A follow up to Duane’s post this morning (see below) on the Union-Tribune’s endorsement of Kevin Faulconer … I wanted to note that the joint endorsement of Luis Acle for the other open city council seat, as well as the U-T’s support last month of Jerry Sanders in the mayoral election, puts the paper in the 100% column for Republican candidates for the three SD city vacancies.
So what?, you may ask. A Republican town, a Republican newspaper, right? 
Don’t be so sure. A historical look at the U-T’s ballot recommendations over the last several years shows a nearly dead heat between Ds and Rs endorsed for San Diego City Council seats. You can look it up.
The paper traditionally goes across the board GOP at the federal level, then it throws in a Democrat or two for good measure in state legislative contests (Kehoe, Vargas most recently) and by the time you get local it’s a completely mixed bag. I’m sure the editors would claim the local seats are non-partisan, but nearly every member of our state delegation moved up from local office. A newspaper endorsement can be another stepping stone toward higher office, no?
The paper did endorse Faulconer when he previously lost to now-resigned Michael Zucchet, but you will also find past U-T endorsements of Ralph Inzunza (the other resignee), Donna Frye and others. The history is striking, especially compared to the U-T’s consistent editorializing against labor control at City Hall.
Balance, the editors would likely say of the past. So, what are they saying now, with the endorsement of all Reps? Perhaps that they finally understand how the City of San Diego got in this mess in the first place.