East County News Service

Photo: (from left to right) Grossmont Healthcare District board member Rancy Lenac and City of El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells

May 30, 2016 (La Mesa) - The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will host its upcoming First Friday Breakfast starting at 7:15 a.m., Friday, June 3, at Cottonwood Golf Club, 3121 Willow Glen Dr., El Cajon. It’s the Chamber’s annual breakfast featuring elected officials providing updates on East County cities. Confirmed speakers at press time include the mayors of El Cajon, Lemon Grove and Santee.

Story and photo by Miriam Raftery

Photo: Assembly Chamber, State Capitol

May 30, 2016 (Sacramento) – California law prohibits the use of video from state Assembly hearings for political campaigns or commercial purposes, although these same videos can be used by news outlets. A candidate who runs Assembly video footage in an ad can be criminally charged—even if the video is of himself speaking on the Assembly floor.

Now a lawsuit has been filed against the state claiming that this law violates First Amendment free speech, Courthouse News reports.

Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, by Richard L. Hasen (Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 2016, 241 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

May 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, this scholarly and insightful book by Richard L. Hasen, a leading expert on election law, gives a compelling answer to the dilemmas of money in politics, and comes at a time when presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders has as his mantra campaign finance and reform. Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, has written this book in the midst of one of the most unusual presidential campaigns in memory, where the character and personas of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders seem to shape our political history and agendas.

By Miriam Raftery

May 27, 2016 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Republican Party’s list of endorsed candidates has a glaring omission at the top:  there is no endorsement for President.  Donald Trump, who visits San Diego today and this week won enough delegates to mathematically qualify to win the national Republican Party nomination, has been snubbed by the San Diego GOP.

East County News Service

May 25, 2016 (San Diego) – Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will hold a rally at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego this Friday, May 27th at 2 p.m.  You can register for tickets here.  The stop is one of several for Trump in California in anticipation of the June 7^th primary.

The billionaire businessman and reality TV star’s visit has also sparked a counter-protest planned by San Diego County Democrats.  A “Stop Trump” rally will be held starting at 12 noon (gathering at 11:30) in the plaza at the southeast corner of the Convention Center across from the Bayfront Hilton.  You can RSVP here, sign a Stop Trump petition here  and visit a Facebook page for the event here.)

East County News Service

May 24, 2016 (San Diego) – Two weeks before the hotly contested California Democratic primary election on June 7th, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has backed out of her earlier pledge to debate her opponent, Vermont Senator Sanders, in California.

East County News Service

Photo: Sanders Twitter feed

May 21, 2016 (San Diego) -- U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders today toured Friendship Park, a meeting place for separated families between San Diego and Tijuana.

“All of this tells us why we need comprehensive immigration reform,” Sanders said after hearing the stories of families who can only see their loved ones on weekends. “I would hope that the Republicans in Congress understand that we have a very, very broken immigration system and that it must be reformed and that they should in fact work with Democrats to pass comprehensive immigration reform. If not and if I am elected president of the United States, I will use the executive powers that the president has to do that the best that I can.”

By Miriam Raftery

May 21, 2016 (San Diego) – This week, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and 12 other members of Congress introduced legislation to rein in civil forfeiture abuse, signing on as an original cosponsor of the Due Process Act of 2016. The bill makes several important changes to the nation's federal civil forfeiture program to help curb recent abuses and prevent Americans from having their property taken away by law enforcement without due process.  A copy of the bill’s text can be found here.

East County News Service

May 21, 2016 (San Diego) -- On Thursday, seven Republican representatives in Congress, including San Diego Congressman Darrell Issa, switched their votes at the last minute, effectively killing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have prevented government contractors from citing religious liberty as grounds for firing or harassing lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGTB) employees.

County News Service

May 20, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - If you want to vote in the June 7 Presidential Primary Election, you must register by Monday, May 23.  You will need to register if you are not currently registered, moved recently or changed your name.  

 

If you want to vote for president, make sure you can. If you’re registered as No Party Preference – or nonpartisan – presidential candidates won’t be listed on your ballot. You may request an American Independent, Democratic or Libertarian party ballot at your designated polling place to vote for the presidential candidates in those parties. If you want to vote for a presidential candidate in the Green, Peace and Freedom or Republican parties, you must re-register with that party by May 23.      

East County News Service

Both Democratic presidential candidates’ campaigns will be holding rallies in San Diego this weekend, gearing up for the June 7^th primary election.  Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will hold rallies in the South Bay and North C ounty, while former President Bill Clinton will hold a rally in Chula Vista and a fundraiser in Rancho Santa Fe for his wife, Hillary Clinton.

233-189 vote in favor of V.A. appropriations amendment indicates large increase in support from previous year

East County News Service

May 20, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- The U.S. House voted this morning in favor of a measure that would allow Veterans Administration doctors to recommend medical marijuana for their patients in states where medical marijuana is legal, currently 24 states including California. The measure, an amendment to the Department of Veterans Affairs appropriations bill proposed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), passed by a 44-vote margin, including 57 Republicans voting in favor. The final vote was 233-189. A similar amendment proposed in the House last year failed narrowly, 213-210.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mike Farrell was interviewed by ECM editor Miriam Raftery on his opposition to the death penalty and prison reform issues during his 2009 visit with the Eastlake-Bonita Democratic Club

May 19, 2016 (San Diego) -- Signature gathers are working to put two competing measures on the ballot. One, backed by former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell, would eliminate the death penalty in California.  The second measure would speed up the process for inmates on death row.

By Leon Thompson, Tribal Beat

May 15, 2016 (Pine Ridge, Sd.) – When Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke in San Diego, he said, among other others, “This campaign is about the Native Americans.“  I don’t think I’ve ever heard a politician even talk about Indians let alone include them in his race for President.  Should I be happy that someone is at least talking about the 566 tribes?   We are a mere 1.6 % of the voting population.  Of course, we know that only a third of all Indians live on reservations.  We are many urban Indians.  And we vote. 

East County News Service

May 13, 2016 (La Mesa) -- Applications are now being accepted for volunteer positions on the City’s boards and commissions. The deadline for submission of applications is 5:30 p.m., Thursday, June 2, 2016, in the City Clerk’s office at La Mesa City Hall, 8130 Allison Avenue. Applications may be obtained at City Hall or from the City of La Mesa website, www.cityoflamesa.us.