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The rise, fall, and re-rise of Nathan Fletcher
That Nathan Fletcher, he's like mushrooms that pop up on the lawn on mornings after a humid spell -- unbidden, unwanted, but mysteriously everywhere. It must be the fertilizer. Nathan's now a registered Democrat, has a secure Qualcomm job and an appointment as "professor" of government at UCSD -- all likely arranged by his billionaire Big Daddy Big Democrat Irwin Jacobs who founded Qualcomm and gave a fortune to UCSD to build its theatre district and the school of engineering. Having recently shed his very political Republican wife, neo-Dem Nathan's got a tweety romance going with highly-effective Labor Democrat and Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez who is also divorced. Their relationship was coyly endorsed yesterday by LGBT arbiter Nicole Ramirez Murray, also on twitter. Nathan was on KPBS' "Midday Edition" earlier this week with the father of murdered teenager Chelsea King, commemorating the fifth anniversary of her death, discussing the family foundation and touting Nathan's own "Chelsea's Law," crafted back when he was an ambitious first-term GOP Assemblyman. (Chelsea King's parents are notable themselves for having done TV spots for Fletcher when he ran for mayor, citing their dead child.) If there can be a sequel to this, last week Fletcher, the former chief of staff to disgraced GOP Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham who was jailed for selling votes for bribes, showed up at the Obama White House, to be photographed sitting at the President's right hand, as a (Marine Reserves) veteran in support of the controversial Iranian nuclear deal. Obama was flanked on the left by Secretary of State John Kerry. From this evidence, I'd say smooth GOP Mayor Sunny may finally get the slickster opponent he deserves. And maybe Irwin Jacobs will help fellow-Dem billionaire Angeleno Eli Broad wrest control of the LA Times and SD Union-Tribune from Chicago, to establish their own new world order here in SoCal.— September 18, 2015 10:14 p.m.
Massive layoffs rumored for Qualcomm
You've got one of these hilarious threads going, Don, where the left hand is out to lunch. (I think I've mixed a metaphor here, but this is funny as well as interesting reading.) I'm sure Ponzi doesn't think you have any trouble with the English language.— September 17, 2015 2:46 p.m.
Massive layoffs rumored for Qualcomm
Finding things NOT made in China is unusual. I know a junior high school kid whose new Master lock for school is still made in Milwaukee. I was amazed and heartened. Still a great product.— September 17, 2015 2:37 p.m.
Party like you're in the city council skybox
Myrtle Cole, Marne Foster -- what kind of shabby representation is the 4th District and Southeast getting on San Diego City Council and the San Diego Unified School District? It's a shame.— September 16, 2015 4:31 p.m.
Is Broad behind Beutner’s big-money brouhaha?
Some observers remember that ancient school board race of 2000 when Angeleno developer Eli Broad stealthily bankrolled two obscure East Coast "foundations" to buy San Diego TV time -- first ever in a school board race -- to sink incumbent School Board member Fran Zimmerman, longtime San Diegan, Harvard grad, parent of public school graduates, former substitute teacher and lifetime liberal Democrat. The ads' false premise ludicrously claimed Zimmerman was an opponent of public education reform. In fact, Zimmerman for two years previous had been an infuriatingly articulate opponent of Superintendent Alan Bersin, his shoo-in "candidacy," grandiose style and dictatorial plans. The two had been at odds from the first day of Bersin's appointment, which Zimmerman refused to ratify, to Bersin's pole-ax "Blueprint for Student Success" which enshrined "literacy" at the expense of art and music and recess and science and social studies and cordoned off low-achieving high school students (of color) into dead-end remedial double-periods. Those near-million-dollar TV ads laundered by Eli Broad were surprise free advertising for Zimmerman and undoubtedly carried her to re-election. She also had favorable press, a devoted committee, record number of small contributions from public school parents and the shoe-leather support of beleaguered classroom teachers. People like Broad don't change as they try to bulldoze opponents with influence and money. Right now Broad is opening his own art museum in downtown Los Angeles -- predictably called "The Broad" -- after having reneged on old promises to an existing museum and two other cities. Broad seems to be up to his old tricks here -- a full-court press to reinstate fired friend Austin Beutner to publisher of the LA Times and SD Union-Tribune so that Broad himself can buy the papers and throw his weight around in a new arena. I guess we shall have to wait and see what happens.— September 14, 2015 6:46 p.m.
Music video number ein
Very cool idea here, Garrett. Another platform, a great music city in Europe, another conductor, some historical background, the actual video and a playlist. Thank you!— September 13, 2015 12:57 p.m.
Donald Trump sponsors large-scale art installation along U.S.-Mexico border
If The Donald doesn't make you smile in recognition of red-blooded NFL-style American brashness (and maybe wishful thinking,) there's probably something haywire. Just this morning on CBS Trump described his nearest rival in recent polling, the extremely serious God-fearing African-American neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, as "a very nice man, but he's a doctor" and "he doesn't know how to get deals done."— September 13, 2015 12:51 p.m.
Issa says criminal history should be shielded
An An excellent report on the checkered past of car-alarm king and GOP Congressman Darryl Issa and such interesting comments! (How come this guy keeps getting re-elected?) "Ponzi," who elsewhere in these pages has admitted to circumventing newspaper paywalls to get free-reads, seems to have a wide circle of family and friends with records. (I don't get why such people need to be ushered into federal employment.) The perfectly logical, politically impossible, hard-ass Libertarian response is put out by "jnojr." I share his frustration and long for simplicity based on accountability, not political correctness. Like me, genteel upper-middle North County "Visduh" doesn't believe Issa's stats on the prevalence of people with criminal records -- but what if he's right, and everyone we know is living a lie? Still, I don't like the idea of expunging criminal data bases: if we did that, Whitey Bulger would have been in the clear after his years of hiding-out in Santa Monica, and reporters would have nothing juicy to unearth. The terrible bottom line is best expressed by despairing idealists "AlexClarke" and "MURPHYJUNK" who long for intelligent, honest representation from our elected officials. I have to say, I am with them.— September 13, 2015 12:37 p.m.
Layoff czar takes over Union-Tribune
How Haggen with 18 stores in northern Washington State could come down to SoCal and make a dent in this huge and competitive market is a mystery to me. I would love to shop some other place than gigantic, confusing, cluttered, expensive Von's, but Haggen's chapter 11 bankruptcy may preclude my taking the plunge into the new and unknown.— September 12, 2015 2:10 p.m.
Eli Broad's billion-dollar blackjack?
I also haven't appreciated those dark "Tell Scott Peters" TV ads on channel 8 at 11 p.m., urging people to flood Congressman Peters with messages to vote against Obama's diplomatic initiative to Iran. Peters has announced his support for the deal, which actually is a peace-producing document. Swords into ploughshares, folks, swords into ploughshares after 36 years.— September 11, 2015 10:16 p.m.