Let us now take a moment to mourn the facts that were lost during the campaign for mayor. And let us be happy that they were able to come back to life, only a bit worse for wear, thanks to the valiant grave diggers at San Diego Fact Check.
We’ve compiled a list of the biggest whoppers during the campaign.
Councilman Carl DeMaio couldn’t correctly describe the convention center expansion. Rep. Bob Filner failed to properly remember a confrontation at an airport.
On the other hand, they got claims right too. Check out all our fact checks on the two candidates here.
At Last Minute, Dumanis Endorses DeMaio
How do you know that a political endorsement might not be the most enthusiastic in the world? Check its timing. If it comes at the very end of the campaign, after many people have already voted, the endorser may be less than thrilled.
But there could be another reason for a late endorsement: to spotlight a particular line of attack against a rival.
That brings us to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, a Republican whose campaign for mayor cratered during the June primary, who now says she’s supporting a fellow Republican, DeMaio.
Our Liam Dillon offers several takeaways regarding the Dumanis endorsement, including thoughts about her onetime pledge to generally avoid endorsements.
Another factor: If he wins, DeMaio will be the first openly gay male elected mayor of a Top 20 American city. Even so, his right-wing politics have made him enemies among many in the gay community.
LGBT Weekly, which counts itself among DeMaio’s non-fans, pounced on the endorsement from Dumanis, who is also gay: “We all thought Dumanis was smarter than to turn her back on the LGBT community. After all, she was given a pass on a number of issues because she was an out lesbian and the first lesbian elected to be a district attorney. No longer.”
The tension between DeMaio and the gay community caught the attention of the New York Times: “this race has also exposed the particular challenges that gay Republicans running for office continue to face, as they try to balance a desire to further gay rights against an appeal to conservatives who oppose gay marriage.”
Dirty, Dirty, Dirty: Campaign Ads Edition
We’re looking to compile a list of the dirtiest campaign ads of the season. Got any candidates? Let us know.
San Diego Explained: The Only Council Race
San Diego Explained, our video series with NBC San Diego, breaks down the only City Council race on the ballot. It will decide which political party dominates the council.
Fact Check TV: Koch Brothers Behind DeMaio?
Fact Check TV examines whether a pair of bogeymen to liberals are behind a mayoral candidate.
VOSD Radio: Meet the New Boss
VOSD Radio spotlights Sara Libby, Voice of San Diego’s new managing editor.
Also in the latest episode of our weekly radio show, Libby and our Scott Lewis take a look at a variety of issues, from the latest news about the messy Poway school bond to Prop. 30 (the governor-supported tax hike measure), the flap over the local U.S. attorney’s support for a mayoral candidate and how much San Diego schools are paying for iPads.
The iPad story, by the way, topped our list of the 10 Most Popular stories of the week. For more about the latest Poway school bond news — a potentially dicey investigation — check NBC San Diego’s report.
Four More Years! … Of Comic-Con
Comic-Con will stick around hereabouts through 2016, the U-T reports.
Roundup: Politics and a Proposition
• Politico examines the career of local Rep. Darrell Issa, the GOP’s top presidential inquisitor, during the last few years. He “has helped Republicans by grabbing headlines and providing his party with searing talking points. But he’s also undercut his efforts with mixed results and unexpected slip-ups.”
• NBC San Diego examines something very unusual — a race for an open seat on the county board of supervisors. The incumbent, Pam Slater-Price, is retiring; the board’s current five members, all Republicans, have served since 1995.
The contest for the seat, which covers much of the western part of the county, pits a Solana Beach councilman (a Democrat) against Rep. Brian Bilbray’s chief of staff (a Republican).
• KPBS held a debate over Prop. 32, which would restrict political spending by unions and corporations. For more, check the commentaries we published (here and here) from both sides.
This Is a Drill. This Is Only a (Brains! AAAAAGH!)
It’s almost time for Halloween, and a security firm’s simulation of a zombie attack at the Paradise Point Resort.
No, we’re not making this up. The media-savvy firm is hosting a training event that will be attended by “hundreds of Marines, Navy special ops, soldiers, police, firefighters and others,” AP reports.
With the help of actors, a production crew will create a scenario of a VIP and his entourage vs. zombies.
I watched a local emergency response drill a few years ago — the traditional kind — and was surprised to see a lack of urgency. The first responders even took a leisurely lunch.
Pro tip for rescuers: Zombies don’t take an hour off to drink a Diet Corpse and chow down a brain burrito. When the undead come, do like they do and eat on the run.
Please contact Randy Dotinga directly at randydotinga@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/rdotinga.