By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Nadin Abbott, Tom Abbott and Miriam Raftery

June 6, 2012 (San Diego) – Two feisty and fiercely competitive politicians, polar opposites in the partisan divide, will square off in the San Diego Mayoral run-off race in November. 

Carl Demaio, a conservative Republican and former councilmember, in his victory speech at the U.S. Grant Hotel , said that “Citizens have shifted the city into drive and put their foot on the gas.”  He pledged to “finish the job of fiscal reform”  by implementing Propositions A and B, as well as fixing “roads that are falling apart.”

Congressman Bob Filner, a liberal Democrat and former Deputy Mayor of San Diego, faulted DeMaio for focusing on “a pothole somewhere” while lacking a positive message for voters.  “I want to talk about a vision of the future of what can be a really great city,” Filner told media at Election Central. 

May 9, 2012 (San Diego) – It’s not often that labor groups and the conservative San Diego Taxpayers Association's former president agree on much of anything.  But both are opposed to Proposition A on the June ballot for San Diego residents. 

Now the State’s top financial officer, Controller John Chiang, has sent a letter to San Diego voters warning that if voters ban Project Labor Agreements by passing Prop A, San Diego will automatically lose massive state funding.

“Last year alone, San Diego received $158 million in construction projects, but this funding would be completely eliminated under Prop A,” Chiang warned.

Survivors of Human Trafficking/Commercial Sexual Exploitation Among Those Getting Help  

March 18, 2012 (San Diego) -- Four new regional projects have received more than $1.7 million in federal funding for the first time thanks to efforts by County Housing and Community Development, the lead agent for the Regional Continuum of Care.  The new projects will provide transitional and long-term housing and support services for homeless people. 

District Attorney and Mayoral Candidate Bonnie Dumanis Unlikely to Prosecute Due to Political Ties to Sanders, Complaint says

February 26, 2012 (San Diego) - Today, Ray Lutz, national coordinator of Citizens Oversight Projects (COPS - Citizens Oversight, Inc.), submitted a complaint to the San Diego County Grand Jury regarding the claim that Mayor Jerry Sanders committed felony embezzlement by selling promotional signage to Qualcomm, allowing them to change their sign to "Snapdragon" during one NFL football game and two college bowl games for only $1000.

 
January 21, 2012 (Sacramento)  Assemblymember Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) has introduced legislation to prevent abusive ex-spouses from forcing their victims to pay them spousal support and other financial compensation following a divorce.  AB 1522 was inspired by the case of a San Diego area woman who was ordered by a court to pay her husband's legal fees plus monthly spousal support, despite the fact that he was convicted of committing violent sex crimes against her and was ultimately sent to prison.  

January 10, 2012 (San Diego) – For the first time, all four of the leading contenders running for San Diego Mayor will debate this Friday, January 13 at 4 p.m.  Bob Filner, Bonnie Dumanis, Nathan Fletcher, and Carl DeMaio have all agreed to participate. 

The event will be held at the U.S. Grant Hotel. In the public interest will jointly sponsor this debate by The City Club, Lincoln Club, Independent Voter Network (IVN.US), and the U-T San Diego.

By Jeremy Los

Video by Jack Winemiller

Sept. 20, 2011- Congressman Bob Filner and Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher headlined the first mayoral debate of the 2012 election on Saturday.

The two major candidates who participated differed sharply on policies, goals, and visions for San Diego during the lively debate during Politifest, sponsored by Voice of San Diego in Liberty Station on Saturday.

By Miriam Raftery

August 21, 2011 (San Diego) – Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated at county fairs and festivals. Outdoors and free to the public, Politifest 2011 recaptures that spirit. The event, set for Saturday September 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p..m. at Liberty Station in Pt. Loma, will include a mayoral debate, idea tournament, beer garden, civic booths, media celebrities and old-fashioned outdoor fun.

Fire parcel fee, redevelopment cuts, tuition hikes, freeze on teacher lay-offs, and "crippling" cuts in border crimes enforcement among the budget impacts on our region

By Miriam Raftery
 

June 30, 2011 (Sacramento) –Governor Jerry Brown and Democrats in the state Legislature have approved a majority-vote budget without a single Republican vote. The move ends a months-long impasse in which Republicans held out for an all-cuts budget, while Democrats sought revenue increases to prevent slashing programs ranging from healthcare to law enforcement. The budget includes $7.9 billion in cuts which aim to reduce the state’s $26 billion deficit to $5 billion.

Employees Illegally Dumped Pesticides and Hazardous Chemicals

May 3, 2010 (San Diego) -- San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis (photo, left), California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. and 18 other District Attorneys throughout the state announced today that a $27.6 million settlement has been reached with Wal-Mart for violations of environmental laws and regulations. It is one of the largest environmental settlements of this type brought by a prosecuting agency in U.S. history.

By Miriam Raftery

October 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – “The biggest thing we’re seeing now is mortgage loan fraud and real estate fraud,” San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said at Cuyamaca College during a breakfast hosted by the Rancho San Diego-Jamul Chamber of Commerce. “One scam had 400 victims.”  The D.A. discussed loan scams and other crime trends in San Diego County during the October 23rd event.