Assemblymember Atkins Warns Queer Democrats on State Budget Cuts (tags)
California State Assemblymember Toni Atkins spoke to the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club February 24 and warned of two approaching deadlines coming up in the state legislature's budget deliberations: March 6, the ending of the special budget session called by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; and March 10, the last day the legislature can vote to call a special election to extend the current state sales tax rates and vehicle licensing fees so that current Governor Jerry Brown's budget, which calls for $12.5 billion in spending cuts, can be enacted. Without that — and so far the Republican minority in the legislature has held firm to block any vote on the tax issue, which requires support from 2/3 of both houses of the legislature even to make it to the ballot — Brown and the Democratic majority will have to make $12.5 billion more in spending cuts, which will virtually end California state spending on health and welfare and eviscerate the state's already underfunded education system.
Get Out the Vote for Stephen Whitburn! (tags)
Openly Gay County Supervisor candidate Stephen Whitburn made an impassioned plea for help in the last five days before the election at the October 28 meeting of the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club, of which he used to be president. Whitburn talked about the barrage of nasty hit-mail pieces Republican campaign groups are sending out against him at the last minute but also said that's an indication that they don't have a grass-roots campaign. Whitburn is seeking to become the first Democrat to serve on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 16 years.
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.