San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Virtual Mayoral Forum – Part 6: What About the Homeless in San Diego?

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Welcome to Day 6 of the SDFP Virtual Mayoral Forum. (See Day 1, Asking about managed competition, here , Day 2, Looking back on the Plaza de Panama controversy, here, Day 3, The Building Permit Process is a Hot Mess and Plans for the Planning Department, here. Day 4.  Walkable/Bikeable Neighborhoods and Public Transit, here. Day 5, Fixing the Infrastructure, here.)

With input from our many contributors, editors put together a series of eight questions we felt were unique, not too open ended and not trite. We’re publishing one response from the candidates per day (Monday-Friday) so readers can see the verbatim responses side by side.

The complete questionnaire can be found here.   [Read more…]

Tijuana’s Avant Garde Mom Store

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By Beryl Forman

In 2003, Rashad Marx, who was just 19, opened The Source, a boutique in Tijuana dedicated to independent design and graffiti art. He sourced most of the clothing from north of the border by connecting with designers in LA, San Francisco, New York, and San Diego. The Source thrived for a little over five years before it finally fell victim to Tijuana’s economic decline, which came as an aftermath to 9-11,the Mexican drug war and American border policies. 

From the 1920’s to the early part of the 21st Century, Tijuana was a constant mecca for tourists.  Its downtown entertainment corridor, Avenida Revolución, was thronged by Americans seeking a vaguely exotic, cheap foreign excursion. Tijuanans tended to steer clear of the crowds and the escalated prices in the main ‘tourist’ drag, even though there were many young people who would probably have enjoyed mingling with the wild, drunk Americans. Once tourism plummeted, downtown businesses began catering to the desires of Tijuana’s young and artsy locals. The city began its slow renaissance led by business entrepreneurs, cultural organizations, and artists.   [Read more…]

Mayoral Race 2013: Character Matters

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For the second time in the last year, San Diego voters will be asked to determine who they trust to lead the city.

By Andy Cohen

Who do you trust? That’s the overriding question in this 2013 San Diego Mayoral Special Election. After what most San Diegans consider to be a major betrayal by our ex-mayor Bob Filner—whether you agreed with his policies or not—the major question on the minds of probably most voters is can we trust the current crop of candidates vying to replace him?

There are currently four major candidates running to complete Filner’s first term: City Councilman Kevin Faulconer (R), City Councilman David Alvarez (D), former State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher (D), and former City Attorney Mike Aguirre (D). San Diego broke with historical tradition and elected a Democratic mayor for the first time in 20 years in 2012, and now there’s a sense that voters could revert back to Republican rule, despite there being a nearly 90,000 voter registration advantage for Democrats within the city limits.

Combine that with frighteningly low voter turnout expectations for the special election—circumstances which almost always favor Republican— and it’s easy to imagine that Kevin Faulconer has a major leg up on the other contenders.   [Read more…]

What’s Next for Political Reporting in San Diego? A Nose Hair Census?

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By Doug Porter

Mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher’s campaign has had their fair share of issues over past six weeks or so.  The former assemblyman is taking hits from both the right and the left; direct mail pieces have flooded city mailboxes seeking to exploit what polling says are the front runner’s vulnerabilities.

I’m not persuaded that these efforts are working, despite the fact that I share the sentiment behind them.

But I’ve found common ground with the Fletcher campaign’s refusal to participate in the latest exercise in “transparency journalism” at UT-San Diego. Snoop dog reporter Trent Seibert’s latest exercise in lunacy includes a stab at rounding up of mayoral candidates’ college transcripts.   [Read more…]

Virtual Mayoral Forum – Part 5: Fixing San Diego’s Broken Infrastructure

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Welcome to Day 5 of the SDFP Virtual Mayoral Forum. (See Day 1, Asking about managed competition, here , Day 2, Looking back on the Plaza de Panama controversy, here, Day 3, The Building Permit Process is a Hot Mess and Plans for the Planning Department, here. Day 4.  Walkable/Bikeable Neighborhoods and Public Transit, here.)

With input from our many contributors, editors put together a series of eight questions we felt were unique, not too open ended and not trite. We’re publishing one response from the candidates per day (Monday-Friday) so readers can see the verbatim responses side by side.

We emailed the questions to the addresses listed with the City Clerk’s office as contact points, knowing most of the minor candidates wouldn’t respond. Kevin Faulconer’s campaign is refusing to participate. We can only assume–and, believe me we’ve tried to get them involved– their non-response sends a message about their openness to the citizens in this city. You can decide what that message is.

Editor’s note: According to his campaign staff, Nathan Fletcher did not receive our questions until after we began publishing this virtual forum. His responses have since been added to past questions and are included today.

The complete questionnaire can be found here.   [Read more…]

The Next Obamacare Attack: Beat Up on the Sick People

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By Joan McCarter / Daily Kos

Attacking the HealthCare.gov roll-out problems is so last week. The Web site will be fixed, so the next round of attacks from the right is gearing up: A variation on the theme of trying to convince young people that having insurance is bad. This time, they’re focusing on the people who will see an increase in insurance costs, and will try to pit them against the people who really need insurance.

There is a chunk of previously insured people in the individual market who are losing their coverage and will potentially have to pay more for insurance. Those are the people who previously had high deductible, low coverage, catastrophic insurance plans. They paid bottom dollar for plans that would help them if they ended up in the hospital after an accident or major illness, but generally wouldn’t provide any coverage for routine medical care like check-ups, immunizations, prescriptions, etc. Those kinds of plans are no longer allowed under Obamacare.   [Read more…]

Right Wing Continues to Block Immigration Reform

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By Doug Porter

The body of law and administrative policy defining reality for the nation’s 12 million immigrants has once again risen to the top of our national “do-list”. The Republicans in Congress see it as yet another opportunity to thwart the administration, saying the latest push for action is simply an attempt to draw attention away from more “pressing issues” like Benghazi and Healthcare.gov.

Last week President Obama urged House Republicans to act on immigration, saying: “Democratic leaders have introduced a bill in the House that is similar to the bipartisan Senate bill. So now it’s up to Republicans in the House to decide whether reform becomes a reality or not.”   [Read more…]

Virtual Mayoral Forum – Part 4: Walkable/Bikeable Neighborhoods and Public Transit

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Welcome to Day 4 of the SDFP Virtual Mayoral Forum. (See Day 1, Asking about managed competition, here , Day 2, Looking back on the Plaza de Panama controversy, here, Day 3, The Building Permit Process is a Hot Mess and Plans for the Planning Department, here.)

With input from our many contributors, editors put together a series of eight questions we felt were unique, not too open ended and not trite. We’re publishing one response from the candidates per day (Monday-Friday) so readers can see the verbatim responses side by side.

Today’s candidate question about alternative transportation/mobility is one of the most complex ones that we are asking in this virtual forum.   [Read more…]

The Democrats Version of Health Insurance Would Have Been Cheaper, Simpler, and More Popular

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(So Why Did We Enact the Republican Version and Why Are They So Upset?)

By Robert Reich/ Robert Reich.org

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says Republicans will seek to delay a requirement of the 2010 Affordable Care Act that all Americans obtain health insurance or face a tax penalty. ”With so many unanswered questions and the problems arising around this rollout, it doesn’t make any sense to impose this one percent mandate tax on the American people.”

While Republicans plot new ways to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, it’s easy to forget that for years they’ve been arguing that any comprehensive health insurance system be designed exactly like the one that officially began October 1st, glitches and all.
  [Read more…]

Nathan Fletcher, The Magic Environmentalist: A Case Study in Machine Versus Movement Politics

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By Jim Miller

If the environment matters to you and you had to choose between a candidate with a 48% lifetime voting record on environmental issues from the California League of Conservation Voters and a 38% lifetime voting record from the Sierra Club or a candidate with an 88% voting record on environmental issues, you’d think the choice would be clear.

That is, of course, unless this choice involves Nathan Fletcher, the magic environmentalist, whose husky whispers of promise and inside game voodoo can make uncomfortable facts disappear like dust in the wind.

Last week San Diego Politico posted an interesting piece on how the San Diego League of Conservation Voters’ endorsement process fell prey to the Fletcher fairy dust as they handed him their endorsement despite the horrible lifetime voting record of 48% he has earned from their own organization.   [Read more…]

For the Love of Food: Tilapia with Bacon-Edamame Succotash and Pomegranate-Goat Cheese Salad

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By Melissa Phy / For the Love of Food

Fall has finally presented itself in San Diego (high of 66? Brrr!) and pomegranates were a welcome addition to my kitchen this week. Unfortunately, they were just used to make a salad prettier. Bacon and edamame are the ingredients that really shine in this week’s dish.

Fish is a great protein, but it can leave something to be desired, especially if the fish is mild, like tilapia. About a year ago, I wanted to make fish, but wanted to pair bacon with it, to enhance flavor (read: salt factor) and because, really, who can argue with bacon on the plate?   [Read more…]

How We Can End the Sale of Cancer-Causing Products

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It’s time to put a stop to corporate pinkwashing.

By Alyssa Figueroa / Alternet

In the early 1990s, Charlotte Haley, 68, was concerned about the rates of breast cancer in her family and her community. Her daughter, sister and grandmother were all diagnosed with breast cancer. When Haley learned that the National Cancer Institute allocated only five percent of its research funding to cancer prevention, she decided to take action. Haley began distributing peach-colored ribbons with cards that read, “The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion, only five percent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon.”

After her actions sparked national media attention, Selfmagazine and Estée Lauder approached Haley about a partnership. Haley dismissed them as too corporate, which led them to rebrand their effort. Their lawyers suggested they pick a different color ribbon — they chose pink.   [Read more…]

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