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An Open Letter to the Bellwether Election State | Dear Ohio, Part 1

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Dear Ohio,

I know you didn’t create this presidential havoc all by yourselves, but you are, after all, the bellwether state in presidential elections. People say if a candidate doesn’t win Ohio, he or she can’t become President.

So I thought I’d start sharing with you some concerns I have, as you will most likely be vetting our next president. I know there are some Ohioans who profoundly dislike us Californians, but on the chance that some of you still consider us part of the United States of America, perhaps you will take a moment and read this letter.   [Read more…]

When Will Muslim Americans Accept Gay Muslims?

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By Kilian Colin

When I started protesting the Muslim ban, a lot of people told me that I was blind, especially given that I’m a LGBTQ Muslim myself. The far right trolled my tweets with pictures of gay people being thrown from buildings and stoned to death in areas that ISIS controlled.

I had to spend a lot of time explaining to these people that ISIS controlled only a few villages in Iraq and Syria, and not the whole Muslim world. I also had to explain that the number of ISIS fighters only total a few thousand, whereas the global Muslim population is 1.5 billion.

Despite being an uphill battle, I’ve been able to make friends with many people who originally thought that Muslims come here for the sole purpose of killing Americans. One of those friends is a white female who lives in Lebanon, Missouri. She had never met a gay, a Muslim, or a refugee in her life. After being friends on Facebook for a few months, she told me she regretted her vote for Donald Trump in 2016.   [Read more…]

Readers Write: Rep. Issa Needs to Stand Up for DACA

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By Perla Davis

President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program endangers the lives of countless Californian immigrants like myself, and now the Dream Act is being held hostage in return for more dollars that will be spent on ripping immigrant families apart by expanding Trump’s deportation force in the borderlands and beyond. If we have ever needed our Congressperson to demonstrate strong leadership, it is now.

So far, Rep. Darrell Issa has, at best, a mixed record when it comes to the safety of the thousands of immigrant families in his community.

Even though he voted “No” on the Dream Act in 2010, he is now pushing for a DACA fix. But when 34 of his fellow Republican House GOP members signed a letter asking Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to hold a vote to protect Dreamers before the year-end, Rep. Issa decided not to sign it.   [Read more…]

Readers Write: ‘Non-Partisan’ Forum Slanted for GOP Candidate in District Attorney Race

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By Terrie Best / OB Rag

While following local politics I was surprised to find intelligent people right here in urban San Diego who will vote against their own interests. This particular anomaly is one I’d long ago set aside for white people in the rural south – the ones who are in bad need of dental check-ups but nevertheless want Obama Care repealed.

When I hear of communities targeted by law enforcement, I assume their leaders will be savvy enough to seek out and oppose the perpetrators of racist practices in the justice system.

Recently, what I saw in the name of party line politics is folks actually stacking the deck against those who would make life better for people of color and therefore, all of us. This show of self-sabotage was carried out all while pretending to lead without bias.

I’m talking about the Latino American Political Association, which hosted the District Attorney Forum last week and afterward endorsed Republican Summer more-of-the-same Stephan. LAPA also disregarded the public who were only trying to do what LAPA was offering: to learn more about the two DA candidates at the forum.   [Read more…]

Veterans Challenge Trump’s Islamophobia

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By Brian Trautman

President Donald Trump revealed his inner nature again last week when he retweeted a series of anti-Muslim propaganda videos from the deputy leader of an ultranationalist, neo-fascist hate group in the UK.

Trump sank to a new low in terms of the blatant falsehoods and myths he will invoke and propagate to incite enmity against Muslims. He’s demonstrated repeatedly that white nationalism and the demonization of Islam is something that he wholeheartedly embraces and intends to advance at every opportunity.

The encouraging news is that Trump’s fear and hate mongering against Islam and Muslims is increasingly being denounced by a wider spectrum of individuals and groups, including many staunch conservatives, both in the U.S. and abroad. The groundswell of resistance is steadily growing.   [Read more…]

Readers Write: Time to Pull the Plug on Football in City Schools?

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By John Stump

The Board of Trustees is beginning the processes for preparation and funding of the upcoming Fiscal year 2018-19 Budget. I am requesting that your deliberations include a report of the revenues and expenses associated with promoting and subsidizing the injury and brain concussion prone NFL Style Football, as an academic sport at City of San Diego schools.

I request that the Board request a report which identifies all of the expenses associated with football, including but not limited to coaching, uniforms, facilities, workers compensation claims, and claims associated with students’ and the public’s participation in this sport. Analysis must consider both costs and revenues to determine the benefits of any budget item.   [Read more…]

Readers Write: Another ‘Business As Usual’ Fixer at City Hall Won’t Help the Homeless

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By Martha Sullivan / San Diego Housing Emergency Alliance

Longtime mayoral fixer, Kris Michell, returns to San Diego City Hall this week as Deputy Chief Operating Officer. She seems to be Mayor Faulconer’s “Jared,” with a wide-ranging portfolio:

“Michell was announced Sept. 28 as a top city adviser on homelessness, special events, corporate sponsorships, the commission on arts and culture and the city’s redevelopment arm, Civic San Diego.”

Michell returns to City Hall after several years doing much of the same as the head of the Downtown Partnership — the Business Improvement District for downtown. This city-sanctioned partly-funded entity has been a primary tool for persecuting unsheltered San Diegans left with nowhere to live, after the city’s replacement of 10,000 low-income housing units with market-rate/luxury development (mostly downtown) since 2010. This devastation started during her six years as chief of staff for Mayor Jerry Sanders.   [Read more…]

​Readers Write: ​Inexperienced​,​ ​Untrained​​ ​Administrators​ ​Destabilize​ ​Schools

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By E. A. Berry

When cronyism, politics, and inexperience become the norm in hiring public school administrators, and the practice of hiring people with actual knowledge and “know how” is set aside, teachers suffer the consequences. Some get stressed, are worn thin mentally and emotionally, can become physically ill, and, in the most extreme cases, even die.

New teachers, especially, are susceptible to the lack of support, intimidation techniques, and outright bullying in the workplace. An environment that should be friendly, transparent, and productive can soon become hostile, dark, and scary.

At one charter school in the district, Education Week did an article about a teacher who was so pressured to perform, her colleagues believe it actually contributed to her death.

Is this the kind of place anyone would want to work, or where students would want to learn?   [Read more…]

Lori Saldaña: Remembering the October 2007 Wildfires

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As we approach the anniversary of the massive October 2007 wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of San Diegans- I think of Hawaii.

That’s because, on the Sunday the massive wildfires started in San Diego- just a few miles east of the 76th Assembly district I represented- I was flying westward over the Pacific, looking forward to a relaxing week on Maui. It had been windy, dry, and hot in San Diego as the flight departed, so I welcomed the relatively mild tropical island weather and rented a convertible for the drive to town.

Unfortunately, the fires intensified rapidly throughout the day. But I watched a baseball playoff game, not the news, when I got to Lahaina and remained unaware of what was happening. After the game, I went out and bought a week’s worth of groceries from a supermarket, then went to bed.
  [Read more…]

Readers Write: It’s Time to Properly Interpret the Second Amendment

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By Pete Beauregard

A few weeks ago, I saw a video advertising a firing mechanism capable of turning a semi-automatic rifle into a fully-automatic machine-gun. It was similar to a bump-stock, but smaller, and could fit onto the trigger guard. The speed at which those bullets were flying out of the barrel was frightening, and I felt compelled to share my anger that this kind of device was on the market.

I wrote a post on Facebook where I expressed my concerns about the amount of damage that could be done with this kind of device. Some of these devices are easily attained by mail order for less than $60 and are available in every state. Any one of these devices can really wreak havoc in the same manner committed by the Las Vegas mass murderer.   [Read more…]

Readers Write: Will Predatory Rental Practices Push My Family into the Street?

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By Josh Weber

My family just got robbed of our rent. We have two girls and a baby on the way, so this is extremely tough. For the first time since my oldest child was born, thoughts of homelessness cross my mind.

We were trying to move from one place to another. The new rental we found is the same size as where we lived before, just cheaper and a further commute. Finally we could save a little, and our kids would still have their own room and space.

We were struggling to get in with individual agents, each charging us around $100 for applications or credit checks. We felt like we were getting ripped off from each agent, so after a few hundred dollars, we chose an agency. An agency, we thought, would be a safer approach.   [Read more…]

San Diego Bureaucracy vs. The Homeless People

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By Orlando Barahona

I’m Orlando Barahona, a Peer Support Specialist, homeless outreach volunteer and activist against homelessness living in San Diego, CA. After enduring a harrowing time as a destitute man in this city, I promised myself I would do all I could to spare others the despair and humiliation that befalls the homeless.

For the past three years, I’ve done some extensive research for a housing plan I developed and named it Las Casitas Tiny Homes Village. I am now sharing it via Dropbox, so download it and share it with others. It includes a self-funding device that would save taxpayers yet another heap of taxes.

Can you and I affect change by reaching out to decision-makers in San Diego? This is the account of my journey.   [Read more…]

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