Want to Have a Say? Less Than a Week Left to Register to Vote June 5

May 21 is the deadline in San Diego County for registering for the upcoming election.

County residents who want to vote in the June 5 primary must register by May 21. If you’re not sure if you are registered, you can check your status online. This year’s ballot will feature open primaries, in which the top two vote-getters in state or federal races advance to the November election—no matter what party they represent. City residents can register on the County of San Diego Registrar of Voters website and can also pick up forms at the following locations:  Coronado Library Coronado Post Office Coronado City Hall For more information, visit the Registrar of Voters website. Forms can be printed there and mailed as well.

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Tanaka to Seek Second Term

A constituent drew the mayor out about running again during an informal community discussion, where Tanaka was joined by county Supervisor Greg Cox; fiscal issues dominated the chat.

Mayor Casey Tanaka will seek a second term as mayor of Coronado, an admission he offered in response to a query at the Monday community coffee he hosted with San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox.   “This is not a formal announcement,” he told the questioner, but “yes, I am running.” His answer came during a give-and-take with three residents over their ongoing concerns about Nicky Rottens, a new restaurant in the neighborhood. Tanaka urged them to fight if they weren’t happy with City Council decisions.  “Continue to speak out against us,” he said. “The best way to change policy is to maintain that pressure.” He reminded the 20 people who attended the coffee that two council seats and the mayor's seat are up for election in the fall. …

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Vote-By-Mail Ballots for June Primary to Arrive Soon

The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. May 29.

Residents who have registered as absentee voters will soon receive ballots for the June 5 primary election. According to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, an estimated 724,000 vote-by-mail ballots are being distributed in the county. The deadline for applying for a mail ballot is 5 p.m. May 29. Coronado voters will have a chance to weigh in on the 52nd Congressional District, a seat held by incumbent Rep. Brian Bilbray.  Coronado resident Jack Doyle (also a former Santee mayor) will face off against veteran politicos Scott Peters, a Port commissioner and former San Diego councilman, Lori Saldaña, a former state Assemblywoman, among others. Voters also will have a chance to cast ballots for a U.S. Senate seat, and two statewide …

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Saldaña Campaign Picks Up Endorsement

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence announces an endorsement in the race for the 52nd Congressional District.

The Brady Campaign and its network of California chapters Tuesday announced their endorsement of Lori Saldaña for election to Congress in California’s 52nd Congressional District. The primary will be held June 5. As a former California Assembly Member representing the San Diego area, Saldaña repeatedly proved her commitment to strong gun laws and to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people by earning a 100 percent voting record with the Brady Campaign. In 2010, she showed her leadership on public safety issues by authoring legislation to ban the carrying of openly displayed handguns in public. “Lori Saldaña saw the threat to law enforcement officers and to communities across California from people openly carrying their handguns in …

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Glenn Beck Seeks ‘Fire in the Pulpits,’ Urging Clergy to Revolt Against IRS

Ex-Fox News star backs Skyline Church senior pastor on taking election stands on Oct. 7.

Glenn Beck on Sunday urged America’s clergy to speak out politically from the pulpit even if it means breaking the law and losing their jobs. “Preachers, stand up!  … The church is the key to keeping this ship … going the right way, using the stars and the heavens to navigate by,” Beck said at the second of two appearances at Skyline Church that was webcast via its website. “If you don’t stand up, we lose.” Morever, he said: "We won’t have a nation if the pulpit doesn’t start preaching the truth.” For his part, Beck said he lives with 13 to 15 “operative death threats” but would not be silenced. “There’s a lot of things I fear,” he told a 4 p.m. audience of about 1,000 in Rancho San Diego, including state Sen. Joel Anderson. “My greatest …

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Things I Learned

12:47 pm on Tuesday, April 24, 2012

http://www.sadtrombone.com/ ;-)   more ›

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Poll: How Can State Become a Player in Picking Presidential Nominees?

California has long suffered irrelevance in the primary process. Can this be changed? How?

Now that Rick Santorum has dropped out of the GOP race, Mitt Romney is all but crowned as the party’s nominee. Back in January, the president of the California Republican Assembly spoke of the state’s stepchild status, telling the Sacramento Bee: “Sadly, we are irrelevant [in presidential politics]. Come June, there will be a nominee. We will not have been at the table.” Celeste Greig, the CRA leader, echoed the longtime gripe that California rarely has a hand in deciding presidential nominees—except for acting as their campaign ATM.  The 2012 primary was moved to June as a result of Assembly Bill 80, which was sold as a cost savings. In earlier years, California presidential primaries were June 2 (1992), March 26 (1996), March 7 (2000), …

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Poll: Does Mitt Romney’s Wealth Help Him as a Presidential Candidate?

Republican’s Easter vacation in La Jolla sparked renewed debate over his show of affluence.

Mitt Romney and family played in the surf near their La Jolla home over the Easter weekend, prompting renewed scrutiny of his wealthy lifestyle. On Monday, the Obama administration signaled that Romney's 13.9 percent tax bracket in 2010 would become a 2012 issue. The president’s campaign also is making an issue of Romney's Swiss bank account. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has been quoted as saying:“When is the last time a presidential candidate for the United States had a Swiss bank account? I think the answer is never.” Does Romney's wealth help or hurt him as a presidential candidate?

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Batman

11:06 am on Monday, April 16, 2012

This list can't be correct. Where's Duncan Hunter's name?   more ›

Speaker John Boehner Appears at Bilbray Fundraiser

Brian Bilbray hosted a fundraiser at a private residence in Pacific Beach Thursday. Boehner was the special guest.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was in San Diego Thursday to speak at a fundraiser for Rep. Brian Bilbray. Bilbray is running in District 52, which includes La Jolla, Coronado and Poway. Fundraisers would not disclose the identity of the hosts of the fundraiser and anticipated approximately 100 guests. Patch spoke with more than a half dozen attendees and each one said they did not know the cost of tickets to the fundraiser, nor did a representative from Bilbray’s office. Boehner arrived at approximately 5:30 p.m. and pulled into the garage of the house. He entered the private fundraiser through the garage and did not address a crowd of protesters. Police were also on hand at the event. Police instructed a handful of protesters to move …

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PATCH POLL

Poll: Why Did Fletcher Jump GOP Ship Amid San Diego Mayor Race?

Republican assemblyman stuns local politics with decision to become an independent.

Sometime after 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nathan Fletcher tweeted at @Fletcher2012: “Today, @NathanFletcher is announcing his decision to leave the GOP to re-register as an independent. Video message: http://ow.ly/9VLoI” For more on Fletcher from his news conference. His 6-minute YouTube video (attached) gave several reasons, but many in San Diego—and across the state—may beg to differ.  Was this an attention-grabbing ploy in the closely fought San Diego mayoral race?  Or is Assemblyman Fletcher looking ahead to November, when some observers think Republicans could suffer a landslide defeat in the presidential election?  Tell us in the comments.

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