From www.propublica.org… This spring, a group of California Democrats gathered at a modern, airy office building just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting was House members only — no aides allowed — and the mission was seemingly impossible. In previous years, the party had used its perennial control of California’s state Legislature to draw district maps that …
The surprise reason why CA public employee labor unions LOVE the California Dream Act
The recently passed California Dream Act is another giveaway by liberal state politicians. It helps bring one more beholden group into their camp. It shifts some Cal Grant college funds from legal to illegal state residents. It turns out the cost projections are now four times higher than when the bill was recently passed, according to the state Legislative Analyst …
GOP Unity Team completed …. Mayor Sanders endorses Scott Sherman in pivotal 7th San Diego Council Dist.
Mayor Jerry Sanders backed Scott Sherman this week, increasing GOP chances of recapturing the long-Republican 7th district which elected Larry Stirling, Judy McCarty, Jim Ellis and Allen Hitch starting in 1961! [Marti Emerald decamped for other pastures!] Successful business owner (5th Avenue Insurance) Scott Sherman grew up in District 7, lives near his childhood home, and played football for the mighty …
DeMaio Forms Retirement Security Task Force to Guide Transition From City’s Old Pension System
Says City Officials Must Be Ready to “Hit the Ground Running” on Pension Reforms in 2012 Carl DeMaio today announced the creation of a “Retirement Security Task Force” to provide ideas to city officials on how to “expeditiously and properly” implement sweeping changes in city employee pension programs. “This task force of outside experts will provide valuable advice on how …
Economic Lessons for California from North AND South Dakota
North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 3.5%. Ten counties in ND have less than 2% unemployment. They have an oil and gas extraction boom going on, though their low unemployment rate predates that growth in oil and gas jobs. Critics like to claim that ND is having a temporary boom that will shortly be followed …
DA investigators search homes of three Sweetwater Schools trustees
The U-T has the story… “District Attorney’s investigators raided the homes of three Sweetwater Union High School District board members and a former community college contractor today.” Read it all here. The Union-Trib‘s coverage of Sweetwater has been superb. Kudos to Wendy Fry and Ashly McGlone. The school district has seen lots of coverage on Rostra as well, including a …
North Korea’s Kim Jong-il has nothing on Encinitas!
If a fairly creepy “Cult of Personality” is what you’re into, there’s no need to go to North Korea because we have our own right here in San Diego County. Just look to Encinitas where some artists want to plaster 101 banners with the likeness of a recently deceased city council woman and hang them on light posts along public right of way on …
Nathan Fletcher Speaks to REBOOT San Diego
On Friday Nathan Fletcher spoke to REBOOT San Diego. REBOOT workshops are designed to assist members of the military in making the social and career transition from years of service by “re-booting” their skills. The workshop features three weeks of education designed to enhance and build upon their training, experience and skills to prepare them for life after the military. …
Field Poll: CA voters would derail high-speed rail
RICHARD RIDER COMMENT: Bottom line(s) — 1. According to a recent Field Poll, an amazing 64% of California voters want to vote again on state spending for the CA High Speed Rail (HSR) project. Just 30% opposed such a vote. 2. If the vote were held today, 59% would reject the HSR bonds, while only 31% would approve it. Let’s …
Does Maas miss good journalism or is ‘Sinko DeMaio’ his real end game?
Your weekend news aggregator leads off with the most interesting local stories of the week and includes links to stories about statewide politics, presidential politics and social media. A DeMaio Documentary might surface if there is any decent dirt to dig up on San Diego mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio, said Republican developer Fred Maas. The project is in the infant stages …
District 1 Council candidate Ray Ellis to focus on campaign — will step down from SD Retirement Board
After three years’ hard duty as one of Mayor Sanders’ volunteer trustees on the City Retirement board, businessman Ray Ellis (R) today said he will leave the board to concentrate on his 2012 election bid vs. incumbent Sherri Lightner (D). In thanking Ellis for his service Mayor Sanders said, “Ray has faithfully served taxpayers and the City San Diego as President …
Merry Christmas, George Bailey! The Richest Man in Town
WATCH | Its a Wonderful Life Final Scenes Nothing, I mean nothing, brings a tear faster to my eye than the hapless, deeply conflicted and vastly complicated George Bailey played by the affable James Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Each year, hubs holds my Christmas movie obsession at bay as long as possible. It’s not that he doesn’t love …
Holiday Movies That Did Not Make My Top Ten List
Written by Bob Siegel and originally published by Washington Times Communities. Used by permission December 12, 2011 – One would expect a Top Ten Best Holiday Movies list to be followed by a Top Ten Worst list. But what kind of Scrooge would I be if I made sport of something near and dear to somebody else’s heart? And yet, …
The Jitney Potential: Transportation for the Poor
Last month I did what amounted to a 3-on-1 public debate concerning public transit, sponsored by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. Naturally, I was the “1.” Actually it went well. My core thesis was that passenger rail is terribly expensive, inefficient and inconvenient for the people who most need public transit. Indeed 3/4 of rail transit riders formally were …
Fletcher Gets Failing Grade
For someone who has spent so much time talking about improving performance at schools, Nathan Fletcher should really be looking at improving his own grades. Yesterday, the California Republican Assembly released a scorecard for legislators on a variety of conservative issues. For the second year in a row, Fletcher received the lowest mark amongst all Republicans statewide. His 56% is …
One GOP presidential candidate departs to run as the LP option. No, not Ron Paul.
GOP presidential candidate (and two term Governor of New Mexico) Gary Johnson is leaving the GOP to run for President as a Libertarian. His frustration and being omitted from the debates and the polls finally drove him out of the Republican Party. Frankly I doubt it will have an effect on the outcome in November 2012, as few vote for …
California exports booming! And that’s a BAD thing.
Today I spoke for a few minutes on a conference call to state tax experts, lobbyists and activists across the nation — one of several speakers on a call sponsored by the Tax Foundation. It was an awesome audience. And I DO mean awesome — I was thoroughly intimidated. Let me tell you one thing — they LOVE California! Especially …
Special 2 Day event to aid SD’s Military Families — Brittany Catton reports SD Foundation helps Armed Services YMCA’s Toy Drive
Good morning ASY Supporters! The San Diego Armed Services YMCA is excited to announce the kick off of the first-ever GiveBIG San Diego online giving event with the San Diego Foundation! Starting now (December 14th) through tomorrow at 7pm, you can donate securely online to the San Diego Armed Services YMCA. The San Diego Foundation will match donations made during …
DeMaio Requests to Hear Water Department Billing & Customer Service Problems
I released the following memo yesterday requesting the NR&C committee to hear about customer service problems at the water department. As elected leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that taxpayers and ratepayers receive the level of customer service that they deserve, and we are currently not measuring up. MEMORANDUM DATE: December 13, 2011 TO: Councilmember David Alvarez — Chair, Natural Resources …
Rostrafarians can’t agree on PPIC survey
It’s a sad day when the bloggers here can’t agree on something as basic as a tax increase. Three different blog posts today on the PPIC survey, which shows support for Gov. Brown’s tax proposal, yet our bloggers disagree on what to call the poll’s methodology. Check out the three headlines here. Dubious? Dishonest? Incompetent? Which is it? We’d better …
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