By Miriam Raftery

May 9, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure to increase public notification regarding locations of registered sex offenders and proposed placements of sexually violent predators in communities. Supervisor Joel Anderson introduced the measure, which was amended at the request of Supervisor Jim Desmond to also include Native American communities.

Anderson says that existing notifications “do not provide adequate notice to communities where sex offenders will be located.” In a written statement to the board, Anderson indicated that after sending questions to the District Attorney and Sheriff regarding the placement process and notification procedures, “there are inconsistencies and omissions in the answers we received.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left, by Henri Migala:  protest in La Mesa on May 30 called for justice for George Floyd

May 7, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to endorse the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a federal police reform measure aimed at improving law enforcement accountability and addressing racial disparities. Supervisors split 3-2 on the issue, with East County Supervisors Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson opposed while Supervisors Nathan Fletcher, Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas supported the action.

By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Gov. Gavin Newsom was elected governor in 2018 with almost 62% of the vote. Image from video

May 2, 2021 (San Diego) - A Republican-led effort to recall Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has garnered enough valid signatures to make the ballot, California election officials said Monday. Newsom tweeted a video hitting the recall: “Stop the Republican recall. It’s a power grab.”

By Miriam Raftery

View full speech: click here 

April 29, 2021 (Washington D.C.) – One hundred days into his presidency, Joe Biden addressed Congress and the nation last night in a speech that laid out the most ambitious goals since Franklin Delano Roosevelt after the Great Depression. 

East County News Service

April 28, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) – You’re invited to participate in a People’s Virtual Forum 4 Justice on Tuesday, May 4 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  This resident-organized community forum will cover the redistricting process and COVID-19 access for black, indigenous people of color (BIPOC) in East County, including access to quality education for all children during and after the pandemic.

East County News Service

File Photo:  Senator Brian Jones, an avid off-road enthusiast 

April 27, 2021 (Sacramento) --  Senate Bill 227, a measure by Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) to save off-highway vehicle (OHV) competitions in California, cleared the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee. 

 “SB 227 had another successful committee hearing with more bipartisan backing for our efforts, this time from the members of the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee,” said Senator Brian W. Jones. “We’ve worked hard for the past two years with OHV stakeholders and affected governmental agencies, including State Parks and the Air Resources Board. SB 227 is a true consensus measure that will allow OHV competitions to continue operating and being a strong part of the recreational economies in rural and suburban California.”

By Miriam Raftery

April 21, 2021 (Sacramento) – With California Governor Gavin Newsom facing a recall election, several measures have been introduced in the Legislature that would make it harder to recall state officials in the future. 

However yesterday, State Senator Josh Newman, a Democrat, announced that he has withdrawn his Senate Bill 663, which would have required all county elections officers to publicly release names and contact information of each voter who signs a petition to recall a state official or put an initiative on the ballot.

Carl DeMaio, a Republican and Chairman of Reform California, issued this statement. “In the light of the justified public outcry, SB 663 has been withdrawn for now, but we know that Sacramento politicians will not stop their assault on citizens initiatives and recalls in California.”  DeMaio accused the measure of being “designed to punish voters who dared to sign petitions on recalls and ballot measures that politicians oppose.”

Current law allows gives signers up to 30 days to change their minds; SB 663 would have extended that to 45 days.

East County News Service

April 7, 2021 (San Diego) -- Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (D-CA-53) yesterday announced the addition of six new staff members to her San Diego and Washington, D.C. offices. A majority women of color, these new hires serve as Press Secretary, Legislative Assistants, Staff Assistant, and Community Representatives. Like the first slate of staff announced in January, these individuals have extensive ties to San Diego and California’s 53rd District.

In celebration of these additional hires, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs issued the following statement:

Georgia Public Officials’ Voter Suppression Law already costing jobs and revenue

By East County News Service 

April 3, 2021 (Washington D.C.) -- Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday that the 2021 All-Star Game and MLB draft will no longer take place in the state of Georgia after the state recently passed legislation designed to disenfranchise voters. The following is a statement from Damon Hewitt, acting president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law..

By Briana Gomez

Miriam Raftery also contributed to this report

Photo, left: Rev Shane Harris held a press conference last week at the San Pasqual Academy

March 16, 2021 (Escondido) – In a win for foster youths, San Diego County Supervisors today voted unanimously to approve a motion asking state officials to grant a reprieve to the San Pasqual Academy, a boarding school for foster youths slated to close later this year.

The school has been a safe haven for foster youths, who found a home at the academy when they were unable to be placed with families as they aged out of the system.

Rev. Shane Harris, president of the People's Association of Justice Advocates, has led efforts to keep the school open. After today's vote, he stated, “I thank the Board of Supervisors for their unanimous support of this motion. Today we have taken a step toward reimagining what foster care can look like in San Diego County and beyond, starting with the nation's first residential educational campus for foster youth, San Pasqual Academy. The fight for a carve out to keep San Pasqual in existence in our nation begins now. Let's reimagine foster care together." 

Harris is an alumni of San Pasqual Academy, which he credits with helping him develop leadership skills after years in foster care.