You may have heard that Duncan Hunter had some trouble this week. It was bad. Really.
In fact, the weight of the Hunter news managed to drown out what would otherwise have been a disastrous news week for Sen. Joel Anderson, who’s being investigated over a disturbing incident at a Sacramento bar involving a female lobbyist.
Speaking of Anderson, he’s running for a Board of Equalization spot against a man who’s been disbarred, hit with at least one restraining order and called “one of California’s most notorious slumlords.”
The Anderson and Hunter news, of course, drowned out the news that National City Councilman Jerry Cano apparently made up sexual harassment accusations against a colleague as retaliation for her voicing concerns about his business dealings. If that’s the case, the false accusations aren’t just a gross attempt to turn the #MeToo movement on its head to target women, but the whole episode also cost taxpayer money because the city paid an investigator to look into the ordeal.
And before Cano, of course, El Cajon City Councilman Ben Kalasho was the one making the news for his bad and bizarre behavior.
Certainly women politicians are not immune from screwing up. But given that some of the things these men have been accused of includes threatening women and trying to destroy their careers, I’m sure glad these various transgressions happen to be coinciding with a blockbuster year for women candidates.
It’s not just that an unprecedented number of women have been inspired to run for office. They’re winning more, too. As the New York Times noted this week, with six states still left to hold primaries, “this year has already produced the largest number of House primary victories by female candidates in the nation’s history. So far, more than half of women running have won. The number of victories by women is only expected to grow.”
What VOSD Learned This Week
Homelessness has been the defining crisis of Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s tenure – and his response has been marked by reluctance and struggles.
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Like many of San Diego’s state lawmakers, Republican Assemblyman Brian Maienschein has cruised to re-election rather easily. But Democrats think they’ve got a chance to unseat him in 2018.
Speaking of Sacramento, when Gov. Jerry Brown agreed to send California National Guard troops to the border, he expressly said they should not be apprehending immigrants crossing the border. But two federal cases show they’ve been involved in doing just that.
Meanwhile, Brown signed into law several bills from San Diego legislators this week, including two by Maienschein, and is still considering many others.
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A strip mall in Lincoln Park has been a magnet for crime, illegal living setups and more – and it’s not getting any better, even with the city’s help.
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In theory, Associated Student Body funds are at least partially controlled by students and spent fully for their benefit. In practice, the funds are often mismanaged and sometimes spent on staff-only events like parties or teacher training, according to a recent internal audit.
What I’m Reading
- This is a fun and energetic profile of Beto O’Rourke, who’s waging an audacious campaign to get Texas voters to send a Democrat to the Senate. (Buzzfeed)
- The New York Times Magazine wrote a long, thorough piece about how a landmark California privacy law was passed. Yet it managed to focus only on two men, while the third person behind the effort – a woman – was written out of the story. (Jezebel)
- Simone Biles is still unbelievably, insanely, absurdly good. (Slate)
- San Diego has certainly shown this to be true, and it holds across the country: NIMBYism knows no party. (The Upshot)
- Hairstylists can tell when a woman is being abused. Now Illinois has a state law that can help them direct resources to clients. (InStyle)
- Under a little-known, short-lived program in 1965, the government replaced California farm laborers with high school jocks. The conditions and wages were unbearable, and they quickly quit. (NPR)
- A 17-year-old contemplates what it means that he was able to hack into a state election system even though he’s, admittedly, not a very good hacker. (Politico Magazine)
Line of the Week
“I burst off the slide and an instinctual belief that men are not meant to fly took over as I flailed wildly in the air.” – I absolutely loved this U-T piece about the joys and terrors of Tijuana’s Albercas El Vergel water park.