By Miriam Raftery

January 16, 2016 (San Diego) –A Muslim woman and a Jewish man were forcibly removed from a speech being given by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in South Carolina last week.  They were staging a peaceful, silent protest over Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, both wearing yellow Holocaust stars of David and the word “Muslim.”  The woman also wore a hijab head scarf and a shirt that read, “Salam. I come in peace.”  She stood up after Trump suggested refugees fleeing Syria are affiliated with ISIS terrorists.  Hecklers shouted hateful remarks at the pair and Trump later backed their ouster.

By contrast, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, speaking at a rally in Virginia five days later, stepped from behind the podium to embrace a Muslim woman student who voiced concerns over “Islamophobia” and bigotry voiced by some candidates.  Sanders, stood hand in hand with the woman, then spoke of his father’s family who died in concentration camps and gave an impassioned speech, vowing to stand against racism of all forms.

Budget cuts money for enviornmental protection, draws criticism for inadequate increase in funds for developmentally disabled

By Miriam Raftery

January 14, 2016 (Sacramento) – Governor Jerry Brown has proposed a $170.7 billion budget that includes big increases in education funding and modest increases in programs for the poor, while also adding $2 billion to the state’s rainy day fund.

Relative to years past, the state budget is in good shape,” Brown wrote in a Governor’s message attached to a budget summary.  “Education funding is at its highest level ever,  Fifteen million Californians are covered by Medi‑Cal or Covered California, the minimum wage has risen to $10 an hour, and for the first time, the state will provide almost $400 million to low‑wage working families through an  earned income tax credit.”

By Miriam Raftery

January 12, 2016 (Sacramento) -- As we ring in the new year, a slew of new laws are taking effect in California that could affect you or your family, school, workplace, or business.  Here are highlights from some of the 808 new laws signed by Governor Jerry Brown:

January 9, 2016 (San Diego)—Greg Palast, one of the most celebrated investigative journalists on the planet, is coming to San Diego for  a fundraising meet and greet for KNSJ  radio, the Network for Social Justice, on Sunday, January 10^th at 6 p.m.  He’ll share results of his investigation into the “theft of the 2016 election and the billionaires behind it.”

The Chicago Tribune said of Palast, “What a journalist should be:  a truth hound, undaunted by power.”  San Diego news anchor Bree Walker called Palast “The best damn reporter in the USA.  Period.”  Britain’s Guardian called him “The most important journalism of our time.” Palast has broken front-page stories for BBC Television Newsnight, The Guardian, Nation Magazine, Rolling Stone and Harper's Magazine. 

East County News Service

January 8, 2016 (El Cajon) -- The City of El Cajon City Council is now accepting applications for Commissions as listed below. The filing period ends January 14, 2016, at 5:30 p.m.  Applicants will be interviewed and appointed on January 26, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 200 Civic Center Way, El Cajon, CA 92020.

Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again, by Donald J. Trump (Threshold Editions, An Imprint 0f Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, NY, 2015, 193 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

January 2, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - Donald J. Trump, the very definition of the American success story, has now delved into politics with his candidacy for the White House, and explains why in his very provocative book; Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again. Trump, a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance, an accomplished author and having written more than fifteen bestsellers, with his first book, The Art of the Deal, being considered a business classic and one of the most successful business books of all time. There is no question that trump has been a very successful entrepreneur and businessman – but does that necessarily translate into his being a great politician or President of the United States?

 Photo credit:  Sanfranman59 on Wikipedia

By Miriam Raftery

December 28, 2015 (Sacramento) – Nonprofit groups that help the poor are working to qualify the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Act for the November 2016 ballot.  The Legislative Analyst has estimated that the measure could raise up to $7 billion by adding a property tax surcharge on properties worth $3 million or more.

By Miriam Raftery

December 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – An omnibus appropriations bill passed the House earlier this month on a 316 to 133 vote, avoiding a government shutdown.  The measure was passed by the Senate and signed by President Obama.  Among local representatives, only Republican Duncan Hunter voted no.  Democrats Susan Davis, Juan Vargas and Scott Peters joined with Republican Darrell Issa in voting yes.

“Many San Diego priorities focusing on the middle class are included in this bipartisan omnibus spending bill,” says Congresswoman Davis. “While not perfect by any means, this bill has critical investments for medical research, innovation, education, infrastructure, and supports many jobs in our region.”

The Omnibus Appropriations bill includes:

By Miriam Raftery

Hear our full interview with Mike Harrison, originally aired on KNSJ 89.1 FM Radio: http://k003.kiwi6.com/hotlink/0nrblk7onb/Newsmaker-Harrison-Mike-Assembly71Candidate.mp3

December 12, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) –“The 71s Assembly District is a great district…with a lot of little rural towns and communities,  and great people,” says Mike Harrison, who is running for the seat. He believes it’s important for the people across East County to have someone serving them in Sacramento “who knows each town and its issues" and believes his experience makes him the best qualified candidate for the job. He adds, "I do have a love of public policy and finding solutions to issues that people are facing.”

Harrison is a seasoned political policy professional who has spent 21 years working for political leaders representing East County. A Republican and Ramona resident, he is Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Duncan D. Hunter and previously worked for  Hunter’s father, the former  Congressman by the same name. Harrison also holds a master’s degree in government from Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Stanislaus.

By Miriam Raftery

December 11, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – Calling it a “Christmas miracle—a bipartisan bill signing”,  President Barack Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act, which passed Congress with strong support among both Republicans and Democrats.

The new law preserves the goals and spirit of the No Child Left Behind law enacted under the George W. Bush administration, but eliminates that measure’s unpopular  heavy testing and eases consequences for schools that underperform. The Every Student Succeeds Act offers a more flexible approach to student testing and school accountability, also shifting much of the responsibility for improving troubled schools back to the states.

By Miriam Raftery

December 6, 2015 (La Mesa) – La Mesa’s City Council will consider an ordinance Tuesday that would ban mobile dispensing and delivery of marijuana. Medical marijuana clinics are already illegal in the city and voters recently rejected a measure that would have allowed them, however a number of clinics have sprung up despite that ban, offering home delivery services.

The La Mesa Council meets at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8^th. 

East County News Service

December 5, 2015 (Sacramento) – The National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful lobbies in America, donating huge sums to politicians and mobilizing its members to oppose gun control at the state and federal level even though polls consistently show the public supports some restrictions, such as background checks.

East County News Service

December 8, 2015 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Mayor bill Wells will present his State of the City address on Tuesday, December 8  at 2:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. The Mayor will detail accomplishments of the City over the past year, as well as where the City is headed in the next year and beyond.

East County Magazine

Photo: Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility at Otay Mesa

November 16, 2015 (Sacramento) -- A proposed ballot initiative submitted to the California Secretary of State takes aim at sanctuary cities that shelter undocumented immigrants from deportation under certain circumstances.