San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

You are here: Home / Archives for Columns / The Starting Line

Fletcher Decisively Defeats Dumanis for D4 Supervisor | San Diego County 2018 Election Results

by

It’s the beginning of a sea change for local politics. Democrat Nathan Fletcher has been elected to the County Board of Supervisors with a nearly 2 to 1 win over Republican Bonnie Dumanis.

As the term limits for Supervisors kick in over the four years, the days of a the GOP –representing a minority of voters in the county– ruling the roost are drawing to a close

Given the county’s control of nearly all spending for social services in the region and the Supervisors lack of willingness to fund worthwhile projects, there can now be hope for our traditionally under-served residents.

  [Read more…]

Zapf Zapped, Cole Crushed in 2018 Council Elections | San Diego City Election Results

by

He wasn’t on the ballot, but it was a bad night for San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Two incumbent City Council members who he’d successfully worked with on issues lost to newcomers. And now Democrats have a veto-proof super-majority on the council.

The Soccer City initiative (Measure E) that emerged from back room negotiations involving the Mayor’s office went down hard, garnering less than 30% support.

District 2’s incumbent Republican Councilwoman Lorie Zapf lost by 10 points to Democrat Dr. Jen Campbell, despite being backed by several hundred thousand dollars in support from the Lincoln Club/Chamber of Commerce axis.

  [Read more…]

Election Day 2018: Turnout Looks Good, San Diego Free Press Midterm Coverage Sets Readership Records

by

Election season is to San Diego Free Press is like Valentines Day is to florists. Based on what we’ve seen thus far, 2018 is looking to be a good-if-not-great election for progressives.

Since much of the next 24 hours will be like waiting for results of a biopsy, I’ve elected to skip the prognostication process share a few nuggets of info.

People who take comfort from voter turnout numbers have reason to be encouraged. Michael McDonald at the Elections Project says pre-election day votes will break the 40 million mark when all is said and done.

  [Read more…]

Election Day, 2018 Activism: One Last Rally at Issa’s Office, Students Walk Out to Vote at Local Schools

by

Indivisible 49 will hold one more rally outside the district office of Rep. Darrell Issa. Leaders of the coalition that hosted 65 weekly protests, and helped push Issa to retire, will honor nearly two years of volunteer effort and stand with Democrat Mike Levin to replace Issa in Washington.
***
Attendees at Otay Ranch, Olympian, Eastlake, University City, Westview, Rancho Bernardo and Temecula Valley High Schools, along with Palomar College will be leaving classes on Tuesday.
  [Read more…]

Voting FAQs for San Diego: Need a Ride to the Polls? Can I Still Register? Are Ballot Selfies Okay? Do I Need an ID?

by

Don’t let real or imagined barriers keep you from voting on election day, 2018. “Look for the helpers!” as Mr. Rogers used to say.

There are many ways to get help, and we’ve tried to put them all in one place.  

  [Read more…]

A Hopeful Buildup to the Midterms and Potential for Post Election Chaos in California

by

Two years ago Donald Trump lost the popular vote but still managed to become President thanks to the Electoral College. Americans now have the opportunity to weigh in on his performance, and early returns in many states are pointing to a significantly higher-than-normal turnout for a midterm election. By late Saturday, more than 33 million Americans had already cast their ballots.

The President’s name may not be on the ballot, but make no mistake; now we exist in Trump’s universe and it’s all about him.

A recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll had two-thirds of respondents saying Trump will be a factor in their midterm votes. A similar poll taken before the midterm elections of 2014 found that then president Barack Obama would be a factor in voting for only 47% of respondents.

  [Read more…]

Massive Voter Turnout is What Matters Most Now | Progressive Activist Calendar November 2 -12, 2018

by

On Nov. 6, we’ll be voting in the first major election since Donald Trump was elected president. Trump is not on the ballot, but the future he envisions for the country is, and the stakes are incredibly high.

The nationally high profile contests locally are Congressional Districts 49 and 50. If you don’t happen to live in those districts, there are still candidates and causes worthy of your support.   

Many candidates are looking for help in the next few days with encouraging people to vote. I gathered more than 50 such opportunities. They make up the bulk of this week’s calendar.

  [Read more…]

The ‘I’m Not Voting’ Thing – Getting Off Your Duff is the Point

by

Just in time for the elections, the Union-Tribune’s contrarian opinionator Chris Reed has penned an article disputing the oft-repeated claim about voting being needed for a healthy democracy.

Everyone: Voting key to healthy democracy. Evidence: No, it’s not is thoughtful and, I suppose, logical in its own way. Ultimately it’s about debunking one of those oft-quoted things that “everybody knows.”

But seeing the article right before election day makes me think… Don’t vote? Really? What’s up with that?  

  [Read more…]

November 2018 Cheat Sheet & Progressive Voter Kit San Diego Free Press

by

What do you mean you haven’t voted yet? Damn, you’d better get moving.

Here’s our 2018: Printable cheat sheet, links to assorted voter guides, and your questions answered about where, when and how to vote.

  [Read more…]

Happy Halloween – Talk Radio Host Carl DeMaio’s Proposition 6 Trick or Treats

by

What if Proposition 6, brought to the ballot largely through a campaign led by Carl DeMaio, was only partially about repealing Senate Bill 1?

It certainly looks like Prop 6 is going to fail, with a coalition of business, labor, and politicians raising ten times more to oppose it than supporters have raised. The argument that taxpayers collectively stand to lose more–via transportation infrastructure projects– is prevailing over the claim the individual pain–more $$$ at the gas pump–used by signature gatherers to get the measure on the ballot.

At this point, it appears the real winner will be Carl DeMaio, armed with a large, national network of small-dollar donors and statewide recognition for his Reform California platform.

  [Read more…]

Bigger Lies, Told More Often: The Trumpublicans’ Final Mid-Term Push

by

The level of anxiety in the pre-midterm zeitgeist has been cranked up to 11.

It hurts to listen, just like it did at the Newport Festival in 1969 (?) when the band who invented heavy metal, Blue Cheer, took to the stage and literally blew (parts of) the audience away during their rendition of Summertime Blues. I know, I was there. People got up and ran. (I’m just not sure what year it was. It was the 60s, y’know.)

I urge you to remember all this noise is deliberate; aimed at inducing a nihilist stupor on the left and a rabid frenzy on the right. One thing you must not forget is your participation in the election. (Don’t worry, there’s more to do past November 6th. We’re just not there yet.)

  [Read more…]

The Myth of Mom n Pop: What the Anti-Rent Control Forces and AirBnB Have in Common

by

As a mainstay of the American Dream–family home ownership– is declining, the land barons of the twenty-first century have been busy using that foundational yearning to disguise their true intent.

Dressing a corporate crusade as a defense of the small investor is a trick as old as the hills. It’s especially useful when the actual behavior –if known–of the corporate entities involved would be considered repugnant.

This was the crux of the successful petition drive leading up to the San Diego City Council’s rollback of regulations aimed at the overnight stay market locations in residential neighborhoods. It’s also at the heart of the massive effort to defeat Proposition 10, the initiative allowing localities to consider rent control ordinance.

  [Read more…]

©2010-2017 SanDiegoFreePress.org

Code is Poetry