LAKESIDE, Ca. – Lakeside citizens who are concerned by the recent firing of their Fire Chief, Mark Baker are taking to the streets, Saturday, April 10, 2010 in their effort to get a recall election put on November’s ballot.

The citizens group, Lakeside First to Recall Director Nicholas Johnson and Director Jim Bingham, will hold a rally at 9 a.m. at the LakesideCommunity Center in Lindo Lake Park and will then walk precincts within the Lakeside Fire District in order to gather the 7,900 signatures required for the recall measure to pass.

By Miriam Raftery

March 30, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Tom Metzger, a white supremacist and former Fallbrook resident who previously ran for Congress in San Diego County, is now running again—this time as an Republican write-in candidate in Warsaw, Indiana.  Metzer is a former grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.

Metzger shocked local Democrats in 1980, when he won a three-way Democratic primary. Democratic party leaders condemned the racist views of Metzger and endorsed Republican Claire Burgener. Burgener won with an unprecedented 86% of the vote. Metzger later ran for U.S. Senate as an independent and has since joined the Republican Party.

March 27, 2010 (Sacramento) Assembly Bill 1178, also known as the “Cayman Islands Tax Loophole” bill, recently passed the Assembly and will next be considerate by the Senate. The measure authored by Assemblyman Marty Block (D-Lemon Grove) passed the Assembly with a 42-28 vote.

March 26, 2010 – Assemblymember Mary Salas (D-San Diego) announces her new committee assignments for the 2010 Legislative Session, which include Co-Chair of the Assembly Legislative Ethics Committee.

“Legislative Ethics has been a priority of mine since I served on the Chula Vista City Council; I am honored to be serving as Co-Chair of the Legislative Ethics Committee. Being a watchdog for the people is a position I will take very seriously,” stated Salas.
 

She will also serve as Chair of the Select Committee on Insurance Accountability and Vice-Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. In addition, Ms. Salas has been assigned to the Assembly Insurance Committee. She remains a member of the Assembly Health, Jobs Economic Development and the Economy and Water Parks and Wildlife Committees.

March 26, 2010 (Washington and Sacramento) – Do you know how your Congressional and State Legislative representatives voted on important recent bills? Find out here!
For more information on these and other bills, visit www.vote-smart.org, www.govtrack.us, www.opencongress.org and www.aroundthecapitol.com.

March 19, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – The majority of Congressional and state legislative seats in San Diego County have districts that include areas east of I-15. Here’s the rundown on who’s filed with the San Diego County Registrar to run for the top local spots, along with our thumbnail assessment of the hot races to watch.  Look for interviews and profiles of contenders coming up in future issues. 

February 25, 2010 (Lakeside) – Lakeside residents who say they feel “burned” by several elected fire board directors who terminated Fire Chief Mark Baker have launched a recall election to oust two of those members.

By Miriam Raftery
 

Mike Thaller also contributed to this report
 

Updated February 25

FACT CHECK SITES REVEAL CORPORATE FUNDING BEHIND TEA PARTIES; 

POLLS SUGGEST MOST FOLLOWERS ARE UNAWARE OF ACTUAL TAX RATE CHANGES

February 20, 2010 (El Cajon) – T.E.A. (“Taxed Enough Already”) Party protesters rallied in an El Cajon park yesterday, turning out despite drizzly weather. “We were happy with our big turnout considering the weather conditions,” organizer Barry Willis told East County Magazine. Just how big that crowd was, however, has become a point of contention.

Should cities and counties be barred from starting up public power entitities to compete against utility giants such as SDG&E--and offer clean energy options to residents?  Voters to decide.
 

February 17, 2010 (San Diego) – A June ballot initiative seeks to change California’s constitution to make it harder for cities and counties to give residents alternatives to buying power from utility companies. The measure is funded by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). It would require a super-majority (two-thirds) vote for local governments to create new forms of public power entities through Community Choice Aggregation (CCA).

ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR BALLOT INITIATIVE TO LIMIT LABOR SPENDING
 

By Miriam Raftery

By Miriam Raftery

February 2, 2010 (La Mesa)--In an exclusive interview, La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid offered his perspectives on the past year and the coming one. Despite challenging economic times for communities across America, La Mesa has weathered the storm in better shape than many.  Mayor Madrid provides insights into the city’s successes, future challenges, and new initiatives on the horizon—including consolidating some services with neighboring communities, revitalizing the downtown village, starting a community garden, and gearing up for the city’s centennial celebration in 2012.

Citizens oversight group forms, will consider recall of board members

January 27, 2010 (Lakeside) – Residents of Lakeside directed heated criticism at the Lakeside Fire Protection District board. In a meeting last night, citizens charged that the Board failed to provide adequate explanation for the firing of Chief Mark Baker.

“You guys are in serious trouble, and you’re accountable for your actions,” Dennis Richardson, a lifetime Lakeside resident, told the board. “You guys need to be taken to the woodshed, because you did not listen to Lakeside.”

January 21, 2009 (El Cajon) - A community meeting on the future of the East County Performing Arts Center has been postponed until Wed. Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. due to tonight's stormy weather.  For details, see our previous story at http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/node/2603.