Point Loma & OB Dems - Notes from February Meeting - Money in Politics
February 28, 2021
These notes are put out quickly after the meeting with links to items discussed, the official minutes will be drafted for approval at the next meeting.
Money in Politics and Election of Club Officers
You can watch a recording of the meeting on our YouTube channel here.
Elected official representatives, Candidates
Mandy Havlik, running for re-election to Peninsula Community Planning Board. The election is on March 18, 3:00-6:00PM details on website. Mandy has served on the board for 2 years and advocates for the community with regards to traffic safety issues, environmental justice, short term vacation rentals and the improvement of the parks located within our community.
Peninsula Community Planning Board — pcpb.net Official City of San Diego Citizen Organization Peninsula Community Plan
Doug Case, representing Senator Toni Atkins, spoke on the recently enacted $7.6 billion dollar COVID related stimulus relief package that includes $2.3 billion for $600 payments to those with incomes under $30,000, and also to undocumented taxpaying households excluded from the federal relief. There is $2.1 billion in grants of up to $25,000 each for small businesses and nonprofits, and $400 million to provide stipends of $525 per child enrolled in state subsidized childcare. An additional $2 billion in tax credits for small businesses receiving the Paycheck Protection Program loans, is still under consideration in the legislature. Last week, the safe and open schools plan was introduced which would send the state's most vulnerable students back to in person instruction by mid-April. Require county health departments make COVID vaccines available on site to teachers and staff, and provide a $6.5 billion dollars to safely reopen schools and extend the instructional year. The Pro Tem recently appointed Cara Desert, CEO of San Diego's LGBT Community Center, to the Healthy California for All Commission, which is studying strategies to achieve a single payer health care delivery system in California. And she appointed Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe to a new reparations taskforce which was proposed by Dr. Shirley Weber.
Gary Gartner, (415) 533-2003 garygartner@gmail.com was recently elected to OB Town Council - where Mandy Havlik spoke on Wed Feb 24 on planting trees, see Kates Trees.
Kate Sessions Commitment — katestrees.org Invest in canopy, community and climate action for San Diego. Join Kate Sessions Commitment to plant 100 trees in key neighborhood areas that most need trees and shade. Learn how to plant and care for trees.
Becca Taylor, Metro West Vice Chair metrowestvc@sddemocrats.org and Resolutions Committee Chair for the San Diego County Democratic Party, submit resolutions <400 words.
Money in Politics
Amy Tobia @amy_tobia
POLITICAL CORRUPTION IS KILLING OUR COUNTRY — representsandiego.org Join Represent San Diego to fix our elections, ban dark money and stop political bribery in San Diego. Represent San Diego needs YOUR help!
San Diego's Voters' Voice is a coalition advocating to reform local elections and ensure that our democracy is working for "we the people."
Call Congress to Pass the 'For the People Act' | RepresentUs — act.represent.us Help pass the most comprehensive anti-corruption bill in history.
We are a coalition of non-partisan organizations working together to create transparency for campaign contributions and expenditures with local San Diego candidates.
Greg Coleridge @GregColeridge
Move to Amend — www.movetoamend.org
Move to Amend: End Corporate Rule. Legalize Democracy.
HR 1’s Campaign Finance Program: A Reform that Doesn’t Reform - CounterPunch.org — www.counterpunch.org
For The People. Mapping how H.R. 1 fights voter suppression. — thedemlabs.org “We the People deserve a responsive, accountable government that gives us all a stronger voice and puts our needs ahead of special interests. Congress must pass the For The People Act (H.R. 1) — a bold, comprehensive package of democracy reforms including independent redistricting commissions, citizen-funded elections, closing the revolving door between government and corporate …
For The People. Mapping how H.R. 1 fights voter suppression. Read More »
Cynara Velazquez cynara@yourcer.com
Political Propaganda – All the messaging from all the candidates… — politicalpropaganda.org
PoliticalPropaganda.org was created with the goal of being a searchable archive of all promotional materials (i.e. propaganda pieces) distributed by campaign committees and received voters over the course of an election. Campaigns often target their messaging to specific voters, voters receive only the information from campaigns that the campaigns feels is persuasive to the specific voter. This site aims to allows voters to see all of the messaging generated by all campaigns about all candidates in an election.
How to FOLLOW THE MONEY driving politicians — thedemlabs.org Oil and gas built and enriched Texas, and with that its politicians, including those who became president. But none has reaped campaign contributions on the scale of Abbott, who in six years in office has raised more than $150 million from donors, more than any governor in U.S. history.
Election of Officers
Ruth Rollins presided, first thanking Merrin Muxlow for 2 years of service as President. All positions were elected by acclamation.
Treasurer: Angela Hawkins
Secretary: Kip Eischen
Vice President: Diane Mosely
President: John Loughlin
Officer Reports
Treasurer's Report: Angela Hawkins, gave balance of account, number of members, and thanks for Sustaining Members Les Williamson, Marilyn Gibbs and Mandy Havlik.
Secretary's Report: Minutes of January Meeting approved by unanimous consent (M: Angela Hawkins)
Announcements
Dave Myers @MyersSD30 (and Lori Saldana @LoriSaldanaSD via chat)
Bring to the attention of this club is an awareness of the jail deaths in San Diego County. 80% of jail deaths are from our black and brown communities. San Diego county jails are known as having the highest rate of inmate mortality of the six largest county jails in the entire state of California. And of those 80% that have died in custody from our black and brown communities have not been convicted of any crime. So essentially, jail has become a death sentence for them. And as a result, because of negligence on the part of the sheriff, millions and millions of dollars of taxpayers dollars have been paid out. Instead of going to proactive and preventative programs to incarcerate incarceration, we really don't know what's going on inside jails right now. The County Law Enforcement Review Board also known as CLERV announced the formation of a subcommittee recently to look into the jail deaths. However, this is the same CLERV board that dismissed 22 jail death cases without investigating, because they were overwhelmed with the number of jail death cases. And also have in mind that they don't have the expertise, nor the staff to do any type of in depth investigation into the type of jail investigations that we need. Right now, what I what I'm asking is this club to participate in a resolution sent to our local or our state representatives asking them to conduct a state audit, a state audit similar to the hepatitis A outbreak here in San Diego, that our new mayor Todd Gloria asked for, specifically to what is occurring in our jail system. And what are the fixes? And I would ask that, you know, as a community, we don't want to be known as the town in which you're seeing the highest rate of inmate mortality deaths anywhere in the state of California and we could do a better job.
The elected Sheriff in San Diego County has constitutional and statutory authority to maintain care and control of person(s) in the local jail system Those in custody are either awaiting trial or completing court mandated sentences. At least 150 people have died in San Diego County jails since 2009, the year Bill Gore took over as sheriff. That’s an average higher than one inmate per month, every month, over the past 10 years. Since 2009, more than 80% of the inmates who died in San Diego jails were awaiting trial. San Diego County’s overall mortality rate over the past decade is the highest among California’s six largest jail systems, according to data those departments are required to report to the state Department of Justice. A six-month investigation by The San Diego Union-Tribune shows that the county’s jail mortality rate is the highest among California’s largest county jail systems. The grim history shows no sign of waning.
Rate of jail inmate deaths in San Diego County far exceeds other large California counties - The San Diego Union-Tribune — www.sandiegouniontribune.com Jail’s leading mortality rate is costing county millions of dollars in lawsuit payouts
The nonprofit advocacy group Disability Rights California concluded in a report that the jail system is in crisis, recording suicides at a rate that was five times that of the state prison system, which, the report notes, has been under court supervision for its own problem with suicides. “There is an extensive public record documenting the tragic loss of lives, systemic failures and inadequacy of oversight,” the report says. “Families of those who have died have filed lawsuits alleging that the county and jail staff acted with deliberate indifference to inmates’ serious mental health, medical and related needs.”
Two years ago, volunteer members of the county grand jury reviewed San Diego County jail operations and said the Sheriff’s Department’s suicide-prevention plan lacked provisions for adequate training. Jurors also urged the sheriff to appoint a full-time mental health officer. “The recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted,” the Sheriff’s department said in response.
Since San Diego County is self-insured, the Jail’s leading mortality rate is costing county taxpayers millions of dollars in lawsuit payouts.
Column: We cannot become numb to San Diego jail deaths; we have to demand better - The San Diego Union-Tribune — www.sandiegouniontribune.com More than 150 people have died in county custody since 2009. They were all people and we owed them better treatment
Woman left alone to die after striking her head in jail, independent review finds - The San Diego Union-Tribune — www.sandiegouniontribune.com Family lawyer was stunned by finding in 2019 death of Elisa Serna; Sheriff's Department declines to comment
Cynara Velazquez cynara@yourcer.com
Great presentations but at the end of the day, the only way we are going to stop corporations from making unlimited donations. The independent expenditures committee to spend as much money as they want on any race at the local state or federal level is to overturn Citizens United. And that's going to take a constitutional amendment. And there are two of them right now that have been proposed in Congress. So I thought to get a local working group to lobby our congress members here in San Diego County, to ask them to sign on to support these constitutional amendments. Because, yes, it may seem impossible to pass a constitutional amendment, but it's what needs to be done.
Please sign up for this meeting on Friday and call your representative to support HR1 it's super important.
San Diego Group to Overturn Citizens United & End Corporate Personhood - Friday, March 5th at 4:30pm - Facebook Event
Angela Hawkins
As you know as a club we voted to support the recall Jen effort at our last meeting. And although what we're doing over this meeting and the next two is to provide you with more information that will presumably help you decide, if you want to sign the petition that is now circulating. Some of us in the club, have those petitions, and we are willing to come to your house to have you signed the petition so that you don't have to try to find somebody who's doing it at the grocery store. And so we will provide that information to you if you are interested where you can email one of us and we will do it in a safe COVID appropriate way to allow you to sign in front of us as we're collecting the signatures. So, just wanted to let you know and more information on that will come forth. Just contact the club at info@pointlomadem.org
Michelle Krug
California Teachers Association is having a virtual rally on Wednesday, March 10. At 4:30pm. It's basically talking to a teachers at four different charter schools.
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: California Charter Educators United Rally. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: California Charter Educators United Rally. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Local News
Opinion: District 2 must recall Council President Jennifer Campbell. She puts special interests before voters. - The San Diego Union-Tribune — www.sandiegouniontribune.com San Diego City Council President Jennifer Campbell has lost the trust of her constituents by ignoring their input, breaking campaign promises and siding with powerful special interests and corporations against the needs of her voters.
Opinion: Jennifer Campbell has brought recall effort on herself - The San Diego Union-Tribune — www.sandiegouniontribune.com Short-term vacation rental proposal draws ire of constituents.
And on a lighter note...
San Diego Fishmonger to Star in TV Show and Open Point Loma Seafood Market - Eater San Diego — sandiego.eater.com "The Fishmonger," starring San Diego fisherman Tommy Gomes, premiers March 1
Next Meetings
March 28: Short Term Vacation Rentals: Neighborhood Perspectives
April 25: Council vs. Mayor: San Diego’s Separation of Powers