Looking like rectangular rashes across the community, political signs are popping up illegally on fences and legally in homeowners’ yards. Is it November already? No, spring hasn’t even made its official visit. However, Tuesday, April 11 will see a special election as registered voters in a portion of University City and the Golden Triangle go to the polls to select congressional candidates to replace the former representative for the 50th district who no longer lives in Washington, Del Mar or Rancho Santa Fe but is housed in some prison, standard of country club in kind. Randy “Duke” Cunningham is an example of humorist Mark Twain’s comment: “There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.” The laugh may be hollow to those upright, concerned representatives painted with the same brush used to picture Cunningham. (By the way, North UC will vote for the 53rd District candidates in the June primary. Check out that gerrymandered district.)
Now with a new field of candidates eager to erase the idea that Congress is composed of folks hanging onto a knotted rope of greed, graft and indifference to the voter back home, we University City voters will have enough 50th District choices to make up almost two baseball teams from which to choose our candidates for the November election.
The Democrat candidates include former Cardiff School Board member Francine Busby and former bank officer and law school student Chris Young.
Republicans, reeling from Duke Cunningham’s blatant bribery scandal, have 14 candidates: sales director Bill Boyer, former Congressman and current lobbyist Brian Bilbray, Del Mar Mayor Richard Earnest, retired ship inspector Milton Gale, businessman Bill Hauf, real estate investor Delecia Holt, former state assemblyman and attorney Howard Kaloogian, state senator Bill Morrow, CHP Sgt. Jeff Newsome, defense contractor Scott Orren, Superior Court Judge Victor Ramirez, businessman Eric Roach, former Charger Scott Turner, and businessman Alan Uke. Libertarian businessman Paul King and Independent William Griffith, a math teacher, also have come aboard the train to Washington.
Fortunately for the community, and with the hard work of University City Community Association, a political forum will be presented on Wednesday, March 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Standley Middle School auditorium at the corner of Governor and Radcliffe. All of the candidates except one, Kaloogian, have committed to the event. You the voter will get a chance to ask your questions and have the candidates respond to your concerns.
Will you be there? This is such a critical campaign; here is a face-to-face opportunity to meet the candidates. The format will be simple. Each candidate will give a two-minute presentation on why this person should be your next representative. Audience members will get a 3-by-5 card on which to ask a question of the candidates. A moderator will ask the question of each candidate. Candidates will get only one minute to answer. There will be a two-minute wrap-up at the end of the questions.
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet,” Abraham Lincoln said in 1856. Fast forward 150 years to now. Please exercise your right to vote and be informed. Sometimes after a long day at work, it is hard to go out to a meeting, but this one in your own backyard next Wednesday, March 15, should be worthy of your precious time.
March 15 is the third day of Sunshine Week that begins on Sunday, March 12 and ends on March 18. What does this have to do with government? It sounds more like something from the weather channel about San Diego. Sunshine Week has plenty to do with government, open government. Citizens have a right to know if our elected officials are being good stewards of our money and good consciences of public policy. Locally, statewide and nationally folks will celebrate “your right to know” during Sunshine Week. Check out the Web site at www.SunshineWeek.org.
If the Union-Tribune had not investigated some of the real estate issues of Mr. Cunningham, we might never have had this upcoming election, and it would have been closed government’s business as usual. “Duke” Cunningham served eight terms in Congress, admitted to taking $2.4 million in bribes in exchange for helping defense contractors get business between 2000 and 2005. He also admitted to filing a 2004 tax form showing an income of $121,079 instead of a real gross (no pun intended) amount of $1.2 million
Look at all those secret meetings in recent years at San Diego City Hall. The Brown Act “governs meetings of legislative bodies of local agencies. The act requires local legislative bodies to provide public notice of agenda items and to hold meetings in an open forum. It also covers the right of the public to speak at the meetings of legislative bodies,” according to Common Cause (commoncause.org). Citizens have the right to know what government is up to. See you on March 15 at the political forum at Standley.
Sandra Lippe, a former high school teacher with an M.A. in Creative Writing, is a 33-year resident of University City with husband Ernie. They have two children, one perfect grandchild and another due next month.