Who Will Represent Us in Washington DC?

San Diego Voter Guide on House & Senate contests

Donald Trump’s debate loss has rippled across the political spectrum and his party wondered about its down-ballot impact. Seizing the Senate or reining in the House of Representatives is critical to the party, regardless of who wins the Presidential contest.

While the top of the ticket makes a difference in a few legislative contests, the GOP candidate may have done Democrats and the nation a favor. His mention of immigrants eating pets and the scorn it has drawn, in addition to revelations about paid social media influencers, along with subsequent threats aimed at schools and officials in Springfield, should lead to a diffusion of the misinformation genre. (We’ll see. I think it’s peaked.)

It didn’t help that their presidential candidate’s pleas were ignored by enough GOP House members to force Speaker Mike Johnson to pull a poison-pilled spending plan from the floor. The former-president has openly supported inserting a redundant law making it illegal for non-citizens to vote for federal offices, despite its price-tag of shutting the government down just prior to a general election.

• Ballotpedia has identified 57 of the 435 House races (13.1%) as battlegrounds.

Rep. Katie Porter’s seat (north of Camp Pendleton) is the closest contested House seat to San Diego, which means the partisan makeup of our House delegation will remain the same. As usual, there are GOP optimists saying that the 49th District, currently held by Democrat Mike Levin, is winnable, but I think that would only be the case if a Trump victory was bigger than possibilities currently suggest.

There are two elections for the California Senate seat held by the deceased Dianne Feinstein. One is a special election to fill out the balance of her term which ends in January 2025, and the other is for the next six years. Laphonza Butler, appointed as an interim Senator by Gavin Newsom, opted not to run in either election.

The consensus at present is that the Golden State’s Senatorial contest isn’t relevant for control of that branch, which many expect Republicans to win. The bottom line for the upper chamber is that, once again, West VA. Sen. Joe Manchin* has screwed things up by retiring. (*even though he’s dropped his party affiliation). Dirty energy’s legacy candidate for that seat is Republican Jim Justice. 

California United States Senate (Special election)
California United States Senate (Term starting in 2025)

The same two candidates are running in both elections. Voters are being asked to make the (likely the same) choice twice. Republicans have not won a statewide election since 2006 and they’re not going to win this one.

Adam Schiff (Democrat)
Website  | Facebook  |  X itter

Full time truth seeker, part time comic. He gained a high(er) profile in his role as manager of Donald Trump’s impeachment and is known for his wit. He started in California as a State Senator and has served in the House of Representatives since 2001. 

He defeated (my favorite) white board lady Katie Porter in the primary and spent advertising dollars to make sure his opponent was a Republican.

Steve Garvey (Republican)
Website  | Facebook  | X itter

Although he’s never held elected office, is a fond memory for fans of the Dodgers and Padres as first baseman from 1969 to 1987. In retirement he used his affable public profile to market for non-profit charities. His personal life was a mess; you almost needed a scorecard to know who was hooking up with at one time.

This contest is a joke, though not one like Schiff would tell. Garvey wears his support for Trump on his sleeve and his support of forced birth groups isn’t winning him any crossover votes.

The only question in my mind for this contest will be the over/under on the winning margin for Schiff. I’m thinking 20 points plus. 

Meh.

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US House of Representatives, District 49 
Incumbent is Democrat Mike Levin

Back in the day this was Darrell Issa’s district. His partisan bad-assedness came back to haunt him as the district turned purple and his office was regularly picketed by Indivisible 49 (currently holding weekly post-carding sessions). Issa’s inclination for political nastiness led him to move east for a district more suited for his persona.

Mike Levin (Democrat)
Website  | Facebook  | X  itter

I’ve been impressed with Levin’s record from the start of the first term. There were sour grapes from some activists when he won his first primary, and it’s safe to say he’s blown past the low expectations some activists set for him. His efforts on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs have endeared him to the many retired military voters in his district.

Matt Gunderson (Republican)
Website  | Facebook  | X itter

He’s a car dealer who knows how to raise money. He lost a State Senate contest to Catherine Blakespear, so he’s falling up the ladder of Republicaness to run for Congress. He doesn’t appear to babble like Dear Leader, but there isn’t a whole bunch of light coming through the gap between their agendas….secure the border…border…border…illegals voting…border…fentanyl…

He is, according to an interview with a reporter with the Albritten Institute of Journalism’s team, trying to project a more Clintonean stance on abortion, i.e., safe, legal, and rare. Drill down on his stance and the subject of late term abortions comes up, the smokescreen moderate GOPers hide behind.

HIs TV ads, running during Judge Judy’s show (I got stuck in a waiting room getting my car serviced) include a statement that California’s taxes are too high; I didn’t know that was something the House of Representatives could act upon.

What qualifies Gunderson to run for office is that he’s a well-to-do white dude who thinks being elected would give him a platform to act on his class-status angst about paying for a social safety net.

If I lived in the 49th I would vote for Mike Levin.

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US House of Representatives, District 50
Incumbent is Democrat Scott Peters

Scott Peters (Democrat)
Website  | Facebook  | X  itter

He’s been an integral part of San Diego’s political scene since the start of the century, as a City Council member and Congressman for the last decade. His name always gets mentioned when the city’s mayoral office has an opening because he’s got cred with both environmentalists and business types. He clings to the notion of bipartisanship in an era where such accommodations are considered a mortal sin by hard core ideologues.  

I gotta give him credit for doing San Diego a favor by having defeated both Carl DeMaio and Lori Saldaňa on the way to his DC tenure.

He’s pissed me off a number of times with his zig zags in support of certain industries, but I’ll also give him credit for having a good office, voting correctly mostly, and engaging young people in campaigns. He’s always going to be a better choice than the alternative.

Peter Bono (Republican)
Website  | 

Be sure to allot extra time if you visit his website; looks like a leftover from the turn of the century and barely loads. He’s a Navy veteran whose schtick is to look kind and gentle while carrying out Dear Leader’s orders. 

One of his priorities is to “investigate” the mayor. Again, I didn’t know the House could do that kind of stuff. 

His website portrait is placed beside Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, one of DC’s highest-rated buffoons. And of course Leader Trump is appropriately honored. 

None-the-less, the local Republican Party has refused to endorse him and I don’t think it’s because he said something nice about a Democrat once.

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US House of Representatives, District 51 
Incumbent is Democrat Sara Jacobs

Sara Jacobs, Democrat
Website  |  Facebook  | X  itter

I wish I lived in the 51st (missed it by a few blocks), because Sara Jacobs is my fav Congress member. She’s a team player for Democrats, actively working for candidates around the country, and keeps a high profile in her district through Instagramable visits to local businesses and community locales.

I like her because she’s a progressive in a (relatively) safe district who’s not afraid to speak her mind on the issues of the day. Probably has a cat… is childless…single (ish)...  

Bill Wells, Republican
Website  |  Facebook  |  X  itter

The Mayor of El Cajon would like voters to think he’s a “common sense” candidate along with being a shrink so he knows stuff. His homilies posted online about homelessness and other issues push the tough-love line of thinking because we all “know” they're crazy druggies. 

On the other hand, there was his fundraiser with once-accused-tried-and-convicted-but-pardoned-by-Trump war criminal Eddie Gallagher at a Poway shooting range with ammo and rifles provided for big donors. Yuk. Fascist much?

I’m so glad that demographics and congressional districting are rendering him irrelevant.

Please vote for Sara Jacobs.

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US House of Representatives, District 52
Incumbent is Democrat Juan Vargas

Juan Vargas, Democrat
Website  |  Facebook | X itter

They don’t come more credentialed and experienced than Juan Vargas. The former Jesuit has served on the San Diego City Council, in the California Assembly and Senate, and as Congressman for an insanely safe district for two decades, plus. ….USD, Fordham, and Harvard for degrees.

His role on the House Financial Services committee seems to attract donations from the insurance, banking, and real estate industries. He is liberal, liberal, and even more liberal on domestic issues, except for –I’m guessing– pro-Palestinian protests. His top funders are related to Israeli lobbies. 

Justin Lee, Republican
Personal X itter was all I could find.

Mr Lee is not a serious candidate, given that his social media profile starts off listing him as “Boardmember Asian Democrats of LA County | @Emilyslist @ActBlue Alumni.” 

The over/under on this contest should be Vargas with 65%.

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There are moments when I’m tempted to put aside the not-very-underlying class war aspects of politics and wish for a Republican brand not tainted with anger, lack of empathy, racism, misogyny, populated with candidates who saw honestly serving all their constituents as a virtue.

Instead we get GOP candidates who bury their heads in the sand as the Laura Looney-birds and crypto/private equity scammers tell them what to do. 

Previously :

California Ballot Measures Two thru Six
California’s Proposition 32: Something’s Better Than Nothing, I Suppose
CA Proposition 33: Deja Vu All Over Again on Rent Control
Just Say No to CA Propositions 34 & 35
California Proposition 36: A Feel Good Measure for Fear Mongers
Local 2024 Ballot Measures in San Diego
Who Is San Diego Sending to Sacramento This Year?

Monday: County Supervisors: Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Check your voter registration at  
https://www.sdvote.com/content/rov/en/voter-info-lookup.html

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News You Outta Know

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Neither Elon Musk Nor Anybody Else Will Ever Colonize Mars by Albert Burneko at Defector.com

• Let's discuss the breathable-air problem. Earth's atmosphere is rich with oxygen due in large part to all of the green plants photosynthesizing here. We got green plants out the ass. Some people have the idea that making Mars's atmosphere breathable is as simple as introducing some green plants to it: They will eat up sunlight and produce oxygen, and then people can breathe it. That is uhhhhh the circle of life (?) or whatever. They call this idea "terraforming."

• At this point in our discussion I must acquaint you with two dear friends of mine. Their names are The South Pole, and The Summit Of Mount Everest.

• The South Pole is around 2,800 meters above sea level, and like everywhere else on Earth around 44 million miles closer to the sun than any point on Mars. It sits deep down inside the nutritious atmosphere of a planet teeming with native life. Compared to the very most hospitable place on Mars it is an unimaginably fertile Eden. Here is a list of the plant-life that grows there: Nothing. Here is a list of all the animals that reproduce there: None.

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Overall crime in San Diego County down, but reported hate crimes rose 39 percent by Karen Kutcher at San Diego Union-Tribune

•  While overall crime in San Diego County declined last year, hate crimes reported in the region increased by 39 percent over that period, according to an analysis of crime data released last week.

• There were 133 hate crime incidents with 151 victims reported to local law enforcement in 2023, compared to 96 incidents in 2022 and 81 incidents in 2021, the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, said in its annual crime report. That increase mirrors a similar rise in hate crimes reported nationally and reflects a continuing upward trend that began in 2021, officials said.

• In San Diego County, the most commonly reported hate crime in 2023 related to the victim’s race, ethnicity or ancestry, making up 44 percent of the reports. Of those, 52 percent of the victims were Black, while victims identified as “other” made up 17 percent and Hispanic victims made up about 12 percent of the total. SANDAG said nearly a third of reported hate crimes were motivated by sexual orientation, while 24 percent were motivated by religion.

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‘We deserve better’ - A Haitian perspective from Springfield, Ohio - by Jonathan Katz at The Racket (Interview with Viles Dorsainvil, head of Springfield’s Haitian Community Help & Support Center follows intro.)

• Busy viewers were likely confused when, halfway through last night’s presidential debate, Donald Trump started ranting about immigrants eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. The moderator, David Muir, responded with a narrow fact check (“… there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed ….”). Pundits treated the lie as a curiosity. CNN’s Kaitlin Collins ribbed Trump’s running mate and Ohio Senator JD Vance in a post-debate interview, likening his sharing of the false rumors to boosting constituent claims about having seen Bigfoot.1

• But to the Haitian community of Springfield, a small town just outside Dayton, the cat memes are no joke. Trump and Vance are knowingly promoting a false and blatantly xenophobic conspiracy theory in a town that is in the crosshairs of violent hate groups. Last month, uniformed members of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe marched through Springfield, carrying guns and swastika flags. Charles Haywood, an openly fascist Indiana shampoo manufacturer with ties to one of Vance’s top aides, commented on an X post about the rumors with a Nazi phrase, “Ausländer raus”—foreigners out—”using any and all force necessary.”

• And today, in the aftermath of the debate, messages spread on far-right Telegram channels calling for the execution of the parents of an 11-year-old Springfield boy, because they publicly pleaded for their son’s death—caused in a tragic school bus crash involving a Haitian driver last year—not to be used to fuel hate and Trump’s election bid.