at me. It’s really selfish, and maybe not the best thing to admit, but I didn’t want to see Blackfish because I didn’t want to feel guilty about thinking the whale show was super cute.
Last night, I decided to woman up and turn it on. Which lead to the most depressing 90 minutes I have spent in front of a TV in a long time, and relief that I never did make it SeaWorld. Because I would have been disgusted with myself. [Read more…]
By Eva Posner
I hate pink.
It’s really an awful color in my opinion. I do not begrudge those who like it. We are all different, so rock it if you want to.
But I will not. I cannot. It is not in my wardrobe or my color wheel.
I have the exact opposite problem as David Harris-Gershan, author of “My Life with a Pink Water Bottle.” Harris-Gershan found himself ridiculed for using his wife’s pink water bottle, and instead of cowering to attempts at humiliation and intimidation by other mean, he decided to make use it to make a statement about gender roles and sexism. He now carries it around on a regular basis, using people’s reaction to it as a teachable moment. I think his reaction is fantastic and I applaud him for challenging stereotypes.
As a woman, however, I am bombarded with pink constantly, and I am so over it. [Read more…]
By Eva Posner
Gov. Jerry Brown of California signed a bill this week streamlining the process of changing identity documents to reflect the gender identity of transgender people.
Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins of San Diego sponsored the bill, AB 1121.
“Transgender people are entitled to have their official documents and their legal name reflect their true identity without a burdensome and expensive process that endangers their personal safety,” Atkins said in a statement released by her office. “This bill improves the lives of transgender Californians because it creates a simpler, more affordable, and safer process. I am very pleased that Governor Brown agrees and that he has signed my bill.” [Read more…]
By Eva Posner
The San Diego Central Library, “a dream 30 years in the making” according to T-shirts worn by the staff, is a dream on the cusp of being realized as it opens for business Monday, Sept. 30, at 9:30 a.m.
The library, located on the intersection of 11th Avenue and Park Boulevard downtown, opened to the public for a sneak peek on Saturday to much hype.
A street fair surrounded the library with activities for kids, booths from local businesses, nonprofits and groups, as well as performers who sang, danced, and walked the street in costume. [Read more…]
Story and Photos by Eva Posner
The San Diego Democrats for Equality endorsed City Councilmember David Alvarez last night, furthering his momentum toward an improbable-but-not-impossible victory against Nathan Fletcher and Kevin Faulconer in the November 19 special election to replace Bob Filner as mayor of San Diego.
The result is interesting, given the amount of infighting that has taken place among local Democrats since Alvarez entered the race– placing himself opposite former Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher for the title of Democratic front-runner. [Read more…]
