San Diego Queer Democrats Reject Progressive, Endorse Moderate for Congress (tags)
The San Diego Democrats for Equality, a predominantly Queer Democratic party club, decisively rejected the Congressional candidacy of progressive former Assemblymember Lori Saldaña at its regular meeting January 26. Instead they endorsed moderate Scott Peters on the ground that he'd be a better "fit" for the district, could raise more money and would have a better shot at unseating Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray.
San Diego Hammers Down on Medical Marijuana Dispensaries, Despite Public Support (tags)
Despite overwhelming public input asking for a looser ordinance that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to locate in commercial areas throughout San Diego and remain open while they pursued permits, the San Diego City Council voted 5-2 on Monday, March 26 for an ordinance that will close down all dispensaries for at least a year and force them to locate only in industrial zones — inconveniently far from the patients they serve. Even most of the Councilmembers who voted for the ordinance, which was tweaked at the last minute to make it slightly less restrictive, made it clear that they regard medical marijuana patients and the institutions that serve them as a detriment, not an asset, to the city.
San Diego Council Committee Approves Wal-Mart Restrictions (tags)
The San Diego City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee approved by a 3-1 vote at its June 23 meeting a request by its chair, Todd Gloria, to ask the city attorney’s office to develop an ordinance requiring economic impact statements for proposals by Wal-Mart and other giant retailers to develop “supercenters” — 90,000 square foot stores that devote more than 10 percent of their floor space to groceries. Even though the proposal was at a very preliminary stage, Wal-Mart mounted a major direct-mail campaign in Gloria’s district to kill it. The committee voted on party lines, but a representative of Mayor Jerry Sanders spoke against the bill and strongly hinted the Mayor would use his veto power under San Diego's new strong-mayor form of government to kill it the way he did a similar ordinance in 2007.
San Diego Queer Democrats Endorse Morrow for Mayor (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club endorsed former City Councilmember Floyd Morrow for Mayor at thier April 24 meeting — but Morrow was upstaged by City Councilmember and former mayoral candidate Donna Frye, who brought a volunteer in a fox costume to dramatize her contention that Proposition "C," a ballot proposal to allow the mayor to appoint the city's auditor, is "putting the fox in charge of the henhouse."