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Wood vs. Horn for Supervisor: A Lose-Lose Proposition for San Diego County

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By Doug Porter

Voters in San Diego County’s District 5 race for Supervisor have a tough choice to make this year. It’s Republican Bill Horn against Republican Jim Wood, which–from a partisan perspective– is probably just the way they like it in the northern reaches of the county.

Unflattering portraits of both candidates have appeared in the media over the past day or so.  Voice of San Diego’s profile on Wood paints him as a social neanderthal. Online inewsource’s probe into Horn’s crossover religious and real estate dealings makes him look sleazy, even if it’s unlikely he’ll ever face legal action.

Oceanside’s Mayor Jim Wood says he’s running as a populist alternative to five term incumbent Bill Horn, whose relationships with developers and inflammatory rhetoric have often been seen as controversial. I can attest from personal observation that Wood is socially challenged around women, and after our most recent experiences with the Mayor-who-cannot-be named, it’s safe to say he’s an embarrassment waiting to happen.
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Republi-Logic™: From the Battle of Benghazi to Barrio Bullies

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By Doug Porter

If you thought the latest GOP Benghazi Select Committee was an over-the-top idea, wait until you hear about Congressman Duncan Hunter’s amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. It’s an open ended measure that would authorize the “use of force against those responsible for the attack against United States personnel in Benghazi, Libya.”

Duncan’s amendment amounts to a declaration of war in response to the Benghazi attack. It cites no specific enemy and its open-ended nature means that any future president, not only Barack Obama, could use it as a pretext for military action.

Unlike much of the whack-a-doodle dreck that gets proposed as amendments in Congress, this broad, sweeping measure looks to make it to a floor vote this week without even a hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee, according to an article in the American Prospect.   [Read more…]

Councilman Alvarez Calls Out ‘No on B and C’ Phony Flyers

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By Doug Porter

Assertions being made by opponents of the Barrio Logan Community Plan in mailers to San Diego residents are under fire this week. At issue is an attempt by multinational corporations to overrule a five year process involving residents and businesses to address the lack of consistent zoning in one of San Diego’s most economically challenged communities.

Telling the truth has always been problematic for the group now calling itself ‘No On B and C’, and stories at two local media outlets over the past day indicate not much has changed. But when you’ve got enough money to flood the city with fliers, truth is hardly a concern for these folks.

San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez, who lives in and represents Barrio Logan, told KPBS that mailers headlined ‘Wrong Place for Housing Next to Shipyards’ “just aren’t true.”   [Read more…]

Deja Vu All Over Again: Balboa Park Centennial Plan (V.2) Seems to Be Headed Nowhere

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By Doug Porter

Oh crap. It’s starting to look like the San Diego’s second attempt to throw a party celebrating the centennial of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park is in trouble.

The first round of planning came to an abrupt end back in February, when Balboa Park Celebrations, Inc crashed and burned, admitting that three CEOs, a board chock full of downtown groupies and $3 million in seed money hadn’t amounted to much of anything.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer handed off the event to another city-inspired non-profit entity, the Balboa Park Conservancy, on March 28th. A press conference on that date talked about a focus for the Centennial limited to four events: the ongoing December Nights celebrations in 2014 and 2015, along with spring and fall celebrations of things unique to San Diego.   [Read more…]

Dumanis, Schall and Dronenburg: Three Bad Apples Needing to Be Voted Out of Office

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The Fifth and Final Installment of  A Progressive Procrastinators 2014 Primary Guide  

By Doug Porter

In a perfect world we’d all be voting FOR candidates in elections. Instead, we voters are all-too-often mesmerized by the aura of incumbency. A figurative wink and a familiar smile replace judicious judgement. Sometimes it becomes necessary to take a stand, using the power of the ballot box to say ‘enough!’ This is one of those times.

In the upcoming June 3rd primary there are three incumbents who I believe ought to be voted out of office: District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, County Assessor/Clerk/Recorder Ernest J. Dronenburg, Jr. and Superior Court Judge Lisa Schall.

The particulars on each these bad apples differ, but the thing they all have in common is that they’ve misused the powers vested in them by the voters. Today, in the fifth and final installment in this series I’ll examine their records and offer up some better choices.   [Read more…]

A Progressive Procrastinators 2014 Primary Guide Part Four: The San Diego City Council Candidates

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By Doug Porter

Today’s column provides thumbnail sketches of people running for city council in San Diego. In most instances you’ll find a link for the campaign website right underneath their listing providing much more information about the candidate.

This year all the even-numbered City Council seats are up for grabs. The seriously competitive races are in Districts 2 and 6; should the Democratic candidates prevail in those contests their party will maintain a veto proof majority on the council. Unless there’s some polling that I don’t know about, Myrtle Cole (D4) and David Alvarez (D8) should win handily.

Actual SDFP endorsements will be in another article appearing tomorrow, though I doubt you’ll have much trouble figuring out which way I personally lean. Hopefully this monstrous spring heat wave won’t keep my brain from creating a handy-dandy printable endorsements guide.   [Read more…]

A Progressive Procrastinators 2014 Primary Guide Part Three: Saying ‘Yes’ to All State and Local Ballot Propositions

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By Doug Porter

There are five ballot measures covered in today’s column; two-state wide issues and three local topics. State propositions 41 and 42, along with city proposition A, are no-brainers, righting wrongs and fixing stuff that obviously needs to be fixed.

So we’ll start with what I think is the best reason for San Diego voters to get motivated to go the polls: Propositions B&C. They are about a small issue with much larger implications.

Actual SDFP endorsements will be in another article, though I doubt you’ll have much trouble figuring out which way I personally lean. Yesterday we took a look at federal and state legislative contests. Monday we covered some of the important statewide offices being contested on June 3rd.   [Read more…]

A Progressive Procrastinators 2014 Primary Guide Part Two: Congressional and State Legislature Races

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Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you! — Pericles (430 B.C.)

By Doug Porter

Today’s column provides thumbnail sketches of people running for legislative positions, both in Sacramento and Washington. In most instances you’ll find a link for the campaign website right underneath their listing providing much more information about the candidate.

There are thirty some-odd candidates running for five congressional, five state assembly and two state senate seats. The way voting districts exist at present tends to favor the incumbents, but California’s demographics are changing rapidly. So this election’s losing candidate in any particular race may well find him/herself with a much more favorable picture next time around.

Unless you’re a hard core politico, it’s hard to keep track of who’s who, especially in primary races, so we’re publishing this series to aid in your decision making process. Actual SDFP endorsements will be in another article, though I doubt you’ll have much trouble figuring out which way I personally lean. Yesterday we took a look at top statewide races.   [Read more…]

A Progressive Procrastinators 2014 Primary Guide Part One: Top Statewide Contests

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By Doug Porter

There are so many decisions to make. My voting district’s mail-in ballot for the June 3, 2014 election has 26 choices to be made. Opening that envelope made me realize I could no longer put off writing this series…

The fictional (activist) fairy on my shoulder says,“Say it loud & say it proud! Voting is the most fundamental duty of every citizen. Do it for truth, justice and the American way.”

The pretend (procrastinator) demon on my other shoulder says  “Ugh. I’d rather watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-runs.”

So here we go…Today we’ll take a look at the top statewide contests. Actual SDFP endorsements will be in another article, though I doubt you’ll much trouble figuring out which way I personally lean.   [Read more…]

Bait and Switch – Details of San Diego’s Fake Minimum Wage Initiative

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By Doug Porter

City council president Todd Gloria’s proposal to increase the minimum wage in San Diego will be presented in its final form on June 11th.

The Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted 3-1 on April 30 to have Gloria work with city attorney Jan Goldsmith’s office to craft a plan to place the proposed ordinance on the ballot. At the suggestion of councilman David Alvarez, consideration is also being given  to an option that would allow the council to enact a minimum-wage law without having to place it on the ballot.

Neither city council option requires the gathering of signatures from the public. But there are in fact people standing in front of grocery stores being paid to collect signatures for an initiative they’re telling voters will increase the minimum wage.   [Read more…]

Bike Sharing Plan Snubs Economically Challenged Neighborhoods

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By Doug Porter

It’s National Bike Month and, like cities all over the United States, San Diego has its fair share of events celebrating the increasing importance of two-wheeled transportation in recent years.

Residents of the city who happen to reside in the city’s eastern neighborhoods have a little less reason to celebrate. San Diego’s much vaunted and oft-delayed bike share program, via the privately run DecoBike, has announced their plan for over 175 pick-up and drop off locations, and it would seem that residents of City Heights, Golden Hill  and eastward along El Cajon Boulevard are not part of the picture.   [Read more…]

San Diego Goddam! The June 3rd Election And Why You Should Care

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By Doug Porter

I borrowed the first part of today’s headline from one of my favorite songs by Nina Simone, who sang about a certain southern hellhole of a state of mind as her response to the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi; and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four black children back in 1964. The song speaks to the level of angst and frustration I’m starting to feel about the upcoming election.

Bad things are more likely to happen and good things probably won’t happen if you and your friends pass on your obligation as citizens to vote come June 3rd. Starting today and in the coming weeks we’ll be talking about those possibilities, so you need to (please!) pay attention.

Fast forward 50 years from Ms. Simone’s lament and there are 8 million eligible but unregistered voters in California. Of the 17.7 million voters that are registered to vote in the Golden State, only about one third will bother to cast ballots in the upcoming June 3rd elections. That works out to 14% of the total population deciding how things will be for next few years.   [Read more…]

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