From my article at the North County Times: Local members of Congress back biotech, pharma regulatory reform LA JOLLA —- Biotech and pharmaceutical business leaders asking for more responsive government regulation got a sympathetic hearing from four local members of Congress at a forum Thursday. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee forum was convened by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista. …
Fixing California – A Reform Agenda
The Economist has a special report this week on the state of Democracy in California, and it is not good. For the last few years, I haven’t agreed with the magazines editorial positions on a growing number of issues, but they are still first rate journalists and point out some important facts. But before we get to the article, they …
A Q&A: Cuts to libraries and rec centers
I received an email Thursday from Voice of San Diego’s City Hall reporter asking for the councilman’s position on proposed cuts to libraries and rec centers. I had written a blog post a day earlier on San Diego Rostra that said some local reporters weren’t giving the City Council much of a say in stories about the proposed cuts. The email from Liam Dillon at the Voice …
Victory for Justice in National City
IJ Client Carlos Barragan Jr. at the CYAC gym in National City. The Institute for Justice has obtained a victory in the long running dispute between National City and the Community Youth Athletic Center, which was designated as blighted in order to allow seizure of the gym by the city so that an influential developer can build luxury condos. Dean …
Tom Shepard’s Stock Drops by 20 Percent. Not.
Longtime political strategist Tom Shepard may be among the most successful campaign consultants the San Diego area has seen, but he is most certainly unmatched in one rather unique category. Who before him could ever lay claim to being the consultant for every one of the members of the County Board of Supervisors…simultaneously? (Jim Sills, if you can actually come …
When Bills About History Make History
Originally written by Bob Siegel and published in The Washington Times Communities, 4-21-11. Used by permission. SAN DIEGO, April 21,24, 2011 —There is a new bill making its way through the California legislature. It already passed the Senate. If it also passes the Assembly and gets signed, public school teachers will be required to update both their lectures and their …
East County Meatballs Have Their Say on Pension Reform
The National Albondigas Political Society (East County Chapter) convened today in El Cajon, also known as the Gateway to El Centro. El Cajon Mayor Mark “Meatball” Lewis lent his presence as did the likes of numerous East County councilmembers, school and water board, hospital district board members, Chamber officials, business leaders, political consultants, staff representatives of local elected officials, lobbyists …
New Report Shows Fire Department Compensation 137% to 325% Higher than Private Sector Benchmarks
Councilmembers DeMaio and Zapf Call for Critical Review of Fire Department Labor Costs Councilmembers Carl DeMaio and Lorie Zapf today released a troubling report showing extreme differences between Fire Department employees and similarly qualified employees of private sector ambulance companies. The analysis showed the Fire Department is paying salaries that are 137% to 325% higher for comparable work in the …
Councilman pitches bright idea for street lights
From 760KFMB: Posted: Apr 21, 2011 1:45 PM PDT SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The City of San Diego could save taxpayer money by installing solar panels on as many as 33,000 street lights due to be replaced, a councilman said Thursday. The panels would provide enough electricity to run the lights, and any excess could be sold to San Diego …
Texas snatches 1,000 high-paying eBay jobs from California (Corrected)
Correction from Rostra Admin, 4/25/11… We contacted Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s Chief of Staff Ray Sullivan (a former San Diegan) about this article, related to the claim that the jobs are being relocated from California to Texas. Mr. Sullivan’s response: “These are new jobs as I understand it…added in Texas instead of California. So, few if any eBay personnel will …
FlashReport: Controversy Swirls Around Partisan Staffer of San Diego Redistricting Commission, Assemblywoman’s Daughter
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 …
‘Club for Growth’ National President Chris Chocola speaks in San Diego on Tuesday — Fairbanks Republican Women host
Thanks to Linda Dealy for the news: The Club for Growth’s President, former Congressman Chris Chocola, will speak in San Diego next Tuesday evening, and tickets to the event are a very-affordable $50 ! You can register to attend on-line here: www.frwf.org Chris Chocola represented the “Notre Dame” district of Indiana, winning it away from Democrats in 2002, before losing in the ‘wave’ …
GPU and the Future of San Diego County
Guest Commentary by County Supervisor Bill Horn This month, the Board of Supervisors made a decision on what I consider the most important issue I have dealt with during my 16 years as your County Supervisor. The vote was to move ahead with the County’s General Plan Update (GPU), a document that sets the course for land use decisions in …
Terrorism’s down-payment in the form of drugs and U.S. aid money (part 4)
Afghanistan’s corruption is legendary (see Part 3 in this series). The war-torn tribal nation provides fertile fields for training terrorists and growing poppies, is home to al Qaeda, and is where the 9/11 plotters hatched their terrorist attack on America. But sadly, in the worst kept secret in Central Asia, the U.S. condones and encourages the growing of poppies, the …
Odds of saving libraries and rec centers better than Lions making playoffs
Stories about budget cuts are easy to tell and reaction is fierce, but the coverage is often misleading Just about every media outlet has recently and repeatedly told San Diegans the news isn’t good – massive cuts to your libraries and rec centers are coming. It’s a great story for the overworked journalist. Easy to report. Easy to write. Readers, …
Dual Profiles for Redistricting Chief Midori Wong
KUSI’s story about the liberal partisans on the “independent” Redistricting Commission has reverberated throughout San Diego. KUSI sat down with Redistricting Commission Chief of Staff Midori Wong. The Redistricting Commission website’s profile of Wong does not mention her being a 2010 fellow of the liberal New Leaders Council. It also omitted her campaigning for Democrat Assemblymember Mariko Yamada, her mother, …
Filling the Obama Gap on Immigration Reform
President Obama discussing immigration reform in June 2009, Official White House Photo by Pete Souza. In a clear signal that Obama will demagogue any issue to help his re-election chances, we read this from the U-T. President Barack Obama told about 70 national leaders in a private meeting Tuesday that immigration reform is still one of his priorities despite the …
Eyewitness account — Sylvia Sullivan writes about last Weekend’s turbulent CRA convention in Sacramento
Sylvia Sullivan is a much-respected East County conservative leader. In this column she describes last weekend’s chaotic CRA convention in Sacramento. Incredibly, she reports here, Senator Joel Anderson and others were denied their right to vote as CRA delegates. Here is Sylvia’s eyewitness account: There were four police squad cars in the front parking lot as I arrived at the CRA …
Welfare checks can be used to buy alcohol and cigarettes in California
On a straight party-line vote California lawmakers gave the green light for welfare recipients to purchase alcohol and tobacco products using taxpayer money. The insanity in the Golden State continues despite the state’s $23 billion deficit and double-digit unemployment. Recently California changed the way it disperses food stamps. In an effort to take the stigma away from food stamps the …
Stirling: Dumanis would be a tool of the public employee unions
Submitted as a comment by Retired State Senator and Judge Larry Stirling… D.A. Dumanis betrays her lack of experience in any public-policy arena besides the narrow one of politics and the criminal-justice system with her position on the retirement issue. Because of the magic of compounding and the time-value of money, the entirely portable, front loaded, and privately managed defined-payment …
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