escondido politics

Breaking News, Escondido, News, Politics November 14, 2018

‘Big Mac’ attack: Esco mayor race turns blue; Mac by 1,325 votes (UPDATED 6 p.m. Nov. 23)

Hell just froze over. With Escondido mayoral mail-in and provisional ballots continuing to be counted Wednesday afternoon, Democratic challenger Paul “Mac” McNamara soared to a commanding lead over incumbent Republican “Bad, Bad Abed, Sam.” The hits, or in this case, McNamara votes, keep coming. Big Mac’s lead grew again for the seventh straight day. Abed claimed victory Nov. 7. Now, the only remaining question is when…

Breaking News, Escondido, News November 10, 2018

Abed’s Esco mayor lead shrinks from 275 to 29 votes (UPDATED 6 P.M. NOV. 13)

Don’t believe EVERY vote matters? One might term it the ‘Big Mac Attack.’ With Escondido mayoral mail-in and provisional ballots continuing to be counted Monday afternoon, Democratic challenger Paul “Mac McNamara pulled within 29 votes of Republican incumbent Sam Abed. Although all 75 Escondido precincts have reported results, the race for Escondido mayor turned into a race for the ages this weekend as McNamara cut into…

Escondido, Featured, Politics October 19, 2018

Ret. Marine Col. McNamara taking on Abed

Controversial two-term Republican Escondido Mayor Sam Abed has drawn a formidable opponent in the form of retired Marine Corps Col. Paul “Mac” McNamara. “I’m running for Mayor of Escondido because I believe we can get Escondido back on track,” McNamara said. “As a retired Marine Colonel, and a private sector executive who turned around struggling businesses, I know how to manage large organizations and get…

Breaking News, Escondido, Featured, News, North County, Politics June 4, 2018

Progressive voter guide for June 5 election

(Editor’s Note: Here’s a quick and easy way to vote in the June 5, 2018, primary election brought to you courtesy of Doug Porter and the San Diego Free Press. The Grapevine endorses all his endorsements, so get out there and get rid of every Republican enabler of Donald Trump and unAmerican values. It’s especially important to vote for the best local progressive candidates because Republicans…

Escondido February 23, 2017

Escondido city manager merry-go-round

Oh what a tangled web, the search for a new Escondido city manager has woven. That would be the search for a third city manager since 2015, and that’s not including interim city managers. While Mayor Sam Abed said over 70 candidates have applied for the permanent job, and city officials said the search was proceeding smoothly, it was proceeding nonetheless. For now, City Attorney…

Breaking News, News, North County January 22, 2017

10,000 join San Marcos Women’s March

Ten thousand came when only 2,500 were expected. Women’s March North County San Diego quadrupled its expected number Saturday as an excited, and determined group marched from San Marcos Civic Center to Palomar College. A few early sprinkles and the unexpected numbers did nothing to dampen the mood at the free-wheeling people’s parade. Far exceeding expectations, the thousands of marchers overflowed Mission Avenue sidewalks spilling into…

Politics December 10, 2016

Paint San Diego County election 2016 blue

A big win locally for Democrats was declared Friday by the chairwoman of the San Diego County Democratic Party, one day after the registrar of voters certified the November election. “San Diego County is no longer a Republican stronghold or even a swing county in California,” Chairwoman Francine Busby said in an email memo. “Signaling changing demographics and a shift in the political landscape, the San Diego…

North County, Politics November 16, 2016

Scott Peters, helped and hindered by Citizens United, decries its impact

At a Clairemont community park Congressman Scott Peters marked the sixth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling by speaking plainly about the deleterious effects it’s had on politics. “There’s way too much attention on this big money, secret money and raising money for this government to work very well,” Peters said, flanked by a handful of UC San Diego students. It’s something the San…

North County, Politics October 24, 2016

Gaspar outraises Roberts in D3 supe bowl

Kristin Gaspar, the Encinitas mayor who is running for a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, raised nearly three times as much money from individual donors as her opponent, incumbent District 3 Supervisor Dave Roberts, during the latest three-month filing period, financial disclosure forms show. Gaspar collected a total of $145,290 between July 1 and Sept. 24, compared to just $54,904 for…

Breaking News, Escondido, News October 21, 2016

Surprise! Escondido city manager resigns

ESCONDIDO, CA. — Stop if you’ve heard this one before: Escondido city manager suddenly, and without warning, resigns. Clay Phillips, the last city manager, pulled that act almost exactly one year ago. He left office on Dec. 18, 2015. His successor, his former assistant, and city manager this year, Graham Mitchell pulled the same plug on Friday afternoon. “After serious reflection and for personal reasons,…