As Duane Dichiara has noted in his posts below, downtown San Diego has been uniquely quiet the last two days. Although not threatened by fire, many of the folks who would typically drive in from other areas of the county are dealing with more significant issues than work, or their employers are closing operations for the time being. For good reason, as approximately one in six county county residents have been evacuated from their homes. The encouragement is to stay off the highways if possible.

Duane documents the empty nature of downtown withthe followingcouple of photos, taken at high noon, a good time for a ghost town … looking down Broadway, likely the busiest street in the area. And, although he has written for FR for nearly two years, he hasn’t yet learned how to post photos, so he asked me to do so. I am glad he can handle a camera.

… Read More

With all the trauma and loss in southern California because of the wildfires – I thought a little levity might help lighten things up. (no disrespect intended to those that have had their lives impacted by this tragedy) And when you’re looking for a good stand-up comedian in the spirit of Shecky Greene, look no further than our own Jim Brulte……..I know, I know, and you thought he was just a serious policy wonk.

Recently, Jim was invited to roast Governor Schwarzenegger at the governor’s fundraiser in Hollywood. He killed it.

The Master ofCeremonies was actor / comedian Tom Arnold.

Here is Jim’s stand up act – enjoy!

"Thank you, Tom, for that introduction.

And I guess I should introduce myself, since I’m not a nationally known celebrity like most of those on the dais. My name is… Read More

The number of people under mandatory evacuation in San Diego is now equivalent to Nebraska’s entire population….

10-23-07 11:21 a.m. Overall evacuation update. A total of 349,915 Reverse 9-1-1 and AlertSanDiego phone calls have been issued between the County of San Diego and the City of San Diego, informing residents of both advisory and mandatory evacuation orders. Based on 2000 census data, approximately 513,000 people in San Diego County have received a mandatory evacuation order and an additional 12,000 people have been advised to leave their homes.… Read More

Doing his best to prove there is a God, mean-spirited extremist Congressman Pete Stark took to the House floor today to stop the bleeding for House democrats by apologizing to his colleagues, the President and the troops. In his own words "I hope with this apology I will become as insignificant as I should be."

Pete Stark can never be as insignificant as he should be.… Read More

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is encouraging residents and business owners to donate the following items in support of fire evacuation relief efforts at Qualcomm Stadium: prepared foods, packaged snacks, water, tents, cots and blankets.

All donations should be delivered to Gate P at Qualcomm Stadium.

If you know of anyone with a large surplus of blankets and/or cots, or a restaurant that wishes to donate food, please contact Scott Maloni at (858) 663-8838.

211 San Diego is also seeking volunteers to take on shifts to answer phones. Please call Megan at (858) 300-1240 to find out how you can help.

10:30 UPDATE: Del Mar evacuated… Read More

The freeways on the way downtown were wide open, at rush hour. From what I can tell downtown is largely shut down. Tourists and the homeless are just about the only people in the street. City buses and the trolly are stopping and no one is getting out or in. A dull haze hangs over the city, and the smell of smoke is everywhere. San Diego has ground to a halt.… Read More

Some bozo in Paso Robles complained that there was a collage of photos on the wall of the local post office displaying photos of local folks deployed in the military oversees. Some even bigger bozo at the U.S. Postal Service, in response to bozo #1 went ahead and ordered the collage removed.

Well, the photos are back up now, due to the intervention of Congressman Kevin McCarthy. Check out the story on Fox News here.… Read More

Today’s Wall Street Journal Political Diary E-mail has a California item: (two if you count the Quote of the Day below it):

The Ballot War for California

The race to put a controversial measure on California’s ballot that would end the state’s "winner take all" allocation of its 55 Electoral College votes is back on. A group of Republican political consultants announced yesterday they will try to collect some 600,000 signatures by a November 13 filing deadline.

"Our budget is going to be whatever it takes to make the June ballot," said political strategist David Gilliard, who played a crucial role in getting the recall of then-Governor Gray Davis on the 2003 ballot. He will be aided by a campaign team that includes former Reagan political aide Ed Rollins and fundraiser Anne… Read More