May 2017

RSF: Dukakis, mansion nightmare, B. Black

Dukakis speaks at Fairbanks Ranch Michael Dukakis, 83, former governor of Massachusetts and 1988 Democratic candidate for president, spoke recently to the Rancho Santa Fe Democratic Club where I am VP for programs. Congressman Scott Peters was there. Also Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and new husband Nathan Fletcher, a likely candidate for supervisor in 2018. Inspired by the recent election of Donald Trump, a capacity crowd…


Blue Shield CEO says GOP’s ‘flawed’ health bill would harm sicker consumers

The chief executive of Blue Shield of California, the largest insurer on the state’s insurance marketplace, issued a blunt critique of the Republican health care bill, saying it would once more lock Americans with preexisting conditions out of affordable coverage. In an interview with California Healthline on Wednesday, Paul Markovich said the GOP’s American Health Care Act is “flawed” and “could return us to a…


Sessions wrongly tags Escondido

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions tags Escondido wrongly for immigrant crimes. Escondido last week entered the national dialogue over immigrant rights and Donald Trump’s big, bad border wall, but in an unexpected, and counterfactual way. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions highlighted Escondido to illustrate how jurisdictions that limit cooperation with immigration authorities jeopardize public safety. The only problem was Sessions got everything wrong. Speaking at…


Hunter vamping vaping legislation

Fighting a campaign finance criminal investigation, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-50th District) still has time, apparently, to battle for a vice he loves: Vaping. Hunter introduced legislation Thursday to roll back current regulations treating electronic cigarettes the same as tobacco products. Titled the Cigarette Smoking Reduction & Electronic Vapor Alternatives Act, HR 2194, Hunter’s ode to vaping, would undo the Obama administration’s “Deeming Rule” that put…


Tale of the Toppled Hurler: A Peter Hartwell Story (Part 16) — The Final Chapter

Tale of the Toppled Hurler: A Peter Hartwell Story by Bruce A. Kauffman c 2017  All rights reserved. For full story, visit: https://escondidograpevine.com/a-the-tale-of-the-toppled-hurler-a-peter-hartwell-story/. Chapter 16 They’ve weathered the crisis at the temple and now Hartwell heads for town to witness the rest of the Yankees’ series. Jimmy drove me to Kenmore Square, where I checked into the hotel and lingered under a hot, needle-point shower until…