Attorney Candace Moon’s long referred to herself as the “craft beer attorney.”
After all, Moon’s made a career of repping brewers. Her team’s assisted more than 200 craft beer clients since she opened up shop in 2009.
But as our Kinsee Morlan reports, trademarking that “craft beer attorney” title hasn’t been easy as some of the issues she’s navigated for her own clients.
The lawyer who helps clients with trademarks has spent than two years working on her own case and faced protests from more than a dozen other law firms along the way. Lawyers who object say they don’t think it’s fair that one person should get to have ownership of a descriptive phrase. But Moon says she wants to protect the industry from lawyers looking to collect who haven’t taken the time to learn the complexities of the beer world.
“The goal is that the lawyer that does personal injury and DUI and criminal and 18 different areas of law can’t call themselves a craft beer attorney so that they can get that one brewery client,” she said.
More Ballot Measures, Coming Right Up
Your November ballot officially just got a little longer.
The City Council voted Monday to add more items to your already very, very long ballot.
One could give the city new ways to oust elected leaders. Another would reform the city’s police review board. Others would change up rules for deputy city attorneys and the city’s purchasing and contracting process. The most controversial measure would tax businesses that sell recreational marijuana (assuming state voters legalize marijuana in November).
And today the City Council is set to vote on even more November ballot measures. On Tuesday’s docket: proposals to allow San Diego High to remain in Balboa Park, extend a charter item that designates cash for regional parks, bar candidates from winning outright in June primaries and ensure voters consider referendums and citizen initiatives in November.
• Crucial election news via The Associated Press: State senators are fighting for your right to take a ballot selfie.
Border Report: Immigration in the Spotlight
Immigration issues took center stage last week during the Democratic National Convention and in meetings between President Barack Obama and Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto.
VOSD contributor Brooke Binkowski offers an update on those conversations plus concerns about safety at Tijuana’s PedWest crossing, a new safe house for threatened journalists in Mexico and more in the latest Border Report.
Combating Veteran Homelessness
The White House celebrated some good news Monday: Veteran homelessness has fallen 47 percent since 2010.
The drop was less dramatic in San Diego County, which saw a 39 percent reduction in veteran homeless during the same period.
Back in January, I wrote about why San Diego’s made less progress in the battle against veteran homelessness than regions like New York City and Houston. Since then, local leaders have tried to better coordinate efforts to aid homeless veterans and the city’s committed to house 1,000 vets by next spring. The latter program has thus far helped more than 200 vets get off the street.
News Nibbles
• An Escondido school district trustee has pleaded guilty to felony voter fraud after allegations he lied about his residency to nab that post. (Union-Tribune)
• The man accused of killing one San Diego officer and seriously injuring another last week has a history of weapons and drug charges. His family is convinced he’s innocent. (NBC San Diego, Union-Tribune)
• San Diego’s expected to run out of phone numbers with 619 area codes in a few years. (Times of San Diego)
• The county will shutter four parks this month due to extreme temperatures, including one in Valley Center that’s literally been dubbed a hellhole. (10 News)
• In which VOSD’s Scott Lewis fact checks comedian Adam Corolla.