Braun gets kid-glove treatment, while poker probably comes easy to Rath

Steve GrammSteve Gramm 6 Comments

Craig Gustafson’s excellent piece in last Sunday’s U-T San Diego, exposing the secret and inept campaign to smear Carl DeMaio and derail his mayoral bid, appears to contain a flaw that deserves a mention. One of the key players involved in the clandestine campaign is Gerry Braun, who was then a top aide to Mayor Jerry Sanders and an early Nathan Fletcher supporter. …

State auditor: California’s net worth at negative $127.2 billion

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersUndesignated 2 Comments

Governor Brown ET AL loudly crow that “we’re back” — the California economy and government finances are back in shape. Then the doggone state auditors make their report! Bunch of naysayers — that’s what they are. Note the last paragraph of the SAC BEE article: “The list of long-term obligations did not include the much-disputed unfunded liabilities for state employees’ future pensions, nor …

Specialty employee compensation by cities leaves taxpayers scratching their heads

Guest ColumnGuest Column 2 Comments

Guest Commentary by Chris Cate Over the past year and a half, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA) has been gathering and analyzing data from 16 cities in the county to determine what taxpayers across the region are spending for “specialty pays.” Specialty pays, or special compensation, are add-ons in addition to base pay that cities report to the …

When People Stop Believing in God, They’ll Start Believing In Anything

Bob SiegelBob Siegel Leave a Comment

Originally published by Communities @ Washington Times SAN DIEGO, March 22, 2013 ― The Belgian playwright and poet Emile Cammaerts once wrote, “The first effect of not believing in God is to believe in anything” (The Laughing Prophets, Page 211, 1937). The nuttier our times become, the more profound Cammaerts starts to sound. Naturally Cammaerts was making a general comment. …

Californians live in the least free state in the nation — except for NY

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters Leave a Comment

I write about and compare California with other states.  While I cover many aspects, most have to do with monetary issues — taxes, regulation, litigation, utility costs, education funding, etc. But we should also look at a broader index that includes not only the issues I highlight, but also compares the personal freedom factors among states.  For years the Mercatus …

Conservative Grass Roots Activists Can Reclaim the RNC—Here is How We Can Do It

Brian BradyBrian Brady 3 Comments

The grassroots supporters of the Republican Party were pushed aside at the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC).  Anticipating a Romney Presidency, Romney campaign attorney Ben Ginsberg put forth and lobbied for a permanent change, in the way RNC delegates were chosen, to guarantee that a (expected) President Romney wouldn’t face a primary challenge in 2016.   It was controversial.  Convention Chairman …

Statement from Jan Goldsmith on Mayor’s Allegation

Guest ColumnGuest Column 5 Comments

From San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith… In a KUSI interview yesterday morning, Mayor Bob Filner crossed the line, alleging that members of the City Council and I had been “bought off” by hoteliers in the TMD matter. This is a very serious allegation of criminal conduct, and it is baseless and defamatory. KUSI also carried a segment at 6 …

Thank You Scott Sherman, for Opposing “Double Dipping” by ex-City Politicians

Carl DeMaioCarl DeMaio 1 Comment

Councilman Sherman Asks for Audit Committee Review of “Double Dipping” Proposal Last week, I penned an editorial blasting a proposal to allow ex-City politicians to “Double Dip” by leaving office, starting to draw a full pension, and then returning to work at the City in a staff position with a full salary. Councilman Scott Sherman is concerned about the proposal, …

Fred Maas’ wiki bio updated

Greg LarkinGreg Larkin 2 Comments

In the aftermath of the weekend UT San Diego story on the “Carl DeMaio research project,” the head of the effort’s Wikipedia page has been updated. I was prompted today to take a look at the contents of Fred Maas’ wiki bio, or see if one existed, after Twitter remarks that someone needed to update the page. It appears the …

Local discussion on the “Investigate DeMaio” story

Greg LarkinGreg Larkin

U-T San Diego reporter Craig Gustafson does a superb job detailing the cast of now outed (there’s some irony in that word) characters who tried to bring down Carl DeMaio last year, or at least attempted to keep him out of the mayoral runoff election. The story details the effort to research DeMaio’s background, the resulting “dossier” produced, and the …

In ‘The Divided Era,’ The U.S. Becomes England

Guest ColumnGuest Column Leave a Comment

Guest Commentary by Tom Del Beccaro Government matters incomprehensively more today than our Founders could have ever imagined. Now central to our lives, federal, state and local governments account for 33% of our yearly spending – where once Thomas Jefferson complained of spending that accounted for less than 2% of our economy. In greatly expanding the size and scope of government, we divide …

This Weekend GOTV Effort for Sandy Spackman in 4th Council District

Thor's AssistantPress Releases / Media Advisories 9 Comments

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 …

Suggestion For Rand Paul: Retire words Like ‘Tolerance”

Bob SiegelBob Siegel 9 Comments

Originally published by Communities@Washington Times. SAN DIEGO, March 15, 2013 ― On a roll from his famous filibuster that protested drone strikes on U.S. citizens without a trial, Rand Paul seems to be taking advantage of a growing popularity by positioning himself for a future presidential bid that could distinguish himself from most Republicans. “I believe a Republican Party that is …

Saturday Event: The Future of Reform in San Diego

Carl DeMaioCarl DeMaio 3 Comments

“How can we continue to push for reform at City Hall?” That’s a question repeatedly being asked these days. It’s time to get past the disappointment of November’s election losses — and get back in the game. On Saturday, you’re invited to come and find out how we can regroup and push for continued reform. Reform San Diego is a …