By Miriam Raftery

Photo, left: Senator Bernie Sanders, by Johnathunder under GNU Free  Documentation license

Photo, right: Senator Ted Cruz, by Gage Skidmore, Creative Commons license

April  6, 2016 (San Diego) –Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Texas Senator Ted Cruz won big victories in Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary, making contested conventions in both the Democratic and Republican parties increasingly likely prospects.

By Meg Jensen

Photos:  New state laws ban abortions even for serious deformities that would result in a chlid doomed to pain, suffering, or death. Shown: Microcephalic fetus with brain deformity, conjoined twins,  infant with two faces.

April 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Media headlines have been filled the past few days with news about Donald Trump’s changing stance on abortion. The Washington Post reports Trump took five different stances in three days, after stating on MSNBC that he believed there should be “punishment” for women who have abortions (but not for the men who impregnate them).  

Though Trump later shifted his stance following stinging criticisms, the truth is that in many Republican-controlled states, women who seek abortions or obtain them are already been punished with laws that restrict access even in extreme cases such as to end a miscarriage in progress or help a mother prevent carrying to term a fetus so severely damaged that it could not survive, or would face a brief life filled with suffering.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mark Nozelle on FlickR, Creative Commons

March 29, 2016 (New York) - Hilary Clinton indicated today she may be “open” to a debate in New York against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – but only after being blasted on social media for stating she wouldn’t debate Sanders unless he changed his “tone” and avoided “negative” campaigning.  In particular, she objects to Sanders bringing up hefty donations and speaking fees she took from Wall Street and votes she has cast that favored the financial industry.

By Ed Barrena

March 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- Pew Research Center published an article by Paul Taylor this week with some interesting political analysis, detailing a move toward polarization of the two political parties. The article discusses points from the first chapter of a book that Taylor co-authored with Pew Research entitled, “The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown.” The book was originally released as a hardback in 2014 and now a paperback edition is being released with 100 pages of additional material.

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) — Increasingly, media watchdogs are citing bias by the mainstream media as a key factor influencing the  presidential primary race.

East County News Service

March 28, 2016 (Sacramento) - The petition signatures of more than 15,000 voters have been delivered to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla in support of resolution ACR 145 asking his office to provide an additional, nonpartisan “public ballot” so that all voters ­ regardless of their political affiliation or non­affiliation ­ can cast a vote for the candidate of their choice in the June presidential primary election.

By Miriam Raftery

Photos by Miriam Raftery and Ron Logan

East County leaders met with Sanders, share their impressions

To read highlights of Sanders’ speech, click here. Check back for full audio to be posted soon.

Updated March 24 with comments from Rev. Shane Harris, who met with Senator Sanders

March 23, 2016 (San Diego) – “I wanted to be here to be a part of history,” said Esmeralda Abarco (photo, left), a youthful voter who was first in line to see Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders at the San Diego Convention Center last night.  She drove down from Los Angeles, arriving at 5 a.m.  to hear Sanders because “Bernie is our only hope. He is for the people.”

Alex Vega, an African-American voter from La Mesa (photo, above right), is supporting Sanders because “he supports politics and things that I believed in even before I knew Bernie, policies that align with what’s best for the black community.  I think he’s the best candidate ever.”

By Miriam Raftery

March 23, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - Californians are set to vote in November on whether to raise our state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.  The Fair Wage Act of 2016 has qualified for the ballot, the Secretary of State’s office confirms.

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Senator Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, left, in San Diego tonight

March 22, 2016 (San Diego) – Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders gained some momentum for his presidential campaign tonight, winning 74% of the Democratic delegates in Utah and 78% of the delegates in Idaho, the New York Times projects.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won Arizona, with about 59% of the vote. Overall, Sanders won 73 delegates tonight, 16 more than Clinton, who won 57 tonight.

Sanders’ strong showings in conservative Utah and Idaho, where independent voters were allowed to vote, could bode well for his chances to pull in independents in a general election should he win.  Clinton’s win in Arizona and some other key states recently came in places where only Democrats could vote.

By Miriam Raftery

March 21, 2016 (Sacramento) – The tobacco industry is threatening to snuff out reform measures recently passed by the California Legislature.

By Miriam Raftery, East County News Service

March 21, 2016 (San Diego) – Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will be in San Diego for a “Future to Believe in” rally  on Tuesday, March 22^nd at the San Diego Convention Center.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for the free event. RSVPs and early arrivals are suggested. Sanders has been drawing huge crowds recently, including an estimated 17,000 in Salt Lake City and lines of supporters over two miles long in Michigan.

By Miriam Raftery

March 20, 2016 (Washington D.C.) – To fill the vacancy left on the Supreme Court by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick Garland, a judicial moderate supported overwhelmingly by both Republicans and Democrats when he was appointed to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1997.  But in a move unprecedented in U.S. history, Senate leader Mitch McConnell has said Republicans will refuse  to allow hearings on any Garland or any nominee made by President Obama for the 11 months left in his term.

By Miriam Raftery

Updated March 31 with new info from the County Office of Education.

March 15, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The County Committee on School District Organization will hold six hearings to get public input on the Grossmont Union High School District’s proposed shift to electing governing board trustees by districts.  The GUHSD board voted 4-1 to adopt a controversial map and seek a waiver of a public vote despite opposition from members of the public who spoke, some alleging gerrymandering to oust a dissenting board member and break up a vocal minority voting block, as ECM reported.

The six hearings are set for March 17 in La Mesa, March 28 in El Cajon,  April 4 in Alpine,  April 5 in Jamul, April 6 in Lemon Grove, and April 11 in Lakeside.  The public can testify at the meetings and also submit written comments up until April 7.  The County’s committee will vote to approve or disapprove the district’s request at its April 13 meeting. The Alpine hearing was added after ECM and community members asked that Alpine be added as a location due to the many controversies involving the Alpine area.

For the full schedule of meetings, rules and details, click "read more" and scroll down.

To view the San Diego County Office of Education hearings announcement in English, Spanish and Arabic, click here.

To view data on the GUHSD redistricting plan including demographic details and maps, click here.

By Miriam Raftery

March 17, 2016 (Washington D.C.)—The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed legislation with rare bipartisan support that would make it easier for the public and media to obtain government records under the Freedom of Information Act.

The bill was authored by Senator John Cornyn of Texas with San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa as the lead sponsor of the bill.

By Miriam Raftery

March 16, 2016 (San Diego’s East County ) – The House of Representatives this week has passed two measures aimed at holding ISIS and the Syrian regime accountable for atrocities committed in the Middle East. One would declare atrocities by ISIS to be war crimes, the other calls for a war crimes tribunal to address Syrian actions.