As a 25-year veteran of California’s 50th Congressional District, we’ve seen a lot of the strangest political stuff possible. This ain’t your standard issue power to the people kind of place. It’s been more like a political cesspool represented by the worst bottom feeders imaginable. Think about it. Dear old Randy “Duke” Cunningham, top gun and top corruption felon, who parlayed his 50th stewardship into…
It’s a new year and with that comes new laws. Hundreds of new laws emerged from the California Legislature’s 2019 session, changing the landscape for data privacy, law enforcement practices, evictions and more in 2020. Among the notable laws expected to affect a variety of businesses is Assembly Bill 5, introduced by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, to codify a 2018 California Supreme Court decision on workers’ rights. The bill makes…
Escondido always has been a hot bed in the California puppy mill world, for whatever reason. A new state law that went into effect this year has rsulted in several puppy mill busts, but some puppy mill proprietors already have found loopholes to exploit. Assembly Bill 485, which went into effect at the beginning of this year, requires pet stores to get their animals from…
California’s relatively quiet 2019 fire season ended in October, with serious wildfires in both Northern and Southern California. There are many things Californians can do to prepare for these blazes, but one option – taking out wildfire insurance – is out of reach for many of them. For example, after massive fires in 2018, an estimated 350,000 Californians could no longer get property and casualty…
For several months in 2019, it seemed wildfires wouldn’t rage across the West as they had in recent years. But then came the dry autumn and California’s Santa Ana and Diablo winds, which can drive the spread of wildfires. Utilities are shutting off power across the state to reduce the risk of damaged equipment or downed trees on wires causing fires. There’s no lack of…
Deadly fires across California over the past several years have shown how wildfire has become a serious public health and safety issue. Health effects from fires close to or in populated areas range from smoke exposure to drinking water contaminated by chemicals like benzene to limited options for the medically vulnerable. These kinds of threats are becoming major, statewide concerns. Many people still think of…
Leave it to the poor suffering residents of the Duncan Hunter-Joel Anderson reign of Trumpist political terror, and corrupt behavior, to be saddled with their obvious successor at outrageous and dangerous political malpractice. Enter the gates of gun violence hell with state Sen. Brian Jones, (R-NRA), elected in California’s 38th Senate District, as the successor to ALEC’s favorite son, Anderson, who got term-limited out of…
CSUSM grad takes his apps to the track Erik Groset is no horse racing junkie, but like many people in San Diego, he enjoys a nice summer day at the Del Mar racetrack – the gorgeous seaside setting, fun times with friends and family, laying down a little money to make it more interesting. What Groset didn’t enjoy, on the many days he spent at Del Mar during the decade after…
Talk show radio host and quixotic conservative crusader Carl DeMaio has announced he’ll seek the 50th District congressional seat currently held by Rep. Duncan Hunter, despite living in the Rancho Bernardo area — outside the district. The law only requires that he be a resident of the state. Here’s a snip from the press release announcing his candidacy: Today longtime taxpayer advocate and Reform California…
Step off cheesy regular burgers, Pechanga Resort Casino can tell Jose Mendoza is going for the glory as the only local chef dishing it out in the prestigious participating in the James Beard Foundation’s 2019 Blended Burger Project. The competition, which has drawn burger entries from 266 chefs nationwide, asks restaurants to create a menu burger that is made with at least 25 percent chopped…