Cover Up

I really don't understand how anyone would get reelected at the City level, after all of the budget, and pension problems the city has gone though. I think it is a testament to how much people dislike Ron Roberts, the fact that Ron isn't the break away leader in this race.

from the Union Tribune -

"Revelations that San Diego's independent auditor has privately warned that the possibility of illegal activity at City Hall has not been fully explored hit the mayor's and city attorney's races yesterday like a rock slamming into a hornet's nest.

Accounting giant KPMG said the failure of the city to broadly investigate its finances – including circumstances leading to a $1.17 billion pension deficit – makes it impossible for it to release a widely anticipated audit of the city's 2003 books.
"

City Sewer

I know it doesn’t rain that often in San Diego, but maybe we could have planned for a little rain...

From the Union Tribune -

"The largest spill, more than 2.2 million gallons, occurred when excessive flows of sewage and trash-filled runoff clogged the Point Loma sewage treatment plant during Wednesday's rains."

Where's Tricia Hunter

Do you live in the 76th assembly district? If so I am sure you have gotten 20 thousand mail attack pieces going back and forth between Lori and Tricia. Both candidate seem very good and telling you more about each other than themselves. Of course Tricia campaign has trotted out all of the attack issues like 'toilet to tap' and 'driver’s license for illegals'. So maybe you want to know more about the candidates? You might check their web sites, but no, neither of them have an issues section. I did notice they had an events section, which included two debates this week. The first one put on by AARP and the second by USD. So I when to both of them, and guess what no Tricia. Never called to cancel just didn’t show, leave the audience sitting there waiting. It must be that if you have close to $650,000.00 to spend on attack adds you don't need to take a position on anything. I did talk to Lori, and found her to articulate and well informed and not "...rooted in old tax-and-spend liberalism" as the union tribune called her. After talking to her, some how I doubt that anyone from the Union Tribune could have and make that statement.

more on the 76 Assembly...

Our Governor

From SF Gate -

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is expected to travel to Ohio on Friday to stump for President Bush, campaigned Monday alongside San Francisco Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsom -- underscoring his differences with the White House on two critical issues, same-sex marriage and stem cell research.

Schwarzenegger took the stage with the San Francisco mayor at a press conference to illustrate their bipartisan support for Prop. 1A, a state ballot initiative aimed at preventing the state legislature from taking local tax funds.

But, questioned afterward, the governor downplayed plans for a last- minute campaign swing for Bush, and instead praised Newsom as a "very, very strong mayor, and a good mayor."

Absentee Ballot

From the Union Tribune -

"KEARNY MESA –Today is the last day to request an absentee ballot to vote in Tuesday's election.

Applications must be received at the registrar's office at 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite I, Kearny Mesa, by 5 p.m.

Applications are available on the back of sample ballots; online at www.sdvote.com or www.ss.ca.gov; and by faxing a request to the registrar's office at (858) 694-2955. "

Prop 63

This is a little one sided round up of prop 63, I will try to find something for the other side.

From the LA Times -

"The money would be raised by socking people like Staglin — imposing an extra 1% levy on taxable personal income above $1 million.

There are only 25,000 to 30,000 million-plus earners in California. And one of the criticisms of Prop. 63 is why pick on them? Why just the super-rich?

"Because they have the capacity to pay it," says Staglin, whose prize-winning Cabernet Sauvignon goes for $110 a bottle and his chardonnay (when not sold out) for $55.

That extra 1% tax on people bringing home more than $1 million, he says, "is not a significant percentage of their net worth or total income."

Besides, these folks got a 3.5% tax cut under President Bush, the Prop. 63 camp says. Moreover, the state tax hike could be deducted on federal returns."

Frist Lady

Wow... it is good to see how much more civilized the First Lady and Teresa Heinz Kerry are, than their husbands. Also notice how most places you don't get the whole quote by Teresa Heinz Kerry. The last sentence makes it sound a whole lot nicer.

From the AP -

-Teresa Heinz Kerry

"Well, you know, I don't know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good," Heinz Kerry said in the interview published Wednesday. "But I don't know that she's ever had a real job — I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things."

-First Lady

"She apologized but she didn't even really need to apologize," Mrs. Bush told reporters at a coffee shop before attending a rally for President Bush. "I know how tough it is and actually I know those trick questions."

Being Mayor

Sometimes you wonder why anyone would want to be Mayor...

From the Union Tribune -

"They've been investigated by police and questioned by neighbors. Most nights, their stomachs growl, and lately they've been drenched by rain. No one said being an activist was easy.

But Erik Olson and two friends are still camping in front of San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy's house, making good on their promise to advocate for human rights.

They spend each night on the street in the quiet Del Cerro neighborhood where Murphy has lived for years. They say their goal is to bring the suffering they see across San Diego directly to the mayor's doorstep. And they plan to stay through Election Day morning – or until police haul them away.
"

Jon Stewart

From the New York Times -

"Mr. Stewart is very funny, but it is the vein of "a plague on both your houses" indignation that has made his show a cult favorite: many younger voters are turning to the "The Daily Show" for their news analysis, and are better served there than on much of what purports to be real news on cable.

And of course it was fun just to see television pundits who think they are part of the same media version of the Algonquin Round Table as Mr. Stewart lose their cool when he tore off the tablecloth and shattered the plates. "Wait,'' Mr. Carlson said querulously. "I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny." Mr. Stewart was funny. And it was at their expense.
"

Race for Mayor

I think it is kind of funny that our three candidates for Mayor having already proven themselves to be really bad that governing our city and county, and now they are all fighting about who is the worst at running local government. I do have to point out that Donna Frye didn't vote to under fund the pension system, for what’s that worth.

from the Union Tribune -

"San Diego mayoral candidate Ron Roberts trained his sights on write-in candidate Donna Frye yesterday, accusing her and Mayor Dick Murphy of failed leadership on a broad front of city issues.

At a news conference outside City Hall, Roberts gave Councilwoman Frye and Murphy mostly failing grades on a mock report card listing several issues, from public safety to "waste, fraud and corruption."

Roberts directly accused Frye of ignoring warnings about pension system underfunding in 2002, adding that on this issue Frye "has offered nothing in the way of a solution . . . ."

An amused Frye, walking to her office carrying stacks of paperwork, stopped to listen as Roberts filled out the report card.

Frye later called it a campaign stunt and declined to criticize Roberts' record at the county Board of Supervisors.
"

More Moore...

How is it that the Union Tribune wrote an 800 word article and make it seem like they quoted the college Republican more than they did Michael Moore?

From the Union Tribune -

"DEL MAR – A crowd of 10,000 sang "America The Beautiful" last night along with filmmaker Michael Moore and folk-singing icon Joan Baez.

And so, Moore brought his Slacker Uprising Tour to town, attracting 10 times the audience he would have had if he had not been banned from Cal State San Marcos.

"Because of the Republican repressive attitude of the (university) administration toward free speech, we're here with 10,000," he said at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. "

Seal Beach

That Beach is man-made, I don't really understand why people are so upset.

From the Union Tribune -

"Tension between animal advocates and beach-goers continues to escalate in the wake of a San Diego City Council decision awarding humans equal access to a La Jolla beach that has been a haven for harbor seals.

"Emotions are so high now. It's getting more volatile," said Renee Owens, a wildlife biologist who advises the San Diego Sierra Club on the conflict at Children's Pool beach.

Animal rights activists, including one shouting through a bullhorn, confronted people who were relaxing on the beach Oct. 3, urging them to go elsewhere so the skittish seals could return to the sandy cove.
"

Not endorsed by Shirley Horton

From the Union Tribune -

"State Assemblywoman Shirley Horton's campaign sent out a mailer last week claiming the endorsement of 16 public safety unions.

In fact, of the 19 public safety employee unions listed on her mailer, only three have endorsed her, 15 have endorsed her opponent, and one has remained neutral.

"Then we decided to support Patty (in the general election) because we looked at Shirley Horton's voting record, and she's voted pretty much down Republican Party lines," said Mark McDonald, the union's political action committee chairman.

"
Assembly 78th

Energy, Middle East, and the Future

This is a great article about the future of energy, oil, and our foreign policy, you really need to read the whole thing.

from The New Yorker -

"Given the public’s ignorance about energy issues, and the entrenched interests that dominate the industry, many analysts are skeptical about the prospects for change. Jaffe believes that it will take a repeat of what happened in the seventies to force meaningful reforms. Joseph Romm said, “If people cared about oil imports they would buy different cars. In response to 9/11, people started putting flags on their S.U.V.s and buying Hummers. That tells you something.”

Before any progress can be made, the political debate will have to move beyond the myth of energy independence. “Sooner or later, we are going to have a lot of hybrid cars, electric cars, and, perhaps, at some time in the future, we are going to have a hydrogen economy,” Robert Mabro told me. “But, until we get there, to talk about energy independence is foolish. The two candidates, with due respect, are lying to the people, or they don’t know what they are talking about.”
"

Nascar Sh*t

From The New Republic -

As if George W. Bush didn't have enough problems this month, the indecency police at his Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may have a hand in pissing off one of this election's most-sucked-up-to demographics: NASCAR dads.

It seems that last Sunday, racing superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. got a little overamped about his win at Talladega and uttered the word "shit" on national television. For this vulgarity, racing officials promptly fined Junior $10,000 and subtracted 25 points from his overall ranking--a docking that dropped Earnhardt from first to second place and, with only ten races to go this season, could wind up costing him his first NASCAR championship."

The VP debate

From the Washington Post -

This one is for my good friend at Econmics with a face...who actual believed Cheney..

"Let's face it. The Kerry folks are just jealous. Now they're even disputing Cheney's set-up line accusing Edwards of being AWOL from the Senate. "Now, in my capacity as vice president," Cheney said, "I am the president of Senate, the presiding officer. I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session."

Some Democrats claim Cheney presided on only a handful of occasions in the 125 Tuesdays the Senate was in session since 2001, while Edwards attended more than 95 percent of all roll-call votes.

More to the point, Cheney cast six tie-breaking votes and Edwards was there for each one. Beyond that, Cheney came up Tuesdays for the weekly GOP luncheon, but it's well known what he'd say to any Democrat who ventured by. Ask Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). "

National Citys

From the Union Tribune -

"NATIONAL CITY – Residents spoke overwhelmingly against a proposal to expand the city's eminent domain powers at a Tuesday night meeting, saying leaders are pursuing redevelopment at the expense of small businesses and property owners. "

Special Election

From the Union Tribune -

"A court decision yesterday to allow former Councilman George Stevens to run for San Diego's District 4 council seat puts him among the favorites in the race, but it doesn't guarantee his election, political strategists said. "