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Baseball’s All-Star Game: Rocks for the Homeless?

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The infamous rockscaping in and around East Village was installed as part of the city’s preparation for Major League Baseball’s 2016 All-Star game on July 12. The wishes of the surrounding community, the supposed reason for the installation, were actually not considered.

Even as emails on the situation were made public on Wednesday by Kelly Davis at Voice of San Diego , local gendarmes were rousting homeless people who’d moved to surrounding neighborhoods as a result of the city’s actions.

Trust me. It’s a juicy column today. I’ve got stories on US Senators being brave, secret files on Trump, and a strong candidate for hypocrite of the year.   [Read more…]

Bang! Bang! (((Never Mind))) More Guns, Please!

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Today’s column is all about guns and the people that enable their abuse. A few corporations fund a ‘grassroots’ lobbying group. Data is suppressed by law. Thousands of people die every year and the only solution is supposedly prayer.

Or we’re supposed to chant the words Radical Islamic Terrorism three times, click our heels, and everything will be right in the world.

Once again the nation finds itself in the middle of a ‘debate’ over guns following a mass shooting. It’s a very one-sided debate. Vast majorities of people believe that common-sense measures are needed. The will of the people is likely to be ignored.   [Read more…]

All Hail the Fearless Leader Trump on His Birthday!

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The Washington Post joined the ever-growing list of media barred from receiving credentials by the Donald Trump presidential campaign on Monday. The Post joins the Des Moines Register, Politico, the Huffington Post, the National Review, Univision, and a host of other outlets in Trumpian political purgatory.

‘Displeasing The Fearless Leader will get you banished’ is the message. He’s already promised to “open up” the law, no doubt to construe libel in terms of what the rich and powerful may lose by others writing anything about them. Enjoy your First Amendment while you can, folks.

Today, by the way, is Donald Trump’s birthday.   [Read more…]

Does Bernie Sanders Losing In California Trump What Happened in Orlando?

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In the middle of all the anger and sadness I was feeling about the death and destruction in Orlando, I received an email that should have never been sent.

The sender, a long-time political activist in San Diego, was hoping for attention. I don’t think he’s going to like what I’m going to say.

Here’s the relevant quote, in the same all caps format as it was sent: PLEASE COME TO THIS RALLY. NEED BIG TURNOUT TO GET THROUGH MEDIA BLACKOUT DUE TO NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE IN FLORIDA!!   [Read more…]

One Thing Trump is Good At: Not Paying People

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I don’t why it’s taken so long to get around to hearing about this, but opposition files on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump are finally making their way into media. This is just basic research, done by every campaign.

Sixteen Republican presidential contenders lost out to The Donald and not one of them squawked about the more than three thousand, five hundred lawsuits filed against the New York billionaire. I guess these court actions were considered inconsequential by the GOP types because so many of the had to do with small business and workers not getting paid.

Also: Week Calendar of Progressive Events   [Read more…]

Trump’s Local Congressional Tag Team in Trouble

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Two high-profile Congressional supporters of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump are in the news this week. A loss of voter support for down-ballot legislative seats is considered one the biggest challenges for Republicans in 2016.

Congressman Darrell Issa’s surprisingly weak showing in the primary has delighted Democrats. Ex-marine Douglas Applegate is garnering national attention after a strong showing in a district that’s been a lock for Republicans in the past.

Congressman Duncan Hunter is under fire for comparing a Latino bar association with white supremacist groups in a radio interview with Fox News Sean Hannity about Donald Trump’s accusations regarding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel.   [Read more…]

2016 Primary Election Results and Analysis

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It ain’t over ‘till it’s over. But it’s mostly over in San Diego. Most of the ballots for the June 2016 primary election have been tallied. The remaining 285,000 ballots uncounted as of Wednesday morning are provisional and late arriving mail-in ballots. A few close races may change, but if history is any guide, what you see in the way of results the day after the election is what you get.

A multi-year campaign for an increase in the local minimum wage came to a close as voters overwhelmingly approved City Proposition I. For me personally, and for tens of thousands of San Diego workers, the last item on the ballot was the most important one.

Kevin Faulconer will be San Diego’s Mayor for the next four years, Barbara Bry did well in City Council District One, Mara Elliot defied conventional wisdom by clinching a runoff spot in the race for City Attorney, and Democrats gave Hillary Clinton a strong show of support, locally and statewide.   [Read more…]

Clinton Has the Delegates (Maybe), Sanders Has the Future

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Freedom of the Press Doesn’t Mean You’ll Like What Gets Said

On Monday afternoon, the Associated Press concluded, based on their research, that Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. Other media outlets quickly followed with similar stories.

She’ll be referred to as the “presumptive nominee” henceforth, and this conclusion has some Bernie Sanders supporters seeing red.

No, this isn’t about some evil conspiracy to suppress voter turnout. No, the press shouldn’t have waited on the story until June 8th… Or June 15th…or until after the convention. Some want to protest the coverage.   [Read more…]

Will They Vote? It’s Put Up or Shut Up Time for Sanders Supporters

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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was in San Diego on Sunday, speaking at a rally in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium. About four thousand people attended the event, which featured music and other progressive speakers.

Sanders told the crowd “our message is the future of America,” contrasting the small donor base of his campaign with the PACs and corporate executives supporting former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. When his speech came to the presumptive GOP nominee, he said that Trump would not be elected “Because, in the year 2016, the American people will not accept a bigoted president.”

Was Sunday’s rally part of a sprint to the finish line for the Democratic insurgent’s campaign? Or was it, as mass media outlets have been suggesting, a farewell tour? Tuesday, June 7th, we’ll find out.   [Read more…]

Progressive Primary Procrastinators: It’s Time to Vote!

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UPDATED: Bernie Sanders in San Diego on Sunday.

If you haven’t voted in San Diego yet, now is the time to get focused, and I’m here to help.

While there are many candidates and issues on the ballot, let me remind readers that a Yes vote on Proposition I will have the most immediate impact locally. More than 170,000 hard-working San Diegans will get a badly needed, overdue raise and access to five earned sick days a year.

What I hope to do here today is offer one-stop shopping for those of you just getting around to making your ballot box decisions.   [Read more…]

California Countdown: Clinton Calls Out the Crazyman in the Contest

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Sanders Voters Scarce So Far

With the deadline for primary voting less than a week away, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to San Diego to talk foreign policy.

This talk wasn’t about what she would do as President. It was all about The Donald, who–as far as I can tell– mostly formulates his ideas by playing upon fear or flight fantasies based on too much TV drama.

Who knows what Trump believes? And that may well be the scariest part of his persona. We do know that he seems incapable of moderating his passions in the face of a perceived threat, like a reporter asking a tough question. He’s also apparently never been wrong. About anything.   [Read more…]

Lies, Threats, and Clickbait on the 2016 Campaign Trail

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With less than a week left before the June 7th California Primary elections, the chickens are coming home to roost.

Community activists in San Diego called out the Faulconer administration’s willingness to use a shotgun to kill a fly following a massive show of force ending in the Barrio Logan neighborhood.

The Trump campaign has begun its formal descent into the netherworld with an endorsement by North Korea, a full-on attack on the media and revelations about the real estate education scam run by the Donald.

And the ugly side of social and faux media is manifesting itself in ways unimaginable just a few years back…   [Read more…]

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