Tom Shepard, Puppet Master. Which County Supervisors’ Strings Will He Pull Tomorrow?

Brian BradyBrian Brady 10 Comments

Tom Shepard is up to his old shenanigans again. Shepard-backed Supervisor Ron Roberts is introducing a proposal to limit candidate donations from political parties in San Diego County. Guess why? To protect two of Shepard’s other clients, up for re-election in 2016: Dianne Jacob and Greg Cox. It also gives Shepard a chance to make MORE money by forming and/or consulting for “independent expenditure committees” …

Local GOP: Republican County Supervisors Attack Political Party Contributions!

Press Releases / Media AdvisoriesPress Releases / Media Advisories 6 Comments

From the Republican Party of San Diego… THIS IS AN URGENT MESSAGE. PLEASE READ THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY! County Supervisor Ron Roberts is attacking our Party and its ability to participate in the political process by making direct contributions to its endorsed county candidates. From what I’ve been able to gather, both Greg Cox and Dianne Jacob are IN SUPPORT …

At Least the Fleece Awards Were Cute: SDCTA Hands Out 2012 Goldens

The Libertarian Lass, Gayle FalkenthalThe Libertarian Lass, Gayle Falkenthal Leave a Comment

Smart governing decisions saving taxpayer dollars and collaborative initiatives took top honors, while cavalier attitudes and lost opportunities were called out and shamed at the San Diego County Taxpayers Association (SDCTA)’s 17th annual Goldens Awards Dinner, held at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in Mission Valley. Remote controls were nowhere in sight as the evening’s theme “Taxpayer …

The Danon Steamroller has some competition

Jerome StocksJerome Stocks Leave a Comment

The local San Diego great politico John Dadian is quoted as calling the Steve Danon campaign for the 3rd District Supervisorial seat “the steamroller,” but thus far there hasn’t been much to roll over since he had drawn no opponents and the incumbent has bowed out of the race. Well folks, we’re in a new year and things have changed! …

Mayor of major District 3 city, Sam Abed of Escondido, endorses Steve Danon over incumbent Supervisor Pam Slater-Price

Jim SillsJim Sills 4 Comments

Just as redistricting made Escondido more important than ever, the City’s new mayor Sam Abed this week  endorsed GOP challenger Steve Danon over  incumbent Pam Slater-Price (also a Republican). The pending removal of both  La Jolla and Pacific Beach (City of San Diego) from Slater-Price’s district gives Escondido a bigger voice in next June’s  vital primary election. “We need new …

La Jolla’s Out, Rancho Santa Fe’s In

Erica HollowayErica Holloway 3 Comments

With the mayor’s race sucking up all the oxygen, it’s hard to imagine there’s any other political news anywhere in San Diego County, but there is. Tomorrow, San Diego County’s Redistricting Advisory Committee will present three proposals to redraw the supervisors’ seats. All the maps propose lifting La Jolla out of Supervisor Pam Slater-Price’s district and moving it to Supervisor …

Heidi Klum’s Take on the San Diego Mayor’s Race

The Libertarian Lass, Gayle FalkenthalThe Libertarian Lass, Gayle Falkenthal 14 Comments

Do I know what will drive Rostra reader traffic, or what? While Mrs. Seal hasn’t technically made any direct comment, her admonition to contestants on her reality show “Project Runway” applies nicely. As in fashion, in politics one day you’re in, and the next day you’re out. In a few short days on June 5 when fundraising can begin, all …

Denise Ducheny’s ‘Triple Crown Year’ may Haunt possible 2012 bid vs. Supervisor Greg Cox — She topped 40-member state Senate in Office Budget, Staff Salaries & Benefits … and Per Diem income

Jim SillsJim Sills Leave a Comment

Major League baseball has not had a Triple Crown winner since 1967, but latest State figures show State Senator Denise Ducheny  reached a similar  feat while Senate Budget Committee Chair.   Ducheny was  #1 in total office budget ($1,274,117), …   #1  in total Staff salaries &  benefits ($1,108,429) ….   and tied for first in the famous Per Diem payments ($38,042).   All those #1 scores …

San Diego County General Plan Update is Fatally Flawed

Guest ColumnGuest Column 4 Comments

Guest Commentary by Hon. Scott Barnett and Dr. Richard Parker Like anything in life, there’s no use doing something quickly if it’s not going to be done right. The adage couldn’t be more relevant to the current effort to update San Diego County’s General Plan. The Board of Supervisors will soon meet again on the plan, and after years of …

TONIGHT: Post-Election Analysis with Consultant Hoy, Pollster Nienstedt

Erica HollowayErica Holloway 1 Comment

I’m not exactly the most devoted GOP meeting attendee. But I’ll be there tonight to hear the recap of the wildly dead-on pollster John Nienstedt and Nov. 2 success-story consultant John Hoy. I had the honor of working with both men on Proposition A – which crossed the finish line easily with more than 70 percent of the vote. Conversely …

Vote! It Feels Good

Erica HollowayErica Holloway 4 Comments

With Election Day two weeks away, I was intrigued by a North County Times article yesterday by Mark Walker on the changing campaign strategies used due to early and mail-in voting. The article reads: “Fully one-half of voters in San Diego County vote by mail while the number is near 40 percent in Riverside County. The shift is reshaping how …

Yes on A Gets Local, National Attention

Erica HollowayErica Holloway Leave a Comment

Not too often that you see a local proposition garner national media attention, but that’s just what the Yes on A camp snagged last week following a feisty debate on KPBS’s “These Days.”

End Run, Touchdown!

Erica HollowayErica Holloway Leave a Comment

The quarterback gives the play in the huddle. Just after the snap, the defenders push to the center and the quarterback gets plowed from the side. The reason: the line decided to go with another play. In case you’re wondering, the public is the quarterback in this end run on the tax cap increase for the Centre City Development Corp. …

Yes on Prop A Endorsements Piling Up

Erica HollowayErica Holloway Leave a Comment

Strong Key Support Backs Local Jobs for Local Workers The list of endorsements continues to grow for Proposition A as the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and North County Times editorial staff backed the ballot measure for local construction jobs. The passage of Proposition A on November 2 would enact a charter amendment at the County of San Diego prohibiting …

Electoral Analysis: Ron Roberts, Re-elected.

Vince VasquezVince Vasquez 3 Comments

This election season, all eyes have turned towards the re-election contest of County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who is facing off against challengers Stephen Whitburn, Shelia Jackson, Juan del Rio and Margaret Moody in the seemingly competitive 4th Supervisorial District. As of May 27, the County Registrar of Voters counted 127,658 Democrats, 67,528 Republicans, and 66,554 Decline to State voters in …

Bill Horn has earned a New Term as our County Supervisor, in North County’s 5th District

Jim SillsJim Sills

Native San Diegan. Graduate of Mission Bay High School and San Diego State (where he joined pro-Civil Rights protests in the 1960s). Post-graduate studies with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, seeing plenty of combat against North Vietnamese regulars and eventually became Captain Bill Horn. When Vietnamese refugees crowded Camp Pendleton in the mid-1970s, former Marine Bill Horn became the …

Jeff Stone takes “Slush Funding” to a New Level

Steve GrammSteve Gramm

Just when we thought the San Diego County Board of Supervisors was as blatant as it could get in spreading their “discretionary” taxpayer monies (slush funds, to be exact) around the community as a way to promote their names and curry favor, then we take a look next door. Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone has taken the use of taxpayer …

FRIDAY: Important decision on Private Property Rights… Please Speak Up!

Guest ColumnGuest Column 3 Comments

See the guest column by Randy Lenac below… Editor’s note… It has been a nearly invisible process to most people in San Diego County, yet may ultimately have a tremendous impact on the right of the citizens to be safe in their knowledge that government can’t simply violate the basic tenet of private property rights.  The decision will answer the …