By Miriam Raftery

April 24, 2016 (Sacramento) -- Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s  proposed constitutional amendment, ACA 11, to restructure California's regulatory agencies has passed the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee by a 12 to 1 vote.  

The strong bipartisan support comes in the wake of a series of scandals involving the CPUC, including allegations of backroom dealings to protect PG&E after the deadly San Bruno pipeline explosion and controversies over charging ratepayers for utility mistakes that led to closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Stations.

Mike Aguirre, former attorney for the City of San Diego, appeared as a witness in favor of reforming the Commission, asking that an updated copy of the Aguirre & Severson Report on Malfeasance and Institutional Corruption at the California Public Utilities Commission be officially entered into the record, as well as other smoking gun documents that implicate top officials at the CPUC.  That report raises concerns over issues ranging from wildfires caused by SDG&E lines to the burial of nuclear wastes at San Onofre. It also chronicles allegations of corruption and cover-ups involving top CPUC officials.

AB 1978 would establish janitorial workforce protections against sexual harassment

April 23, 2016 (Sacramento) -- A bill by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) to establish janitorial workforce protections against sexual harassment and create a janitorial contractor registration system was approved on a 5-2 vote by the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment last week.

By Miriam Raftery

April 20, 2016 (San Diego) – Frontrunners widened their leads in yesterday’s New York presidential primary, where three of the five contenders had strong New York ties.

New York’s former Senator Hillary Clinton won with 58% percent of the vote, picking up 139 delegates.  But Senator Bernie Sanders, who was raised in Brooklyn, got 42% and picked up 106 of the delegates.

On the Republican side, New York businessman Donald Trump scored a resounding victory with 60, winning 89 delegates. In second place, Ohio Governor John Kasich got 25% and earned 3 delegates.  Texas Senator Ted Cruz, with just 14.5%, was shut out of receiving any delegates.

East County News Service

April 17, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – With antipathy toward “insiders” in politics running high nationwide, some readers have asked us what it takes to recall a public official for offices such as a local school board or higher office.

The recall process is complex, but has been accomplished locally in the past. For instance, citizens in Potrero recalled five of their planning group officials back in 2007 and also elected a slate of reform candidates during the same special election.  Statewide, Governor Grey Davis was removed from office via a recall election in 2003.

Sometimes, the mere filing of a recall may be enough to bring about change.  Former Grossmont Union High School District trustee Nadia Davies resigned after a recall was launched against her, for example.

The San Diego Registrar of Voters has published a “recall guide” available online here. For more information, scroll down.

East County News Service

April 13, 2016 (San Diego) -- Legislation co-authored by  San Diego Assemblymember Lorena Gonzales to protect students’ private information such as Social Security numbers passed the Assembly Education Committee today on a unanimous 7-0 vote.

East County News Service

"The real question — how could he have acknowledged the errors in his campaign disclosures, but not immediately rectified them by paying back the money, thus in essence going several months without addressing violations of the law?" -- Eric Anderson, San Diego Republican Central Committee member

“This adolescent behavior is unbecoming for a member of the House of Representatives,” – Patrick Malloy, Democratic candidate for the 50^th Congressional seat

April 12, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is investigating a series of campaign expenditures claimed by Republican Congressman Duncan D. Hunter that appear to violate federal campaign laws.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Nadin Abbott, Reporting San Diego

April 12, 2016 (San Diego) --“California is going to decide the presidential race,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz told a crowd of about 2,000 people in San Diego Monday night. 

By Miriam Raftery

April 10, 2016 (San Diego) – The Sanders sweep continues.   Tonight Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders won the Democratic presidential primary in Wyoming, the “Cowboy State,” with nearly 56% of votes.  Former Secretary of State Clinton took 44%.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Senator Bernie Sanders, by Johnathunder under GNU Free  Documentation license

Photo, right: Senator Ted Cruz, by Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons license

April  6, 2016 (San Diego) –Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Texas Senator Ted Cruz won big victories in Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary, making contested conventions in both the Democratic and Republican parties increasingly likely prospects.

By Meg Jensen

Photos:  New state laws ban abortions even for serious deformities that would result in a chlid doomed to pain, suffering, or death. Shown: Microcephalic fetus with brain deformity, conjoined twins,  infant with two faces.

April 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Media headlines have been filled the past few days with news about Donald Trump’s changing stance on abortion. The Washington Post reports Trump took five different stances in three days, after stating on MSNBC that he believed there should be “punishment” for women who have abortions (but not for the men who impregnate them).  

Though Trump later shifted his stance following stinging criticisms, the truth is that in many Republican-controlled states, women who seek abortions or obtain them are already been punished with laws that restrict access even in extreme cases such as to end a miscarriage in progress or help a mother prevent carrying to term a fetus so severely damaged that it could not survive, or would face a brief life filled with suffering.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mark Nozelle on FlickR, Creative Commons

March 29, 2016 (New York) - Hilary Clinton indicated today she may be “open” to a debate in New York against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – but only after being blasted on social media for stating she wouldn’t debate Sanders unless he changed his “tone” and avoided “negative” campaigning.  In particular, she objects to Sanders bringing up hefty donations and speaking fees she took from Wall Street and votes she has cast that favored the financial industry.

By Ed Barrena

March 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Pew Research Center published an article by Paul Taylor this week with some interesting political analysis, detailing a move toward polarization of the two political parties. The article discusses points from the first chapter of a book that Taylor co-authored with Pew Research entitled, “The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown.” The book was originally released as a hardback in 2014 and now a paperback edition is being released with 100 pages of additional material.

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) — Increasingly, media watchdogs are citing bias by the mainstream media as a key factor influencing the  presidential primary race.

East County News Service

March 28, 2016 (Sacramento) - The petition signatures of more than 15,000 voters have been delivered to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla in support of resolution ACR 145 asking his office to provide an additional, nonpartisan “public ballot” so that all voters ­ regardless of their political affiliation or non­affiliation ­ can cast a vote for the candidate of their choice in the June presidential primary election.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Miriam Raftery and Ron Logan

East County leaders met with Sanders, share their impressions

To read highlights of Sanders’ speech, click here. Check back for full audio to be posted soon.

Updated March 24 with comments from Rev. Shane Harris, who met with Senator Sanders

March 23, 2016 (San Diego) – “I wanted to be here to be a part of history,” said Esmeralda Abarco (photo, left), a youthful voter who was first in line to see Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at the San Diego Convention Center last night.  She drove down from Los Angeles, arriving at 5 a.m.  to hear Sanders because “Bernie is our only hope. He is for the people.”

Alex Vega, an African-American voter from La Mesa (photo, above right), is supporting Sanders because “he supports politics and things that I believed in even before I knew Bernie, policies that align with what’s best for the black community.  I think he’s the best candidate ever.”