Atkins's money counters DeMaio's recall efforts

Gassed-up recall San Diego’s Toni Atkins, leader of the state senate, has been digging deep into one of her campaign kitties in a rough-and-tumble effort to save the seat of fellow senate Democrat Josh Newman of Orange County. Republican Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilman, now a radio talk show host, targeted Newman for recall last year after he voted for the bill to raise state gasoline taxes, which DeMaio and backers have since successfully petitioned to put before voters. The Newman recall vote qualified for the ballot last autumn but was delayed until next month’s election after Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative Democrats wrangled new rules requiring more time to certify recall signatures.

On May 15 the Toni Atkins Ballot Measure Committee delivered $100,000 to Newman’s anti-recall committee. State disclosure records show that the Atkins ballot measure fund has been extra busy collecting special interest cash this spring to pay for her agenda, including $10,000 from soda pop giant PepsiCo, lobbying hard against laws to limit so-called sugary drinks. Eyeglass giant National Vision, Inc., came up with $16,200 in January. Motor Vehicle Software Corp, which sells electronic vehicle registration and titling services and has been a major legislative favor seeker, has given $30,000 since February.

Unbecoming conduct A high-ranking nurse at the Navy’s Balboa Park hospital has been found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and forgery, among other charges, per March trial results posted online by the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. “At a Special Court-Martial in San Diego, California, LT Mary A. Redden, NC, USN,” was tried and received a verdict of guilty for one specification of false official statement, two specifications of forgery, and one specification of conduct unbecoming of an officer and sentenced... to a reprimand and to forfeit $2,398 per month for 3 months.” No other details were immediately available. In September 2015, the Navy Medical Center gave Redden its Good Catch of the Week award, per a write-up on its Facebook page. Recognizing that a trainee “had symptoms consistent with necrotizing fasciitis, she coordinated efforts to ensure the trainee sought emergent care and was admitted for further management.”