Exposed: Empower San Diego’s Last Ditch Political Play – And Interesting Friends

Eliot NessEliot Ness 8 Comments

It’s no secret that various interest groups have been actively lobbying the San Diego Redistricting Commission over the past few months. One of the most active groups has been Empower San Diego which even managed to get one of their own, Commissioner Theresa Quiroz on the actual commission and who has been carrying their water ever since. The commission has …

So What Will the Candidates for Mayor Raise?

CriticusCriticus 11 Comments

The first campaign disclosure cut off for raising money in the City of San Diego Mayor’s race is this Thursday. I could give my predictions here about what I think the candidates will raise, but then I’d have to read the whole chain of campaign partisans chanting about my bias. So, I’ll just leave it up to the readers to …

10News Self-Proclaimed Scientific Poll Results in Mayor’s Race

Thor's AssistantRostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) 10 Comments

Channel 10 proclaims its poll as science, without noting the methodology, and turns to a “political scientist” as an expert. It’s all very scientific. Yet, the results are still interesting… Councilman Carl DeMaio 22% District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis 15% Rep. Bob Filner 14% State Senator Christine Kehoe 12% State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher  7% Here ya go… http://www.10news.com/news/28176616/detail.html

“Outsider’s View, Insider’s Understanding” … Bob Filner’s new fundraising Note … But Why send the donations to BURBANK ?

Jim SillsJim Sills

Knowing he will be labeled a “Career Politician”  (SD Mayor is his 15th campaign since 1979!),  Bob Filner’s committee  sent out an interesting fundraising e-mail pitch on Friday. “The job of Mayor demands an outsider’s view and approach combined with an insider’s understanding of the problems and the solutions,”  Filner writes in a signed  letter. Filner then asks for donations by the June 30 reporting  deadline.  …

Sources: Kehoe camp telling supporters she won’t run for Mayor — Rematch with Brian Bilbray for Congress instead?

Jim SillsJim Sills 4 Comments

Reliable sources  say the Kehoe campaign is telling supporters this week she will pass up a race for Mayor.   That rumor has been out there, but our account  is based on independent  information gathering.  So,  if Kehoe ultimately does step aside for SD Mayor, what would be next ? The draft June 10 State redistricting maps offer an intriguing potential Congressional race between Rep. Brian Bilbray …

Early Impressions of 2012 Mayor’s Race

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 11 Comments

Donna is San Diego’s political rock star. She is John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Eminem rolled into one. San Diego’s mayoral primary is a year away but it comes up just about every day. So please bear with me as I share a few thoughts. Let’s call it, “Early Impressions.” Early Impression No. 1: Too many people have written off …

My Mayor Website’s Better Than Yours

Erica HollowayErica Holloway 28 Comments

As I mentioned in my recent Rostra blog on the mayor’s race, the three Republican candidates gotta spring from the gates to grab support and money. They need to do that by distinguishing themselves as to who they are in the race, which they can define not only by what they do on the trail but who supports them. So, …

No June Gloom for Leaders in Albondigas Meatball Poll

The Libertarian Lass, Gayle FalkenthalThe Libertarian Lass, Gayle Falkenthal 4 Comments

Albongidas members like their politics spicy. The Mayor’s race in the City of San Diego is tailor made for this bunch and it remains the hot topic of monthly gatherings by members of the San Diego Chapter at Cafe Coyote in Old Town. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis made the first official visit by a declared mayoral candidate on Friday, June …

Fletcher’s Union, Big-Gov’t Record

Aynd RandAynd Rand 8 Comments

The title for this post is taken from a recent article by Steven Greenhut on the CalWatchDog website.   This article was clearly written in response to Fletcher’s official announcement that he’s running for Mayor.  One of the interesting things to follow in this race is how the candidates, and their campaigns, cope with the harsh scrutiny they will receive over …

Poll: DeMaio Takes Early Lead in Race for Mayor

Vince VasquezVince Vasquez 18 Comments

A new SurveyUSA poll reveals Councilmember Carl DeMaio has taken an early lead in the race for Mayor of San Diego. In a poll that surveyed 538 registered city voters, DeMaio leads the growing pack of candidates with 22% of the vote. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who announced her candidacy in March, comes in second place at 15%, and Democratic …

GOP Mayoral Candidates Jump to the Front: Dumanis Fav Among Insiders, DeMaio Choice of the Electorate

Owen KelloggOwen Kellogg 3 Comments

The Mayoral race has gotten off to a blistering pace: DeMaio, Fletcher, and now Filner are in; Faulconer is out. Surprisingly, there is a swift and early movement to coalesce center-right establishment support behind Dumanis. In just the last 36 hours Dumanis has received the endorsements of both Faulconer and Sanders. At the same time a SurveyUSA poll, sponsored by 10 News, shows DeMaio up substantially. He leads among every major demographic but women.

Nehring: Filner can’t win House against Vargas, so runs for Mayor

Thor's AssistantRostra Administrator (Thor's Assistant) 8 Comments

Press Release from Ron Nehring.. REPUBLICANS DISMISS FILNER MAYORAL CANDIDACY AS DESPERATE RETIREMENT PLAN Controversial congressman’s announcement follows release of new district maps showing Filner could not be re-elected in 2012 SAN DIEGO — Citing Bob Filner’s decision to run for mayor coming on the heels of new Congressional district maps released this week, San Diego Republicans dismissed the controversial …

The Mayor’s Race – First Few Days

Mr. MurphyMr. Murphy 12 Comments

Some observations on the first few days of the Mayor’s race: #1 Republicans Up. The Republican candidates for Mayor (DeMaio, Dumanis, Fletcher) are up and running: raising money, throwing up websites, gathering endorsements, hiring consultants. The Democrats are having a harder time getting on their feet. I can’t imagine this is planned. More like they spent so long deciding that …

Bob Filner registers to vote in San Diego City, after 7 years in Chula Vista …… But now He lives in Susan Davis’ Congressional district !

Jim SillsJim Sills 1 Comment

Representative  Bob Filner  registered to vote in the City of San Diego on Monday, after voting from Chula Vista the previous 7  years  (per Registrar of Voters records viewed by SD Rostra).  The longtime Congressman’s new voting location, however, is in Downtown San Diego, and the Registrar’s data base says that’s inside the 53rd  U.S.  House district, represented by his fellow Democrat,  Susan Davis! …

My Thoughts from DeMaio’s Announcement

Owen KelloggOwen Kellogg 4 Comments

For me, the most interesting thing about the speech wasn’t the text of the actual speech. Don’t get me wrong, it was a very good speech that focused on his plans to fight for the fiscal future of San Diego. He hit all the fiscal conservative points and really dialed in on pension reform. But what was really intriguing was …

Mayoral Candidate Fletcher on the Pension Initiative

CriticusCriticus 5 Comments

From this morning’s Union Tribune in regard to the ballot measure to fix city pensions: Fletcher said he won’t decide whether to support the ballot measure until a fiscal and legal analysis have been done. He also said he has concerns about stripping pensions away from newly hired firefighters, as the measure would do. “It is clear we have to …

DeMaio and Fletcher are In

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

Today… SDUT: Fletcher to run for San Diego mayor SDUT: DeMaio kicks off campaign for San Diego mayor Prior stories… Rostra: Heidi Klum’s Take on the San Diego Mayor’s Race Rostra: Deep Thoughts….By People Who May Be Your Mayor Someday SDUT: Kehoe explores run for San Diego mayor Voice: Kehoe Explores Mayoral Candidacy Voice: Kehoe — Let’s Talk Pensions Later …

Deep Thoughts….By People Who May Be Your Mayor Someday

Tony ManolatosTony Manolatos 8 Comments

In the spirit of election season, which officially kicks off Sunday, here are some deep thoughts by people who may be San Diego’s Mayor someday: “San Diegans want an app that routes all of their complaints to an intern in my office.” ~Carl DeMaio “San Diegans are tired of drinking at the beach.” ~Kevin Faulconer “San Diegans want a new Chargers …

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 …

As the Albondigas Turn: May’s Meatball Mayoral Poll

The Libertarian Lass, Gayle FalkenthalThe Libertarian Lass, Gayle Falkenthal 3 Comments

In the previous edition of the already legendary Albondigas San Diego Meatball Poll (and who are we to argue with this assertion), Councilmember Carl DeMaio, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, and Congressman Bob Filner were the top three picks in February for the San Diego Mayor’s race. Back when this poll took place, Charlie Sheen was still on “Two and a Half …