So today, I received the latest volley of Steve Francis mailers (it’s been an average of two a day for the last two weeks).  Today, there was the regular Francis stuff, but also another one that would seem to be clearly targeted at people who think (for a change).  This one only mentions Steve Francis in the return address.

It has a big picture of Mayor Jerry Sanders standing next to George H.W. Bush, with the caption “Why has the Republican Party endorsed Jerry Sanders for Mayor?”  It goe on to answer with statements such as “Because Sanders has no plan to protect the environment . . . Because Sanders gives favors to fat cat developers . . .” and so on.

This is really funny to me, because as I understand it, Francis is a Republican too (we do have a rather pathetic set of options this time – but I can’t blame anyone for not wanting the job anyway).  You really would think the Democratic Party, or a labor union made up this mailer.

At this point, I am inclined to think that Steve Francis really does not have any ambition beyond Mayor, because I can’t think that clowns like Ron Nehring will ever forgive him for something like this.

In any case, it is the first time I’ve actually seen proof of a Republican (and yes, I know that it’s a nonpartisan office – LOL) actively running against GWB in this way.  I frankly have been skeptical that any Republican would actually violate St. Ronnie’s commandment about speaking ill of another GOPer, but there it is.

Is it really a trend?  Has anyone else seen something like this?  This really is a remarkable election year.

I work for the Courage Campaign

The City of San Diego has decided against issuing a certificate of occupancy to Blackwater (pdf):

Dear Mr. Bonfiglio,

The City will not issue a certificate of occupancy for the above referenced project pursuant to Section 129.0114 of the San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC). The portions of the building identified for use as a shooting range and vocational/trade school shall not be occupied until a certificate of occupancy has been issued for this change of use or occupancy pursuant to SDMC Section 129.0113.

Which basically means that Blackwater can’t open up shop until going through a full public review process as ordered by the Mayor (replacing the previously planned stop-work order).  In the meantime though, San Diego’s development services director Kelly Broughton continues to play dumb, telling KPBS “I don’t see that I would have had any other choice but to approve it because it complied with our municipal code and the California Building Code.” Of course, it doesn’t comply at all, which is why Rep. Bob Filner, several members of the City Council, the City Attorney and Mayor have all now stepped in to correct the flawed process.

For his part, Blackwater spokesman Mike Neil is grasping almost laughably at straws in response:

Neil said Blackwater’s own analysis shows that the company is entitled to occupy the Otay Mesa facility and a delay could jeopardize Blackwater’s long-standing contract with the Navy to train sailors in anti-terrorism tactics. A delay could damage the company’s business reputation and “cause harm to national security.”

I’m really not impressed that Blackwater has decided that Blackwater is right. And if Blackwater is so concerned about hanging onto this contract, they might have wanted to engage in this process honestly. But at least they continue to blow off even the pretense that this would be a vocational school.  Not even lip service to the notion.  Finally, for all the lame bluster about the threat to national security if Blackwater loses this contract, let’s not lose sight of the fact that, even if this were true (obviously it’s not true and is in fact absurd), it’s not a good thing.  Blackwater’s contention is that San Diego should break its local government because the military can’t handle its own training.

Well that’s exactly what Donald Rumsfeld had in mind back in 2001 when he decided it was time to save the Pentagon from itself by privatizing everything in sight.  As I remember it, the ensuing years have demonstrated that Donald Rumsfeld is not right about very much, and this is one example. So even if Blackwater were right that its vital to military readiness- that would just be all the more reason to put the training back in the hands of the military. Blackwater has been nothing but trouble, and cementing any “necessity” for them would be wrong on so many levels. Good for their bottom line- which is what they care about- but not good for San Diego, the U.S. military, the country overall or the world at large.  Less Blackwater is the goal.

The CA High-speed rail authority has some cool new ways to make you really, really wish we had HSR.  First, we have the video to the right. They’ve also done a rather cool little Flash “simulator” for the proposed route from San Francisco and Sacramento in the North all the way down to San Diego in the South.  It has a series of animated pictures showing the proposed development along the route, some wind farms, some new big buildings.

They still have the Gallery of images and video if you want something a bit more detailed. They have a specific “Bay Area” video as well.

Also, check out Robert’s High Speed Rail Blog.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

[Update] The Union-Tribune reports today that Mayor Sanders has ordered all work to stop on the Blackwater site. Brian Bonfiglio (somewhat ironically) is complaining about the politicizing of the issue in an election year, even though nobody EVER wants Blackwater and he knows cause this isn’t his first time around this block.

Yesterday the Union Tribune reported that according to Kelly Broughton, San Diego’s development services director, Blackwater’s city permits could not be appealed.  The article held out one glimmer of hope though- that Mayor Sanders’ call for investigation could bear fruit:

Broughton said yesterday that the internal review could lead to Blackwater’s permits being revoked, after a public hearing, if it turns out that staff made mistakes or relied on bad information.

Certainly one compelling bit of “bad information” might be the use of Southwest Law Enforcement and Raven Development Group on the permits instead of Blackwater.  Another might be…you know…blatantly lying about the planned use of the property in Otay Mesa and what would be installed there.  Well today City Attorney Mike Aguirre weighed in on exactly that, calling for a stop work order to be immediately issued and establishing the need for environmental impact study:

The City Attorney issued a legal opinion on Friday indicating that a series of building permits issued by the City of San Diego’s Development Services Department to a subsidiary of Blackwater Worldwide, a global security firm whose work in Iraq has fallen under criticism, were obtained improperly and a more rigorous permitting process should be completed. The City Attorney opined that a stop work order should be issued immediately and a more rigorous application process undertaken.

Southwest Law Enforcement Training Enterprises, a subsidiary of Blackwater Worldwide, obtained permits for tenant improvements to an existing warehouse in Otay Mesa the area of the City of San Diego. The permit applications specified that the building was to be used as a “training facility.” The original building was formerly used as a warehouse. One of the three applications filed by Southwest Law Enforcement stated that the proposed use of the building as “same (no change).”

As a result of the representations in the permit application the permits were issued under the DSD’s “ministerial” process, which meant no City Council or other discretionary approval was required.

More recent tenant improvement application submitted by Southwest Law Enforcement Training Enterprises was to construct an “indoor firing range.”

The legal opinion issued by the City Attorney’s Office also states that California Environmental Quality Act is also necessary in order to address the environmental impacts of a firing range

Which is a long way around to smacking down Blackwater on about every point that’s been raised by the locals objecting to the project.  Local NPR on the way home earlier reported that Mayor Sanders was on board with some or all of the City Attorney’s opinion, still waiting to get an official response from Sanders.

(An interesting tack to take in the 52nd district – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Mike Lumpkin, retired Navy SEAL and candidate for the 52nd Congressional District, released the following press release this morning regarding yesterday’s California Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage.

Yesterday the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage igniting a storm of divisive partisan reaction across the nation. Retired Navy SEAL Commander and 52nd Congressional District Candidate, Mike Lumpkin, sees the decision and subsequent reaction as an unfortunate yet expected diversion. “Election after election extremists drive this emotionally polarizing issue and marginalize the concerns of everyday Americans,” said Lumpkin.  

The foundation of Commander Lumpkin’s campaign comes from the pro-American creed he lived by for 21 years as a Navy SEAL, “In the military there is no ‘right’ or ‘left’ there is only right or wrong for America.” Lumpkin believes divisive politics are the reason America has gotten so far off track and he is committed to solving issues that transcend extreme politics. “Americans understand the urgency of working together; our deficit is spiraling out of control, we are outsourcing jobs, military families face extended deployments, the border is not secure, and Social Security is in trouble. Americans are smart, patriotic folks and we want our country back. We have too much at stake to let perennial wedge agendas hijack our national discussion,” said Lumpkin. “Same-sex marriage is a states’ rights issue and today’s decision is not surprising given California’s constitution. If the decision is contrary to the will of the majority then Californian’s must change our state’s constitution.”

Congressional candidate Duncan Hunter Jr. responded by saying “Families are under assault by out of control liberal judges.” However, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s and Log Cabin Republican President Patrick Sammon’s support for the decision underscores the fact that same-sex marriage is neither a Democratic nor a Republican issue.

“Extremists have some harsh realities to face; this ruling is not the product of a liberal court. Three of the four justices who made the decision were Republican appointees,” said Lumpkin’s campaign manager, Chris Young. “The people who used gay-marriage as a wedge issue to get into office controlled the House, the Senate, the Whitehouse, and had a 5-4 majority in the Supreme Court for six years. If senior Congressmen like Duncan Hunter were committed to an anti-gay marriage amendment and they didn’t get the job done, they were incompetent or insincere. Either way, the American people deserve better,” said Young.

Commander Mike Lumpkin served 21 years in the U.S. Navy including eight operational tours as a Navy SEAL on continents across the world. He received over 40 commendations and awards during his service. He was Deputy Commander of Joint Special Operations Task Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has served as the officer in charge of all west coast SEAL teams, managing over 2000 military and civilian personnel with budgets over $300 million. In addition, Commander Lumpkin served as the liason to Congress for the US Special Operations Command. He was born and raised in Vista. Commander Lumpkin and his wife Jill have one son and two beautiful granddaughters. They reside in Jamul.

If the candidate is Mike Lumpkin, victory in November is not only possible, but perhaps likely.  Granted, there is still a primary election in June, but at a forum last week hosted by the League of Women Voters, Vickie Butcher proved once again that she had no command of the issues.  For much of the debate she seemed lost and unable to formulate a coherent answer for questions on healthcare, the economy and the war on terror.  It was painful, at times, to watch her struggle with issues on which she clearly had not researched.  Though a pleasant and accomplished educator, Vickie Butcher is simply over her head in this race.  As dismal as her prospects for congressional success are, however, those of Mike Lumpkin not only give Democrats encouragement, but the best likelihood for victory since 1980 when a young Duncan Hunter edged out a victory against a Democrat incumbent by the name of Lionel Van Deerling.

Lumpkin is a retired Navy SEAL Commander with both combat and leadership experience.  Those qualifications alone will earn him a significant number of cross-over votes, which will be necessary in the conservative 52nd.  If that isn’t enough, he is moderate and pragmatic on the issues and can pull off what Duncan Hunter was unable to do in his entire time as the district’s representative-provide fair representation to all citizens of the district, not just those who support his campaign.

Lumpkin’s campaign will not be an easy one, however.  Though Duncan Hunter is relinquishing his seat, his name may still be on the ballot.  Duncan D. Hunter, Jr. has moved back to California to keep the seat in the family, though not without a fight.  His strongest opponent in the Republican primary-Brian Jones-is mounting an aggressive, but bleak grassroots campaign.  Jones has not been intimidated by the Hunter dynasty and has repeatedly attacked Jr. for his lack of commitment to curb the use of earmarks.

Any of the Republican candidates will have to face a formidable Mike Lumpkin in the General.  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), which will help fund the top 29 congressional races in order to attain a super-majority in the House, has recently upgraded Lumpkin’s campaign from 20 to 14 and considers his resume the best of any congressional candidate in an open-seat race.  Additionally, a recent Rasmussen poll suggests 2008 is not going to be a good year for the Republicans.  He’s the underdog now, but keep an eye on Mike Lumpkin.  His will be the race to watch.

Full Disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

By now, nobody should be surprised by the resiliency of Blackwater.  They’ve come back from the brink so many times, it’s easy to allow yourself to think they’ll never really be gone.  So this weekend’s New York Times article on Blackwater’s comeback might be both demoralizing and par for the course if it wasn’t for the strong rhetorical pushback from members of Congress that line up encouragingly with local progress.

As the New York Times chronicles all the near death experiences that Blackwater has come through:

The State Department has just renewed its contract to provide security for American diplomats in Iraq for at least another year. Threats by the Iraqi government to strip Western contractors of their immunity from Iraqi law have gone nowhere. No charges have been brought in the United States against any Blackwater guard in the September shooting, either, and the F.B.I. agents in Baghdad charged with investigating whether Blackwater guards have committed any crimes under United States law are sometimes protected as they travel through Baghdad by Blackwater guards.

Nevertheless, signs indicate that, ever so slowly, the worm is turning. The article notes that the State Department renewed its contract largely for lack of other options, to which Rep. Henry Waxman retorted “I can’t understand why Blackwater’s contract was renewed. It seems to me the administration should have looked for others who could do the job, including the U.S. military.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Jan Schakowsky continues to push her “Stop Outsourcing Security Act” which has elicited 12,470 signatures of support from the Courage Campaign petition to Speaker Pelosi.

And as Blackwater continues to face the grim possibility of existing in a world after Iraq and no-bid, no-accountability government contracts, they’re trying with no small measure of desperation to diversify.  That means new facilities, new sorts of contracts, new public image.  But this is where the top-to-bottom pushback- from Schakowsky’s bill to tomorrow’s San Diego City Council hearing discussing Blackwater (10am if you’re in town)- can be effective.  Blackwater is at a public relations crossroads.  Nobody- from fellow contractors to investment groups– want the headache. PR is such a problem that the New York Times notes “Mr. [Eric] Prince until recently seemed eager to tell his side of the story, and there were reports that he planned to write a book. But on Friday, Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman, said Mr. Prince’s book project had been put on hold.”

Sunlight and tenacity can win this. It’s already starting to expose the cracks in Blackwater’s facade.  It’s just a matter of hanging in through all 12 rounds, because they won’t go down without a fight.

 (Cross posted at Living in the O.)

Though much of the city was difficult (or at least very time consuming) to navigate by public transit, there is a trolley system that covers the downtown area and a few of the surrounding areas. So if you live in one of these areas, it does seem like you wouldn’t need to use a car very much. Considering that we’re having trouble even implementing bus rapid transit in Oakland, I’m a bit jealous that central San Diego is way ahead of us with rail.

Also, many San Diegans commute to Los Angeles, and unless they like sitting in traffic for 3 or 4 hours, many of them use the Metrolink train, much as some Oaklanders commute by Amtrak to Sacramento. So though there’s still tons of driving that’s symptomatic of southern California sprawl, I learned that there are alternatives to driving in San Diego that are fairly widely used.

Another thing that surprised me was the walkability of individual neighborhoods. Though it’s mostly inconvenient to walk between neighborhoods, there are several neighborhoods in San Diego where it’s possible to walk to just about everything (markets, shopping, parks or the beach, restaurants, bars, etc.). In fact, my friend’s apartment in Ocean Beach has the same walk score as my apartment in Oakland (88). On Sunday, we went to a friend’s house that is in between neighborhoods (near Hillcrest) and I was a bit shocked when we did not get back into the car and instead walked a few blocks to a restaurant (her house’s walk score is 89). It really seemed to me that it was just as easy to find a walkable neighborhood in San Diego as it is to find one in Oakland. This surprised me because I always had assumed that San Diego was much like LA in that respect, and though there are a few walkable neighborhoods in LA, it’s usually not so easy to find a walkable neighborhood that’s affordable to live in.

It was nice to clear up some of my misconceptions and to find out that San Diego isn’t quite as car-centric as I had assumed. But don’t worry, I’m not planning to move to San Diego anytime soon. I still think it’s a whole lot easier to be carless in Oakland than it is to be carless in San Diego.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Blackwater made its way into the big time here in San Diego today, with mayoral hopeful Steve Francis picking up on the issue and savagely beating Jerry Sanders over the head with it.  There’s no love lost between these two (as you may remember or enjoy viewing), and they know that whether it’s on June 3 or in the November runoff, they’re in direct competition with each other for roughly the same political real estate in this mayoral race.  So when Francis is kind enough to adopt the Courage Campaign frame in his press release entitled Blackwater Permit Issue Raises Serious Questions. Which makes Blackwater a defining issue as both Republicans try to stake a claim to the center-left.

Full text and further analysis on the flip.

“Once again, it appears that the too-cozy relationship between Mayor Sanders’ administration and his lobbyist supporters may have led to an outcome that is not in the best interests of the people of San Diego. And once again, we see the corrosive effects of too much secrecy and not enough transparency in the dealings of our government.  Right now, the Blackwater permit issue raises more questions than it answers. In light of the Blackwater West controversy last year, the fact that permits were sought using the names of Blackwater affiliates and not the Blackwater name itself raises serious questions. Was this a deliberate deception? How was a permit for a “vocational training school” given to a paramilitary training facility? Why was this matter not handled in an open and transparent way with public hearings and public comment period? Did Sanders’ supporter and lobbyist firm Carpi and Clay receive preferential treatment for their client, Blackwater? How many times did Mayor Sanders and/or his top lieutenants meet with Carpi and Clay in 2007 and 2008 and what were the topics discussed at those meetings? What did Mayor Sanders know about the current permit issue and when did he know it? Due to the long track record of this Mayor in regards to special access for his lobbyist supporters, it is simply not credible for his Administration to investigate itself. I call on Mayor Sanders to invite an external investigation into this matter so that the citizens can be assured of the integrity of the process.”

Francis reinforces some issues and broaches a few more in this release.  First of all, the Carpi and Clay connection.  The local lobbyists are playing about 18 different sides in this mess. Among their many local clients are the County and Port of San Diego. Nikki Clay was a registered Blackwater lobbyist during 2006 and 2007 while they were pursuing their Potrero facility. Her husband Ben Clay was recently nominated by Mayor Sanders to the local Stadium Board. Both are campaign contributors to Sanders’ campaign and PAC in the past.  One of the major criticisms of Sanders is that he’s far too beholden to contributors and far too cozy with lobbyists. So that’s the new.

The reinforced is that this is not a partisan issue, but rather an issue of fundamental government functionality and decency.  We have a GOP mayor and his GOP challenger now battling over who can be tougher on Blackwater. Because Blackwater is simply bad no matter how you cut it. The only way for them to open a new facility is to obscure their identity and true motives, which breaks local governments.  And that’s without even getting into the community impact on local schools and security having lying mercenaries running around.  The underlying issue that Steve Francis lays bare here and which goes beyond local issues is this: What they say they’re doing is not what they’re permitted to do.  If this is allowed to slide, they aren’t bound by what they say they’re doing. The floodgates are open and they can do anything.

The door needs to be slammed now, and hard.  Francis and Sanders are racing towards the center-left in this election; Francis on transparent government, Sanders on marriage equality and no-nonsense finance. And now, they’re both racing on Blackwater. Cause nobody wants to be the one opposed to functional government.

Full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

Local leaders gathered today outside the office of Mayor Jerry Sanders to present him with more than 2,500 signatures to the letter from San Diego Democratic Party Chair Jess Durfee calling for an investigation into Blackwater’s permit process.  There was a somewhat unexpected air of celebration to the event as it was announced yesterday that Mayor Sanders is calling for the city’s Chief Executive Officer to conduct a full review of the Blackwater permit process (of course now we’ll see what comes of it).

The stage was shared by Jess Durfee (who noted he knows a few things about vocational schools courtesy of a Master’s degree in vocational education), Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs, Humberto Peraza- district Chief of Staff for Rep. Filner, Francine Busby and Ray Lutz from Citizens’ Oversight Projects.

All the parties involved have been instrumental in the rapid and effective response to this new Blackwater situation.  Remember it’s been barely two weeks since the news originally broke of this new facility, yet here everyone was gathered to mark and celebrate a significant people-powered success story.

Today was a great opportunity to cement in no uncertain terms the coalition to Block Blackwater which has formed rapidly and forced action from the Mayor.  And we’re just getting warmed up.  There have been recent revelations that Blackwater is looking to expand operations at current facilities and open a new training facility in Idaho.  Why? Because they see the writing on the wall.  They know that Iraq isn’t going to last much longer, partly because they’ve behaved so criminally and partly because the war is such a debacle.  They know that their survival depends on diversifying and establishing new roles in a post-Bush/Iraq system.  It’s why they’re looking for a few good hundred million in new investment capital.  It’s because there’s no natural place for them to exist once they can’t get anymore handouts from the Bush Administration and their cronies.

Today was a victory. Tomorrow we’ll likely need another. But we’re developing the methods that win.