June 8, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Voters gave Assemblyman Joel Anderson a victory in his quest for State Senate, despite a campaign finance scandal that has dogged his race. With 38% of precincts counted, Anderson has a hefty 45.33% of the vote, leading Riverside Supervisor Jeff Stone with 24.83%, veteran Kenneth Dickson with 20.16%, and Rev. Greg Stephens with 9.68%.

June 7, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) –Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 8th. Find your polling place at this link: http://www2.sdcounty.ca.gov/rov/Eng/Epolling_query.asp or check the back of your sample ballot. Sign up to follow EastCountyMag at www.twitter.com if you wish to receive election night results and other breaking news bulletins.

If you missed our earlier articles on candidates for key local races, ballot initiatives, and more, scroll down for links to our major stories plus other  nonpartisan voter information sources. (As a nonprofit publication, ECM does not endorse candidates.) Because of deceptive slate mailers sent to voters, we've also provided links to official San Diego Democratic and Republican Party endorsements.  Links to East County Magazine coverage and more:

By Buck Shott

June 7, 2010 – With Election Day tomorrow, last-minute endorsements and attacks are rolling out. Here’s a wrap-up on the latest political wrangling on the campaign trail:

Update:  Watch full video of the debate now posted here in 8 parts: http://www.youtube.com/user/EastCountyMagazine (on right, or click direct link to this debate:  

http://www.youtube.com/user/EastCountyMagazine#p/c/982657ADB2A569C8  ; also see:

How would you as a  freshman legislator attempt to alleviate and help address the budget crisis? http://vimeo.com/12276900.

By Miriam Raftery
 

June 3, 2010 (El Cajon ) – Seven candidates for state legislative offices fielded questions and presented their views at a candidate forum sponsored by the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce Tuesday and moderated by former TV news anchor Vic Salazar at the Elks Lodge in El Cajon. Candidates clashed on views over how to turn the economy around and bring jobs to East County, with visions that ranged from slashing taxes to specific plans for actively bringing green manufacturing jobs to our region.

May 31, 2010 (El Cajon) -- The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will present its“Conversations with the Candidates” legislative dinner on June 1st. All candidates running for the 36th Senate seat and the 77th Assembly district have been invited. Both are important electoral positions for the East County community and both are open seats this election cycle.

"There was no money laundering...I'm endorsed by the  Deputy Sheriffs, police, the CHP. Do you think they would endorse me if I was a money launderer?" - Assemblyman Joel Anderson

 

May 28, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) has been dogged by the whiff of scandal since the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) fined his campaign $20,000 for accepting five contributions over the legal limit of $3,900 per individual.

Opponents and some media reports have made references to money-laundering. For months, Anderson has said little on the matter, on the advice of attorneys. But in a phone call with ECM editor Miriam Raftery today, Anderson flatly denied any intentional wrongdoing and defended his integrity.

UPDATE:  Assemblyman Joel Anderson won the Republican primary and will square off against Democrat Paul Clay, a teacher, in the 36th State Senate election November 2.  Scroll down for profiles on both candidates.  

Opponents accuse Anderson of dodging debates, attempting to buy State Senate seat
By Miriam Raftery
May 20, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth is leaving office due to term limits, creating an open seat in the 36th State Senate district. Now eight candidates are vying to fill the conservative legislator's shoes.

The district is vast, including most of East County as well as large areas in San Diego and Riverside Counties.  Top issues include how to balance the state's budget, improve the economy and education, address immigration, and halt sexual predators. Ethics has also emerged as a major theme on the campaign trail--particularly in a no-holds-barred Republican primary race.