Good morning from Hillcrest.

  • Big news to lead off today. Three of the city of San Diego’s campaign finance laws were struck down by a federal judge late Tuesday, allowing a sea change in paying for city elections. The U-T breaks down that the ruling means the city can no longer:
  • Prevent a candidate from spending his or her own money to campaign more than a year before an election. 
  • Limit the amount of money an individual can give to a political action committee that campaigns on behalf of a candidate. 
  • Prohibit political parties from contributing directly to a candidate.
  • The U-T also has a link to the ruling.
  • Our edition of San Diego Explained this week is on the city’s campaign finance laws. Check it for background. Also we have a copy of the original lawsuit filed by a coalition of Republican Party interests.
  • The downgrading of Los Angeles’ credit outlook by a Wall Street firm shows the interplay of many budget issues: the role of Wall Street in shaping city policy, the need to borrow money cheaply, the price of acting slowly and the importance of long-term solutions.
  • U-T Columnist Logan Jenkins tells an interesting tale about how hard it is to rid Del Mar of overhead power lines.
  • States face a $1 trillion shortfall in paying retirement benefits, a new study shows. California makes up a big part of that.
  • In other news around San Diego County, budget cuts have made volunteers a larger part of how Chula Vista does business. County code enforcement shut down a medical marijuana dispensary in Fallbrook. And County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister responded to criticism about his office’s handling of a critical audit.

— LIAM DILLON

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