EAST COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT SHARES VIEWS ON ELECTION OUTCOMES AND IMPACT ON BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery East County Chamber of Commerce President Mike Cully (left) and membership director Regina Williamson (right) present new member plaque to ECM Editor Miriam Raftery and Marketing Director Leon Thompson. Mike Cully, president of the East County Chamber of Commerce, was at Election Central in Golden Hall downtown as the announcement was made that Barack Obama had won the presidency. “Drivers were honking horns. There was so much enthusiasm,” he recalled, adding that Obama’s ability to inspire people to work together “espouses what it means to be an American.” Noting that the stock market rallied up 300 points upon news of the presidential race outcome, he observed that Obama’s victory “instills hope in people—and hope is more tangible than you can imagine. It’s what drives America–and it’s what drives business.” A Republican, Cully none-the-less believes that Obama’s victory bodes well for the business community and the nation amid the current economic crisis. “McCain had no fresh ideas,” he said. “You can’t rest on your laurels like the Republicans have been doing. This is change at the top.” Conceptually, he believes Obama’s ideas are good, though may need some fleshing out. Cully also hopes to see the housing market begin to recover, fueling growth in the economy overall. He congratulated Duncan D. Hunter on winning election to Congress and Assemblyman Joel Anderson on reelection to the Assembly. Both are Republicans. Cully expressed surprise that amid today’s tough economic times, East County voters approved an increase in the sales tax in El Cajon and La Mesa, as well as passing Proposition U, a school bond measure for the Grossmont Union High School District. The Chamber opposed the sales tax increase but supported the school bond measure, which Chamber leaders view as an investment in schools and students’ futures. The majority of County voters (over 63%) also voted for Proposition A, which would have raised parcel taxes on property to fund fire protection and fire district consolidation, however the measure failed because it required a two-thirds plurality. “This has been an interesting scenario from the viewpoint of our region,” he said. “We are faced with a dilemma. In these challenging times, people are losing jobs and losing homes, the worst since the Depression. At the same time, we have cities asking for sales tax increases.” Short term he predicts a negative impact on local merchants from the sales tax hikes, based on historical trends. But he acknowledged, “Long term, nobody wants to open a business in a place without infrastructure to support it.” If voters had not approved the sales tax increases, the cities faced cuts in police and fire protection. “What business would want to relocated in an areas no police or fire services?” El Cajon and La Mesa and La Mesa are not alone. “We are in the majority of cities statewide that approved sales tax increases on the ballot,” Cully noted. “In a good way, the voters are stepping up.” Obama has pledged tax cuts for the middle class and small business owners netting $250,000 or less. But even business owners earning more than that could see benefits if customers have more money to spend and the economy improves. An Obama administration and Democratic Congress may also ease the healthcare cost burden on businesses and provide financial incentives for investments in conservation and sustainable energy. Cully expressed optimism for the future, noting that Obama stood on his own merits to win overwhelming support of the American people. “It’s a different world,” he concluded. “We can take a positive approach…Chambers, just like anybody else, have to ride this sea of change.” Printer-friendly version
FIRE RELIEF FUNDRAISER SET FOR SAT. NOV 8
Printer-friendly version"Do you think the victims of the fires of 2003 & 2007 be allowed to go homeless?" asks Randy Seol of the musical group Strawberry Alarm Clock. This Saturday, November 8 from 3 to 8 p.m., Seol is organizing a benefit fundraiser to meet and hear musical groups slated to perform at a benefit concert next March.(The concert was originally set for October 4th but was postponed due to permit issues.) Printer-friendly version
SDG&E PLAN TO CUT POWER GETS FROSTY RECEPTION AT PUC HEARING; BACK COUNTRY RESIDENTS, PUBLIC OFFICIALS VOICE OBJECTIONS
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery November 2008 (San Diego) — Public officials and backcountry residents leveled harsh criticism at SG&E during a public meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) convened in San Diego on October 14 to discuss causes of the 2007 wildfires and how to prevent future conflagrations. Speaker after speaker blasted SDG&E’s proposal to cut power to 45,000 homes during high fire risk conditions and urged commissioners to take action to prevent future fires. (Citizens with information for the CPUC may send an e-mail to sd2007fires@cpuc.ca.gov.) “The answer is maintenance and enforcement—not treating backcountry residents with an interruptible power supply, as though they were a third world nation,” State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth testified in opposition to SDG&E’s announced shut-off plan for 45,000 customers. The utility temporarily backed off plans to kill power during the current red-flag alert ending at 10 p.m. Wednesday night, but still seeks to go forward with the plan after additional notification and preparation. Senator Christine Kehoe, who requested the CPUC hearing, urged commissioners to protect the public interest. “Now the 2008 fire season has begun…The public is looking to you to make sure that the utilities you regulate are safe.” Kehoe called the 2007 fires “a disaster of historic proportion,” adding, “and it could have been worse.” Last year’s firestorms burned over 200,000 acres, destroyed 1,700 homes, resulted in ten deaths and the evacuation of over a half million people from San Diego County. A Cal Fire report has concluded that three of last year’s fires were caused by SDG&E lines and also faulted Cox Communications for one of the blazes. “The report is clear: The 2007 Witch Creek, Guejito and Rice fires could have been prevented,” Kehoe concluded. Richard Clark, head of consumer safety for the PUC, said that SDG&E “did not fully cooperate with the PUC in a timely manner” into investigations involving overhead conductors that the report suggests started fires. He also suggested that loose lashing wires at a Cox installation “could be a more widespread problem.” Clark called for a survey and remediation to fix problems countywide. Dr. Randolph Ward, San Diego City Office of Education, testified that SDG&E’s preemptive shut-off plan could be “an absolutely nightmare.” He observed, “We cannot support universal shutdown of our schools…e need adequate time to notify parents that school will be closed. After a shutdown, schools will not meet health and safety requirements.” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said she initially told SDG&E she would not oppose the plan if it was done right. But she added, “It was not.” Jacob said she expressly warned SDG&E to meet with all stakeholders such as stools and to work with customers who have medical needs(such as respirators) and landowners concerned about losing power for well pumps. “People feel blindsided by this plan and the way it was rolled out,” she said, then asked commissioners to provide oversight of “this extremely ill-conceived plan.” She added that SDG&E has failed to replace wood poles with safer steel poles in many key areas (though some conversions have been done). Jacob also urged the CPUC to require SDG&E to space lines further apart and to underground power lines in high fire areas. She also asked for a change in regulations to allow local jurisdictions to expend funds for undergrounding power lines. Jacob called SDG&E’s continued push for Sunrise Powerlink “unconscionable,” adding that it would significantly increase the likelihood of wildfires. “Sunrise Powerlink would be the equivalent of walking into the backcountry, striking a match and throwing it on a line,” she said bluntly. “Not building Sunrise Powerlink is a way to prevent fires.” Donna Tisdale, planning group chair in rural Boulevard, criticized SDGE for failing to replace old lines. “Instead of investing in upgrades in their lines, they just plan to cut off our power…We had a fire in Campo today, and one witness said it was caused by a downed power line,” she revealed. “SDG&E has given the backcountry a royal flip off.” Tisdale said that while some backcountry residents are prepared for power shut-offs with generators or other preparations, many seniors can’t afford a generator or the fuel to run one. “Our volunteer fire department does not have a generator,” she added. Tisdale expressed concern that if power is shut off, people may fire up old and potentially dangerous generators and light up woodburning stoves to keep warm. “How much safer is that than just keeping the power on?” she asked. Tisdale also criticized SDG&E’s proposal to run Sunrise Powerlink through her area. “Bottom line: SDG&E wants to run high voltage power lines through our community, but they do not want to run power to our communites.” SDG&E Vice President David Geier defended the company’s actions. He called the 2007 wildfires “an unprecedented event” citing high wind speeds. “The fact is that Southern California is becoming hotter and drier, and we must take proactive measures to prevent those fires.” He faulted CPUC for turning down proposals made by SDG&E and said SDG&E is taking steps to make lines safer, including installing steel poles in some areas and inspecting lines in the backcountry. As for problems caused by shutting off power proactively, he responded, ‘There are trade-offs.” In answer to concerns over those with medical equipment, he observed, “We will exclude circuits with medical needs customers on them.” (SDG&E’s public relations spokesperson previously told ECM that people with medical needs could receive help by calling an 800 phone line. Readers who tried this have informed us that they were merely told to “get a generator.”) Cox Communications vice president Bill Gephart said Cox was “stunned” to hear that its lashing could be at fault for rubbing against an SDG&E line. He suggested that the lashing broke as a result of contact with the line and was not the cause. But he added, “This season we are rechecking our entire network in the fire-prone area.” The Cox executive expressed serious concerns over SDG&E’s plan to cut power during fire danger.
HOPE PREVAILS: OBAMA VICTORY HAS LONG COATTAILS LOCALLY
Printer-friendly versionBy Miriam Raftery Democrats gathered at House of Blues await word on Presidential race On the night when most of America turned blue, Democrats gathered to celebrate at the aptly-named House of Blues in San Diego. Cheers greeted the historic announcement that Barack Obama had just been declared the winner, becoming the first African-American president in U.S. history. Kristy Mundt, president of the East County Democratic Club, exchanged high-fives with fellow Democrats, passing out Obama stickers. Hope filled the air and flowed outside onto streets flocked with revelers, where strangers embraced and even homeless people grinned, offering thumbs-up signs. “Congratulations to each of you—you each made a difference in this amazing election,” Linda Armacost, president of the La Mesa-Foothills Democratic Club told members in an e-mail soon after the victory. Armacost vowed to seize the wave of change by continuing the party’s momentum through more voter registration, educating the public, recruiting and supporting candidates, forming coalitions, and maintaining visibility in the community. “We Democrats have a presence now in East County…We will not be silenced.” Marty Block Volunteer Dorene Dias Pesta In East County, where 52 of 56 local offices were previously filled by Republicans, Democrats had already picked up 18 seats in local races before Election Day, simply by running candidates unopposed. In past years, seats on local boards and commissions often had no candidates running—and were later filled through appointments by Republicans in power. On November 4, Democrats picked up additional seats including Mary Kay Rosinski on the Grossmont Community College Board, George Gastil on the Lemon Grove City Council, and Marty Block, elected to the 78th Assembly District. Asked what his first legislative priority will be, Block told East County Magazine, “I’m looking at a CSU campus in the South Bay.” Dan Ortiz of La Mesa, a volunteer on Block’s campaign, said turnout was amazingly high. “Usually when you check the polls, you find only a few people in a precinct have voted,” he said. “We had 100% of our likely supporters actually vote. That’s unprecedented.” A similar situation was reported in Lemon Grove, where a Gastil volunteer said 80% of Democrats had voted at a precinct he checked. Local Democrats celebrate upon announcement that Obama won presidency. La Mesa Councilman David Allan, who switched parties from Republican to Democrat, received the most votes of any candidate running. Republican Ruth Sterling also won reelection. In the City of San Diego, Democrats swept the City Council and School Board races. Victories by Marti Emerald, Sherri Lightner and Todd Gloria give Democrats six of seven seats on the Council. Democrats now occupy every seat on the San Diego Unified School Board with the election of Dr. John Lee Evans, Richard Barrera and incumbent Sheila Jackson. “Locally, our success mirrored the Democratic victories across the nation,” Francine Busby, past Democratic candidate in the 50th Congressional district, wrote in her newsletter, The Buzz. “We reaped the rewards of our years of hard work by electing 52, a record number, of our endorsed candidates in addition to those who won earlier due to lack of competition.” ECM reporter Joseph Rocha with newly elected Congressman Duncan D. Hunter Republicans’ biggest victory in East County was the election of Duncan D. Hunter to replace his father as Congressman for the 52nd District. “What our job is going to be on the conservative side of things is to fight for national security,” Hunter told ECM reporter Joseph Rocha. “We are arguably going to have the most liberal administration we have ever had in 50 years. So I think what we are going to have to do to balance things out is to keep the military strong, keep working on border security, and keep giving the American entrepreneur a reason to be strong, to be creative, and to use that entrepreneurial spirit to keep making money for himself and hiring people, passing money down. I think that if we start overtaxing people, we are going to lose that spirit,” he said. Hunter added that he is honored to be chosen to represent the people of East County. He praise the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also expressed disappointment in the GOP for losing its conservative tradition—a loss he faults for the party’s numerous defeats in the past few years. Democrat Mike Lumpkin received 39.9% of the vote. A note from his campaign to supporters observed that Lumpkin received a higher percentage of the vote than any other Democrat to run against a Hunter in this district. Among California’s remaining Congressional delegation, incumbents all won reelection: Democrats Bob Filner and Susan Davis, along with Republicans Brian Bilbray and Darryl Issa. Kristy Mundt, president of the East County Democratic Club, celebrates victory at House of Blues. Democrat Carroll Boone failed to win election to the Grossmont Union High School Board, where Republicans including reelected incumbent Priscilla Schreiber and newly elected member Gary Woods. Democrats Marge Carlson and John Martes narrowly missed picking up a seat on El Cajon’s City Council, where Jillian Hanson-Cox and Bob McClellan won reelection and Republican Bill Wells was also elected. Republican Assemblyman Joel Anderson won reelection over Democrat Ray Lutz, who attained 38.8% of the vote – higher than any Democrat in recent memory in the still-largely Republican 77th Assembly District. Anderson told ECM he plans to reintroduce two bills vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger due to budget constraints. The first measure aims to improve voter transparency by requiring that voters receive prominent notification that absentee ballots must be received (not mailed) before Election Day. The second measure focuses on Homestead Foreclosures, “so if you’re going to go bankrupt, it protects homeowners’ equity,” he said, adding that he is working with Democrats on co-sponsorship of the bills. Democrats, meanwhile, are gearing up “Blue Skies Over San Diego”, a dinner and dancing celebration slated for Inauguration Day on January 10th. Printer-friendly version