x-posted from The Bayne of Blog

Last night, I was privileged to attend a dinner honoring fifteen state legislators for standing with working families. The California Labor Federation and State Building and Construction Trades Council sponsored the dinner as part of their annual Joint Legislative Conference.

Honored for their 100% labor voting record were State Senators Ellen Corbett, Christine Kehoe, Carol Migden, Darrell Steinberg, and Patricial Wiggins. Also honored were Assemblymembers Julia Brownley, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Eng, Ed Hernandez, Dave Jones, Mark Leno, Fiona Ma, Ira Ruskin, Lori Saldaña, and Sandré Swanson.

Among the votes for which they were honored were these.

They voted to crack down on the underground economy by strengthening labor compliance programs and by supporting real penalties for employers who intentionally misclassify workers as independent contractors.

They voted to improve childcare quality for working families by giving childcare providers a right to organize.

They voted to increase benefits for permanently disabled workers, after the Schwarzenegger Administration slashed benefits by 70%.

They voted against tribal gaming compacts that denied casino workers a real right to organize.

They voted against a repeal of the 8-hour work day and a takeaway of the guaranteed right to a lunch break.

They voted for a resolution calling on Congress to overturn the “Kentucky River” decision to protect the right of charge nurses – and all lead workers – to join a union.

They voted to protect our members’ health care, control health care cost, require the state to disclose which employers have their workers on publicly funded health care programs, and expand coverage through a statewide purchasing pool for health insurance.

The voted to promote worker safety by banning the dangerous butter flavoring chemical diacetyl and instituting an indoor heat standard.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Mayor Jerry Sanders got what he asked for when he was elected in 2005. Not just the office, but unprecedented “strong mayor” control over the city’s operation. He’s had two and a half years, and as he runs for reelection, we have to ask whether he’s lived up to the responsibility.

At a recent debate, Mayor Sanders let his frustration get the best of him over the substance, or perceived lack thereof, in the current campaign.  Well if he wants to talk about issues, Blackwater is a good one.  Steve Francis, a leading contender for mayor, has accused Jerry Sanders of “presiding over the largest pay-to-play system the city has ever seen.”  If Mayor Sanders wants to get substantive and prove that the good of the community is is his top priority, it’s time he get involved in the absurd permit process that has- thus far- allowed Blackwater to waltz into the city and start unpacking within spitting distance of the border.

Earlier today, Courage Campaign partnered with Jess Durfee, the Chair of the San Diego Democratic Party, to introduce a petition calling on Mayor Sanders to launch a full investigation into the questionable process that’s brought Blackwater to the City of San Diego.  He asked for this responsibility- he still wants this responsibilty. It’s time to deliver.

On the flip is the email that Jess Durfee sent to Courage Campaign’s San Diego members today.

My name is Jess Durfee. I am the Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party.

The Courage Campaign asked me to write this message to the people of San Diego about Blackwater’s shocking new plan to build a base of operations in Otay Mesa, just three blocks from the Mexican border.

False pretenses. Bait-and-switch. Trojan horse. Take your pick of descriptions to explain Blackwater securing a city permit for its “vocational training school” — a “school” that won’t be open to the general public.

That’s simply Blackwater’s way of doing business. By using trojan-horse corporate shells like “Southwestern Law Enforcement” and “Raven Development Group” to obtain their permit, Blackwater is using false pretenses to evade public scrutiny.

The worst part? The “Blackwater bait-and-switch”: Using Iraq profits to subsidize a base of operations in San Diego with millions of your tax dollars.

Enough is enough. It’s time for San Diego’s elected officials to take a stand and kick Blackwater out of San Diego County for good. If the people of Potrero can do it, so can we.

The one man standing in the way of Blackwater is Mayor Jerry Sanders. He has the power — under San Diego’s “strong mayor” system — to launch a full investigation into the false pretenses Blackwater used to obtain a “vocational trade school” permit for their 61,600-square-foot facility.

I have written a letter to Mayor Sanders that asks him to take action immediately. To get the Mayor’s attention, I am urging the citizens of San Diego to join me in signing it no later than TUESDAY AT 9 AM.

The sooner you sign on and spread the word to your friends, family and neighbors, the more signatures we’ll have when we present this petition to Mayor Sanders on Tuesday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter

We all know that Blackwater is the “Enron” of private security contractors, more than willing to exploit Californians in the pursuit of profit. Do we really want these notorious mercenaries as our neighbors, bait-and-switching San Diego with an eye to eventually landing border security contracts?

As I wrote to Mayor Sanders in the letter linked above:

“This isn’t the first time that Blackwater has tried to hold itself above the law, and it probably won’t be the last. As ABC News recently reported, ‘Blackwater has been accused of tax fraud, improper use of force, arms trafficking and overbilling connected to its work for the U.S. government in Iraq. A grand jury, federal prosecutors and congressional investigators are all currently probing allegations against the company.’

The letter goes on to ask Mayor Sanders to stand up for San Diego so we can stand up to Blackwater before they set up shop a stone’s throw from the Tijuana International Airport. Please sign our letter today and ask your friends, family and neighbors to sign it as well before TUESDAY AT 9 AM:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter

As many Democrats, Republicans and Independents agree, Blackwater is undermining our troops in Iraq and our security at home. And now it appears to be using false pretenses to establish a dangerous foothold inside our community to privatize our border security operations. The only way we’ll know is if our Mayor launches a full investigation immediately.

It’s time for Mayor Sanders to stand up for San Diegans by standing up against Blackwater.

Please sign this letter to the Mayor today and tell your friends. Before it’s too late.

Thank you for everything you are doing to make sure San Diego continues to be “America’s Finest City”.

Jess Durfee

Chair

San Diego County Democratic Party

P.S. Thank you to all the folks in San Diego who came out last Friday to Congressman Bob Filner’s rally and press conference at the site of Blackwater’s planned facility in Otay Mesa. We had a great turnout in what could be the beginning of a movement to finally kick Blackwater out of town for good and change San Diego politics forever.

To make this new era for progressive politics in San Diego possible, we need your support for our letter to Mayor Sanders. Please sign on and spread the word as soon as possible before we present your signatures to the Mayor on Tuesday:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/SandersLetter  

I almost get what the Governor was trying to say, but the fact that it was a proud endorsement of lobbyist-paid junkets, as well as the demeaning stance toward small-town Californians, doesn’t come off well:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday encouraged lawmakers — especially those from small towns — to do more globe-trotting on the dime of special interests.

Speaking at a forum on global economics held by the nonprofit Milken Institute, the governor suggested lawmakers would be more willing to embrace his plans to privatize the building of roads, schools, high-speed rail systems and other public works if they could see how effectively it has worked in other countries.

“Some of them come from those little towns, you know what I am saying, they come from those little towns and they don’t have that vision yet of an airport or of a highway that maybe has 10 lanes or of putting a highway on top of a highway,” Schwarzenegger said. “They look at you and say, ‘We don’t have that in my town. What are you talking about?’

“So they are kind of shocked when you say certain things. So I like them to travel around.”

Remember, folks, it’s Barack Obama who’s the elitist.  Arugula!

What shouldn’t get lost here is that Schwarzenegger made this little comment to justify what he has done multiple times since entering public office – jetsetting around the world on trade missions paid for by shadowy interests who expect a return on their investment.

There’s a virtue and value in world travel, and the country could go a long way to fostering it by providing grants for international study, for example.  If he wants to build a program like the “overseas experience” they have in New Zealand for California’s young people, great.  But Schwarzenegger isn’t really endorsing that.  He just wants his secret free trips.  The “y’all are hicks” part is just frosting on the cake.