From today’s FlashReport by Jon Fleischman (linked here)…
What is Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) doing in Otay Mesa on a Wednesday night? Touring the border? Offering Northern California’s help on water issues?
Nope, she was here to support her embattled daughter Midori Wong, the Executive Director to the San Diego Redistricting Commission. For the FlashReport readers around the state not familiar with the latest controversy in American’s Finest City, here is a quick recap:
Back in 1992, after a redistricting scandal that lead to the recall of a sitting City Councilmember, the voters of San Diego created an independent commission, similar to the Prop. 11 Commission, to remove politics once and for all. Redistricting Commissioners must be “impartial and non-partisan” according to the City Charter, but local TV station KUSI broke a Special Report on Monday, which invoked a furious war on twitter the local blogs.
More is coming out as this story is still breaking. One that is clear…24 year-old Midori Wong is uniquely unqualified to serve as the Executive Director of the “impartial and non-partisan” Redistricting Commission (she makes over $80k, too). Over her infantile career in politics she has worked for partisan Democrat Assemblymember Helen Thomas, campaigned for Democrats, and contributed to Democrat candidates. She’s currently serving on the Advisory Board of the New Leaders Council along with staffers from the San Diego Democrat Party, Labor Council, Courage Campaign, Planned Parenthood, and half a dozen other Democrat staffers and operatives. The New Leaders Council is an organization dedicated to prepare young progressive in politics and public policy. A more blatant conflict of interest could not exist. If Midori Wong had disclosed her partisan ties she would have been disqualified before she even walked in the room.
With that much controversy, no wonder her mother flies down from Sacramento to support her daughter at a redistricting meeting. Mom even stuck around afterwards to help her daughter put away the chairs. Who says that Democrats don’t love their kids too?
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Gayle F says…
Michael Rosen weighs in on San Diego News Room with his commentary on the redistricting controversy:
http://sandiegonewsroom.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43466:the-so-called-independent-redistricting-commission&catid=110:city-of-san-diego&Itemid=34
Thoughts Rostrans?
I said it at the D4 hearing, I’ll say it again here… While finding someone truly nonpartisan and independent in today’s charged political climate is next to impossible, placing someone with a clearly proven partisan background in this position is laughable. Now I am under the impression that Wong was hired by the redistricting commission, and NOT appointed by the judges who appointed the commission… is that correct?
The Chief of Staff is 24?! You can’t be serious. Is there any way to find out who else applied? Clearly there were people more qualified than Wong. Even her bio doesn’t do that position justice. What were they thinking when they hired her? Clearly it was not based on experience or merit.
She is painfully unqualified. Commissioner Potter ripped her to shreds and he voted no. If you can, compare the experience of the 2000 redistricting Executive Director to Wong. It’s not even close.
Go to minute 41, Potter speaks around minute 45:
http://granicus.sandiego.gov/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=43&clip_id=4469
One of the commissioners actually says that the reason they like her is because of her LACK OF EXPERIENCE and the fact that she is non-partisan. They were right on one count.
Fellow New Leaders Council Board Carlos Marquez comes to her defense.
This is would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.