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Roundtable: Atkins Vs. Block, Right To Die, End Of A Disappointing Padres Season

Roundtable: Atkins Vs. Block, Right To Die, End Of A Disappointing Padres Season
Roundtable: Atkins Vs. Block, Right To Die, End Of A Disappointing Padres Season HOST:Mark SauerGUESTS:Scott Lewis, editor in chief, Voice of San Diego Michael Smolens, government and politics editor, San Diego Union-Tribune Jay Paris, sports editor, Mighty 1090 AM

This is KPBS Midday Edition Friday. On today's roundtable, Toni Atkins wants to take Marty blocks job. That some of the best features heard on KPBS this week , including a wet warm winter. I am Mark Sauer, KPBS Midday Edition Friday is next. But first, this news. From NPR news I am like languishing. The process of selecting a new house speaker since John Boehner is resigning . At a price convert on planning to leave the sender that he planned. Boehner said that it was time to keep a fight. Last night I started thinking about this and this morning I woke up and said my prayers as I always do, I decided today is the day I am going to do it. As simple as that. He has faced simple opposition from the defiant link for some time now. In announcing his departure, Boehner said that he hopes we heed the Pope Francis departure. Presidential candidate interrupted his planned speech to announce tran08's resignation. Large crowds of turned out to Cipro prances. He said that it is especially true that accept protecting the earth. What is done to humanity is harm to humanity. Abel lead pass in the gardens were thousands are expected to attend it. Store Matt the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.9%. That is much better than the anemic 6% growth in the first quarter. Of these GDP numbers jump up and down throughout the years but these figures say the economy is growing at a respectable space. Janet Yellin from the Federal Reserve said the feds will probably raise interest rates this month. The Dow is up to since the end NASDAQ is down to four 6085. This is NPR. And I highly unusual move, Toni Atkins goes after Marty Block. The distribution of pot and energy efficiency land on Governor. Brown's desk . The Padres and their season and the could be lame ducks. The Roundtable starts now. Welcome to our discussion on this week's stories. Scott Lewis CEO, Michael small ends of the Tribune, and sportscaster of 1090 sports radio. At the CJ. Ronald Reagan was never disparage a fellow Republican and Toni Atkins is taking that a step further by taking over Marty block at the state Center. Even though she says that she is not I have found that the best way that I fight for San Diego is in the state capital. I went to Sacramento to work on portable housing and in that time period the majority leader the relationship with the governor, I think I'm them most effective at the state capital. She loves it there in Sacramento. Scott, tell us how unusual this is. It is pretty strange, isn't it? Their history buffs trying to find out the last instance like this. Locally we have cases in the South Bay such as Marcus had his in on the state Senate but Mary challenged it. But that was an open seat. That is the thing. In South Bay it is Democrats against Democrats. It was unusual and call people by surprise because it implied denial and her plan as of five years. We have discussed her being a possible may oriole candidate. If you believe her story, she is not planned that at all. This is quite costly. Work in a spend quite a bit of money to do this. I'm not. She honestly feels like she can do a better job and she wants to be there. She apparently likes it. If there is a job and you can apply for it. I don't personally care about the Democrats problem with that. They are wondering why do we have to have this fight. Why can't we focus on earning a seat. When I asked them what is my life going to be different as a constituent of that distant -- district and they said results. She endorse block in 2012. They were friendly. Nobody can find a light between them on key issues. It gets into this whole that it is a hole between the two house eats. Marty Block is trying to make this as a slap in the face as the president pro tem. There is concern, as Scott said, which could cost billions of dollars for swing seats. There's concerted effort for resolution of this for someone to bow out. Most of the heading is that it will be Marty Block , but it seems like he's coming out swinging? Did Marty see this coming? I don't think so. When someone tells Tony I'm aggravated that you are doing the spirit why are you doing this? He indicated that he would only do one term. I have never seen a politician do what they say they were going to do. He promised this in his contention is that it was maybe he would leave but it's not a guarantee, but if you listen to her, she has been planning this for several years which has a lot of ancillary connections. So where's the poll come from that has Toni Atkins 3 to 1. Obviously, it's someone that supports Toni Atkins and of course that is to force him to bow out but there is no indication of that. She has more money. Is that correct question mark She did run money for that seat, but for 2020. A basically saying she was going to run for 2020. Now she is saying that that was for respect from Marty block, so maybe that wasn't even a certainty for that in her mind. What if she loses this bid? Getting back to the money think, we have heard people talk publicly about it, but there were some people that were surprised in the inner circle. These are two candidates that are politician that the same people donate to. And some believed they were donating for 2020 and they were also donating to Marty Block . That's ancillary thing. They need time to get over that before the election. Scott said that on the polls have her over and has well over $12 million. She will have the spring and leverage to get more money where block is going to have to depend on the Senate. They are focusing on her relationship on the governor. The governor put out a release on some bill signing on economic development in underprivileged communities and housing. In the second housing heat gushed -- gushed at late on Toni Atkins passionate about this. On a final note, if there's enough to get Marty Block out, those that I have to give them a soft landing. That's what I think. It is going to be interesting as we go forward. Before we leave this political segment, House Speaker John Boehner is resigning. A lot of people think Kevin McCarthy will be succeeding him. How likely is that. We can see this person from Baker's filled of the Republican Party? I think he will get it, is just what is he, have to do to get it here I don't think you're going to get someone from the hard right, but they are on a broader caucus and he has a foot in both camps. Having the speaker from California can mean a lot of things. Some of it good and bring in the baking home so to speak. His views and relationship with the governor is not good as far as where they are coming from on everything. Whether it is water, environment and greenhouse gases. He is knowledgeable for that job was to see if he can do it. But it's like feral cats. Other Democrats are saying -- the right actually takes a lot more hopeless caucus. We have a lot more to get into so. Store Mac the right to die act is awaiting Governor. Brown's signature. Can you explain how this act would work? In addition to the philosophical and moral question, one of the neat things about this is regardless of how you view it, in Sacramento they fight over that slice of the pie. This is something that has philosophical and moral views and not political which is how it was revived his political. It was basically being blocked by assembly health committee picks It was done and let's move on. But you mission a special session and there are different rules which allow them to constitute and allow them to send the bill to the floor. So speaker Atkins had a big hand and form in that assembly and that's how it came to pass. And getting back to your initial question, someone has to be diagnosed, dying within six months. You have to clearly be terminally ill. To oral request from two different doctors for the medication, 15 days apart. It has to be witnessed that this person is not being coerced and they are of sound fine. They think it takes care of the concern of coercion or an individual that has a terrible illness and doesn't want to burden their family. Republicans are against it, and so are others. Latino Democrats, Lorena Gonzales was supposed to to this. She was initially on the health committee which was a no vote and so was Ricky Chavez. These kind of people were moved off the new committee to make this on. It was largely a partisan split and some Democrats and not some Latinos opposed it. It some of the heartfelt stories. One of the assembly women, Brown, her son was basically told her to pull the plug and she's stuck with it and he is now married with kids. And there are stories on the other side where it is painful and nothing can be done and you have that moment that actually moved up to Oregon. Yes. And after she died, she had lobbied hard for that, and even her mother, Debbie Ziegler came off as a world genuine person. She was absolutely thrilled and it was a -- and emotional when this happened. Do you think the governor being a diehard Catholic will sign it? We will have to see their The fair pay act, what is that one do? There are laws that you cannot discriminate including on employment and paid but there are issues because there has been tons of surveys that women do not make as much money as men counterparts in identical or similar jobs. This gives them more avenues to challenge that. What is interesting is a made at a hotel, but eight janitor that may have similar duties they have to obviously make the case they are similar jobs and need to be paid the same. But it doesn't have to be just that your place of employment. But if they have a hotel and Baker's filled and a hotel in San Diego. But then you're going to have the problem that is going to be problems because of the cost-of-living difference but it helps toughen things up to give equal pay. There was a prerequisite that they didn't ask what they used to make it their previous job. Did that go through? I am not sure. Medical marijuana is one that we've had since 1996. How do you experience this? How do you grow with? How do you get it? There are bills on the desk to have statewide regulation on what they passed in 1996. The irony is truly lead to is they are doing this almost on the eve of public vote on doing it just for recreation, just not medical marijuana. It sets up a medical licensing system at the state which will be enacted in a couple years. Everyone will have to comply with that. Sacramento has their act together. These medical marijuana shops will have to get these permits. The big thing is they can graph this on to broad recreation use and that the marijuana shops will have to work under those guidelines. Bill, before we got off this topic and watered-down energy efficiency legislation, we lost the big wrestling aspect of that, right? B they like to point out there was a lot of victory and that it requires 50% reduction in energy use and making buildings more energy efficiency -- like doubling it by 50% of renewable energy. And they wanted to decrease petroleum by 50% by 2030 and that got not down. The oil and gas put on the big campaign and they just could not withstand that. The real one to watch is the right to die which I think they will veto. Will have to see. The only objection that he had is that he did not think it was proper to bring it up in a special session. That be a cause for him to reject it. It may go to the ballots if he does that. Football is ending as baseball begins. Not a lot of cheering first fans. There was a lot of promise and expect patient that this padre base. But it is a fifth straight year of a losing team. The new ownership and increased payroll had people believing and hoping and people to go downtown to not just see a pretty ballpark but the team Eric We had some names, the payroll went up. That you have roster construction and that team was built to strike out a lot. There was no everyday shortstop. Baseball is a sport that if you have blemishes, is exposed because it is a long season and exposed. In the last two nights they've had to walk off wins Eric it is the Giants plain for everything and the champions for everything. The gun hit reset. Out think they're going to go back for the fire cell. Do you think there will be a new manager? There will be a new manager. I think they will get someone more experience. It was like a Little League team where everyone got to play each position They got a workout some time and everybody was moved around. It was tough on the fly and they had all the big names but in baseball you have to bring it all together. Do you think they're going to pay the big pay or bring in the big names. Matt Camp and Craig Gimbel, you need nine on the field and 25 on the field and you have 25 million. You're going to have to do it in a little more cheaper. And the attendance? You look at the standings and how much they want, the ones on the sidelines they had a heck of the year. The radiance on TV are of. Baseball operation department is taken the arrows, the other guys are saying where's the parade? Will talk more about the stadium and all, but the NFL owners are going to throw the holy water or not to move to LA are not. Are we expecting that moved this fall? Trying to catch them is like trying to fall -- catch a falling knife. One team, to team, there will be three teams. I think the proposal and Inglewood is the one they like. I see the Chargers being one of the cotenants. What is attendance like to share with the Chargers having a small sample? There was a lot of people out of town coming in. When you have the Steelers, the Bears, coming in, and they're saying this might be the last one comes into town. If they start losing, it could turn ugly. They also had a big bump in ticket sales. Was that partially because this might be it and the end will be in November. Chargers are good at selling large blocks of tickets to ticket brokers. And people are like yes because you sold tickets to ticket brokers and other states. Popular radiance and TV, there is a cloud of injured players. We had this report of deceased players and the head injuries with that which was a shocking report and now the report showed league stats that 15% of the players have been hurt in week two of the season. Scott, is there any other industry in America that could take that? If there was a factory down the street that was turning out that many injured workers, there would be investigations and be shunted down. Not only are they trying -- concerned, we're going have to grapple that over time. Those stats probably don't even have the people that are picking up the pieces and try and get going every week. The stats on the drugs they inject every week to keep going. It is a tough thing to keep going. They don't have fantasy league. The fantasy football has never been more popular. It is looked at such a distance that it's somebody's dad or brother is laying there appeared which have to watch more is the national Federation of high school, high school numbers are down in more people are going to lacrosse and soccer. If it's your son parents are saying no way. The long-term concern for the NFL, fans love the sport, but are you going to have not as many kids participating down the line? Are doing so well now there's There are other sports in kids are gravitating, and you only need 11 twice and I think somebody's got to die out there. Is like trying to tackle a car out there that's going by on the sidelines. With the reports of the concussions and the head injuries, that repeated numbers of popular players over the years. Webster out of Pittsburgh's. But it's common sense. Heated past the eye test. His wife Gina said, it is not ballet. They are just abnormal ran -- man running into each other at a high rate of speed. I don't want to use the word injury prone, someone rammed into them in their bone. How to you justify that considering what this does. And there like we're making changes in ordinary better about it. It's a tough question. It's a dilemma that the NFL are facing. Hopefully they can come up with some miracle solution but more, we would just have to reconcile. Morris and the safety and you know that helmets with the blowups. It's not like the NHL were you in ban hits above the shoulders. You go to the car races to see kids in that is what this is. Of their plane on Thursday nights and their plan on Friday night send and they want to add to games. That does wrap up another week of the Roundtable. I would like to thank Michael and JF 1090 sports radio. A reminder of the stories we discussed today are on our website. KBS.org. Thank you for joining the Roundtable.

Atkins Vs. Block

The decision by Toni Atkins, ousted as state assembly speaker and termed out in 2016, to run next year for the state Senate seat held by Marty Block is causing angst among California Democrats. Under term limits, Block could hang on to his seat until 2020.

Why spend the money on a safe seat? And why aren't any democrats interested in running for San Diego mayor?

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Big Bills

The legislature did its usual end-of-session quick-step, sending major legislation to the governor's desk just before adjournment. The controversial right to die bill was resurrected, after initially stalling in committee.

If the governor signs it, patients in the advanced stages of terminal disease would be allowed to end their lives with a lethal dose of pain killers. But Republicans and catholic democrats are calling foul.

Sad Season For San Diego Fans

September is the time for changing seasons in San Diego. Padres baseball is ending, as Chargers football begins.

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But local fans aren't finding much to cheer about in either sport. The Padres opened their wallets and promised a banner season. That didn't happen. What are they going to do about next season?

And the Chargers: will they even be in San Diego next season?