By Miriam Raftery

June 27, 2012 (La Mesa) –Helix Water Board director Chuck Muse sought to have the District prohibit fellow Board directors from speaking to  reporters, ECM has learned.  

Board President DeAna Verbeke stopped short of such drastic measures, but  did chastise directors to refrain from “negative personal comments” about board members or the District,” admonishing that during past rate hike considerations, “discussing the District’s business did not reflect well on the individual of the District.”

Budget aims to eliminate deficit, cuts key services

Deeper cuts ahead if Governor’s tax initiative on Nov. ballot is not approved by voters

By Miriam Raftery

June 25, 2012 (Sacramento) – California's Legislature has approved a budget bill, AB 1464, on time by the constitutional June 15 deadline.  The budget deal aims to eliminate the state’s $20 billion structural deficit and result in a balanced budget for each of the next several years, resulting in a $2 billion reserve by the 2015/16 fiscal year.

Bill also jeopardizes national parks along U.S.-Mexico and Canadian borders;

2 local Congressmen vote to kill environmental protections for all federal lands within 100 miles of borders--encompassing vast swaths in San Diego

June 7, 2012 (El Cajon ) – Proposition D, which declares El Cajon to be a charter city independent of many state requirements, has been approved by voters. 

The measure passed by a 57%-43% margin. 

By Miriam Raftery

June 7, 2012 (San Diego)—Proposition 29 sought to add a $1 tax onto a pack of cigarettes and other tobacco products in order to fund cancer research.  The measure appears headed for defeat,with the count currently showing 50.8% voting no.  (Some counties have not yet certified final results, which is not required until July 6.)

The tobacco industry spent a reported $65 million to defeat the measure--and appears to have got its money's worth with a spate of ads labeled as distortion by prominent newspapers statewide.

By Miriam Raftery

By Nadin Abbott

Photographs Nadin Abbott and Tom Abbott

June 6th, 2012 (San Diego)--Two Republican candidates supported by the conservative Lincoln Club of San Diego won outright their seats to City Council, winning over 50 percent of the vote. One was businessman Scott Sherman (District 7), and the other was Mike Kersey (District 5).

District 1 will see a run off in November between Ray Ellis, a Republican also backed by the Lincoln Club,  and Sherri Lightner, who is backed by the Democratic Party, nurses and teachers.

 By Miriam Raftery

June 5, 2012 (San Diego)--With 98.4% of precincts counted, the clear winners in the 79th Assembly District race are Democrat Shirley Weber (30.00%) and Republican Mary England (29.67%).

If elected in the November run-off, Weber would become San Diego county's first African-American woman to serve in the Legislature.   England, however, hopes to score an upset win to take back the ethnically diverse district from Democrats in November. 

June 5, 2012- For cash strapped school districts in rural East County, tonight's final results will mean deeper cuts for local schools. Two bond measures have gone down in defeat, one by the slimmest of margins.

 June 5, 2012 (San Diego)

With 20.8% of precincts counted, Dem. Ron Vargas has a stong 47.51% lead. Rep. Michael Crimmins is in second follows by Dem Dennise Ducheny with 13.91%.

June 5, 2012 (San Diego) – For many, the array of issues and candidates on  today's ballot can be confusing.  This is the first election to implement California’s new top-two primary system. Instead of seeing all candidates in your own party, your ballot will include candidates from all parties running for each race, except president.