A Sunday potpourri from around the region…
Kudos to SDCTA — and a Must Watch "Save the Chargers" Video… Thursday night’s San Diego County Taxpayers Association Golden Watchdog and Fleece Awards dinner was attended by over 800, who clearly see it as one of the best annual events in the region. SDCTA has an uncanny ability to get otherwise cautiously stodgy elected officials to loosen up on video with gems they normally wouldn’t be caught dead saying or doing anywhere — at least not on purpose — all for a good laugh and the spectacle of the evening. The "Chargers Stadium Disaster Relief Telethon" is an absolute classic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH78d2DEQbQ
Here’s also a retrospective of past years’ video hi-lights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nNRygKUAMk
Lastly, a press release announcing all the winning taxpayer watchdogs and fleecers for the year:
http://www.sdcta.org/Uploads/Documents/Final%202010%20SDCTA%20Award%20Winners%205-2-10,%20LL.pdf
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Senate District 36 Watch… As a follow up to last Sunday’s column on the race for the Dennis Hollingsworth seat, I noted the next day that Assemblyman Anderson announced Tom McClintock’s backing.
The McClintock name resonates well with the conservatives in this seat, nearly as much as the Schwarzenegger name did during the gubernatorial recall election, before voters realized they should have supported the former instead of the latter.
Anderson also rolled out the endorsement of San Diego City Attorney and former Assemblyman Jan Goldsmith this past week. The mail and electronic media have started, with Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone the first to take a swipe in the race … against Anderson. This will undoubtedly mean a no holds barred contest. Can you say Donnybrook?
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CapWeekly Focuses on San Diego Races… Capitol Weekly says the SD 36 contest noted above and the 77th Assembly District race to succeed Anderson are among the “primary contests to watch on Election Day.”
Yes, we already knew that. Here are the pertinent sections of the piece…
AD 77 – This seat came open two years early when Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-La Mesa, decided to mount a bid for state Senate. Another three–way race, this one includes El Cajon City Councilman Bill Wells; Brian Jones, a Santee City Councilman; and Christine Rubin, a former staffer for Senator Mark Wyland, R-Escondido. Wells appears to have the most endorsements, including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, though Rubin is well-connected and boasts the support of several sitting GOP legislators. Jones has some local support, but may have made some enemies in 2008 when he attempted to take on local Rep. Duncan Hunter in his own primary; he lost by 56 points.
SD 36 – Assemblyman Joel Anderson has his hands full with Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone in this race to replace Dennis Hollingsworth. Anderson has proven to be a crackerjack fundraiser during his time in Sacramento. But he ran afoul of the Fair Political Practices Commission for allegedly funneling money through county parties into his campaign. Stone has come under fire for money his sister has received from Stone’s campaign warchest, and receiving use of a county car.
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Conservatives Target Judicial Seats… Jon Fleischman included it on the main page yesterday, but in case you missed Saturday’s Union-Trib piece, here you go:
‘Moral vote’ group targets four judicial seats
Or, if for some reason you’d prefer to go right to the group’s website, have at it:
http://www.bettercourtsnow.com/
In judge races where the incumbency factor has far outweighed anything else in determining winners, likely exceeding the win ratio for any other elected body, this effort may have an uphill battle. However, donations have climbed since the March 17 mark of $1,930 raised, especially given the "earned media" garnered by Better Courts Now. As well, that attention has driven many conservative voters to the website to help them fill out their ballots.
In the June election, the Better Courts effort may be more a test of the power of media attention and word of mouth among interested voters, then it is the about significant contributions and resulting mail and media buys.
Whether that’s enough or not, watch for this effort to continue to build its base of support and increase its influence in the future.
Local Pastor Chris Clark penned a great U-T editorial on Better Courts, which ran a few days ago.
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Chris Reed’s Interview with John Eastman: A Focus on Jerry Brown, CalPERS Kickbacks and Shamelessness… AG candidate John Eastman visited with the Union-Trib’s Chris Reed on KOGO AM-600 radio Thursday night, resulting in shades of what may be a significant campaign topic for Guv hopeful Jerry Brown heading into November.
Read Reed’s take on America’s Finest Blog.
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Have an outstanding Sunday and a great week!
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