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California Statewide Offices & Local Legislative Seats | Progressive Voter Guide for June 2018

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Today: California Statewide Offices & Local Legislative Seats
Upcoming: 
Monday:Federal Offices, plus Ballot Measures
Tuesday: Voter Guide Crib Sheet (All Contests)
Already Published:
Progressive Voter Guide for County of San Diego Elected Offices
San Diego City Council | Progressive Voter Guide 2018 

The San Diego Free Press and OB Rag are pleased to present part three of our 2018 Primary Election Progressive Voter Guide. As usual, we tried not to let perfect be the enemy of good in our decision making. This year we’re breaking it into parts to make it more digestible.   [Read more…]

San Diego DA Candidate Summer Stephan’s Bad Day

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Wednesday, May 2, wasn’t a good day in appointed interim District Attorney Summer Stephan’s quest to win her first election in the June Primary.

In Justice Today, a leading publication in the field of criminal justice reform called out Stephan’s claims about human trafficking, suggesting she’s used inflated numbers to bolster her political and professional profile.

And Genevieve Jones-Wright, Stephan’s opponent in the upcoming June primary, has asked the State Attorney General’s office to investigate ten alleged violations of state law prohibiting employees–in this case, local law enforcement–from participating in political activities of any kind while in uniform.     [Read more…]

San Diego City Council | Progressive Voter Guide 2018 Have You Made a Plan to Vote?

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Today: Information on races in San Diego City Council Districts 2, 4, 6 & 8, but only two endorsements.

The San Diego Free Press and OB Rag are pleased to present part two of our 2018 Primary Election Progressive Voter Guide. As usual, we tried not to let perfect be the enemy of good in our decision making. This year we’re breaking it into parts to make it more digestible.

Upcoming: Friday-Statewide Offices & Legislative Seats, Monday-Federal Offices, plus Ballot Measures, >b>Tuesday: Voter Guide Crib Sheet (All Contests)   [Read more…]

Progressive Voter Guide for County of San Diego Elected Offices, June 2018 – When We Vote, We Win

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Today: Judicial Offices, Assessor/Recorder/Clerk, Sheriff, District Attorney, Board of Supervisors, Community College Board, SD Unified School Board, & SD County Board of Education.

The San Diego Free Press and OB Rag are pleased to present our 2018 Primary Election Progressive Voter Guide. As usual, we tried not to let perfect be the enemy of good in our decision making. This year we’re breaking it into parts to make it more digestible.

Upcoming: Thursday-City of San Diego, Friday-Statewide Offices & Legislative Seats, Monday-Federal Offices, plus Ballot Measures, Tuesday:Cheat Sheet Voter Guide (All Contests)   [Read more…]

Trump’s Lies About the Border Migrant Caravan Won’t Stop Asylum Seekers

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The border crossing between San Ysidro and Tijuana is the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s efforts to demonize migrants and refugees.

Not everybody buying this bluster, thankfully. People on both sides of the border have been working to meet the needs of the migrants, and volunteers are delivering blankets, water, food and other necessities on a regular basis. Baby wipes, diapers, blankets, and tents are still needed.

The President, who apparently learned about a convoy working its way through Mexico from an item broadcast on Fox and Friends, has consistently mischaracterized the group as an organized attempt to enter the country illegally.     [Read more…]

Campaign Cash Reports Reveal Status of City & County Primary Races

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Today we’ll walk through the latest financial reports for San Diego City and County races. Republicans have rounded up large amounts of cash, hoping to protect their incumbents on the City Council. Democrats are hoping to pick up some spots in County contests.

Things are about to get nasty with the emergence of two Independent Expenditure outfits representative of a split in organized labor which itself is illustrative of divisions in what some call the “professional left.”

Reports filed with the San Diego City Clerk and the County Registrar of Voters reveal how candidates are faring with campaign contributions. Today’s report includes the grand total of monies raised for 2017 and 2018 through April 21.   [Read more…]

Have You Decided How to Vote Yet? Want Help? | Progressive Activist Calendar April 27-May 7, 2108

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Things are starting to get intense in election races. Mail-in ballots will go out May 7th, and June 5th is election day.

The day you go to vote used to be a big deal.  I remember back in my younger days (when I lived in Washington DC) friends would gather for cocktails before going to walk the gauntlet outside our designated polling place.  We called it VWI. (Just joking) Mailing your ballot was called absentee voting, seemingly reserved for overseas military and those wealthy enough to plan jaunts to exotic places.

By the time the local media decides to go to polling places on election “day,” as many as 75% of voters will have already cast their ballots. Smart campaigns know this, and that’s why you’ll see an uptick in advertising, direct mail, and those ever-so-pesky phone calls in coming weeks. (Pro Tip: Casting your ballot stops the phone calls and most of the mail.)

So who are all these people on the ballot? Why should you care? And how do you know you’re not voting for the wrong person?   [Read more…]

Another Fail for San Diego County Jail

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Suicides and attempts at self-harm in the San Diego County jail system remain an unsolved problem. And, despite reforms in sentencing, the cost of incarceration in California continues to grow.

Two studies released this week point to local and statewide issues concerning incarceration. I’ll start with the local one, especially since it is relevant to the June 5th elections.

Disability Rights California, which has federal authority to investigate conditions in adult and juvenile detention facilities throughout the state, has issued a detailed report on suicides in San Diego County’s Jail System. Reforms instituted by Sheriff Bill Gore, who has oversight of County facilities are too little and too late.   [Read more…]

Cate vs. Hough June Contest Will Repeat in November | San Diego City Council District 6 Snapshot

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One of the downsides of having a top two campaign system as we do in the City of San Diego is having a primary political contest repeat itself in the general election.

With the (soon to be announced) withdrawal of Democrat Fayaz Nawabli from the District 6 City Council race, it’s a virtual certainty incumbent Republican Chris Cate will face Democrat Tommy Hough in both June and November.

No Political Preference candidates Jeremiah Blattler, Kevin Egger and Democrat Matt Valenti have qualified for the ballot, but don’t appear to have much momentum. Or money.    [Read more…]

When We Vote, We Win. Will We Vote in San Diego?

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Over one million registered voters in San Diego County can be expected not to vote in the upcoming election. To be precise, the number of ‘not voters’–if turnout is similar to 2014–will be 1,240,981.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, voter turnout in the June 2014 primary was a mere 25% of those who registered. This number is even lower than the national average, which was only 36% of eligible voters actually voting.

Looking at the expected number of voters for San Diego compared to those are eligible to vote is even more depressing: 1,800,933 people will not cast a ballot.   [Read more…]

Historic Rallies at Rep. Issa’s Offices to End This Week: A Retrospective

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This IS What Democracy Looks Like

The weekly rallies outside the Vista offices of Congressman Darrell Issa are ending this week on April 24. Organizers say they intend to transfer their efforts into getting out the vote to flip Issa’s seat from a reliably Republican vote to a determined Democratic resister of President Trump’s policies.

Mail-in ballots are due to arrive in two weeks, so activists are moving on to drive up turnout to ensure that at least one Democrat will get through the June 5 primary.

All-too-often we fail to celebrate our successes. Let us not forget what hard work and persistence can accomplish. Following are some my ‘greatest hits” snips from past coverage of the weekly rallies:   [Read more…]

Can We Have a Conversation About Capitalism Yet? | Progressive Activist Calendar April 20-30, 2018

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Dig deep enough into any of the issues of the day and you’ll find they all have one thing in common: economics. Yes, indeed, money makes the world go around. And the fact is most of us are getting a smaller piece of the economic pie as the years go by.

Our fearless leader’s tax reform package is worthless and 73% of the American people have already figured that out. Take the illusion of empowerment out of all the ‘reforms’ (of either political party) and what’s left is more wealth for the people who already have it

The contemporary conversations starting back in the days of Occupy about the 99% have evolved. Nowadays we speak of economic justice. Generally speaking, these discussions center on the reallocation of government resources to alleviate the most blatant examples of those falling through the so-called safety net.   [Read more…]

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