SPRING VALLEY MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OWNER ARRESTED
Update September 22, 2017: Tooma has pleaded not guilty, claiming he only owns a smoke shop next door, not Spring Valley Greens, Patch.com reports. By Miriam Raftery September 20, 2017 (Spring Valley) – The owner of Spring Valley Greens, an illegal marijuana dispensary also known as the Wax Room, has been arrested. Steve Tooma, 35, has been charged with opening a drug house, criminal conspiracy, and possession of marijuana for sale at the dispensary located at 9925 Campo Road in the Casa de Oro neighborhood of Spring Valley. The Sheriff’s Rancho San Diego Crime Suppression team and local detectives conducted a search back in July at Spring Valley Greens, which resulted directly from many complaints made by concerned citizens over an illegal marijuana dispensary at the local, which is close to a school. Early this morning, a second search warrant was served in the 1300 block of Windridge Drive in El Cajon before officials arrested Tooma, says Sergeant Matt Cook with the Sheriff’s Department. Problems at the dispensary date back to at least December 2014, when a robbery suspect and a bystander were shot in connection with an armed robbery at the dispensary.
WORLD-CLASS MUSICIANS HIGHLIGHT 2017 FALL CONCERT SERIES AT CUYAMACA COLLEGE
East County News Service September 20, 2017 (Rancho San Diego)–The 2017 edition of the Fall Concert Series at Cuyamaca College will include a trio of world-class musicians from as far away as New York who will perform the first in an ongoing calendar of classic concerts underwritten by a well-known patron of the arts. The Camera Lucida Piano Trio will play music by Mozart and Brahms during an Oct. 3 concert at the Cuyamaca College Performing Arts Theater. The Camera Lucida Piano Trio comprises pianist Reiko Uchida, who teaches at Columbia University in New York and who has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a number of other orchestras around the world; violinist Jeff Thayer, who holds the Deborah Pate and John Forrest Concertmaster Chair of the San Diego Symphony; and internationally renowned cellist Charles Curtis, a graduate of Juilliard who teaches at UC San Diego. The concert is being underwritten by Sam Ersan, who has helped transform the chamber music landscape of San Diego. This is a world-class trio of absolutely amazing musicians,” said Cuyamaca College Music Department chair and professor Taylor Smith, who organizes the annual Fall Concert Series. “I’m excited about this new partnership with Mr. Ersan and what it means for Cuyamaca College and the larger East County community.” The Fall Concert Series gets under way Sept. 21 with the Reka Parker Jazz Quartet exploring new interpretations from the Blue Note catalog. Following is a list of scheduled performances, all of which are set to begin at 7:30 p.m. All concerts will take place in the Cuyamaca College Performing Arts Theater in Building B. General admission tickets are $8 each, $5 for students and seniors, unless otherwise noted. Parking is free. Thursday, Sept. 21 The Reka Parker Jazz Quartet features San Diego jazz pianist Reka Bodis-Parker, who attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston; Taylor Smith on bass; his counterpart at Grossmont College, Derek Cannon, on trumpet; and Bob Daniels on drums. Monday, Oct. 2 Kembang Sunda, led by Cuyamaca College music instructor Amy Hacker, performs traditional Sundanese music from West Java. Kembang Sunda has performed throughout Southern California since 2007. Tuesday, Oct. 3 Camera Lucida Piano Trio will perform music by Mozart and Brahms. In addition, pianist Reiko Uchida will be joined by guest violinist and USC adjunct professor Che-Yen Chen for a sonata by Brahms. General admission tickets for this event are $15 each, $10 for staff and $5 for students. Thursday, Oct. 5 The Cuyamaca College Choir, directed by Paul Infantino, will perform contemporary and standard choral works. Thursday, Oct. 12 Angham al-Saraq: Eastern Melodies Ensemble will perform music from the Middle East Friday, Oct. 20 The Marine Corps Jazz Orchestra, an all-star group comprising the top musicians from all 10 Marine bands stationed around the globe, will conclude their current tour with a performance of classic big band jazz accompanied by a group of student musicians There is no charge for this event. Thursday, Nov. 9 The Rob Thorsen Trio, featuring bassist Rob Thorsen, pianist extraordinaire Hugo Suarez and drummer Richard Sellers, will perform contemporary jazz. Thursday, Nov. 16 Zimbeat, a San Diego-based ensemble, will perform the dynamic village music of Zimbabwe that is based on the Shona people’s traditional instrument, the mbira Dzavadzimu. Zimbeat is a two-time nominee for the San Diego Music Awards. Monday, Nov. 27 The Cuyamaca College Rock, Pop and Soul Ensemble will perform the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the debut solo album by the American singer and rapper that was released in 1998. Thursday, Nov. 30 The Cuyamaca College Choir returns to perform contemporary and standard choral works in collaboration with the Cuyamaca College Concert Band. Wednesday, Dec. 6 The Cuyamaca College Concert Band will be accompanied by the Grossmont College Concert Band for the final event in this year’s Fall Concert Series. Each band comprises approximately 40 musicians and the groups will showcase several concert band masterpieces. Cuyamaca College is at 900 Rancho San Diego Parkway. For further information, call (619) 660-4627, or visit cuyamaca.edu/performingarts.
ASSEMBLYWOMAN WEBER FAILS TO DERAIL FLETCHER ENDORSEMENT BY SAN DIEGO DEMOCRATS
By Ken Stone Reprinted from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network Photo, left: Nathan Fletcher said after his endorsement: “Every candidate is going to fight and have their base of support. And what we see as Democrats is we come together, post primary and focus on what we have to do, which is Democrats winning the seat.” Photo via Wikimedia Commons September 20, 2017 (San Diego) — Former GOP Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher easily won the San Diego County Democratic Party’s endorsement Tuesday night in his bid to “take back our county government.” Supervisor candidate Ken Malbrough said: “I’m not going to let this stop me. I can communicate pretty well, and I’m going to go door-to-door. It’s not just the folks in here who had the yellow [voting sticks].” Photo, right: Ken Marlbrough via campaign Applause and cheers broke out at 8:25 p.m. when county chair Jessica Hayes said “the motion carries.” Her party Central Committee voted 64-5 to approve a consent calendar that included an item recommending Fletcher be endorsed for the District 4 seat on the county Board of Supervisors, held for 22 years by Republican Ron Roberts. Watched by his wife, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, the 40-year-old former Marine told an audience of 170 at the Machinists Union Hall in Kearny Mesa: “I stand before you as someone with the conviction of a convert. … who deeply understands those principles and values that we hold dear — equality, opportunity and justice.” Also watching was Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a backer of community activist Ken Malbrough, one of three other Democrats in the supervisor race. Without mentioning fellow African-American Malbrough, Weber urged the Central Committee to review the endorsement decision and not “rubber-stamp” the Aug. 28 verdict of an area committee. But her motion to pull the Fletcher item from the consent calendar won only two votes. Weber didn’t see opportunity and justice in the outcome. “We have four Democrats, and we supposedly believe in the big tent,” Weber said outside the union hall, where recording devices were banned. “And yet we continually lock people out of the process. And I think that’s unfair — this early in the game.” Assemblywoman Shirley Weber said: “Most of the time, our endorsements are done later on, when you really get a chance to see the candidates. I don’t think we have done that.” Photo left: Shirley Weber by Chris Stone She said endorsing Fletcher nine months before the June 2018 primary could backfire in the race featuring former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, a Republican with deep-pockets backing. “We overthought the thing with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton,” Weber said. “We overthink these things, but we don’t know what the people in the community are thinking.” Weber worries that anointing a candidate before the primary may alienate rank-and-file backers of rivals and put their favorites at a fund-raising disadvantage. “When you have an heir apparent to something, people have a tendency just to not get involved,” she said. “You want to energize them to be engaged, to bring out more people to vote, so that — whoever wins — people feel they were part of the process.” Fletcher defended the early endorsement — listing the myriad steps that led to Tuesday’s vote. He noted that every local candidate — two dozen took brief stints at the main lectern — had a chance to speak Tuesday (except Lori Saldaña, who wasn’t present). “We had a debate on the motion,” Fletcher said. “What this signifies is that the Democrats are overwhelmingly united behind our candidacy to take back the seat.” He rejected the claim that minority voters deserved someone like former Assemblywoman Saldaña, a Latina, or attorney Omar Passons — the other black Democrat in the race along with Malbrough. “The communities that need help the most need the most effective supervisor,” Fletcher said, “and I think they’ll need the strongest candidate to win.” He said his priority, if elected in the largely San Diego district, would be helping those communities “that have been left behind by the current Board of Supervisors.” Omar Passons urged the Central Committee to vote against making a supervisor race endorsement, saying: “Give every candidate an opportunity to fight and win your vote.” Photo, right: Omar Passons, via campaign He also attacked Republicans targeting him with what county chair Hayes called “persuasion polls” and the critical IheartNathan.com website. “When the Republican Party and the Lincoln Club want to come into our house and tell us as Democrats who and when we support, it’s time for us to say: No more,” Fletcher said during his 2-minute speaker slot. Later, he told Times of San Diego: “In a lot of ways, (GOP) efforts really solidified the Democratic Party. When Republicans want to weigh in and tell Democrats who to endorse, it backfired. So tonight you saw over 90 percent of [committee members] wearing stickers that said ‘I heart Nathan.’” He suggested that a GOP-connected poll “really crystalized what is at stake, it crystalized who they fear most.” Fletcher again explained his conversion from Republican to independent to Democrat. “The real question in today’s world … is not why somebody would leave the Republican Party. The question is: Why would anyone stay?” he said. “I have been very open. I was not a good Republican when I was there. And that’s well-documented. And when I changed parties, I said: On a lot of issues, the party changed. The Tea Party and Trump agenda changed [the GOP]. And on some issues, I changed. “And as we go through life, we have experiences, and we go through things that shape us and mold us. And I’m not afraid to say that.” In the dark parking lot of the union hall, supervisor candidate Malbrough, a retired firefighter, wasn’t shocked by the endorsement result. “He’s got talent. He’s got experience,” Malbrough said of Fletcher. “So it was no surprise.” But he didn’t quite agree with Weber’s critique
PUERTO RICO HIT HARD BY HURRICANE MARIA
By Miriam Raftery Photo: NASA/NSR September 20, 2017 (San Diego) — The eye of Hurricane Maria passed almost directly over San Juan, the capitol of Puerto Rico. The powerful storm made landfall with 155 mile per hour winds—just 2 miles per hour short of Category 5 status. It’s believed to be the strongest hurricane in at least 80 years to hit Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory home to 3.5 million people. For Puerto Rico, where the territorial government was already struggling to pay its bills after a decade-long depression, finding resources to help survivors rebuild will be challenging. Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rosselio has asked President Trump to declare a disaster. Rosselio says up to 90% of the island’s population is without power. Many homes and municipal buildings have been damaged across the island by high winds and flooding. Over 11,000 people have sought refuge in hundreds of shelters, some still reeling from impacts of Hurricane Irma a week earlier, though Irma spared Puerto Rico a direct hit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA has indicated it has 3,200 personnel positioned to help after the storm. Maria will most likely turn northward but is not expected to hit the eastern seaboard of the United States.
OVER 200 DEAD IN MEXICO CITY EARTHQUAKE
By Miriam Raftery Photo: Policia Federal Mexico via Twitter September 20, 2017 (San Diego) – A powerful 7.1 earthquake struck Mexico City yesterday, 32 years to the day that a 1985 quake killed 9,500 people and destroyed 100,000 homes in Mexico City. Since then, the city has made major efforts to improve earthquake safety standards. Thus far, the death toll stands at 225 people in yesterday’s quake, including at least 21 children and four adults at the Enrique Rebesamen school in Mexico City, which collapsed. Rescue efforts continue, with another 30 children and eight adults still missing at the school, USA Today reports. The death toll includes 94 in Mexico City, as well as fatalities in Morelos, Puebla, and Oaxaca. Hundreds more are injured. This quake comes on the heels of an 8.1 quake off the southern coast of Mexico just two weeks ago, as well as a hurricane that caused damage on Mexico’s Eastern shore. Yesterday’s earthquake has left about 40% of Mexico City and 60% of nearby Morelos state without power. Cell phone companies have been providing free service immediately after the quake. Authorities are asking people to keep phone lines open for emergency calls and to use SMS messaging, WhatsApp or social media instead to check on family or friends in the impacted areas, according to Reporting San Diego. Mexican President Pena Nieto has declared three days of national mourning, while rescue efforts continue. U.S. President Donald Trump also Tweeted condolences to the Mexican people.
NEW HEALTHCARE REPEAL BILL EVEN MORE SEVERE THAN MEASURE DEFEATED PREVIOUSLY
By Miriam Raftery September 20, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – Like the proverbial Lazarus rising from the dead, efforts to repeal Obamacare have been revived. Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy have introduced a measure that would repeal Obamacare with no replacement. The bill would give block grants allowing states to let insurance companies deny coverage or charge more for preexisting conditions, and to eliminate lifetime caps on coverage for people needing costly care to survive. It also cuts funds for Medicaid expansion and eliminates all subsidies for low and moderate income Americans. Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel has blasted the bill and coauthor Bill Cassidy for lying to the audience on his show. At the time, Kimmel’s newborn son had just undergone heart surgery to save his life. Cassidy said in considering any future healthcare measure he would ask, “Does it pass the Jimmy Kimmel test? Would the child born with a congenital heart disease be able to get everything she or he would need in the first year of life?” The new bill would not protect newborn children, or people of any age with serious medical conditions. Earlier Republican measures to repeal Obamacare would have kicked 30 to 40 million Americans off of healthcare coverage completely, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Republicans have refused to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to analyze their latest bill. Polls have shown that only 12 percent of Americans supported the last repeal bill, which got rid of the unpopular mandate under Obamacare, but also eliminated many provisions that helped tens of millions of Americans. The new bill has no replacement for Obamacare and no assurances of medical coverage for those who cannot afford it or who have preexisting conditions. Kimmel responded angrily to news of Cassidy’s coauthorship of the new bill, stating of Congress, “They’re taking care of the people who give them money, the insurance companies.” Medical organizations and patient advocacy groups say the bill is even worse than one defeated this summer by a single vote. This time, the key votes are again expected to be Republican Senators John McCain from Arizona, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, and Susan Collins from Maine, who along with Kentucky’s Rand Paul were the only Republicans to oppose the last bill. All Democrats say they will vote no on the new measure, as they did on the earlier repeal effort. Republicans have until September 30th to ram it through without Democrats having the ability to block it through a filibuster, due to a special budgetary rule. They are attempting to pass the bill with only a single hearing—in a Homeland Security committee, not a Health Committee. The only testimony that the Chairman has said he will allow is from the authors of the bill. While there is a bipartisan group of Senators working separately on a measure that would address shortfalls in Obamacare without taking away protections that it did provide, as well as more liberal proposals such as a Medicare for All bill that Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced with 15 Democratic coauthors, the Republican leadership in Congress has refused to allow debate on any of those measures. Jimmy Kimmel, meanwhile, has invited Senator Cassidy to come back on his show and take what he calls the new Jimmy Kimmel test – a lie detector.
BUGSY’S BREW, POPULAR COFFEE SHOP AND OPEN MIC VENUE, CLOSES DOORS
By Miriam Raftery September 19, 2017 (La Mesa) – Bugsy’s Brew Coffee shop ha s closed its doors, five years after opening at the corner of La Mesa Blvd. and Jackson Drive. A note taped to the door informs customers of the closing over the weekend “with a heavy heart but great memories.” Owner Dan Moran thanked patrons, adding, “I’m sorry for having to move on, but my family is in need and I just focus on remaining active in my children’s lives! Family first forever. I will love and miss my time here…let’s stay positive and may our paths cross in the future.” East County Magazine interviewed Moran back in 2012, when the java joint had just opened with a slogan “So good, it should be illegal.” Coffee drinks were named after famous gangsters such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Ma Barker. Moran said he named the place after his grandfather, George “Bugs” Moran, ran Chicago bootlegging operation during Prohibition. Moran’s gang was gunned down in the notorious St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929, reportedly on the orders of Al Capone. Ironically, Moran’s life was spared–thanks to a coffee shop. Bugsy’s became a popular gathering place not only for coffee aficionados, but also musicians and music fans who came to enjoy local talent on open mic nights. You can view photos of the final night’s performances on September 16, 2017 at the Facebook photo album The last night at Bugsy’s. Linda Ascione Niman posted, “Twas a sad evening….so hard to say good bye to Bugsy’s and all the good times we’ve had there….”.
SAN DIEGO KINGS, NEW ABA TEAM FOUNDED BY EL CAJON VALLEY GRAD, BREATHES FRESH NEW LIFE INTO SAN DIEGO DEVELOPMENTAL BASKETBALL
By Liz Alper Photo courtesy San Diego Kings September 19, 2017 (San Diego) – Despite the Chargers hanging San Diego out to dry, new sports organizations are seeing San Diego for the premier sports destination it is. And now, a new face is entering America’s Finest City and it’s founded by an East County high school grad. The San Diego Kings are the newest team in San Diego and in the American Basketball Association, or ABA. San Diego will now have two ABA teams, the original team being the San Diego Surf. The Kings were founded by entrepreneur, philanthropist and El Cajon Valley High graduate Abraham Muheize. According to its website, the mission of the Kings is “to provide a high level of sports & entertainment for San Diego and the surrounding communities. Also, focusing heavily on getting involved in all communities to become the marquee professional team for San Diego. “As a team playing in the American Basketball Association (ABA) we are dedicated to representing the ABA with class, integrity and sound business practices,” the website goes on to state. “Our off-the-court continued goal is to enrich the lives of San Diegans and our student athletes, by providing life development skills, inspiration and opportunities to further their educational development through the game of basketball….” The team is co-owned by the top accident attorney in San Diego, King Aminpour. The team will begin its inaugural season October 27-29 at the Orange County Tournament.
ECM PADRES REPORT: OFFENSE COMES UP BIG TO TAKE SERIES
Like our sports coverage? Donate to help support ECM’s sports section! Type “Sports” on the donation line! Follow @ECMagSports on Twitter for live sports coverage and stories! Story by Liz Alper Photo via @Padres on Twitter September 19, 2017 (San Diego) – The Padres are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, which means they can act like 10-year-old Little Leaguers and have fun playing baseball. Overly paranoid baseball moms everywhere can relax. That’s probably why they’re winning more, by the way, as they won 4-2 last night over the Diamondbacks. Zack Godley started tonight’s game two for the Dbacks against Travis Wood. The Dbacks struck first with A.J. Pollock’s home run in the first for a 1-0 lead. That made the Padres mad. At the wrong time of year, of course, but mad nonetheless. Wil Myers evened it up in the home half of the first with a single that scored Manuel Margot. Yangervis Solarte hit a sac fly to score Carlos Asuaje to give the Padres the 2-1 lead. Solarte added another on a single that scored Myers in the third. And then Wood…scored? He hit a two-run RBI single to make it 5-1 Pads. Pollock hit another solo homer in the sixth, but Asuaje answered with an RBI single in the Padres’ half that scored Margot and the Padres cruised to a 6-2 win to take the series. Tomorrow’s game three isn’t a Wednesday matinee; it’ll be at 6:10 p.m. Robbie Ray starts for the Dbacks against Dinelson Lamet.
FIRST AMENDMENT LAWYERS CRITICIZE COUNCILMAN KALASHO FOR LAWSUIT THREATS AND INSULTS MADE TO UNION-TRIBUNE REPORTER
By Miriam Raftery “His behavior is extraordinarily irresponsible. A public official should not be in the business of threatening groundless litigation over acts that are things that reporters do every day.” — David Snyder, executive director, First Amendment Coalition September 19, 2017 (San Diego) – El Cajon Councilman Ben Kalasho sent emails to San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Jeff McDonald repeatedly calling the award-winning journalist a “troll” and threatening legal action after McDonald asked tough questions about Kalasho’s business dealings and apparent conflicts of interests. The Councilman also demanded that McDonald stop contacting Kalasho or his wife “by any means” including his official public email address. He added, “Any further attempts to contact me or my wife or Members, Sponsors of affiliates of my Chamber by any means will be used against you in the upcoming harassment claim” and further accused the reporter of “acts of deception” and fabricating information. Kalasho’s wife became president of the San Diego Chaldean-American Chamber of Commerce after Kalasho was elected to the Council. The UT inquiry included questions regarding Kalasho’s vote on tax liens against residents over unpaid Waste Management bills. Waste Management paid $2,500 to the Chamber as a corporate member, and it is unclear why Kalasho did not recuse himself from the vote, as Council members are required to do whenever they have a financial conflict involving money paid to themselves or their family members. The Attorney General has also sent Kalasho a letter probing the lack of nonprofit papers filed for the Miss Middle East Beauty Pageant he has run, after ECM raised questions with state regulators over the pageant’s questionable nonprofit status, as we reported. The emails released by McDonald from himself to Kalasho were professional in tone, even after Kalasho’s insults and dodging important questions on matters of strong public interest. McDonald has published a series of reports on Kalasho’s controversies. But after McDonald published that Waste Management withdrew its sponsorship of his Chamber, Kalasho accused McDonald of making up the story. However Waste Management senior communications manager Eloise Orozco confirmed to East County Magazine reporter Paul Kruze that Waste Management had withdrawn its support because “we’re not entirely comfortable contributing to an organization which is involved in a controversy.” Kalasho’s Chamber has been embroiled in several controversies. After losing a trademark dispute over the name and being ordered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cease using it, Kalasho took down the Chamber site and announced he has formed a new group called the Middle Eastern Chamber of Commerce. The earlier Chamber ran the Miss Middle East Beauty Pageant. Multiple contestants have recently filed suit with allegations that include fraud, photoshopping a dethroned beauty queen’s face onto someone else’s nude body, and sexual harassment including offering to trade sex for the crown. Kalasho has denied those charges and has filed a countersuit. Union Tribune editorial and opinion editor Matthew Hall also exchanged emails with Kalasho in preparation for an editorial that the newspaper subsequently ran. Kalasho continued his name-calling, and told Hall, “I don’t do interviews with the UT.” Kalasho has also recently declined to respond to calls or emails from East County Magazine requesting comments for recent stories including this one. We sent a list of questions to Kalasho at both his official city email address and his personal email address, allowing 24 hours for a response before publishing this article, but he did not respond. The Union-Tribune editorial board defended its reporter and excoriated Kalasho, stating, “Declining comment in politics is one thing, but dripping contempt is something else. Kalasho should dial it back. El Cajon’s constituents are poorly served by his lack of professionalism.” East County Magazine sent copies of the emails between Kalasho and the Union-Tribune’s reporter and editor to two First Amendment experts for comments. Terry Francke is general counsel for Californians Aware (CALAWARE), an organization which protects open government access in California by reporters and the public. Regarding Kalasho’s threat to sue McDonald or the Union-Tribune, Francke said he sees no significant likelihood that such a suit could possibly prevail. “He admits that he could not succeed with a libel suit because he could not prove deliberate lies,” he said, citing the standard for public figures to win a libel case. “As for harassment, I’m not aware of any case in which a court equated persistent, even obnoxious interview attempts by a journalist to be actionable.” Francke further affirmed that a City Councilman has no legal right to demand that a reporter not contact him. Moreover, he said reporters have no obligation to heed Kalasho’s demand not to contact Kalasho, his wife, Chamber officers or members. Francke added that he doubts Kalasho’s actions would have a chilling effect on media because “no journalist worth his/her salt would be intimidated by such behavior.” He also had a warning for Kalasho. “Anyone concerned about this should be aware that a legal action based on these circumstances would almost certainly be tossed out as a SLAPP suit which would mean the plaintiff would not only lose on the merits but would have to pay the attorney fees of the defendant.” SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. A SLAPP suit aims to suppress free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution. SLAPP suits are illegal in California. “SLAPPs are often brought by corporations, real estate developers, or government officials and entities against individuals or organizations who oppose them on public issues,” the California anti-SLAPP project website states. East County Magazine also spoke with David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, regarding Kalasho’s actions. After reviewing the email exchanges published by the Union-Tribune, Snyder told ECM. “First and foremost, it’s a really depressing commentary on the level of discourse regarding, and with, the press that seems to have taken hold not just here, but across the country,” an apparent reference to claims of “fake news” by President Donald Trump and others attempting