Congress

Hunter race-baits way to Congress (and jail)

Time to take out the trash, California! You are far too cool to keep sending that cow-loving fake farmer from Fresno, Putin’s little buddy in Orange County (whose funding got yanked last week by CLF, lol), and that smarmy Bakersfield Tea Party bastard to Washington. And don’t even get us started on Duncan Hunter! The guy is under indictment for stealing $250,000 from his own…


Progressive guide to county ballot measures

As presently constituted, San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors is a dying breed. Decades of a status quo determined by mostly white, Republican, and male overlords are coming to an end. Term limits, a less homogenous population, and the decline of the Grand Old Party’s base in California mean a change is coming. This is the lens through which Measures A thru D–to be voted…


Take a good look — it’s US Constitution Day

Today is Constitution Day. Thousands of middle and high school students across San Diego County will better understand the wisdom, complexity and enduring relevance of the United States Constitution thanks to a special ACLU program pairing volunteer speakers with host teachers in celebration of Constitution Day. Since 2007, the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLU-SDIC) has recruited attorneys, civic leaders, community advocates and others…


Hunter, wife indicted for campaign fraud

Not a good week for GOP candidates in San Diego… Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret are expected to be arraigned on Thursday morning in Federal court. A 47-page grand jury indictment accuses the couple of diverting more than $250,000 in campaign funds to family vacations, school tuition, theater tickets and other personal expenses. They are facing charges of wire fraud, falsifying records,…


Issa’s $1 million in leftover campaign funds?

What will Rep. Darrell Issa, one of the richest men in Congress, do with the more than $1 million in his campaign coffer now that he is officially not running for re-election? The Vista Republican hasn’t said publicly how he plans to use the money. His office didn’t respond this week to requests by inewsource for comment. Thirty-four House members are retiring or have already…


Sessions suing California over immigration

President Donald Trump’s recent trip to California came days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions sued the state for violations of federal immigration law. That case challenges recent California laws limiting cooperation with federal agents. Several cities and states have declined to help with increased federal efforts to arrest, detain and deport people living in the United States without authorization. These are only the latest arguments…


Case against the grifter(s), Duncan Hunter

Young Duncan Hunter was elected because most of the voters in the district thought he was his father, also Duncan Hunter, who resigned rather than go to prison with his crony and partner-in-crime Duke Cunningham. Hunter Senior, I wrote in 2005, had a hand in virtually every military scandal involving large sums of money that had gone down over the past two decades. He was…



Local farms hurt by lack of workers

Across San Diego County and California, farmers and ranchers face chronic problems in finding and hiring qualified and willing people to work in agriculture, according to a survey conducted by the California Farm Bureau Federation. The informal survey of Farm Bureau members showed that more than half of responding farmers had experienced employee shortages during the past year. The figure was higher among farmers who…


Congressional office merry-go-round

Given the (supposed) gravitas of Congress, one would imagine top staffers would be grizzled veterans well-versed in the affairs of state. One would be wrong. Many congressional staffers are young, not attached to geography as they represent congressional offices far removed from their native lands. And many in the Republican brand play a game of office musical chairs where no chairs go unfilled although they swap…