Environmental voting records for east San Diego County state legislators and Governor Schwarzenegger

By Sylvia Hampton

December 9, 2008 San Diego) — Environmental protection is very important to San Diego County voters. Every year the League of Conservation Voters publishes a "scorecard" on the voting records of all state level representatives: www.ecovote.org/scorecard_2008.pdf. Among Assembly members representing East County and San Diego's eastern region,  environmental protection scores ranged from a low score of 5% (Anderson, Gerrick and Walters) to a high of 95% (Salas).  Among our state Senators, scores ranged from a low of 6% (Hollingsworth) to a high of 100% (Kehoe), while Governor Schwarzenegger received a 60% rating.

By Miriam Raftery

November  2008
(San Diego) — Public officials and backcountry residents leveled
harsh criticism at SG&E during a public meeting of the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) convened in San Diego on October 14 to discuss
causes of the 2007 wildfires and how to prevent future conflagrations.  Speaker
after speaker blasted SDG&E’s proposal to cut power to 45,000 homes
during high fire risk conditions and urged commissioners to take action to
prevent future fires.  (Citizens with information for the CPUC may send
an e-mail to sd2007fires@cpuc.ca.gov.)

Democratic voter registration volunteers cheer as Party Chair Jess Durfee announces San Diego County now has more registered Democrats than Republicans.

NOVEMBER
2, 2008 (San Diego) — “We have, after 24 years, returned San Diego
County to the blue column,” San Diego County Democratic Party Chairman
Jess Durfee announced at a press conference today.

Events planned this weekend by supporters and opponents of initiative
to overturn same-sex marriage

By Miriam Raftery

Art Madrid, La Mesa Mayor

November 1, 2008 (La Mesa) - La Mesa’s City Council voted unanimously
to take a neutral stance on Proposition 8, drawing applause from most of the
crowd assembled at council chambers last week.

“The city of La Mesa will not allow its council chambers to be the battleground
for conflicting social issues,” Mayor Art Madrid observed. 

By Miriam Raftery

October 28, 2008 (San Diego's East County) - Duncan
Duane Hunter seeks to capture the 52nd Congressional seat being vacated by
his father, 27-year Congressman Duncan Hunter.   He has voiced
support for his father’s voting record yet chided his principal opponent,
Michael Lumpkin, for claiming that the Hunter family seeks a monarchy-like
transfer of power.

The question of legacy, then, is a legitimate campaign issue.  Just how
closely would Hunter’s son follow in his father’s footsteps if
elected—and is that legacy a path that voters should support? 

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2008 (San Diego) - San Diego Republican Party Chair Tony Krvaric is alleged to have rigged endorsements including a mayoral race, violated state election law and party rules.  A complaint filed by a Central Committee member calls for Krvaric’s ouster.  Will the GOP Central Committee make its chairman, who has previously been implicated in piracy, walk the plank?

Contenders clash on budget solutions, jobs, housing, and religion in politics  

By Miriam Raftery

How should El Cajon address its budget shortfall?  Should public jobs be privatized, or services cut?  Or can new revenues and employment be created with an industrial park, green jobs, a new hospital, a university, or other innovative solutions?  Candidates differ sharply on these and other issues.  They also disagree on whether to assist struggling renters and homebuyers, how to fill vacant buildings downtown, and whether voters should approve Proposition J to raise sales tax by half a cent per dollar.

Election creates rift among Republicans

By Miriam Raftery

Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Board of Trustees. The stakes are high. The outcome of this election may determine if  a popular superintendent will be retained, if a new high school will be built in Alpine, and if divisive forces will regain a majority on the board—forces that prominent Republicans and Democrats have accused of opposing public education.

By Miriam Raftery

The
race:  Four candidates are running for two seats on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca
College Board of Trustees.  Challengers Mary Kay Rosinski and Moe Bakeer
face off against incumbents Tim Caruthers and Bill Garrett, board president.  ECM
interviewed Rosinski, Caruthers and Garrett; Bakeer did not respond to interview
requests.

By Miriam Raftery

Editor's Note:  Military authorities declined to speak with East County Magazine regarding this story. We also requested permission to interview veterans at Balboa Naval Hospital to obtain a diverse range of views on conditions in mlitary service.  Our request was denied.

October 18, 2008 (San Diego)--Army intelligence officer Selena Coppa has risked her freedom to speak out.  “One of my soldiers died. He had PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome),” she said.  “It was ignored.”  

After she revealed the truth about the soldier’s death, Coppa told East County Magazine, her commanding officer threatened her.  “He said if he’d known what I was going to do,  he would have put me in Walter Reed in the mental ward and made sure I never got out.  Then what would happen to my little girl?”

Coppa and Hess accuse the U.S. government and military officers of neglecting soldiers with serious mental health problems and of fostering a climate of intimidation against those who speak out.

Accountant April Boling refuses to comment on allegations of “illegal and unethical bookkeeping”; opponent Marti Emerald shares vision for San Diego’s future

By Joseph Rocha

October 15, 2009 (San Diego)--Touted  as “The Troubleshooter vs. the Accountant” by local media,  San Diego’s 7th District Council race sounds more like a build-up to a Saturday night cage fight than a hotly contested political contest..  But the issues at stake will impact many residents in San Diego’s eastern region, since the district includes Allied Gardens, City Heights, Del Cerro, Grantville, Redwood Village/Oak Park, Rolando, San Carlos, the SDSU college area, and Tierrasanta.  At stake:  fire protection for our region, energy and water issues, outsourcing of public jobs, responsibility to taxpayers, integrity and openness of our City government. 

By Miriam Raftery

Lake Morena

October
6, 2008 (Campo) - Concerns over the impacts of new and proposed
major developments on water supplies and community character have divided community
members in this rural region.  

Tensions ran high at a forum for Campo/Lake Morena Planning Group candidates
held on September 29th,  where community members posed tough questions
for candidates on two opposing slates, plus independents with sharply different
visions for future growth.

Candidates for the La Mesa City Council answered questions from the public
in a September forum hosted by the East County League of Women Voters and the
American Association of University Women. View the complete video, provided
courtesy of Citizens Oversight Projects:

www.copswiki.org/twiki/bin/view/Common/M646

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Leon Thompson

October 1, 2008 (San Diego) - The Obama-Biden campaign hosted a presidential debate-watching party to kick-off the opening of a new campaign office at 1744 Euclid Street in East San Diego. 

“We’ve had a larger than expected turnout,” Vince Hall, spokesperson for Obama for President in San Diego County told East County Magazine.  “We’ve had more than 500 volunteers who signed up to support our campaign tonight.”