By Miriam Raftery

May 5, 2016 (Sacramento) – California has become the second state in the nation (after Hawaii) to raise the smoking age to 21 years of age. Governor Jerry Brown signed a package of bills into law that also bans sale of e-cigarette products to youths and prohibits use of electronic cigarettes in public places such as restaurants or theaters, as well as at most areas in public schools including charters.

El Cajon Councilman Gary Kendrick praised the Governor’s action. “That’s going to save millions of lives,” said Kendrick, who authored El Cajon’s measures to restrict e-cigarettes and smoking in public places. The El Cajon Council, at Kendrick’s urging, also passed a resolution in support of raising California’s smoking age from 18 to 21.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo by Troy Page, Truthout

May 3, 2016 (San Diego) – Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has scored a win in the Indiana presidential primary, taking 52.4% of the vote.  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took 47.6%  with 95% of all precincts reporting.  Sanders picked up  43 delegates and Clinton 37.

Clinton now has 1,682 delegates won through voting while Sanders has 1,361, a gap of 321 delegates. However when super delegates are added in, Clinton has a more commanding lead of 2202 vs. 1400 for Sanders.  A total of 2,382 delegates are needed  to win.

Sanders is pinning his hopes on big wins in liberal bastions such as California and Oregon, which have yet to vote, then coaxing a substantial number of super delegates to change their support for the good of the party in November.   That’s clearly an uphill battlle, but  a new Rasmussen poll adds ammunition to Sanders' argument, showing Clinton losing to Trump by 2% if the general election were held today.  Various older polls  showed Clinton beating Trump by a narrow margin, but found Sanders beating Trump by much larger margins--in some cases, double digits.

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

May 2, 2016 (Sacramento) -- Tenants' rights advocates are criticizing a bill getting its first hearing today in the California Legislature.

By Suzanne Potter, Public News Service

May 1, 2016 (Sacramento) - If you have a credit card or a job, have ever seen a doctor or needed a nursing home, you've probably signed an arbitration agreement that requires you to give up the right to sue, and go through mediation in the event of a dispute.

East County News Service

April 29, 2016 (Lemon Grove) – Recently, East County Magazine sat down with George Gastil,  Mayor Pro Tem of Lemon Grove and a candidate for Mayor.  Our two-part interview originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM radio earlier this month.

In our series, he talked about key issues facing Lemon Grove and changes the city has seen through the years. In addition, Gastil, who has also served on the Metropolitan Transit board and the Lemon Grove School District Board, discusses transportation, education and politics--including his upcoming bid to become Lemon Grove's Mayor, after long-time Mayor Mary Sessom announced her retirement.

By Jonathan Goetz

April 27, 2016 (San Diego) -- Voters in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island went to the polls on Tuesday to help select the Republican and Democratic candidates for president. Both frontrunners added handily to their delegate count, with business and reality TV celebrity Donald Trump sweeping all five north-eastern states and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton winning four out of five.

By Miriam Raftery

April 27, 2016 (San Diego) -- California’s presidential primary election is coming up June 7^th. But many Californians may be surprised to learn that they can’t vote for presidential candidates or those running for other high offices, due to confusion over the rules. Fortunately there’s still time to take action—and cast your vote for the candidate of your choice.

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.