Update Nov. 8: With 100% of precincts counted and a portion of the late absentee ballots, Schreiber and Stieringer have retained solid leads. 

By Miriam Raftery

November 7, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – In one of the most bitterly contested races in East County, incumbent Priscillla Schreiber won reelection handily with 95% of votes counted with 28.17% of the vote in the Grossmont Union High School District. A Republican, Schreiber has been an outspoken champion for building a new high school in Alpine--and a vocal critic of the board majority on a range of issues. 

That majority may shift, with challenger Jim Stieringer in second place at 19.04%--ahead of incumbent Gary Woods, who has 18.66%. Woods has taken heat for his opposition to the Alpine High School at a time when a Grand Jury investigation is probing possible misallocation of bond monies approved by voters for projects including the high school in Alpine.

By Nadin Abbott

Photos by Tom Abbott

November 7, 2012 (San Diego)-- As we left the Lincoln Club Party downtown late this evening, Carl DeMaio was in the lead and had just faced the press to note that “We do not have the final outcome.” This was about two hours ago, and as of now Congressman Bob Filner has gained a slim lead at 50.37% with Carl DeMaio trailing at 49.63% with 78% of precincts counted. This race is as tight as it can get.

November 6, 2012 (San Diego County) Follow East County election results live on Twitter at EastCountyMag. 

November 5, 2012 (El Cajon) -- An anonymous Facebook ad attacking three El Cajon councilmembers and another candidate has been taken down--but not before hurling blatant falsehoods and misrepresentations into cyberspace.

The ad included an unauthorized use of the City's official seal with a message claiming that the E l Cajon City Council has been involved in "lies, cheats, scandals and much more."  A letter from the city attorney indicates such misuse for purposes of distortion is a felony.

November 4, 2012 (Lemon Grove)-- How can Lemon Grove find the money to repair its pot-holed streets, revive its downtown and restore its shuttered Recreation Department?

At a candidate forum Monday night, incumbents and challengers offered a wide range of proposed solutions. Read full coverage at Lemon Grove Patch.

November 3, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – Four years after winning election  to replace his father in the House of Representatives, what sort of record  has Congressman Duncan D. Hunter amassed in Washington?   To help voters assess Rep. Hunter’s two terms, ECM has taken a look at his voting record, legislation, campaign finances,  campaign promises, and ratings from a variety of interest groups ranging from senior citizens, women and immigrant groups to business groups, educators, labor, gun rights, environmental, and veterans organizations.

Hunter refused to participate in any debates against his opponent, David Secor since the primary election. Secor interviewed with ECM and asserts that Hunter has ignored the needs of middle class voters and those who struggling in his district, also taking extreme stances on women's and senior's issues. 

Hunter, a combat veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, failed to respond to interview requests from ECM and other prominent East County media. He also failed to provide information to the League of Women Voters for its nonpartisan SmartVoter site.  He has not held a single live town hall meeting in his district .  Locally, his appearances have been largely restricted to Chamber of Commerce and Tea Party events, as well as Republican fundraisers.  

Below is the information on his record that we’ve compiled based on nonpartisan independent sources and his own legislative office.

November 3, 2012 (San Diego) – The League of Women Voters’ Lunch with League will feature Controller John Chiang as guest of honor on November 15 at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse Restaurant, 2150 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Chiang, California’s chief fiscal officer, has fought to make finances more transparent and accountable to the public and to weed out waste, fraud and abuse of public money.  He has also led efforts to reform the state’s public pension systems, helped local governments navigate difficult economic times, protected precious natural resources and launched financial and tax assistance seminars.

November 2, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego’s local Republican Congressmen Brian Bilbray, Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa voted for the Paul Ryan budget which would have deeply reduced emergency response and preparedness to disasters such as Hurricane Sandy and local wildfires. An analysis from Third Way says that the Ryan-Bilbray budget “would set the clock back on disaster preparation to the days before Hurricane Katrina.”

Mitt Romney, in a primary debate, called disaster relief “immoral” and said he would privatize FEMA.  Following Hurricane Sandy, he has sought to blur his stance, though his running mate’s budget would also have radically cut federal aid and hampered states’ abilities to respond when disasters strike.

By Janis Mork

November 1, 2012 (San Diego)- Democrat R.J. Hernandez is running against Republican Brian Maienschein for the open seat in the 77th Assembly this November. The redrawn district includes 4S Ranch, Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Kearny Mesa, and Mira Mesa among other areas. View a map of the district. ECM asked both candidates for interviews; Maienschein did not respond. Below is our exclusive interview with Hernandez .

His focus is on job creation, budget reform and education. 

Top Bishops, Rabbis, and Muslim leaders say “our future is at stake” on November 6

October 30, 2012 (Sacramento)-- Leading Christian, Jewish & Muslim clergy and religious leaders from throughout California issued a powerful statement today in support of Proposition 30, the tax initiative on the November 6 ballot that would raise $6-9 billion to fund schools, public safety, and vital services.

Big issues include affordability and quality of care, long ER waits, and sweetheart contract with Sharp Health Care

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

October 30, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--How healthy is our healthcare district--and what remedies to candidates for the Grossmont Health Care District Board have to offer?

ECM contacted all candidates and obtained responses  from eight of the nine (all but Emad Bakeer). Virtually all saw the same principal issues facing the district, though they differ on solutions--and their approaches differ as much as their backgrounds.

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

I’m writing this article — both a review of the latest Presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney at Hofstra University in New York State October 16 and an overview of how all three of the debates so far have been covered by the media — starting 10 minutes after the October 16 debate ended. It’s important that you know that, and that you know my article about the first Obama/Romney debate 10 days earlier was likewise written just minutes after it was over, because I’ve wanted whatever I had to say about the debates to be uncontaminated. I’ve wanted to write about these events solely from the debates themselves as I watched them on TV and filtered them through my perceptions, unaffected by the media “groupthink” that surrounds these events and, quite frankly, colors how ordinary voters perceive them and use them to guide their decisions.

By Janis Mork

October 26, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) - Elana Levens-Craig is running against Gabriel Pina and Robin Fries for the Santee School Board Seat 4.   ECM has contacted all candidates; below is Levens-Craig's interview with ECM.

Levens-Craig says she “is focusing on the ABC’s: Academics (innovate and improve classrooms), Budget (protect students’ education from financial cuts), and Communication (involve the community with their schools).”

By Miriam Raftery

View full forum videos by Paul Kruze:

Video part 1, Video part 2

October 25, 2012 (La Mesa)—Six candidates vying for two seats on the Grossmont Union High School District Board addressed topics ranging from budgets to bond money expenditures (reportedly the topic of a Grand Jury investigation) and from technology to integrity. The forum October 22 was sponsored by East County Magazine and moderated by Donna Barlett-May the League of Women Voters.

The fireworks started in opening remarks, when education advocate Bill Weaver assailed incumbent Gary Woods for a problem with “what I see as honesty,” alluding to use of bond monies that has reportedly drawn the scrutiny of San Diego's Grand Jury.