San Diego Rostra Readers: I hope you can make this neighborhood walk to collect signatures for the Competition and Transparency in City Contracting Initiative – so we can bring real change to San Diego city government in the 2010 elections! Details and RSVP below. Please pass on to all your contacts! -Carl DeMaio Signature Gathering Walk With City Councilmember Carl …
A Fresh Start for San Diego City Taxpayers
(originally featured in San Diego News Network) The recessionary turmoil and state tax increases of 2009 were a devastating one-two punch for many San Diego families, leaving few prepared for our unknown financial future. Rather than allow greater harm to befall our economy this year, City Hall leaders must take action today and prioritize the long-term interests of local taxpayers. …
Trivia Question: Bruce Henderson is Half the Answer
Our little Friday impromptu trivia contest resulted in a few decent guesses. The question: Who was the last City of San Diego councilmember (not mayor) that was voted out of office during a regular primary or general re-election campaign after serving only one four-year (elected) term of office? First to answer wins. The guesses received as of last night: Linda Bernardt, …
BREAKING: EMERALD CAUGHT ON TAPE BETRAYING CAMPAIGN PLEDGE NOT TO SUPPORT RAISING TAXES!!!!
I’m not exactly sure what would get me up in the morning if I didn’t think I’d have another move by Marti Emerald that put her one step closer to resignation (I’ll save the rumors on this for a later post) or recall. What did I awake to this morning? Half a dozen emails circulating around town which quote Emerald …
DeMaio Applauds Key Ruling on City Pension Benefits
A late-breaking court ruling on San Diego city pension benefits has earned the applause of Councilmember Carl DeMaio, who has steadfastly challenged the status quo on our policy options to reform our long-term financial obligations. A detailed press release from his office is below. I’ve watched some recent media interviews where other leaders at San Diego City Hall have been …
REPEALING TAXPAYER RIGHTS IS THE WRONG SOLUTION FOR SAN DIEGO’S FISCAL WOES
This Thursday evening, Voice of San Diego reporter Liam Dillon posted an article on San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders’ plan to study possibly two new back-door taxes on city residents – a stormwater fee and a trash collection fee – as part of a $179.1 million budget-balancing deal with the City Council. As Dillon notes, these two fees have been …
Proposed San Diego Permit Rules For Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Fall Short of Public Demands
This Tuesday, the San Diego City Council will review new land use & permitting regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, which have long been a source of controversy, criminal activity and quality of life problems in our community. Though polling data suggests that the overwhelming majority of San Diego residents are in favor of tough legal mandates for greater safety and …
FlashReport: Massive Budget Deficit Presents Opportunity
From Jon Fleischman at www.flashreport.org… There is a saying goes something like, “Adversity Breeds Opportunity.” This came to mind as I was reading stories in the SDUT, on the website of the Voice of San Diego, as well as a great column from FR friend Vince Vasquez on the up and coming SDRostra website — stories all about the massive …
San Diego City Taxpayers Need New Budget Solutions From City Hall
This Tuesday, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders publicly released his plan to close the estimated $179-201 million gap in the Fiscal Year 2011 General Fund budget at City Hall. While Sanders’ proposal minimizes the deficit’s impact on residents without raising taxes, it fails to secure the long-term interests of local taxpayers. Why? #1 Short-term financial fixes are heavily relied upon. …
DeMaio and Coalition File Ballot Measure
Over the transom… Please join us for a very important press conference at 1pm Monday at City Hall regarding a Charter Amendment that will have a huge impact on the city’s ability to balance its budget long-term. Please call to confirm attendance: Alicia, 858-382-2197 MEDIA ADVISORY DeMaio and Coalition File Ballot Initiative to Reform City Contracting Charter Amendment Would Provide Millions in Taxpayer …
New Poll Finds San Diegans Support Tough Rules on Cannabis Dispensaries
According to a new poll conducted by Competitive Edge Research & Communication (CERC), San Diegans want tough regulatory oversight for medical marijuana dispensaries, which are opening up throughout the city today with less restrictions than bars, liquor stores and traditional pharmacies. The CERC poll, which surveyed 505 adults in the City of San Diego, found broad support generally for medical marijuana …
So Most of Emerald’s Official Advisory Council Are Campaign Donors?
Rostra analysis shows 67 percent of Advisory Members are Donors Last night Marti Emerald took a short interview where she said she was “surprised” that her District 7 Advisory Council would support the massive taxpayer expenditures required for a new downtown library and city hall. Really? I’d be pretty surprised too, since every public poll I’ve seen says taxpayers hate …
Radical Parking Meter Proposal Advances at San Diego City Hall
This week, the San Diego Budget & Finance Committee advanced a proposal to radically change parking meter policies in our City. The proposal would: * allow the maximum parking meter rate to be DOUBLED to $2.50 an hour; * allow parking meters to charge on Sundays; * allow parking meters to charge until 11PM; * increase city staffing for parking …
Addressing San Diego’s City Budget Crisis
My thoughts on closing the City of San Diego’s massive budget deficit, which now threatens the future of our core public services, including police, fire protection, libraries, and parks. VV (Reposting from Voice of San Diego) The San Diego City Council faces a daunting task in closing the $179-$201 million budget gap before it. Proposed solutions to closing this gap …
Celebrate Richard Rider Day!
The San Diego City Council just unanimously approved Councilmember Carl DeMaio’s proclamation of October 6th as Richard Rider Day in our City. For decades, Richard has been a tireless advocate for taxpayers in our community, and has demonstrated the core principles and convictions we need in our elected officials. Richard, your activism has been an inspiration to me and countless …
City Reveals $180M Deficit – DeMaio To Convene Series of Town Halls
Today the City disclosed a budget deficit of $180 million — confirming concerns that the city’s financial problems are worsening. Councilmember DeMaio believes it is imperative that we educate and engage the public on the city’s financial problems — and seek their ideas on solutions. That’s why he’s convening an eight-week long series of “Town Halls on City Finances.” (See …
DeMaio Applauds Passage of City Business Tax Reform Package
San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio calls the decision “a big victory for small businesses and taxpayers”… City to Refund Fees and Commits to Take Up Additional Tax Reforms SAN DIEGO – City Councilmember Carl DeMaio today announced progress on his efforts to reform the city’s notorious small business and rental tax programs. With two 7-0 votes and a 5-2 …
Is D1 Now Democratic?
Is the City of San Diego’s District One now firmly in the Democratic column? I was rummaging through some of my old computer files this morning, and came across some interesting 2007 voter registration numbers from the City Clerk’s Office. Comparing them to the most recent voter reg report, which you can find online here, shows two important things: 1) …
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