Looks Forward to Working with Leadership Team in Sacramento

May 2, 2012 (Sacramento)--Assemblyman Brian Jones, R-Santee, today announced that Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare, appointed him as Assistant Republican Leader on the Assembly Republican Leadership Team.

“I am eager to continue working with Republican Leader Conway to get Californians back to work. The most important issues facing our state are jobs and the economy – we have to remove the regulatory and tax burdens from California’s middle class and release our creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit. California can be the Golden State again.”

May 2, 2012 (Sacramento)--A measure by Senator Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) to establish a landmark pay cap on the annual salary of state employees was defeated last week the Senate Government Organization Committee. Current law places no limit on state employee salaries; SB 1368 would have set the limit at no more than the Governor makes ($173, 987) annually.

Registrar Is Asking for Public’s Help

May 1, 2012 (San Diego) -- Poll workers are still in demand for the June 5 Presidential Primary Election; especially those who are bilingual in Chinese, Filipino, Spanish and Vietnamese. The need is especially great in the neighborhoods listed below:    

April 28, 2012 (San Diego) – Run Women Run is offering a Running for School Board workshop on May 15 from  6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Hera Hub Workspace for Women, 9710 Scranton Road, Suite 160, San Diego.  Many women begin political careers by running for a school board.  The workshop panelists will provide behind the scenes information about what it takes to run and win, the different types of school boards, the responsibilities and time commitment and the lessons they’ve learned.

April 20, 2012 (Sacramento) – AB 1902, authored by Brian Jones, did not muster sufficient votes to pass out of the Assembly Local Government Committee on Wednesday.   Introduced at the request of East County Magazine, the bill would allow online media to run paid public notices, such as new business announcements.

April 20, 2012 (San Diego) –Prominent women leaders in San Diego will be speaking out to support Bob Filner’s mayoral candidacy this Saturday.

“Bob Filner is the only candidate for mayor who has spent his career fighting for women's rights,” a press release from the Filner campaign states. In Congress, Filner co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He is endorsed by the National Organization for Women (NOW) San Diego chapter and has earned an “A+” from Planned Parenthood for his voting record to support women’s rights.

By Mike Lewis

April 17, 2012 (Sacramento)--The figures behind the state’s educational crisis are alarming. According to the California Teachers Association, California ranks 46 nationally in per-pupil funding, with over $20 billion cut from public schools and colleges statewide in the last four years. More than 40,000 teachers have been laid off during that same time, yet partisan gridlock has stalled any solution in Sacramento.

 By Nadin Abbott

April 9, 2012 (El Cajon) -- The East County Democratic Club will have two speakers focused on El Cajon at its meeting at 7 p.m. on April 19 at Coco’s Restaurant, 1025 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon. 

Simon Mayeski, board member of Common Cause, a citizen's watchdog organization committed to holding government officials accountable, will discuss his perspective on El Cajon's city government and its lack of representation of the many resident ethnic groups and women.  Ray Lutz, National Director and founder of Citizens Oversight Project Committee (COPS), which acts as a governmental watchdog and helps empower local citizens to make changes in their community, will report his observations of significant events at recent City Council meetings.

Some other "red tape" reduction items are approved; action is postponed on Resource Protection Ordinance

By Danielle Cook

April 2, 2012 (San Diego)--On Wednesday, The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously rejected Red Tape Reduction Task Force recommendations that would eliminate or severely limit the scope of community planning groups. The recommendation was one of thirty designed to speed up the permitting process and deliver better “customer service” for developers.

By Miriam Raftery

April 1, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – House Republicans this week passed a budget that would give massive tax breaks to the wealthy and to corporations, while weakening programs that benefit students, the middle class and senior citizens, including Medicare.