October 28, 2008 (San Diego's East County) - Two dueling veterans--Navy Seal Mike Lumpkin, Democrat and Marine Captain Duncan D. Hunter, Republican (son of the retiring Congressman)--plus Libertarian Michael Benoit share views on key issues in a 52nd Congressional District debate held at Cuyamaca College on October 22.
November 1, 2008 (San Diego) - San Diego Republican Party Chair Tony Krvaric is alleged to have rigged endorsements including a mayoral race, violated state election law and party rules. A complaint filed by a Central Committee member calls for Krvaric’s ouster. Will the GOP Central Committee make its chairman, who has previously been implicated in piracy, walk the plank?
Councilman blasts Assembly Rep for opposing Prop J without consulting
Council or Mayor
By Miriam Raftery
77th District Assemblyman Joel Anderson
Voters in El Cajon will decide whether or not to approve Proposition J,
which would raise sales tax by one-half cent on the dollar.
“The decision to place a sales tax increase on the ballot for El Cajon
residents was quite painful for the Mayor and City Council,” said Dick
Ramos, the most senior member of the Council. Mayor Mark Lewis
also supports the tax increase, which city leaders say is critical to
fund police and fire services, parks maintenance and other vital services. The
ballot argument in favor states that “there is nothing left to cut except
essential services including public safety.”
Contenders clash on budget solutions, jobs, housing, and religion in politics
By Miriam Raftery
How should El Cajon address its budget shortfall? Should public jobs be privatized, or services cut? Or can new revenues and employment be created with an industrial park, green jobs, a new hospital, a university, or other innovative solutions? Candidates differ sharply on these and other issues. They also disagree on whether to assist struggling renters and homebuyers, how to fill vacant buildings downtown, and whether voters should approve Proposition J to raise sales tax by half a cent per dollar.
October
25, 2008 (Lemon Grove) - Who has the best fresh ideas for Lemon Grove? Which
candidate can squeeze the most benefits out of shrinking tax dollars?
What seeds
of future development should be planted for the city’s future—and
was the Council’s vote to raise its pay 40% a sweet or sour deal?
Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Board of Trustees. The stakes are high. The outcome of this election may determine if a popular superintendent will be retained, if a new high school will be built in Alpine, and if divisive forces will regain a majority on the board—forces that prominent Republicans and Democrats have accused of opposing public education.
Grossmont
Union High School District’s superintendent and four of five GUHSD
school board trustees agree that Proposition U is critical to repair and
replace aging buildings throughout the district—and build a long-awaited
new high school for Alpine.
The
race: Four candidates are running for two seats on the Grossmont-Cuyamaca
College Board of Trustees. Challengers Mary Kay Rosinski and Moe Bakeer
face off against incumbents Tim Caruthers and Bill Garrett, board president. ECM
interviewed Rosinski, Caruthers and Garrett; Bakeer did not respond to interview
requests.
City faces low reserves; bond rating, city jobs at stake if measure
fails to pass
By Kristin Hobbs Kjaero
The proposition
Proponents call it the “Vital City Services Measure,” and opponents
call it a “Pension Tax.” The impartial ballot analysis identifies
it as a “general tax,” which means revenue would go into La Mesa’s
general fund and “the City would not be legally bound to use this tax
revenue for any special purpose or for any specifically identified special
services, facilities or programs.”
Editor's Note: Military authorities declined to speak with East County Magazine regarding this story. We also requested permission to interview veterans at Balboa Naval Hospital to obtain a diverse range of views on conditions in mlitary service. Our request was denied.
October 18, 2008 (San Diego)--Army intelligence officer Selena Coppa has risked her freedom to speak out. “One of my soldiers died. He had PTSD (post traumatic stress syndrome),” she said. “It was ignored.”
After she revealed the truth about the soldier’s death, Coppa told East County Magazine, her commanding officer threatened her. “He said if he’d known what I was going to do, he would have put me in Walter Reed in the mental ward and made sure I never got out. Then what would happen to my little girl?”
Coppa and Hess accuse the U.S. government and military officers of neglecting soldiers with serious mental health problems and of fostering a climate of intimidation against those who speak out.
October
14, 2008 (El Cajon) - After English professor Timothy Pagaard posted a small
Barack Obama sticker on the outside of his office window at Cuyamaca College,
he was astounded to receive a warning from the Dean on September 27th ordering
him to remove his message in support of the presidential candidate.
Accountant April Boling refuses to comment on allegations of “illegal and unethical bookkeeping”; opponent Marti Emerald shares vision for San Diego’s future
By Joseph Rocha
October 15, 2009 (San Diego)--Touted as “The Troubleshooter vs. the Accountant” by local media, San Diego’s 7th District Council race sounds more like a build-up to a Saturday night cage fight than a hotly contested political contest.. But the issues at stake will impact many residents in San Diego’s eastern region, since the district includes Allied Gardens, City Heights, Del Cerro, Grantville, Redwood Village/Oak Park, Rolando, San Carlos, the SDSU college area, and Tierrasanta. At stake: fire protection for our region, energy and water issues, outsourcing of public jobs, responsibility to taxpayers, integrity and openness of our City government.
52nd
Congressional district candidates face off in a series of five debates. Here's
your chance to learn first-hand where candidates stand--or even ask a question
yourself!
Former U.S. Navy Seal Commander Mike Lumpkin, a Democrat,
battles ex-USMC Captain Duncan D. Hunter, Republican, and Libertarian Mike
Benoit to replace retiring Congressman Duncan Hunter in debates Oct. 7, 8,
12, 22 and 28.
October
6, 2008 (Campo) - Concerns over the impacts of new and proposed
major developments on water supplies and community character have divided community
members in this rural region.
Tensions ran high at a forum for Campo/Lake Morena Planning Group candidates
held on September 29th, where community members posed tough questions
for candidates on two opposing slates, plus independents with sharply different
visions for future growth.
October 10, 2008 (Assemblyman Joel Anderson considers himself a watchdog for taxpayers. His opponent, Ray Lutz, founded a citizens’ watchdog group. Both claim to represent the public interest. The differences in their views reflect a core question being asked more and more amid today’s challenging economic times: just what is the proper role of government?
Candidates for the La Mesa City Council answered questions from the public
in a September forum hosted by the East County League of Women Voters and the
American Association of University Women. View the complete video, provided
courtesy of Citizens Oversight Projects:
October 1, 2008 (San Diego) - The Obama-Biden campaign hosted a presidential debate-watching party to kick-off the opening of a new campaign office at 1744 Euclid Street in East San Diego.
“We’ve had a larger than expected turnout,” Vince Hall, spokesperson for Obama for President in San Diego County told East County Magazine. “We’ve had more than 500 volunteers who signed up to support our campaign tonight.”
Mayor Madrid (R) with Shane Shaw of E-Village
Beneath solar panel display at “Sustain La Mesa” festival
Crowds flocked to view cooking demonstrations on solar ovens,
visit with solar energy experts, get tips on water-saving landscaping and more
at Sustain La Mesa, the City’s first annual Environmental Awareness Festival
on September 13th in Harry Griffith Park.
“It took me almost a year to get this event,” Mayor Art Madrid
told East County Magazine, then shared his vision for a greener
La Mesa in the future.
The
League of Women Voters of East San Diego County and the American Association
of University Women of La Mesa-El Cajon will sponsor a series of nonpartisan
public forums to educate voters about candidates plus the pros and cons of
initiatives on the November ballot. Come meet the candidates, ask questions,
and learn more about the issues – free!
Voter
registration drives are being held at several East County locations listed
below. You must be registered by October 20th to vote
in the November 4th presidential election.
"I've been a Republican for 35 years and I became a Democrat in January," La
Mesa Councilmember David Allan told a crowd of approximately 350 people at
the East County Uniting for Change picnic on Sunday at Harry Griffith Park
in La Mesa.
La Mesa Council candidates address budget gap, public safety and future
growth
By Miriam Raftery
State budget cuts have left La Mesa facing a potential budget shortfall
of several million dollars. In exclusive interviews with East
County Magazine, challenger Shannon O’Dunn as well
as incumbents David Allan and Ruth Sterling shared their views on bridging
the budget gap as well as their visions for the long-term future of La Mesa.
In an exclusive issue with East County Magazine, San Diego City Attorney
Mike Aguirre discusses lawsuits and other actions to protect our region from
wildfires, assure a reliable water supply, and compel San Diego Gas & Electric
Company (SDG&E) to meet legal requirements for renewable energy production.
Q: What compelled you to file a lawsuit against
SDG&E over
the recent wildfires that devastated East County and San Diego?
Wildebeest hunt bags a Congressman
By Sylvia Hampton
Our congressman Duncan Hunter (R-52nd district) is leaving his congressional
seat to his son. Sort of an inheritance or royalty passed on to the next generation
like in England. Since Duncan D. Hunter, the son, has the same name his election
should be like shooting fish in a barrel. But before Hunter senior leaves that
throne he hoped to squeeze in a great overseas exotic hunting trip paid for
by the taxpayers. To do that the trip needs to be official government business.
Like feeding the starving! That should do it! Oh, darn. Looks like that won’t
work out, thanks to those big blabber mouths at the Embassy in Chad. As they
say in the comic books, “Foiled again!”
October 28, 2008 (San Diego's East County) - Two dueling veterans--Navy Seal Mike Lumpkin, Democrat and Marine Captain Duncan D. Hunter, Republican (son of the retiring Congressman)--plus Libertarian Michael Benoit share views on key issues in a 52nd Congressional District debate held at Cuyamaca College on October 22. 
November 1, 2008 (San Diego) - San Diego Republican Party Chair Tony Krvaric is alleged to have rigged endorsements including a mayoral race, violated state election law and party rules. A complaint filed by a Central Committee member calls for Krvaric’s ouster. Will the GOP Central Committee make its chairman, who has previously been implicated in piracy, walk the plank?
How should El Cajon address its budget shortfall? Should public jobs be privatized, or services cut? Or can new revenues and employment be created with an industrial park, green jobs, a new hospital, a university, or other innovative solutions? Candidates differ sharply on these and other issues. They also disagree on whether to assist struggling renters and homebuyers, how to fill vacant buildings downtown, and whether voters should approve Proposition J to raise sales tax by half a cent per dollar.
October
Five candidates are vying for two seats on the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Board of Trustees. The stakes are high. The outcome of this election may determine if a popular superintendent will be retained, if a new high school will be built in Alpine, and if divisive forces will regain a majority on the board—forces that prominent Republicans and Democrats have accused of opposing public education.
Grossmont
The
The proposition
Editor's Note: Military authorities declined to speak with East County Magazine regarding this story. We also requested permission to interview veterans at Balboa Naval Hospital to obtain a diverse range of views on conditions in mlitary service. Our request was denied. 
October
October 15, 2009 (San Diego)--Touted as “The Troubleshooter vs. the Accountant” by local media, San Diego’s 7th District Council race sounds more like a build-up to a Saturday night cage fight than a hotly contested political contest.. But the issues at stake will impact many residents in San Diego’s eastern region, since the district includes Allied Gardens, City Heights, Del Cerro, Grantville, Redwood Village/Oak Park, Rolando, San Carlos, the SDSU college area, and Tierrasanta. At stake: fire protection for our region, energy and water issues, outsourcing of public jobs, responsibility to taxpayers, integrity and openness of our City government. 
Candidates for the La Mesa City Council answered questions from the public
How did your elected officials vote on the most important bills in Congress and the California Legislature? Find out here!
The
Recent comments