The Mayor's Race: The latest wrinkles in the Mayor's race include threats of slander suits against local television stations by Carl DeMaio and more debates.
A 10News poll shows DeMaio's numbers unchanged, while Bob Filner and Nathan Fletcher have gained some strength. Bonnie Dumanis remains in last place.
Some interesting and well-known outsiders have endorsed (or almost endorsed) Nathan Fletcher, but television ads continue to spray him with negative shrapnel.
Campaign Finances: Who's self-financing and who's not? In the Mayor’s race, Nathan Fletcher has raised the most money from outside sources. Carl DeMaio has raised the most total funds, but he lent himself three-quarters of a million. Scott Peters has lent himself $1 million in the 52nd congressional district race.
SuperPACS are playing a role in funding San Diego races and candidates, as are "ordinary" political action committees whose contributions are limited.
City propositions A and B have also attracted large contributions.
San Diego Jails Filling Up: Just a few years ago, overcrowding in California’s prisons was so severe that beds for nearly 20,000 inmates were were packed into gymnasiums and classrooms.
In October, 2011, the legislature, responding to a Supreme Court mandate, shifted responsibility for non-violent and non-serious offenders from the state to county jails. Now those makeshift beds are empty.
Prisons are safer as a consequence, but the jails are filling up. Sheriff Bill Gore says San Diego County is handling the load and could do a better job at rehabilitation than the state – with proper funding.
