San Diego City Council Races
By Doug Porter
Election day is upon us, except for those of us who voted by mail. There remain a few races that we haven’t covered, and the most relevant of them are the campaigns for seats on the San Diego City Council.
Lorie Zapt (R) vs Howard Wayne (D) — Vote Wayne
The race for Donna Frye’s termed out seat is the interesting of the two, pitting Republican businesswoman Lorie Zapf against former Democratic assemblyman and California deputy attorney general Howard Wayne. When all the financial reports are filed, it’s probable that more than $1 million will have been spent by both sides in this highly contested race.
Wayne has been endorsed by outgoing Councilmember Frye and has the support of many traditional democratic allies. The campaign has focused on promoting his fiscal conservatism, with the candidate pledging to forgo a City pension and opposing Proposition D, the Saunders/Frye fiscal reform/sales tax hike measure on the November ballot. The third- and fourth-place finishers in the primary — Frye aide Steve Hadley and former GOP Committee member Kim Tran—, who collected a combined 31 percent of the June votes, have since backed Wayne.
Tran’s wildly quoted endorsement questioned Zapf’s integrity by inference:
“One candidate in this race is honest. One candidate in this race is capable. One candidate has shown true commitment to the community. And that one candidate is Howard Wayne.”
Zapf is yet another member of the GOP’s 2010 class of “successful” businesswomen who are running for office. Like the other members of her group, Zapf’s “success” lies in the eye of the beholder. Brushes with mortgage foreclosure, a failed Natural Foods business and a flurry of lawsuits have sullied this image.
But it is her email exchanges with the rabidly social conservative James Hartline, first revealed last spring in San Diego City Beat , that have generated the most controversy. Her declaration against the perennially popular (and politically unpredictable) Frye, as “an A.C.L.U. LIBERAL who is leading this city down the wrong path”, probably doesn’t win many points with voters, who very nearly elected the retiring Councilwoman as Mayor not long ago.
And although Zapf has taken back her widely reported comments about gays (“I absolutely want to keep homosexuals out of public office”, et al) that were reported in those emails, the issue continues to haunt her in a City with gays representing both parties holding office.
The choice here is easy. Vote for Howard Wayne.
David Alvarez (D) vs Felipe Hueso (D) Vote for Alavarez
Both candidates here are Dems, and both grew up in the communities they are seeking to represent. The question here is what flavor of democratic community activism do you prefer.
David Alvarez has a clear and very positive record as a community activist, along with a progressive outlook that’s refreshingly honest in this era of nuanced triangulation in politics.
Felipe Hueso has the backing (mostly) of the established power players in the local democratic machine. The fact that his brother is current/retiring City Council President Ben Hueso certainly gives him name recognition and access to large amounts of cash, some of which was recently returned, thanks to questions of impropriety raised by the daily fishwrap’s so-called watchdog team. (I hereby rename them the “Chihuahua Squad” for barking loudly at passers by while the real bad guys are looting the public treasury.)
The choice here, while not as clear as the other race, is Alavarez.
____________
And More ………….
by Frank Gormlie
Congressional District Races
49th: Howard Katz
50th: Francine Busby (D) over Brian Bilbray (R)
51st: Vote for Bob Filner (D)
52th: Vote for Ray Lutz (D) over Duncan Hunter, the younger (R)
53rd: Susan Davis (D)
More Local Races
San Diego Community College, District A: Maria Nieto Senour
San Diego Community College, District C: Rich Grosch
Comm. College District E: Peter Zschiesche
California Legislature
State Senate
40th District: Juan Vargas (D)
State Assembly
73rd Assembly District: Judy Jones (D)
76th Assembly District: Toni Atkins (D)
77th Assembly District: Mark Hanson (D)
78th Assembly District: Marty Block (D)
{ 0 comments… add one now }