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The Starting Line – Civil Rights Under Fire; Bigotry Being Tested at the Bench

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The Supreme Court is at the core of the news about struggles for human dignity and rights this week. The bad news is they’re hearing a case today challenging the part of the Voting Rights Act that forces places with a history of discrimination to get approval before they make any change in the way elections are held.

The last time such a case was argued before the court (2009) Chief Justice John Roberts opined that the law’s past success “is not adequate justification to retain the pre-clearance requirements.” The court sidestepped the question of the law’s constitutionality with that decision, but many observers believe that won’t be the case this time around.

The good news on the judicial front is the increasing support for gay rights as the court nears the dates to hear arguments about marriage equality and the Defense of Marriage Act.   [Read more…]

North Park’s Never Ending Renewal

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by Council President Todd Gloria

I am a lifelong San Diegan and have witnessed changes of all kinds to several local communities. My mom still refers to CityHeights as East San Diego, and I can easily remember when Downtown was a place avoided by most locals and all tourists. The neighborhood of North Park has been home to tremendous revitalization in the past 15 years, and its welcome renewal seems never-ending.

As is the case throughout District Three, North Park’s homeowners, renters, and business people are truly invested in the neighborhood.

They have made change happen, but not at the expense of history. From redevelopment in the commercial corridors to the historic residential districts surrounding them, community character is obvious and unique.   [Read more…]

San Diego and the TMD

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It’s time for the San Diego City Council to work within the law instead of desperately searching for ways around it.

Can’t we all just get along?—Rodney King

Yesterday the San Diego City Council heard comments on the city’s Tourism and Marketing District. You might have heard about it in recent weeks, because it’s been the source of a lot of controversy down at City Hall.

The TMD became a major news item last week when Mayor Bob Filner crashed a news conference called by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. Let’s just say that the two men don’t agree on a whole lot, and the exchange was one of the more entertaining political back and forth’s in San Diego history.   [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Republican Support for Gay Marriage Emerging as Supreme Court Hearing Nears

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There are cracks emerging in the GOP social issues bulwark over the issue of gay marriage. The New York Times is up with a story this morning about 75 prominent Republicans who have signed on to a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional right to marry.

The Times calls this move “a position that amounts to a direct challenge to Speaker John A. Boehner and reflects the civil war in the party since the November election.”

The Supreme Court, which unexpectedly agreed to hear an appeal over California’s Proposition 8 and another case that challenges the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, is currently receiving briefs and rebuttals. Oral arguments are scheduled for March 26th, and a decision is expected in late June.

INSIDE: Tourism Tax Generates More Lawsuits, How Much Damage Will Brown Do to CEQA?, About Those High Paying Tourism Jobs…   [Read more…]

Congress’ Sequester Carries Dire Consequences for San Diego Innovation Economy

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Cuts to government funding for basic research–already at dangerously low levels–could have devastating long term economic effects nationally, locally

Basic research—the very foundation of the research cluster—depends heavily on federal dollars. Without it, research activity will slow to a crawl and could eventually wither away.

According to information distributed by Congressman Peters’ office, the sequestration (or amputation) threatens to cut $2.5 billion from the National Institute of Health’s budget (8.2%). To put that in local terms: In fiscal year 2012, San Diego research groups benefitted from 1,760 grants totaling more than $130 million from the National Science Foundation and $850 million from the NIH.

Nationally, cuts to research funding could mean that 2,300 fewer grants will be funded, costing 33,000 jobs. Locally, 4,500 research jobs could be lost, and according to Mark Cafferty, the president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, “the loss of a higher wage, high tech job in this region means the loss of another job.” That’s 9,000 jobs in just the research cluster alone.   [Read more…]

Bicycling Moves Forward in San Diego – CicloSDias Event Announced for August

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Streets to Be Closed to Cars in Grant Hill/Stockton, South Park, North Park and City Heights

On the beautiful sunny morning of February 25, bicycle enthusiasts, city residents, and local politicians gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at San Diego’s newest bike corral in Hillcrest.  If you’re unfamiliar, a bike corral is an onstreet parking facility for bicycles, typically taking up the space of one or two automobile parking spots and providing parking for ten to twenty bicycles.

This new installation is San Diego’s fourth bike corral, all of which are located in District 3.  For those of you scoring at home that leaves us only 87 bike corrals short of the 91 boasted by the bicycle mecca of Portland.

The new bike corral is located on the south-west corner of the intersection of Richmond Street and University Avenue in Hillcrest, next to Filter Coffee House at 1295 University Avenue. The Uptown Community Parking District paid for the corral and the Hillcrest Business Association will provide for upkeep and maintenance in the future.   [Read more…]

Massive Winter Snow Storms Hit New England and Midwest

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Winter storms now are almost always blizzards because they are accompanied by high winds. Take winter storm Nemo, for example, which hit the New England states on February 9, 2013. Over 700,000 people lost power. On Long Island, upwards of 40,000 people lost power, with downed wires from tree limbs and heavy snows being cited as the primary reason. Four states declared states of emergency – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.

Record snowfalls accompanied by high winds – blizzard conditions – these are some of the manifestations of global warming. In the summer record rainfall precipitation events are often accompanied by high winds and tornadoes. This is becoming the norm these days.
  [Read more…]

Why Mayor Filner is Right to Stand Up to the Real Bullies

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What Filner is doing here is important and historic: he is standing up to the entitled private interests who have run San Diego for its entire history.

As Doug Porter reported here at the San Diego Free Press last week, Mayor Bob Filner is now engaged in an intense struggle with City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, big hoteliers, and the UT-San Diego because he has refused to sign off on the sweetheart deal negotiated by his predecessor whose legacy is quickly evaporating as you read this.  Specifically, Filner wants legal protections for the city if the dubious deal goes to court, a shorter tourism marketing agreement, a cut of hotel fees for city services, and a living wage for hotel employees.

Other than their questionable notion that the 2% tourist surcharge is not a tax, the real agenda behind the attack on Filner is San Diego’s elites’ desire to maintain their privilege and the advantages that have come to them from decades of shadow government.   [Read more…]

No, Obamacare is Not Making Your Premiums Go Through the Roof

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by Joan McCarter / Daily Kos

It’s the heart of right-wing conventional wisdom: Obamacare is going make insurance premiums for everybody skyrocket. The Wall Street Journal calls it “ObamaCare health-insurance sticker shock.” The CEO of Aetna said “somebody has to pay for” insuring all Americans. Fox Newstrumpeted rising premiums for everyone.

As usual lately, conventional wisdom is having a big fail. Actually, according to a new reportfrom the Obama administration, double-digit premium rate increases are falling. Dramatically. The researchers looked at 15 states that make requests for rate increases by insurers public, and saw rate increases plummet, at least in the individual plan market.   [Read more…]

Hypocrites! Taxpayer Association Rallies Supporters to Support Corporate Welfare (UPDATED)

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Showdown Set for 2pm Monday City Council Meeting

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association has found a tax they like.

They have issued a “Call to Action” for their supporters to show up at City Hall on Monday for a scheduled hearing of the City Council where the 2% tax-that’s-not-a-tax being collected by local hotels is going to be discussed. The Center for Policy Initiatives (CPI) is rallying their people to support the Mayor’s decision not to sign off on the tax.

Reading their flyer, you’d almost think the Taxpayers Association had somehow morphed into a Union. Now this tax is all about jobs, jobs, and jobs.   [Read more…]

CPI Asks: Why Should We Fund Poverty Wages?

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The Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI) has long been a fighter on the San Diego scene for economic justice causes. Whether it’s advocacy on the part of financially distressed homeowners facing foreclosure or fighting for an understandable, open and fair budget for the City of San Diego, CPI has been in the thick of it.

Now they’ve jumped into fray over Mayor Filner’s refusal to sign off on a deal negotiated by the previous administration that would hand $1 billion over the next four decades to a group essentially run by San Diego’s large hoteliers.

CPI has asked supporters to focus on the Mayor’s demand that the big hoteliers pay a living wage to their employees as part of any deal with the City.

Come inside to see all the people who wrote us on this issue!   [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Who is a Reporter? Press Association Forum Triggers a Conversation That Needs to Happen

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The topic for the evening was ‘Grade the Media’.  Local newsmakers were invited by the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists to offer critiques of media coverage at a forum held at Point Loma Nazarene University last Tuesday evening.

Sitting on panel were Darren Pudgil, former Mayor Sanders’ director of communication from 2008 to 2012, Jan Caldwell, public information officer for the SD County Sheriff’s Department, and Michael Shames, the controversial former leader of the Utility Consumers’ Action Network (UCAN).

I wasn’t there. I ‘watched’ the evening unfold via my Twitter account. I’ve read a couple of accounts written by people who were there. And watched a couple of clips posted on YouTube. So much of what I’m writing about here has been gleaned through other people’s eyes (or fingers, as the case may be).   [Read more…]

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