ListenPolitical Fix
At Last! An Exciting Race for County Supervisor
- Aug. 6, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
It is almost impossible to defeat an incumbent, long-serving San Diego County Supervisor. They have the power of the purse, the ability to raise large sums of money as sitting elected officials and that priceless commodity called name recognition. Next year might be different. Supervisor Ron Roberts’ 4th District seat is up for election in 2010 as is the 1st District post held by Bill Horn. Read more →
Would A $100 Parcel Tax For Local Schools Get Your Vote?
- July 22, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
Sometimes the biggest changes begin with little fanfare. For example, on the San Diego Unified School Board's 5 p.m. agenda on Tuesday evening was the rather obscure item ‘I’ on a list that began with ‘A’ and ended with ‘M’. Item ‘I’ was called the “Superintendent's Consent Agenda …Agreement with The Primacy Group, Inc. for a Parcel Tax Feasibility Study.” Read more →
Sonia Sotomayor and Identity Politics
- July 15, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
Unless Judge Sonia Sotomayor commits a monstrous gaffe during her final hours of grilling as President Barack Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee, she will replace retiring Justice David Souter when the next court session begins. Read more →
How To Rescue the Golden State from the Junk Heap
- July 9, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
We didn’t need the Governor to tell us that California is in a financial disaster. After all, the state is paying for goods and services with IOUs. There is growing alarm that the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and the sick children are on the verge of losing their safety net. What more needs to be said about a state legislature that can’t agree on a budget that was due July 1st? Read more →
Libertarians Woo Disenchanted Gay and Lesbian Democrats
- July 1, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama appealed to the LGBT community with visions of what an Obama administration would accomplish on behalf of fair treatment and equality. But that’s not happening fast enough – if at all – for gay and lesbian Democrats who opened their wallets to Obama with high hopes. Read more →
Water Politics: Democracy or Labyrinth
- June 24, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
Our nation prides itself on the power of the people. Many political philosophers believe that it is public opinion that drives democracy and that ordinary citizens can actually influence the decisions that ultimately shape their lives and their destinies. However, in California, especially in semi-arid Southern California, this may not entirely hold true. Here, it is the control of water that has shaped the destiny of the land and its inhabitants. Read more →
Safeguarding California Judges from the Influence of Campaign Contributions
- June 18, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision put the spotlight on concerns that judges could be influenced by large campaign contributions. How large is large? In the case of Caperton vs. Massey Coal Company, the chief executive of Massey contributed $3 million to the election campaign of a West Virginia candidate to the state Supreme Court. Brent Benjamin won that election and just 3 years later overturned a $50 million claim against Massey. What a deal! Three million dollars to win $50 million. In a close decision, the high court ruled that judges have to recuse themselves from cases where substantial campaign contributions create the impression of bias. But the court didn’t establish how much money is too much money.
Read more →Small Cities Are Doing Just Fine, Thank You
- June 4, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
The City of San Diego’s well-publicized budget struggles include pay cuts and fee hikes. But even cuts and hikes aren’t enough to quell Mayor Jerry Sanders’ worry, anger and frustration at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s intention to borrow $2 billion from local governments. So I assumed that other cities in San Diego County would also be worrying at the prospect of state legislators shoveling property taxes from small municipalities into California’s coffers. After all, fewer city dollars mean fewer city services and smaller staffs to serve local residents. Read more →
Same-Sex Marriage and the Cultural Shift
- May 28, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
When the California Supreme Court handed down its six to one decision upholding Proposition 8 on May 26th, reaction was swift from both sides. Prop. 8 supporters cheered and immediately geared up for the next fight to protect traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriage advocates laid plans for that next fight to extend marriage to gays and lesbians. Read more →
So You Want to Be Sheriff?
- May 1, 2009
- By Gloria Penner
Normally, the San Diego County Sheriff is elected by county voters every four years. But this year, it will be very, very different. Sometime this spring, instead of a potential 1.5 million registered voters going to the polls to choose one of the county's most powerful officials, the decision will be made by only five people. True, those five are themselves powerful as members of the County Board of Supervisors and collectively have spent almost 100 years in office. But since all are white and Republican in an increasingly racially diverse region where Democrats now outnumber Republicans, it is reasonable to question whether their choice would reflect the voters. Read more →
