Goodbye...

From the Union Tribune -

Though Murphy will not officially leave his job until July 15, no council meetings are scheduled in the first two weeks of July.

Yet Murphy, noted for his laconic style and occasionally visible public unease, strode to the mayor's seat for the last time with no fanfare as he approached the end of his public career nearly eight months into his second term.

More Duke

From the Union Tribune -

WASHINGTON – Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., told the House Monday that he's been served with a document subpoena in Imperial County, Calif., and plans to comply with it.
Cunningham's announcement was read on the House floor by a congressional clerk as the House convened for the week.

Cunningham spokesman Mark Olson said the subpoena, issued by Imperial County Superior Court, was related to constituent casework but declined to give further details. He said it was unrelated to a real estate transaction by Cunningham that is under investigation by federal authorities in California.

Random

Okay this is kind of random but funny... is this really how the government uses your tax dollars.

from the Washington Post -

Speaking of unnamed sources . . . It seems the gratuitous use of them is spreading beyond media circles. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, for instance, knowing how shiftless reporters are, has taken to writing news releases about its hearings in the style of news stories.

The dispatches are quite well done and look much like the real thing -- even to the use of anonymous critics.

Take, for example, one release last week after a Medicaid hearing. Two governors -- Democrat Mark R . Warner of Virginia and Republican Mike Huckabee of Arkansas -- told the committee something had to be done about runaway Medicaid costs.

But "the . . . unified, bipartisan approach was not completely embraced on the committee," the release said. " 'I think there is a real moral deficit in the Congress and in the budget,' said one critic. 'This is wrong. I think we should start over,' said another. . . ."

And who are these scurrilous "critics"? readers demanded.

Wouldn't you know it. They were just two Democrats on the committee: Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (Calif.) and Jan ice D. S c hakowsky (Ill.), speaking on the dais at the hearing.

Sounded more mysterious when they were anonymous.

Duke and Wade sitting in a tree...

All I can say is wow.

From the NC Times -

A defense contractor whose real estate dealings with Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham have raised ethical questions has another connection to Cunningham: He owns a boat docked at a Washington yacht club ---- a boat on which Cunningham stays while working in the Capitol.

Cunningham, R-Escondido, sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which has awarded millions of dollars to the contractor, Washington-based MZM Inc.

The relationship between Cunningham and MZM President Mitchell J. Wade came under scrutiny earlier this week when news surfaced that another company controlled by Wade purchased Cunningham's Del Mar home in 2003 and later sold it for a $700,000 loss.

Now, another connection between Cunningham and Wade is raising questions ---- a boat owned by Wade and occupied at least part-time by Cunningham.

U.S. Coast Guard records show that Wade owns the 42-foot, 34-ton boat, which bears the name "Duke Stir."

More Duke

A good follow up on the Duke story...

I like this part...

"Revelations of the deal have sparked outrage in Cunningham's district, which includes several North County communities, such as Del Mar, Carlsbad, Encinitas, San Marcos and Escondido. Much of the anger has focused on the question of how a house could sit on the market for eight months and sell at a loss of $700,000 when prices were sharply rising and many houses were receiving multiple offers above the asking price almost immediately upon being listed.

Said San Diego Realtor Christian Peter: "In November 2003, property values increased approximately 20 percent on a year-to-year basis in San Diego County. A $700,000 loss would be unheard of, and anyone who bought property in 2003 and held onto it for any period of time should have made a significant amount of profit."
"

Arnold Schwarzenegger

From CNN -

SANTA MONICA, California (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to his alma mater turned into an exercise in perseverance when virtually his every word was accompanied by catcalls, howls and piercing whistles from the crowd.

Schwarzenegger's face appeared to redden during his 15-minute commencement address Tuesday to 600 graduates at Santa Monica College, but he ignored the shouting as he recalled his days as a student and, later, his work as a bodybuilder and actor.

Duke

From the Union Tribune -

WASHINGTON – A defense contractor with ties to Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took a $700,000 loss on the purchase of the congressman's Del Mar house while the congressman, a member of the influential defense appropriations subcommittee, was supporting the contractor's efforts to get tens of millions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon.

Mitchell Wade bought the San Diego Republican's house for $1,675,000 in November 2003 and put it back on the market almost immediately for roughly the same price. But the Del Mar house languished unsold and vacant for 261 days before selling for $975,000.

Meanwhile, Cunningham used the proceeds of the $1,675,000 sale to buy a $2.55 million house in Rancho Santa Fe. And Wade, who had been suffering through a flat period in winning Pentagon contracts, was on a tear – reeling in tens of millions of dollars in defense and intelligence-related contracts.

6-to-6 program

From the Union Tribune -

A popular before-and-after school program got at least a one-day reprieve yesterday when the San Diego City Council delayed a vote on deep cuts to help balance the city budget for next fiscal year.

Although the 6-to-6 program gets most of its money from state and federal grants, the cut by the city could mean about 2,200 students at 27 schools would lose slots in a program that has provided homework assistance, arts, sports and other supervised activities.

Twenty-six of the 27 schools targeted for cuts are in the San Diego Unified School District. The other is in the Poway Unified School District.