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Stop Trump’s Supreme Court Choice! #UniteforJustice | Progressive Activist Calendar August 17 – 27, 2018

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It’s time to make some noise. The fix is on. Republicans have stacked the deck in ways never seen before to enable the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

On August 26, in more than 100 cities across the country, people will be attending rallies and protests against a nominee with ultra-conservative legal views on a range of issues. He has repeatedly argued the Supreme Court should put the president above the law. Given that Donald Trump is at the center of a criminal investigation he should not be allowed to pick his own judge and jury.

Kavanaugh’s vote on the court would enable reactionary policies on reproductive freedom, health care, the environment, voting rights, workers’ rights, LGBTQ rights, and immigrant rights for generations.   [Read more…]

Despite Claims by Reform Opponents, Nobody Is Trying to Repeal Proposition 13 in 2020

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Somebody is threatening to touch California’s political third rail. You know, the one found in the Bible right after the Ten Commandments. I think it’s called–checks notes–Prop 13.

The 2018 general election is more than a couple of months away, and already the purveyors of fear are cranking up their noise machine for 2020. Visions of grannies being dumped off in the Arizona desert are being crafted for fundraising appeals to the Koch brothers and their ilk by so-called taxpayer groups.

What really happened is a coalition of over 270 endorsing community organizations, labor unions, business leaders, philanthropic foundations and elected officials, calling itself Schools and Communities First, held five simultaneous press conferences in  Area, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego, and San Bernardino. They’re proposing a ballot measure with sensible and long-overdue reforms to property tax assessments on business properties worth over $2 million in California   [Read more…]

Freedom of the Press, It’s Not Just for Newspapers Anymore

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More than a hundred publications have responded to The Boston Globe’s call for an editorial response on Thursday to President Donald Trump’s frequent attacks on the news media.

Here is an excerpt from an Associated Press story:

‘‘We are not the enemy of the people,’’ said Marjorie Pritchard, deputy managing editor for the editorial page of The Boston Globe, referring to a characterization of journalists that Trump has used in the past. The president, who contends he has largely been covered unfairly by the press, also employs the term ‘‘fake news’’ often when describing the media.

The Globe has reached out to editorial boards nationwide to write and publish editorials on Aug. 16 denouncing what the newspaper called a ‘‘dirty war against the free press.’’

I really do appreciate the sentiment.

I also have to say “karma, baby.”   [Read more…]

Convention Center, County Voting Initiatives Bode Poorly for Local GOP Leaders

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Last week was a rough week for the status quo in San Diego. The (mostly) unspoken private-public partnership between land developers and local elected officials couldn’t get it done. Not once, but twice.

A faux ‘citizens initiative’ run by hoteliers, and assorted Mayoral toadies won’t be on the November ballot. Visions of economic growth centered on convention center expansion ended amid finger pointing and raised middle fingers. Grift, incompetence and a failure to understand public weariness with past promises of economic benefits trickling down from the schemes of the rich and famous all played in role in the effort’s spectacular failure.

The days of San Diego County being a Republican enclave may be numbered. A Board of Supervisors’ attempt to deep-six a union-sponsored voting measure made its way back onto the November ballot, thanks to a judge’s ruling affirming that the 100,000+ people who’d signed petitions didn’t do so with the intention of fostering yet another pointless study.
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Dumanis Gets Dumped by Deputy Sheriffs Association | Progressive Activist Calendar August 11 – 20, 2018

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San Diego’s Deputy Sheriffs Association has rescinded an earlier endorsement of former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, the Republican candidate in the race for Fourth District Supervisor.

Former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, the Democratic candidate, now holds the title of ‘law enforcement’s choice,’ according to a press release landing in my inbox this morning. 

Miss Cleo’s fortune-telling hotline has been strangely silent for me since she died two years ago, but I can say for sure the people who normally support Republicans are acting like they’ve seen the future. This endorsement, my friends, is kind of a big deal. I know the election isn’t over until the ballots are counted, but this switcheroo was a jaw-dropper.   [Read more…]

UPDATED: No Deal! Says Council. Comic Con is Gone and Other Colossal City of San Diego Schemes Gone Wrong

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Pow! Doink! Yikes! FacePalm!

The latest grand plan for saving San Diego from the shame of not having a big enough Convention Center flopped on Wednesday.

Yes! For a Better San Diego, the coalition seeking an increase in a hotel tax, failed to get enough signatures for its ‘citizen’s initiative’ to qualify for the November 2018 ballot.

San Diego City Clerk Elizabeth Maland reported a random count by the county Registrar of Voters triggered the requirement for a full verification of all signatures. Such a count would take up to 30 days to complete, causing the proposed measure to miss Friday’s deadline for placing anything on the ballot.   [Read more…]

August Elections: Organized Labor Wins Big in Missouri | Women Win Big Everywhere

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There were primary elections in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington on Tuesday. And a special election in Ohio for a traditionally Republican House seat.

It was a big night for labor and an even bigger night for women running for office.

While I wouldn’t bet the farm on the long-term significance of elections held mid-summer, on balance it was a good night for those of us rooting for Democrats come November. Team Blue had a lot of wins and a few close losses. What encourages me is the hard work of the campaigns and the resulting voter turnout.   [Read more…]

GOP Ghouls Ready to Go After Green Card Holders, Legal Immigrants Looking for Citizenship

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According to NBC News, the Trump administration is in the late stages of developing policies aimed at keeping as many as 20 million legal immigrants from gaining green cards or applying for citizenship.

Using the same rationale employed during the 1930s to block Jewish refugees from settling in the U.S., persons deemed as potential, past, or current “public charges,” will be deemed ineligible for permanent residency. The slight of hand needed to make this happen involves labeling virtually all government programs as ‘welfare.’

The NBC report profiles a 55-year-old Haitian man who has been in the country since 1989, works eighty hours a week at two jobs, and is a homeowner. Because he required government assistance to care for his US-born daughter’s severe disabilities, his quest for citizenship–already in trouble due to another policy reversal–is likely to end in failure.      [Read more…]

San Diego’s Deplorables: Jerry Sanders & Carl DeMaio Want to Sell ‘Son of B’ to Voters

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Not all deplorables are running for office. Today’s politicos covered in this column are not on the ballot this fall, but their influence has shaped local politics over the past decade. They’re really excited about an upcoming opportunity to sell the public on a rehashed version of what they call pension reform.

Faced with the prospect of burning, looting, and potholes, San Diego voters overwhelming approved Proposition B in 2012. This flavor of ‘pension reform’ was sold as the only possible solution to the city’s budget crisis. It was ‘vote for this, or your city will fail.’

The measure switched all new city hires, except police, from pensions to 401(k)-style individual investment plans. It hasn’t been a financial solution for the city’s money problems as much as it has changed the employee-employer relationship.   [Read more…]

Persistence Pays Off! The NRA’s Money Troubles | Progressive Activist Calendar August 3 – 13, 2018

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Once again, an ongoing protest has changed the political landscape. Court documents filed by the National Rifle Association reveal an increasingly desperate financial situation for one of the most powerful political institutions in the U.S.

Pressure from New York State regulators in the wake of the Parkland, Florida massacre — including a letter asking financial institutions to heed “the voices of the passionate, courageous, and articulate young people who have experienced this recent horror first hand” — has led the National Rifle Association to plead in court that it will “be unable to exist… or pursue its advocacy mission.” They say the organization may be forced to shut down NRA TV or its print publications.

The lesson here about persistence should be taken to heart. Congressman Darrell Issa gave up after weekly protests outside his offices. The future of politics in National City will be changed for the better, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the folks standing up for Earl McNeil. And elected Trumpistas everywhere are looking over their shoulders, fearing a Blue Wave made possible by thousands of organizing efforts.

There are less than 100 days until the General Election. Now–not later–is the time to stand up and be counted. Candidates and causes need your time, your energy, and your support. There are many opportunities to join the fray in this week’s Progressive Calendar.   [Read more…]

Truth and Justice in San Diego Takes Second Place in Quest for Police Oversight

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Two recent episodes give proof to my belief that the Police Department is the most powerful government agency in San Diego with the least amount of taxpayer oversight.

This is nothing new. America’s Finest City has gone through decades of scandal and corruption being followed by hollow promises of reform. The point I’m making today is that things still haven’t changed, despite two changes of leadership, lawsuits, and political posturing.

What makes these political games more serious than say, the machinations around Civic San Diego, are the practical implications and applications for those with less privilege (and more melatonin) as they live their lives.   [Read more…]

Proposition 6: Carl DeMaio’s Endless Initiatives Strategy, Part One

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The first phase of former Carl DeMaio’s plan to save the Golden State’s Grand Old Party (and himself) will appear on the November 2018 ballot as Proposition 6, the “Voter Approval for Future Gas and Vehicle Taxes and 2017 Tax Repeal Initiative.”

If approved by voters in November, the measure would amend California’s Constitution to require any gas and car tax added after January 1, 2017 be approved by voters and would repeal SB 1, the gas tax and vehicle fee hike signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2017 after it gained a two-thirds majority in both legislative houses.

Regardless of whether this year’s measure succeeds or fails, there’s another one waiting in the wings for the 2020 election. DeMaio told the Sacremento Bee he’s calling phase two the “Robin Hood initiative — stealing our money back.”   [Read more…]

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