By Ariele Johannson

October 12, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--In the Mountain Empire Unified School District school board race there are three seats up for election. Voters will also be asked whether to approve a bond measure for local schools.

The candidates currently sitting on the Board of Trustees at MEUSD are board President Tina Heimerdinger,  Jeffrey G. Morrison, and Tina Ambrose. Ambrose unopposed.  Heimerdinger is opposed by Tom Brady,attorney, in Trustee Area 6. Jeffrey G. Morrison is being challenged by Diane Yops, an educator and business owner, in Trustee Area 2. 

ECM article helped shed light on misreprentation, Lincoln Club’s Stirling reveals

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2012 (San Diego) –Jim Miller, candidate for Superior Court Judge, failed to disclose in his candidate questionnaire that he had been removed for cause as a Judge Pro Tempore,  the San Diego Lincoln Club announced today. A press release issued by the conservative business group states that Miller “misrepresented the facts” when asked for comments on the allegations in private. 

“Such conduct does not meet the high ethical standards that Lincoln Club members believe are required for judicial officers,” the release concludes. Last night, the Club’s Board of Directors voted to withdraw its endorsement of Miller and to endorse his opponent, Deputy District Attorney Robert Amador.

Group focused on rights of working San Diegans also takes stands for Prop 30, against Prop 32

By Miriam Raftery

October 11, 2012 (San Diego)—At its 15^th anniversary gala last night, the Center on Policy  Initiatives  (CPI) honored “every day heroes”  for providing education and training, “seeds of a strong future.”

In a packed ballroom at the Holiday Inn on the Bay, State Senator Christine Kehoe  praised CPI for “shining a light” on truth with the organization’s research into issues such as poverty, wages and other issues impacting working people in San Diego County.  “We need CPI  more than ever,” she noted, adding “We have  a very large voice of corporations."

By Janis Mork

October 10, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)- Retired La Mesa city treasurer Jim Stieringer is running for the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board with confidence that he can, first and most importantly, create greater collegiality among the board members by presenting a policy that all board members must abide by, if elected. In this policy, Stieringer expects that “all board members will agree to the standards of conduct amongst themselves, and their relationships with each other and the public.”

Former Chief Runs Against One of the Board Members Who Fired Him

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

October 8, 2012 (Lakeside) – The Lakeside Fire Protection District contains 55 square miles of land, 65,000 people, and according to its website, http://www.lakesidefire.net, “is primarily suburban residential but also has several core commercial zones, some light industry, and many rural/agricultural properties.” It has a significant wildland/urban interface — firefighter-speak for places where homebuilders have butted developments up against forests and other wild areas. In the last decade, that has proven a recipe for brewing out-of-control fires that have threatened properties and claimed lives—particularly here in Lakeside, which has been devastated by several of the worst wildfires in county history.

By Thea Skinner

Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

October 10, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Proposition 37 would require mandatory labeling of most foods made from plants or animals with genetically engineered organisms (GMOs). Such foods would also be prohibited from being advertised as “natural.”

By Thea Skinner

San Diego has one of the highest rates of child sex trafficking in the U.S.

October 10, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--Proposition 35 would increase prison sentences and fines for anyone convicted of human trafficking — the illegal trade of human beings for sex slavery or forced labor. Prison sentences would be increased to 15-years-to life, with fines up to $1.5 million. Prop 35 would also require anyone convicted of sex trafficking to register as a sex offender and disclose identities they use on the Internet, along with which sites they visit. 

In a rare show of unity, this proposition is supported by both the California Democratic and Republican parties.

By Thea Skinner

“Mercury Insurance has a terrible history of mistreating its customers, ignoring the law and trying to deceive voters.”—Brian Stedge, Consumer Watchdog

“Proposition 33 creates a more vibrant market for auto insurance by empowering California’s consumers to shop for the best deal.” –Samuel Kang, Greenlighting Institute

October 10, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)—Proposition 33 is similar to an insurance-industry backed initiative defeated in 2010 (Prop 17). Both measures received millions in funding from Mercury Insurance Company.

Prop 33 would change the law so insurance companies may set prices for car insurance based on whether a person had insurance with any company before. Drivers who don’t have a history of continuous insurance would pay more. Special exceptions would be made for drivers who drop their insurance to serve in the military or due to loss of employment. The measure has a grace period, so drivers who cancel insurance and purchase new insurance within 90 days would still be considered as continuously covered.

By Thea Skinner

October 10, 2012 (San Diego's East County)--Proposition 38 would raise income taxes to fund K-12 education.  he measure differs from Prop 30, the Governor’s education funding initiative also on the ballot, in several key ways. 

Prop 38 increases taxes on low and middle income earners as well as those with higher incomes, while Prop 30' sincome tax raise targets only the wealthy. Prop 38 imposes restrictions on how education funds can be spent. Prop 38 is limited to K-12 funding, while Prop 30 also includes community colleges. Prop 38 raises taxes over a longer time period. 

By Thea Skinner

October 9, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)--Proposition 31 would move California from a one-year budget cycle to a two-year budget cycle, meaning budget debates happen every other year, instead of annually. Prop 31 would also prohibit the Legislature from spending more than $25 million on new programs unless an equal source of revenue or spending cuts are identified first, and would require performance reviews of all state programs.

The measure is supported by the California Republican Party and opposed by the California Democratic Party.

By Carolyn McGraw, AllVoices.com

October 9, 2012 -- A real life David-and-Goliath battle is heating up in California’s newly formed 50th Congressional District. Republican incumbent, Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (photo, right), is facing off against first-time political candidate, Democrat David Secor (photo, left). The race is defined by large disparities in campaign finances and widely differing policy positions.

Hunter and Secor hold vastly different views on Social Security, Medicare, Roe v. Wade, access to birth control and other social issues which typify the divide between the Republican and Democratic parties. Among the most important economic issues on which the two candidates hold different opinions are policy differences surrounding family planning options, birth control and Roe v. Wade.

Full story:  http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/13149920-david-secor-and-goliath-battle-for-ca-50th-congressional-district-personifies-demrep-split-on-critical-economic-issue

October 9, 2012 (San Diego) -- The National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), one of the most trusted, independent and effective advocates for these programs in the country since 1982, has endorsed Scott Peters for Congress, the Peters campaign announced today.

 NCPSSM President and Chief Executive Officer Max Richtman said they are endorsing Peters over Bilbray because they trust Peters to protect Medicare and Social Security, while Bilbray has voted repeatedly to cut these critical programs which protect many of America’s seniors from living in poverty.

By Mark Gabrish Conlan

 

October 5, 2012 (San Diego)--Just about everybody who follows American politics at all has heard by now of the surreptitious video recording made of Mitt Romney and his peers at a $50,000 per person fundraiser in Boca Raton, Florida last May 17. In case you need the reminder, it’s the event at which he said, “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what … who are dependent on the government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That’s an entitlement. … These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of lower taxes doesn’t connect. … [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the five to 10 percent in the center … ”

By Janis Mork

October 6, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)- Bill Weaver hopes to replace incumbent board member Dr. Gary Woods on the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) board. He is a parent of a son and a daughter in Alpine schools, soon to enter the district. His two kids are the main reason of why he is devoted to GUHSD. He has championed a high school for Alpine but believes in reaching out to all schools. He also pledges to listen to concerns of every parent, make kids the focus when reaching a decision, use tax money wisely, and be open-minded and considerate of students’ needs.

Courtesy of the University of Missouri

October 8, 2012 (Columbia, Missouri) – With near record viewership for the first presidential debate, expectations are now unusually high for the one and only vice presidential debate on Oct. 11 between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan.

Mitchell McKinney, University of Missouri associate professor of communication and internationally recognized scholar of presidential debates, points out that vice presidential debates present unique challenges for the vice presidential candidates and these debates function very differently than their presidential counterparts. Key features that typically characterize the vice presidential debate include: