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After the Day San Diego’s Establishment Shattered; Lessons to Be Learned and a Way Forward

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By Cory Briggs

Something really good for San Diegans happened last Thursday: The rabid, asinine pursuit of a convention center expansion on the waterfront hit a concrete wall at 100 miles per hour.  But that wasn’t the best part about Kevin Faulconer’s last-minute effort to put a “citizens’ initiative” on the November 2018 ballot after an “unprecedented coalition” failed in its “Herculean effort” to gather enough signatures to clear the mark. 

For San Diegans, the best thing that could have happened was for The Establishment – the usual special-interest suspects on the right and the left who run City Hall – to break into a thousand tiny pieces.  That is indeed what happened.  Hallelujah!

I’m sure that my Twitter feed and e-mail inbox will start blowing up as soon as people read that last paragraph, if not before they finish this one.  I’m going to be accused of being anti-worker because, as those who had front-row seats to The Establishment’s demise last week know, some of the biggest names in San Diego’s labor movement were part of the “unprecedented coalition” that crashed and burned.  Many of them I consider good friends; outside City Hall, if I needed the shirts off their backs, they’d give them to me without hesitation (and vice-versa).   [Read more…]

CPI Executive Director Kyra Greene Blasts the County Board of Supervisors for ‘Shamefully Discriminatory Jim Crow Practices’ | Video Worth Watching

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The Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI) Executive Director Kyra Green blasts the the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on their attempt to prevent having the Full Voter Participation Act (FVPA) measure appear on this November’s general election ballot by first requiring a preliminary study. It appears the court has now affirmed her position, as the Voice of San Diego reports that Superior Court Judge Ronald Styn ruled in favor of having the measure appear on the November ballot.   [Read more…]

Robert Reich: 10 Steps To Finding Common Ground | Video Worth Watching

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Robert Reich lays down some common sense suggestions for fostering dialogue with folks that may not share one’s political viewpoints. I know there are persuasive arguments for not even attempting to engage the hard-core Republican fanatics, but not all non-democrats are hardcore Trump/Pence racist types. Plus it’s important to listen and hear what others are saying as well as being able to articulate one’s own viewpoint.   [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.
  [Read more…]

10 Ways to Fight Hate – a Southern Poverty Law Center Response to the “Unite the Right” Rally | More Video Worth Watching

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As we mark the one year anniversary of the death of Heather Heyer and two law enforcement officers during a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, a year ago today, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is promoting a web site it created dedicated to Fighting Hate—a guide to opposing the bigotry and hatred of white nationalism and neo-nazi movements. It presents a plan and suggests courses of action for creating a counter force of tolerance and inclusion.   [Read more…]

Sharice Davids: Fighting for Progress | Video Worth Watching

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Another example of a winning Democratic primary campaign ad. Although not the candidate endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Davids is still running on a campaign of affordable health care, quality education, economic opportunity, gun safety and environmental responsibility. If successful in the general election she will represent a number of firsts: the first lesbian congresswoman from Kansas, one of the first Native American women in Congress, and the first congresswoman with a mixed martial arts history. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill candidate.   [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…]

An Open Letter to the New FAA Administrator: Mr. Dan Elwell

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Editor’s Note: North County residents want some honest answers about the County of San Diego’s desire to expand McClellan-Palomar [CRQ] Airport (Palomar) by extending its sole 4900-foot runway to 5700-feet and moving it north about 100 feet. They suspect the county has been playing fast and loose with Federal Aviation Administration regulations and can’t get answers from the federal government.

Dear Mr. Elwell:

Congratulations on your appointment as the new Acting FAA Administrator. Your history as a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate; as a long-term American Airlines pilot; and your FAA prior positions involving safety and the environment all suggest that you have the credentials to right the FAA’s sinking ship.  Thank you also for your service in Operation Desert Storm.

We write because we believe the FAA Western Pacific Region (WPR) Office does not comply in good faith with the FAA February 2016 Community Involvement Policy.   [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…]

The American Sequel to Nazi Germany is Coming Along Just Fine | Dear Ohio, Part 8

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Dear Ohio,

Things are starting to fall into place. Not in the way many of us hoped, but in a way that looks more and more like pre-World War II Germany.

Since the dawn of Hollywood movies, we Americans have been pretty good at re-creating any era we choose, dressing our sets, painting our backdrops, sewing our costumes. When the movie is finished, viewers can immerse themselves in a new reality, traveling back in time, or forward into the future, then exiting after things are resolved. How many times, for example, have moviegoers felt the terror of the Nazi regime, easing it with popcorn, soda, and a quiet walk to the parking lot while checking our phones?   [Read more…]

Richard Nixon resigns – August 8, 1974 | Video Worth Watching

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On this day in 1974, Richard M. Nixon delivered his resignation speech. How times have changed. For some insightful reflection on how and why, check out Will Bunch’s column in The Inquirer. Well, we can dream (and still fight back!) (h/t to AGD)   [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…]

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