By Miriam Raftery

October 4, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) -- Today, Assemblyman Randy Voepel (R-Santee) announced he will be holding a "Listening Tour" through multiple communities within the 71st Assembly District including Santee, Julian, Lakeside, El Cajon, Ramona and Idyllwild.  The Listening Tour will provide an opportunity for constituents to hear a legislative update, ask questions, and offer ideas for how to improve California.

By Miriam Raftery

October 1, 2017  (Campo) – After being blocked on a neighborhood watch forum, Campo-Lake Morena Community Planning Group member Keven Owens posted a profanity-laced podcast on his “Erroneous Opinions” webpage in which he threatened to punch 69-year-old Claudia Millerbragg in the face.

A partial transcript of his more than 20 minute rant is below, asprovided in writing by Owens in an email response after ECM sent him an inquiry. You can hear an audio excerpt at the audio link above published under the Fair Use doctrine on a matter of clear public interest:

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Governor's Office

October 2, 2017 (Sacramento) - Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law 15 bills that aim to ease the state’s affordable housing crisis, but which also restrict the abilities of local governments, environmentalists and neighborhood groups to block projects in their communities.

In a signing statement, the Governor says, “These new laws will help cut red tape and encourage more affordable housing, including shelter for the growing number of homeless in California.”

Here are summaries of the new laws:

By Miriam Raftery

September 27, 2017 (Sacramento) -- Donald Trump is the first president in modern times who did not release his tax return. But if he wants to be on the ballot for reelection in 2020, he may soon have to make his tax documents public.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Screenshot, CNN debate

September 26, 2017 (Washington D.C.) -- In a lively debate on the future of healthcare in America hosted by CNN last night, Republicans Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) authors of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) sought to defend their measure while admitting they lack enough votes for passage. 

By Miriam Raftery

September 24, 2017 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa City Council will take up several hot issues at its meeting on Tuesday, September 26^th at 6 p.m. The Council’s decision could make it easier for developers to increase density and decrease parking, create new marijuana regulations, and declare La Mesa a ‘ferret friendly” city.

A proposed change in meeting time and openings on several boards and commissions are also on the agenda.

Photo by Sonia Carcoilo, Government of Ontario:  Governor Brown (right), Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne (left) and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard (center) sign agreement to expand cap-and-trade partnership.

Source: Governor’s office and government of Ontario, Canada

September 24, 2017 (Quebec City) – California Governor Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. yesterday signed an agreement with the leaders of Quebec and Ontario to officially integrate their cap-and-trade programs, expanding the three-year partnership between California and Quebec to include Ontario, Canada's most populous province and leading industrial region. The agreement takes effect January 1, 2018.

By Ken Stone

Reprinted from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

Photo, left:  Nathan Fletcher said after his endorsement: “Every candidate is going to fight and have their base of support. And what we see as Democrats is we come together, post primary and focus on what we have to do, which is Democrats winning the seat.” Photo via Wikimedia Commons

September 20, 2017 (San Diego) -- Former GOP Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher easily won the San Diego County Democratic Party’s endorsement Tuesday night in his bid to “take back our county government.”

By Miriam Raftery

“His behavior is extraordinarily irresponsible. A public official should not be in the business of threatening groundless litigation over acts that are things that reporters do every day.”  -- David Snyder, executive director, First Amendment Coalition

September 19, 2017 (San Diego) – El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho sent emails to San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Jeff McDonald repeatedly calling the award-winning journalist a “troll” and threatening legal action after McDonald asked tough questions about Kalasho’s business dealings and apparent conflicts of interests.

Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher bill would protect a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health decisions

East County News Service

September 15, 2017 (Sacramento) -- California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) won final Legislative approval of her bill protecting women from being fired for a pregnancy. The Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act would also prevent an employer for firing or disciplining a woman for making any other decision related to her reproductive health. The bill now heads to the Governor, who has until Oct. 15 to either sign or veto the proposal.

By Miriam Raftery

September 12, 2017 (San Diego) — San Diego’s City Council has voted 6 to 3 in favor of legalizing marijuana growing, manufacturing and testing operations to supply storefronts selling both medical and recreational pot products.

By Miriam Raftery

September 9, 2017 (San Diego)—President Donald Trump has signed into law H.R. 601, to provide $15.25 billion in emergency appropriations for disaster response. The measure also extends authorization of the National Flood Insurance Program through December 8^th to help those impacted by disasters including Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The President confounded Republicans in Congress by crossing the aisle to work with Democratic leaders to pass the disaster relief bill, which also extends the nation’s debt ceiling until December 8^th.  Conservatives have opposed raising the debt ceiling, wanting to take money from other programs instead and/or avoid further debt ceiling decisions closer to next year’s elections.  In the end, some Republicans joined with nearly all Democrats to pass the bill.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo: Little Flower Haven circa 1954, via Postcards.com on City of La Mesa's website.

September 10, 2017 (La Mesa) - The hotly disputed Silvergate apartment development proposed at the site of the former Little Flower Haven convent is back up for a vote this Tuesday in La Mesa. The decision to re-hear the item comes under threat of legal action.

By Miriam Raftery

September 6, 2017 (San Diego) -- After the Trump administration announced repeal of DACA,  the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, thousands of people have taken to the streets in cities across the nation to rally in support of protecting the dreamers, young people brought to the U.S. as children by undocumented parents.  Those young people now face deportation under President Trump’s executive order, unless Congress takes action within six months to protect them.

By Jonathan Goetz

Photo, left:  Volunteers, photo by Ariele Brooke

September 5, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Hundreds of people showed up for a rally and empty chair town hall hosted by Indivisible at Cuyamaca Community College, in Congressman Duncan Hunter Jr.’s Congressional District on August 26th  The event was organized  by Indivisible, a group opposed to Hunter, after the Congressman failed to host a second town hall in his district following a contentious town hall back in March in Ramona where hundreds lined up and could not get into the packed venue.