Nobody cares much about judicial electoral contests. And apparently the current batch of judges in Superior Court would like to keep it that way. At least that was the conclusion I drew after talking with more than a dozen local attorneys and prosecutors.
The 2012 judicial elections, where birther lawyer Gary Kreep upset Deputy District Attorney Garland Peed, were a national embarrassment. Since that time, “open seat” judicial contests have all but vanished in San Diego. [Read more…]
Officials in San Diego are preparing for as yet unannounced visit on Sunday, May 8th by presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to a report broadcast on 10News Tuesday night.
This column will function as a live blog, constantly updated throughout the week. We’ll report on official preparations, plans by local activist groups and media coverage as it happens. The most current news will be posted at the top of the page (inside) as often as needed. Please feel free to add your comments at the bottom of the piece.
(See our comment policy: we have no patience for trolls and provocateurs) [Read more…]
The narrative about the contest for the Third District City Council seat, namely that leading candidates Chris Ward and Anthony Bernal weren’t all that different, ended yesterday.
Voice of San Diego’s Andy Keatts wrote about a growing controversy stemming from donations to the Bernal campaign by former UT-San Diego publisher ‘Papa Doug’ Manchester and wife.
Support from a major contributor to the campaign against same-sex marriage in California is likely to be toxic in a council district whose politics have been dominated by LGBTQ activists in recent decades. [Read more…]
I spent the weekend in Los Angeles, doing the kinds of thing Angelenos like to brag about in selling their city as a tourism destination. I went to a Keith Jarrett concert, dropped in on the Last Book Store, and caught a glimpse of the Daytime Emmys, which just happened to be staged at our hotel.
I posted vacation pictures on Facebook, ate some amazing meals, and walked more than six miles in one day as we explored the heart of the city. There was, however, no escaping the politics of the era.
Thousands of SEIU janitors jammed up traffic on the day we arrived, demanding higher pay, better working conditions and an end to unfair labor practices. Their chants echoed up the towers of our hotel. A Saturday stroll through the park ended up at a Bernie Sanders rally. And a last-minute decision to check out an exhibit at the Getty Room of the LA Public Library ended up being a cautionary tale about the Rise of the Donald. [Read more…]
The Starting Line column is taking a day off, but this coming week or so of events of interest to progressive minded people are here for your perusal. This week it’s all about Political Debates, Organizing Campaigns, Tales of the Old Days, May Days and More… [Read more…]
If you buy into the notion, currently in vogue with supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders, of Democratic party orthodoxy as being little more than Republican lite, then Lori Saldaña would the logical choice to vote for in the upcoming San Diego mayoral primary.
The former assemblywoman has an activist pedigree, a history of hard-fought grassroots campaigns, and the enmity of the local political establishment.
In January Saldaña launched an independent campaign to challenge Kevin Faulconer, undaunted by a million dollar war chest (including PACs) and the advantages accompanying incumbency in America’s Finest City. The current mayor’s single greatest accomplishment thus far, in my opinion, has been directing the public relations players at his disposal in a non-stop symphony of praise for their leader, so it ain’t gonna be easy. [Read more…]
Ed Harris wasn’t supposed to ruffle any feathers during his appointed term on the San Diego City Council.
The former marine and lifeguard union leader was supposed to be a bookmark, holding down the Second District seat vacated by now-Mayor Kevin Faulconer until election day rolled around. The city charter’s terms for this temporary tenure included a proviso barring him from actually running for the seat in fall 2014 election.
Then it came time for the kind of wink, wink, nod, nod agreement involving trading off public assets for political gain considered normal in America’s Finest City. Harris surprised a lot of people by taking a principled and public stand against what he believed was a sweetheart deal involving proposed lease terms of Belmont Park to Pacifica Enterprises. [Read more…]
Homeless advocates in San Diego have a special donation for Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s re-election campaign: a shopping cart full of rocks. At midday on Tuesday, they deliver them to City Hall, urging the mayor to try cementing the rocks on his mattress before going to sleep.
It’s a payback that’s symbolic on many levels. Earlier this month, they say, the city began installing rockscapes under bridges where local homeless people sleep.
“You can’t treat human beings like pests,” declared Amikas president, Jeeni Criscenzo. “These are human beings, not birds. They need to be treated with respect. This action is not only cruel and a waste of taxpayer dollars, it does nothing to solve the problem.” [Read more…]
If you don’t like what you’ve been seeing in the San Diego Union-Tribune lately, wait a couple of months. Seriously. The newspaper of record in America’s Finest City may soon have new owners.
Newspaper publisher Gannett has gone public with an offer to buy Tribune Publishing after getting a less-than-enthusiastic response to a private offer made on April 12th.
The proposed deal would fold the Tribune’s nine daily newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune into a media monolith publishing USA Today and newspapers in 107 other cities. [Read more…]
Talk about timing: Ninety-eight criminal cases, most of them involving domestic violence were mishandled by the city attorney’s office, according to an investigation by the Union-Tribune…At a recent press conference, Suzanne E. Morse of Heartfelt Voices United called attention to the backlog of several thousand unprocessed rape test kits in San Diego.
Hey folks, maybe America’s Finest City has a problem in dealing with violence aginst women, the ultimate assertion of misogyny.
Independent mayoral candidate Lori Saldaña and other community leaders are urging San Diego’s elected officials to join in the observance of Denim Day on Wednesday, April 27th as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Maybe we should all wear denim that day. [Read more…]
California’s primary counts this year. While media coverage of presidential candidates wooing voters in the Golden State is steadily increasing, another primary contest with national implications is flying under the radar.
Sen. Barbara Boxer’s retirement creates the first open U.S. Senate seat in California in more than two decades. Based on the activity level of Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently, it could be a while until the next opportunity presents itself. [Read more…]
So, today is national stoner day. You know, 4/20, dude. Californians will likely be voting to Legalize It in November, though it’s not certain at this point what language will be approved.
Legalizing pot won’t free it from its long history of association with racism, and we need to talk about it. And I’ll share some of the fun 420 coverage from around the state.
Harry Anslinger, made commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics after alcohol prohibition failed, was one of the driving forces behind pot prohibition. He pushed it for explicitly racist reasons, saying, “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men,” and complaining about “its effect on the degenerate races.” [Read more…]
