About Time!

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not one to praise Fortune 500 companies that often. I think they are some of the biggest impediments from having more progressive legislation passed at both the Federal and State level.

This afternoon, however, I saw this story in the UT regarding AT&T’s decision to ask the North Carolina Utilities Commission to “allow the company to test the Web-based phone listings in Raleigh and Charlotte.” According to the proposal AT&T will still distribute the Yellow Pages, but will only distribute the White Pages on either CD-Rom or hard copy on a per request basis. [Link] Finally! In my opinion this should have been done 10-years ago!

To me the phone book seems so archaic in the age of Google. Not to mention it is quite a waste of paper. Every year, I have delivered to large phone books, that sit around and collect dust until the next year, when I throw them in a recycle dumpster because I have just received two new phone books. Now I know there are people like my mother, who will not use a computer and phone books will continue to be necessary for them. But for the vast majority of us, Web-based White Pages are the way to go. How soon until AT&T brings this program to California?

Cap on Condo Conversions

San Diego City Council rejected a cap on condo conversions this past Tuesday. The cap would have limited the per-year conversions to 1,000. The only city council members that stepped up to the plate to actually put an end to this matter and place a limit on the number of condo conversions done in a given year were Donna Frye and Toni Atkins. The council with a 6-2 margin decided to work on the issue further in a closed session. San Diego’s condo conversion market has been out of control over the last couple years. San Diego is also way behind the times as San Francisco has a cap of only 200 per year and Berkeley limits condo conversions based on vacancy percentages (none of which exceed 500 units per year even at the highest rate).

According to the UT, even though the number of conversions have dropped so far this year to 400 (with over 1,400 applications in as of July), it does not mean that we should not be mindful of years like 2005 where owners tried to convert over 10,000 rental units. As a renter, I find the matter extremely disconcerting; we are allowing the market to completely dictate the system instead of the government doing it’s role to serve the people, so that these extremes do not continue to persist. Hopefully the council will come to its senses and help the poor renters. To the shock of many, most of us [renters] cannot afford to purchase a condo in San Diego.

D3 a Two Man Race?

Interesting happenings in the San Diego District 3 Council race. It seems John Hartley has decided to take on Todd Gloria as if this is a two man race. Hartley fired off a letter to Gloria, as reported in VOSD, condemning The Center for holding their dinner at a non-union hotel. The stunt served two purposes. First, a clear message to the unions that Hartley will be more of an advocate for their issues than Gloria. Second, that Hartley sees this as a contest between the two. Insiders have been saying Hartley’s only shot to win this is in the primary, with low GLBT turnout. Those chances get better if he can snag a labor endorsement. But what does this mean for the flailing campaign of Stephen Whitburn? Did he peek too soon and rely too heavily on the (now controversial) Donna Frye endorsement? Is this really down to battle between Gloria and Hartley?

GOP Dirty Rotten Scoundrel – Dead On Arrival!

The GOP’s attempt to steal 20 – 22 of California’s 55 electoral votes is going down in flames. Their attempt to “reform” only our great state is a blatant attempt to steal the 2008 presidential election. California, like 47 other states, awards all of its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes. In the last four elections, all of California’s electoral votes have gone to the Democratic nominee.

According to the LA Times, the reasons for the early demise of this ballot initiative are the lack of funds, and the resignation of two of its original backers.

If any similar measure should ever be considered in the future, it must be done across all 47 states. I suggest that we start with Texas and Florida!

Call me cynical, but I don’t trust the GOP. If they can’t win hearts and minds, they’ll cheat! So watch out for their next dirty trick!

Another Wingnut Alert!

Friends be aware, because the week of October 22-26 has been dubbed Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.

I know this sounds crazy, but according to this website it is “a wake-up call for Americans on 200 university and college campuses.” Here in San Diego County, both CSU San Marcos and Palomar College will be participating in the festivities. Whose started goal is to confront “the two Big Lies of the political left,” one being that George Bush created the war on terror and the other being that Global Warming is a greater danger than terrorists to the United States.

Interestingly, the organization that is sponsoring these ridiculous events across the country is call the Terrorism Awareness Project which happens to be fronting for the David Horowitz Freedom Center. My concern is that this so called Terrorism Awareness Project will attract some people who are genuinely looking for an honest discussion on terrorism related issues but instead will be exposed to hatred and bigotry.

For those who don’t know David Horowitz, he was once a militant leftist and former editor for the leftist Ramparts magazine during the 1970s. Then sometime in the 1980s he figured out that is more profitable to whore himself out to crazy rightwing millionaires like Richard Melon Scaife and their foundations. He then started publishing FrontPage magazine and thus became the rightwing whack job he is today.

Horowitz, who once associated with members of the Black Panther party, now chooses to associate himself and praise people like white supremacist Jared Taylor of American Renaissance magazine, an individual who has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “the cultivated, cosmopolitan face of white supremacy.“ [Link]

In recent years, Horowitz has become one of the biggest merchants of hate in the country. Regularly appearing on Fox News to trumpet his crazy ideas. So be aware of anything or group that is associated with him.

California Assembly 78th – Are you in or out?

Rumor has it to the disappointment of the Republican establishment, former City of San Diego Police Chief David Bejarano (R) might be jumping out of the Assembly 78th as quickly as they talked him into the Assembly 78th race. With the possible departure from the crime scene of Bejarano, Chula Vista Councimember John McCann (R) is rethinking his earlier departure from the race. Yet, another disappointment to the Republican establishment, because they worked so hard to find another candidate and forcing McCann out.

Not completely surprised with Bejarano’s potential action, because everyone knows he is really interested in the County of San Diego Sheriff ’s office. Though, it will be an uphill battle for him, because he will need to take on Under Sheriff Bill Gore. It is speculated that Sheriff Bill Kolendar takes an early leave from office over the much talked about health problems, which allows the County Board of Supervisors to appointment Gore.

The only major issue Gore might face in an election will be explaining while as head of the San Diego FBI office he was active or inactive on tracking potential terrorists over the 9-11 hijacking.