June 30 Reception for the “Competition Works” Campaign

Carl DeMaioCarl DeMaio 3 Comments

Wine Reception Fundraiser With City Councilmember Carl DeMaio Supporting the “Competition and Transparency in City Contracting” November 2010 Ballot Measure Wednesday, June 30th 5:30pm – 7:00pm Tango Wine Company 2161 India Street – San Diego, CA 92101 Dear Friends: WE DID IT!  After five months, we collected 138,000 signatures from San Diego voters to qualify the “Competition and Transparency in …

A swipe of the pen for Obama equals amnesty

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak Leave a Comment

Americans are mad. They are mad at the sluggish economy, they are mad at the gulf oil spill and they are mad that President Obama continues to make mistake after mistake. Luckily for the President, he had the longest honeymoon period of any president in recent history. Unfortunately for the President, Americans are waking up from their slumber, paying attention …

Obama’s Rules Of Engagement

Bob SiegelBob Siegel Leave a Comment

Now men, we sent you to Afghanistan to fight a war and each of you have been issued a gun, however (and this is very important) under no circumstances are you to actually use that gun to fire upon the enemy unless the following conditions are obeyed: 1) If the enemy is in a mosque, you may not fire because …

June 25– Juan Vargas now LEADS Mary Salas by SIX votes in 40th senate Primary

Jim SillsJim Sills 7 Comments

Completing an astonishing week-long comeback , Juan Vargas today claimed the LEAD over rival Mary Salas in their classic 40th district Democratic primary. San Diego’s Registrar posted new results minutes ago.  No updates yet today in Riverside or Imperial counties. The new overall totals for the three-county district are…. ….Vargas….24,079…. Salas…. 24,073. Vargas added 66 new San Diego votes today, …

June 24 — Juan Vargas now ONE Vote (!) Behind Mary Salas….Amazing 40th state senate primary Rolls On

Jim SillsJim Sills 9 Comments

Does One Vote really matter? …. YES ! … With updates today from Riverside and Imperial counties, State Senate rivals Juan Vargas and Mary Salas are now just ONE vote apart. Vargas today added 16 votes to his Imperial lead (from +911 to +927). Vargas reduced Salas’ lead in San Diego from +853, to +822, this afternoon. So your Updated …

Forget Congress – Obama may grant amnesty by executive order

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak 1 Comment

Imagine the possibilities. With the stroke of a pen 15-20 million illegal immigrants could be exempted from deportation. In an attempt to bypass Congress, the legislative process and our Constitution which guarantees of the people by the people, President Obama has shown signs that he may sign an executive order that will throw sand in the face of the will …

Juan Vargas Closing In — now just 96 votes behind Mary Salas in classic State Senate primary

Jim SillsJim Sills 8 Comments

Oh Doctor ! …… What a 9th Inning rally Juan Vargas is putting on right now in the 40th State Senate district. Today Vargas gained 54 more votes on Mary Salas in the San Diego County update (288 to 234). When added to totals in Imperial and Riverside counties, that cuts Ms. Salas’ overall lead district-wide to just 96 votes. (There were no updates in …

On eve of Afghanistan offensive General McChrystal in hot water amid Rolling Stone story

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak 2 Comments

A hierarchical undercutting in the decision making process in any work environment lends itself to a severe tongue lashing, however, in the military world it requires one of two things – resignation or firing. This is exactly the position current Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal finds himself in.  A senior Capitol Hill source says McChrystal will resign, leaving the White House …

U-T’s America’s Finest Blog in limbo

Barry JantzBarry Jantz 14 Comments

As changes at the Union-Trib continue with last week’s seventh round of staff layoffs, it appears no stone is being left unturned as management determines the future of the paper, including its online content.  Check out yesterday’s entry by Chris Reed on America’s Finest Blog… http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/americas-finest/2010/jun/22/whats-americas-finest/ Let’s hope the mucketies at the paper find continued value in pushing the blog …

Juan Vargas now within 150 Votes of Mary Salas in the three-county 40th state senate Democratic race

Jim SillsJim Sills 9 Comments

In recent days, Juan Vargas has quietly closed ground on Mary Salas in their contest for the 40th senate Democratic nomination. The district includes parts of S.D., Imperial and Riverside counties. But today Vargas really surged. Imperial County’s update showed the Vargas lead there growing to 911 votes, up from 809 yesterday. The San Diego update reduced the Salas lead here from 928 to 907 votes. …

Chula Vista race now Tied —– Jill Galvez 6,554….Patricia Aguilar 6,554….St. Anthony may be responsible

Jim SillsJim Sills 3 Comments

Just 1,000 more votes countywide were tabulated at the Registrar of Voters today (Tuesday) but that’s  enough to shake up results for Chula Vista council seat #2. Aguilar added 56 votes to her total since yesterday, while the Galvez number rose 36 ballots. That puts them even at 6,554 votes. They are competing for a runoff spot against Larry Breitfelder, who is well ahead in 1st …

Obama trades punches with Arizona Senator over secure borders

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak 1 Comment

After a one-on-one meeting with President Obama, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl dropped a bombshell about the White House’s lack of concern for securing the southern borders. At a town hall meeting in the Senator’s district of Tempe, Arizona on Friday, Kyl explained to the audience that President Obama told him in the oval office the problem with securing the borders …

Close Race Update —– 99% counted —- Steve Rosen, Jill Galvez, Ron Nehring, and John Mullen enter The Winner’s Circle

Jim SillsJim Sills 9 Comments

With 99% of all SD County ballots now counted, the “photo finish” race pictures are finally clearing up: * Jill Galvez (6518) hangs on to a 20-vote lead v. Patricia Aguilar (6498) for the runoff spot in Chula Vista council seat # 2. * Steve Rosen (11,310) KO’s SD school board incumbent Katherine Nakamura (11,003). * Ron Nehring (14,805) appears …

TBI and PTSD leaves the health of our troops in limbo

Kimberly DvorakKimberly Dvorak Leave a Comment

The signature wounds of the “War on Terror” are ones not readily visible to the human eye; the disability resides in the mind and body of the soldier and the complexity that is the human brain. Many times these wounds of warfare do not rear their ugly heads immediately, but can manifest when warriors return to their lives in America. …

Competition Initiative Endorsements: Taxpayers Savings and Pension Reform

Carl DeMaioCarl DeMaio Leave a Comment

We’re pleased to announce two key endorsements for the San Diego Competition Ballot Measure.  We will be announcing a new set of endorsements each week over the summer… -Carl Groups Cite Taxpayer Savings and Pension Reform in Endorsing Competition Ballot Measure Measure Wins Endorsement of 2 Statewide Taxpayer Groups SAN DIEGO – The campaign to pass the San Diego “Competition …

A city of 90,000 — with TWO city employees. It works!

Richard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax FightersRichard Rider, Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters 6 Comments

Carl DeMaio’s San Diego managed competition proposal is a tad short of my ideal model – but a quantum leap forward from our present predicament. I enthusiastically support his efforts. Yet it does raise the question – what WOULD be my ideal model, given the constraints of the real world we live in. My proposed model is indeed not a …

Honest pension liability accounting will bring needed change

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

Posted on my blog: RiderBlog.NotLong.com It appears that reality finally is coming to the arcane field of government pension accounting. So why should you care? Consider the following. If (as the Dan Walters article below suggests) we start getting really serious about fully accounting for the unfunded liability of government pensions, bankruptcy can’t be far behind for many local jurisdictions. …

Summer Reading List — The 3 Best-Ever American Novels about Elections — “The Ninth Wave”, “Last Hurrah”, “All the King’s Men”

Jim SillsJim Sills 11 Comments

Here are the three best American novels ever written about politics and elections. Each is first and foremost a Work of Art, but they are also entertaining and brilliant, making for good Summer Reading. Here they are: “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren. Pulitizer Prize winner, and Academy Award for Best Picture when Hollywood did its version. “The Ninth Wave” by Eugene Burdick. …

Breitfelder Resignation Announcement

Barry JantzBarry Jantz 1 Comment

Following up on my post of Thursday about Chula Vista City Council candidate Larry Breitfelder’s surprising resignation as an Otay Water District trustee, he sent me this press release… For Immediate Release:  Thursday, June 17, 2010 Breitfelder to Resign from Water Board Today Larry Breitfelder, winner of the Chula Vista City Council primary, will resign today from the Otay Water …