New City of San Diego Sales Tax Coming?

Owen KelloggOwen Kellogg 3 Comments

Sounds like it if the new Council President Todd Gloria gets his way. The North County Times reports: New SD Council President Pitches Tax Increase Neither new mayor nor council offer immediate reaction to $900 millon proposal The new president of the San Diego City Council — rising Democratic star Todd Gloria — said he wants to put before city …

Faulconer’s open letter to Mayor Filner

Matt AwbreyMatt Awbrey Leave a Comment

Today, Mayor Bob Filner and two new San Diego City Councilmembers — Mark Kersey and Scott Sherman — were sworn into office. In his op-ed in Sunday’s U-T San Diego, Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer laid out areas the new mayor and City Council can focus on together to keep City Hall accountable and working for San Diegans. In …

Progressives Look to Filner to Whack at San Diego’s Economy

B-DaddyB-Daddy 4 Comments

Kelly Davis of CityBeat has performed a public service in detailing some areas where Bob Filner’s philosophy will have a negative impact on the city’s economy.  Of course, Davis doesn’t take that view, but a review of potential “progressive” action items doesn’t bode well for the local economy. Development. Progressives complain about the city reorganization that saved some money and …

Study: Majority of Votes Cast in SD Mayoral Election Will be Absentee Voters

Vince VasquezVince Vasquez 4 Comments

For The First Time, Absentee Voters Will Dominate San Diego City Mayoral Election SAN DIEGO – In the past three San Diego mayoral elections, the majority of votes in the general election were cast on Election Day. However, a new analysis by the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR) projects a historic change this year, as mailed ballots …

#Cointossgate: Filner Loses a Coin Toss, Then Loses It, Leaves DeMaio #Eastwooding

Ryan PurdyRyan Purdy 8 Comments

Video added at bottom of post ______ It was surreal… and televised. As we well know, Bob Filner is a Congressman and can do whatever he wants. Alas, the cruel hand of probability did not get the memo. Probability did not give The Entitled One that which he wanted. Unthinkable. Mayoral candidate Filner lost a coin toss. The coin toss …

Faulconer Speaks Out Against Proposal to Increase Pension Debt

Matt AwbreyMatt Awbrey 1 Comment

San Diegans voted for Comprehensive Pension Reform to fix the pension problem now. In fact, much of the City of San Diego’s financial turnaround over the past few years is attributable to local leaders taking the bull by the horns and not putting off difficult choices to future generations. Today, Kevin Faulconer continued to speak out against a plan that …

Beyond Lilygate: Since When Did Filner and the Left Start Caring About Vandalism?

Ryan PurdyRyan Purdy 11 Comments

Last fall, given the amount of public and private property that Occupy Wall Street burned, destroyed and even defecated on, I began to wonder anew if there were any forms of vandalism to which the left objected.  Alas, Lilygate provided a silver lining. Whatever the intent of the water fighting revelers, some of them destroyed a source of civic pride …

Bob Filner’s Week of Lily Pond Lies

Ryan PurdyRyan Purdy 9 Comments

In just one week, mayoral candidate Bob Filner reeled off so many outright lies and misstatements he is in jeopardy of giving our doddering Vice President Joe Biden some serious gaffe-envy. It started at last week’s debate at the Institute of the Americas. Filner ignorantly called out Councilmember DeMaio for not having a diverse staff. Of course, out of a …

The Times They Are A-Changin: Filner Hires Shepard

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 5 Comments

Cross-posted on FlashReport The rumors about Democrat Bob Filner signing Republican political consultant Tom Shepard became reality on Wednesday. The U-T San Diego posted a story about the move last night. A blog post went up on San Diego Rostra about the same time. And there was Tony Krvaric’s email blast. The chair of local GOP didn’t mince words. His subject line: “BREAKING: Tom Shepard betrays our reform effort and …

Meet New Carl and New Bob

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos Leave a Comment

Cross-posted at FlashReport San Diego Politics & Media Mashup Republican Carl DeMaio has hired a Democrat and Democrat Bob Filner is on board with pension reform. Who spiked the water in San Diego? Relax. There’s no need to panic. The water is clean…I mean drinkable. So why are we seeing New Carl and New Bob popping up in stories? Here’s the thing — election season is …

Reviewing Precinct Returns from the San Diego Mayoral Election

Vince VasquezVince Vasquez 2 Comments

  The race to become mayor of the City of San Diego has narrowed down to two finalists. In this policy brief the National University System Institute for Policy Research (NUSIPR) analyzed newly released electoral data from the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ office using GIS software. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The June mayoral primary was a partisan election. Interstate …

The Oracle Speaks

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 26 Comments

[captionpix imgsrc=”http://sdrostra.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/john-tj.jpg” captiontext=”John Nienstedt, President of Competitive Edge, and T.J. Zane, President & CEO of The Lincoln Club of San Diego County, at the Lincoln Club’s Election Night Reception. Photo by: Melissa Jacobs”] Politics & Media Mashup I worked on a campaign with local pollster John Nienstedt a couple years ago and after he explained in a group email – a …

Texts From Mayoral Candidates – Part V

Thor's AssistantRostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) 1 Comment

We texted the San Diego mayoral candidates and asked them, “What movie and song best describes your campaign?” Here are their replies: That’s easy. Movie: The Empire Strikes Back. Song: “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a laser focused take-no-prisoners team of crusaders armed with a Roadmap that returns Republican control to San Diego. ___ We see Purple at …

Fletcher Wins Race For Most Klout

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 8 Comments

Politics & Media Mashup I wrote a post six months ago comparing the Klout scores of San Diego mayoral candidates, council members and a few others who know their way around Facebook and Twitter. It generated a little buzz. Tony Krvaric, Todd Gloria and others compared their scores on Twitter. Former U-T San Diego columnist Tom Blair mentioned the post in …

Last Major San Diego Mayoral Debate Mashup

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 1 Comment

The San Diego Association of REALTORS® (SDAR), San Diego County Taxpayers Association and The Lincoln Club of San Diego County hosted today’s debate at the Town and Country Resort and Conference Center. SDAR wants to thank all of the candidates for a spirited debate, the 500 or so people who filled the ballroom and those of you who watched and …

Mayor’s Race Takes Me Back to 7th Grade

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 6 Comments

Politics & Media Mashup We’re 10 days out from Election Day and here is what we know about the San Diego mayoral race: Carl DeMaio is in. The second spot looks like it’s going to go down to the wire. Bob Filner is carrying a slight edge over Nathan Fletcher. Trailing behind is Bonnie Dumanis, but she’s not going down …

Last Major Mayoral Debate – Today

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 1 Comment

The San Diego Association of REALTORS® (SDAR), one of my clients, is hosting the last major mayoral debate. When: Wednesday, May 30 Time: Registration & VIP Reception at 11AM; Lunch at 11:45AM; Debate at 12:15PM Location: Town & County Conference Center in Mission Valley. Debate is in the Golden Pacific Ballroom. VIP Reception is for media, candidates and guests and is in …

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 …

Texts From Mayoral Candidates: Part IV

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

We texted the following image to each of the San Diego mayoral candidates and asked them, “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see this photo?” ___ Here are their replies:  I’m so fortunate…Papa Doug has no idea I’m gay. ___  I used to read that rag but I’ve switched to Voice of San Diego. ___  There’s …

U-T Editor Puts Paper in Awkward Position

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 10 Comments

Politics & Media Mashup Some believe Nathan Fletcher is at war with U-T San Diego. I wouldn’t call it war, but relations certainly are chilly. Fletcher’s expectations for his morning newspaper aren’t what they used to be. That might not be a big deal if the election wasn’t less than a month away. For all its troubles, the U-T is still the …