Posts Tagged ‘City of San Diego’
Eyes On the Bully’s Pulpit
Today is the launch of a new column, “Eyes on the Bully’s Pulpit.”
Most political wonks involved in City of San Diego politics have heard numerous stories about the actions or inactions of Mayor Bob Filner, with many experiencing some of the most interesting incidents first hand. Some of his actions may very well cross the bounds of political ethics. If it all continues, it could set San Diego’s reputation back for years.
Could Filner be the Lindsay Lohan of San Diego politics? You can be the judge.
This Weekend GOTV Effort for Sandy Spackman in 4th Council District
From the local GOP…
Did you know there’s a special election THIS COMING TUESDAY, March 26!?
Yup, it’s the race to replace San Diego, District 4 Councilman Tony Young who resigned earlier to become CEO of the local Red Cross chapter. This is an opportunity since…
…there are NINE candidates (PDF) and ONLY ONE Republican, Sandy Spackman (pictured right) – a Laotian immigrant who became a Republican after she got her first paycheck!
Please join fellow Republicans as we expand our reach and contest this race. Will you give a few hours of your time on Saturday or Sunday this weekend? Here’s the info:
Firefighter Union Pres: “Leave California”
In response to a Tuesday post by Richard Rider, San Diego Firefighter Union President Frank De Clercq responded on Twitter, “Why don’t all these ‘Right Wing Special Interests’ leave California and go to Texas, and stay there!!!”
How statesman-like. The City of San Diego must be pleased to have union leaders so willing to have a real discussion.
We’re sure that De Clercq and his ilk would simply love it if those with whom they disagree left town, then they’d only have to protect those buying in hook, line and ladder to the union mentality.
Pension Reform Panel
SDCTA Breakfast Panel: The Future of Pension Reform: What’s Next?
| Date: | Thursday, March 14, 2013 |
| Time: | 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM |
Organizer: San Diego County Taxpayers Association
Sponsor: REFORM San Diego
Panelists Include:
Carl DeMaio – Founder and Chairman of Reform San Diego
Hon. Jan Goldsmith – San Diego City Attorney
Tim Davis – Partner at Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP
Recall time for Filner? No. Not yet.
Recall time, anyone?
Well, no. Not yet. Legally and politically, it’s premature to start the effort to remove the screwball we’ve elected mayor of San Diego.
That being said, 2014 seems a reasonable year to look forward to. IF Filner continues to alienate folks with his bizarre behavior and awesome arrogance without bounds, HE will be the one making the case for his own removal.
Will his hubris override his political acumen? Frankly, I’m not convinced. Yet. But I can hope.
Will Filner Finish His Term?
Bob Filner appears a little unhinged, and frankly unprofessional in a video from local news station NBC 7. He hijacks a news conference by City Attorney Jan Goldsmith to make accusations of unprofessional conduct. His view of the role of the City Attorney appears entirely unbalanced. The City Attorney can’t be fired by the mayor, because he is elected directly by the public. Filner’s tactics are those of a bully or a Congressman, not used to the necessity of working with other members of the team. It seems irrational for the mayor to waste political capital on a personal and public fight with another official with whom he must work in the future. His ego is writing a check he may lack the political capital to afford.
Faulconer’s open letter to Mayor Filner
Today, Mayor Bob Filner and two new San Diego City Councilmembers — Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman — were sworn into office. In his op-ed in Sunday’s U-T San Diego, Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer laid out areas the new mayor and City Council can focus on together to keep City Hall accountable and working for San Diegans. In case you missed it, you can read Faulconer’s open letter to Mayor Filner here: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/01/a-councilmans-message-to-mayor-elect-filner/
Matt Awbrey is Communications Director for Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer.
Study: Majority of Votes Cast in SD Mayoral Election Will be Absentee Voters
For The First Time, Absentee Voters Will Dominate San Diego City Mayoral Election
SAN DIEGO - In the past three San Diego mayoral elections, the majority of votes in the general election were cast on Election Day. However, a new analysis by the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR) projects a historic change this year, as mailed ballots will, for the first time, comprise the majority of votes cast in the race. Using data from the Registrar of Voters office and GIS mapping software, NUSIPR evaluated a number of recent voter trends that will have an impact in Tuesday’s contest.
Faulconer Speaks Out Against Proposal to Increase Pension Debt
San Diegans voted for Comprehensive Pension Reform to fix the pension problem now. In fact, much of the City of San Diego’s financial turnaround over the past few years is attributable to local leaders taking the bull by the horns and not putting off difficult choices to future generations.
Today, Kevin Faulconer continued to speak out against a plan that would postpone the City’s full pension payments and run up its pension debt by $335 million. Faulconer appeared on the Rodger Hedgecock Show to reiterate that issuing so-called pension obligation bonds — an idea most recently floated by mayoral candidate Bob Filner — is unnecessary and a step in the wrong direction. A recent analysis released by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association revealed this risky maneuver would cost millions of dollars that could otherwise be invested in San Diego neighborhoods.
Reviewing Precinct Returns from the San Diego Mayoral Election
The race to become mayor of the City of San Diego has narrowed down to two finalists. In this policy brief the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR) analyzed newly released electoral data from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ office using GIS software.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Faulconer: “People in San Diego were hungry for change”
San Diego’s vote on Proposition B is reverberating across California and the country, creating national headlines. Kevin Faulconer, co-author of the Comprehensive Pension Reform citizens initiative, took to the airwaves to talk about the overwhelming approval of the measure, and how San Diego is setting a blueprint for reform for local governments throughout the nation. Watch the clip here.
The Oracle Speaks
John Nienstedt, President of Competitive Edge, and T.J. Zane, President & CEO of The Lincoln Club of San Diego County, at the Lincoln Club's Election Night Reception. Photo by: Melissa JacobsPolitics & Media Mashup
I worked on a campaign with local pollster John Nienstedt a couple years ago and after he explained in a group email – a few days before the election – that we were going to win someone sent a reply all message that said: “The Oracle has spoken.”
I thought of that Friday at a luncheon as I listened to Nienstedt break down Tuesday’s election.
City Leaders Lay Out Prop B Pension Reform Implementation Plan
“San Diegans expect results. We must implement Prop B without delay.”
That was the message City leaders delivered today following the landslide approval of Proposition B at the ballot box Tuesday. More than 66 percent of voters endorsed the measure, otherwise known as Comprehensive Pension Reform, to eliminate traditional pensions for new employees and replace them with a 401(k)-style plan, similar to the private sector. The measure also ends pension spiking and directs the Mayor to seek a 5-year cap on pensionable compensation.
At Least the Fleece Awards Were Cute: SDCTA Hands Out 2012 Goldens
Smart governing decisions saving taxpayer dollars and collaborative initiatives took top honors, while cavalier attitudes and lost opportunities were called out and shamed at the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA)’s 17th annual Goldens Awards Dinner, held at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in Mission Valley.
Remote controls were nowhere in sight as the evening’s theme “Taxpayer TV: We Can’t Make This $#!% Up!” entertained the appreciative audience who shared the details of the exclusive video parodies highlighting the program via social media. As in past programs, elected officials, members of the news media and other public figures willingly humiliated themselves in a good-natured send-up of the year in government news and achievements in San Diego.
Belly Up To The Bar 2: The Official Goldens Drinking Game
Just in time could be my life’s mantra. I am reminded by Thor’s Assistant that no Official Drinking Game has been devised for tonight’s epic 17th annual San Diego County Taxpayers Golden Fleece and Watchdog Awards.
Calling Ms. Tipit to the rescue.
DISCLAIMER: In this litigious, risk-averse society, we must pause here to admonish anyone reading this column that it is strictly for entertainment purposes ONLY. Please drink responsibly if at all. Please do not be a dunderhead and drink and tweet/post/drive, or you will be the next person we write about on Rostra and it won’t be pretty.
Proposition B Will End Pension Spiking
A Q & A with City Attorney Jan Goldsmith
Jan Goldsmith
Jan GoldsmithGoldsmith weighs in on the San Diego Mayor’s Race, the San Diego Convention Center expansion and more
As the only candidate for citywide office with no opponent in the upcoming election, Rostra thought it would be a good time to check in with San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith to discuss his first term in office and his views on politics and local government. Goldsmith was a Superior Court Judge for 10 years and served three terms as a state legislator. He was Mayor of Poway in the early 1990s and managed a private law firm.
Faulconer pushes to bring City technology into 21st century
Faulconer calls for approval of Mayor Sanders' IT reform plan
Are you reading this using a computer system from the 1980′s? You’re probably not firing up a Commodore 64 each morning, yet much of the City’s information technology network still uses decades-old systems.
This morning Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer joined Mayor Jerry Sanders and Councilmember Lorie Zapf to unveil the potential savings from two competitively bid IT services contracts. He called on the City Council to approve the agreements, which will help bring City of San Diego operations into the 21st century while creating millions of dollars in efficiencies and savings.
DeMaio: ‘My real opponents are the government employee unions and powerful downtown interests’
Carl DeMaioPolitics & Media Mashup is on break for the next few weeks so we can bring you exclusive Q & As with San Diego Mayoral candidates Carl DeMaio, Bonnie Dumanis and Nathan Fletcher.
We kicked off the series last week with Fletcher. We determined the order based on when the responses to our questions were received — first in, first up. Despite repeated attempts, no one from Bob Filner’s campaign would answer our questions, even though a staffer there said, “We read Rostra all the time.”
Mayor Sanders’ Budget Announcement Grabs the Media’s Attention
Politics & Media Mashup: your weekend news aggregator leads off with big budget news from San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. Also included: Links to some of the week’s best stories about local, state and national politics as well as social and traditional media.
Mayor Jerry Sanders at Thursday's news conference. Photo courtesy of FOX 5 San Diego
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders dominated the news cycle late this week with his announcement that he had finally solved the City’s budget problems.
Competition Between Government and Private Businesses Saving Millions for S.D. Taxpayers and Neighborhoods
Managed competition has created nearly $6 million in savings so far
Competition works — and is delivering results for San Diego.
Today, San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer joined Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Councilmember Todd Gloria to announce City employees won a bid against three private companies to provide street sweeping services to San Diegans. Freed up to compete with the private sector through the voter-approved managed competition process, City workers submitted a bid that will reduce the cost of sweeping streets by $560,ooo each year. These permanent savings constituted the lowest bid, prompting the recommendation today that City employees win the contract.
Zane: Court ruling nothing short of huge
An op-ed written by T.J. Zane in today’s U-T San Diego discusses the recent favorable U.S. District Court ruling on campaign finance regulations in the City of San Diego, the role The Lincoln Club of San Diego County played in the case, what’s changed and why it’s so important to San Diegans.
Zane is President and CEO of the Lincoln Club. Click here to read his op-ed and here to see a competing piece in the U-T by Gil Cabrera.
Zane and Cabrera “squared off” this morning on KUSI and FOX, discussing their op-eds and the court ruling. Click here to see their appearance on FOX and here to see the KUSI segment.
Two Endorsements, Two Narratives
Interesting day in the mayoral race. Both Nathan Fletcher and Carl DeMaio rolled out significant endorsements that say a lot about their priorities and what to expect from their prospective administrations.
Nathan Fletcher and the Lifeguard Union
Fletcher announced the endorsement of the Lifeguards union and released a “Clean Water and Safe Beaches Plan.” Fletcher is clearly continuing to advance his narrative as a moderate, highlighting the environment, public safety and education.
Belly up to the bar: The San Diego Rostra Mayoral Debate Drinking Game
For true San Diego poliwonks, New Year’s Eve was just a warm-up act. We know many of you have been saving yourself for the real deal: Political Debate Season 2012.
Starting Friday, January 13 with the first official San Diego Mayoral Debate of 2012, we will soon be subjected to a seemingly endless series of candidate debates and it will all become a blur.
But if you are a diligent citizen, you know you should be paying attention to the debates and learning about the candidates even if they deliver nothing but a painful litany of clichés. It’s enough to drive any red-blooded voter to drink.
Faulconer: Redevelopment’s Public Benefits Too Important to Stop
City Council President Pro Tem Kevin L. Faulconer released the following statement in response to today’s California Supreme Court ruling over the State Legislature’s decision to dissolve redevelopment agencies across the state, including in San Diego.
“Redevelopment has been a vital resource in the transformation of downtown and many of San Diego’s older communities. It has been the key to incentivizing private investment and creating affordable housing, parks and necessary public improvements in San Diego’s urban neighborhoods, all the while helping to create jobs and stimulate San Diego’s economy. The short-sighted decision by the State Legislature to take local funds from our neighborhoods and pump them into the bureaucratic black hole in Sacramento is a detriment to our region.
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