DeMaio Unveils Major Policy Proposals in 2011 State of the District Speech

Carl DeMaioCarl DeMaio Leave a Comment

In case you missed it here  is a full copy of my State of the District speech.  Below, we laid out the speech in broad form for your review.  Each initiative will be laid out in greater detail in the coming months.        — Carl   Pension Reform, Solar Energy, and Water Rate Reductions  Top List of Priorities Councilmember Carl DeMaio …

Shady California bookkeeping creates the nation’s largest budget shortfalls

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak Leave a Comment

Depending on the day, California taxpayers are on the hook for $25-28 billion of debt, however according to one state watchdog group this number is just the tip of the iceberg. California Political News reported that the $25 billion figure does not include $10 billion in outstanding lawsuits, $3 billion owed to government schools or the $146 billion owed to …

Ridiculous Developments in Redevelopment Saga

Aynd RandAynd Rand 3 Comments

Jerry Brown’s money grab of redevelopment funds has set off an orgy of spending projects up and down the State and everyone is trying to get a slice of the action. Here in San Diego, the City is planning to vote on over 4 Billion dollars in projects this week.  The San Diego school system, led by Richard Barrera, and …

From Twitter — SD Unified’s “Barrera Plan” Seeking City of San Diego Loan: Is it Legal?

Thor's AssistantRostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) Leave a Comment

The following is a Twitter conversation from Friday afternoon between Tony Manolatos, deputy chief of staff/communications director for Councilman Kevin Faulconer, and Evan McLaughlin, director of politics and legislation for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. Kelly Davis, associate editor of SD CityBeat, also joined the discussion near the end. The conversation stems from yesterday’s announcement by San …

Federal govt bans its own employees from unionizing

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

Here’s a Wall St. Journal “must read” article concerning government employee labor unions. Trust me. Technically, the federal employees CAN join labor unions. But they cannot negotiate either pay or benefits. And workers cannot be compelled to join, nor to pay dues. The Wisconsin bill allows the employee labor unions to negotiate pay, but not benefits. So it turns out …

Michael Barone says New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the Real Deal — His speech to the American Enterprise Institute

Jim SillsJim Sills 5 Comments

Michael Barone, author of the Almanac of American Politics, went to bat for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie this week, after  speaking to  him at the American Enterprise Institute, where Barone is a Resident Fellow.   Barone was impressed by Christie’s candor in his AEI speech,  “Drawing on his struggles with New Jerseys public employee unions over pensions and benefits, he turned to national issues.  …

NJ Governor Chris Christie Chickening Out?

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

Sadly, it look like NJ’s charismatic YouTube sensation Governor Chris Christie is chickening out. His “frank talk” leadership got the state fiscal reform ball rolling nationwide — with several state governors standing up to the public employee labor unions. But like many firebrands who settle in to their offices, he’s losing momentum, while other governors have passed him by with …

Are you better off since Obama took office? Not hardly.

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 5 Comments

Below is an excellent, current (about 2/15/11) snapshot of our national economy since the inauguration of President Obama (with Democrat control of both federal legislative bodies until this year). It seems that the goal of the table of figures is to disparage Barack — and well he’s earned it. It appears that Dick Morris first publicized this table of comparisons. …

Top 10 ways to tell if you might be a public-sector employee

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

I enjoyed this one. Quite funny, but too true to be hilarious. The Daily Caller Top ten ways to tell if you might be a member of a public-sector union By Rod Pennington – The Daily Caller 10.) You take a week off to protest in Wisconsin and your office runs better. 9.) On a snow day when they say …

Republicans celebrate Tony Krvaric’s 40th Birthday tonight at Rancho Bernardo Headquarters Party

Jim SillsJim Sills

It was a packed house tonight as well-wishers celebrated Tony Krvaric’s 40th birthday at the Republican Party of SD headquarters in Rancho Bernardo.  Among those attending were City Attorney Jan Goldsmith,  Escondido councilwoman Marie Waldron,  Fairbanks Ranch GOP Women President Linda Dealy,  pollster John Neinstedt,  political whirlwind Mindy Fletcher, Imperial Beach Councilman Brian P. Bilbray, and from Senator Joel Anderson’s office, …

City Beat Doesn’t Check It’s Facts

Mr. MurphyMr. Murphy 6 Comments

Regarding today’s Voice of San Diego blurb… CityBeat’s John Lamb’s incredibly lame excuse for printing an incorrect story. Yes, John, you should have put on your reading glasses. Sort of one of the normal obligations of the press when they decide to zing someone. All of us know you salivate wildly at any hint of negative news (or news you …

Statewide Report Reinforces San Diego Pension Reform

Carl DeMaioCarl DeMaio Leave a Comment

The Little Hoover Commission just released a bipartisan report on public employee pensions. The data is sobering to say the least.   ·         The 10 largest public pension plans in California faced a combined shortfall of more than $240 Billion in 2010.   ·         Major cities in California including San Diego are or will be spending 1/3 of their operating …

Last Stop For the Union Gravy Train

Guest ColumnGuest Column Leave a Comment

Guest Commentary by Rhonda Deniston In November 2010 the American voter sent a luminous message around the nation that they want responsible and fiscally conservative representatives, not at just the Federal level, but at the state and local level as well. Wisconsin, a leftist state, actually voted for both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama by double digits in recent elections, …

Wisconsin Update – Gallup Poll, Local Coalition Presser

B-DaddyB-Daddy 1 Comment

As I feared, the initial reaction to the specific issue of restricting collective bargaining for public employees is not favorable, according to Gallup, with 61% opposed. This, despite an earlier Rasmussen poll that shows support for Governor Walker’s overall approach. HotAir points out that Gallup has not released the details of this poll, so it is hard to analyze the …

Funny Business in Sweetwater

South Bay SunnycrestSouth Bay Sunnycrest 2 Comments

I was alerted to a story by the U-T regarding scores of change orders being made to construction contracts at the Sweetwater Union High School District. In the article, several residents raise concerns about the oversight (or lack thereof) regarding the district’s spending of Proposition O funds. Within the last few months however, there has been a Recall Ricasa blog …

Assemblyman Martin Garrick takes preliminary steps for a State Senate bid in North County’s 38th district

Jim SillsJim Sills 1 Comment

Today,  State Assemblyman Martin Garrick (R-Solana Beach)  officially announced an exploratory committee for the 38th state senate district, where incumbent Mark Wyland  is term-limited in 2014.  Assemblyman Garrick is now serving his 3rd, and final, term in the Assembly.   Garrick’s campaigns have been helmed by Revolvis consulting, which is led by Duane Dichiara and Jason Roe of San Diego. Garrick rose to become …

Ex-Minuteman Shawna Forde gets the death penalty for Arizona double murder

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak Leave a Comment

Shawna Forde, a rogue ex-minuteman border activist from Everett, Washington was convicted of first degree murder for the double homicide of a suspected Mexican drug dealer, Raul Flores and his 9-year old daughter, Brisenia Flores and today the jury sentenced her to death. It only took the jury four hours of deliberation before concluding Forde could have stopped the murders …

The ‘hitmen’ of SD Rostra need a “beer summit” with Two Cathedrals

Ryan PurdyRyan Purdy 7 Comments

The call to “civil discourse” was never anything more than a call to censorship of the right. The local “progressive” blog Two Cathedrals objected to my use of “hitmen.”  I used it to describe the men of the left who are coming after Darrell Issa.  Never mind that the liberal allies of these particular operatives have bragged that Averell “Ace” …