Anderson Quits
State Senator Joel Anderson ended his campaign to unseat County Supervisor Dianne Jacob but not before receiving a $200,000 contribution from the county GOP that is now no longer legal to do. A new law limits contributions from groups like the party to $25,000. But now Anderson can keep the money for his next race, whether it’s for Supervisor or not. He will most likely wait until 2020 when the seat is vacated by Jacob. The Rep v Rep race was putting many GOPers in an uncomfortable situation. He was backed by the party. She had the powerful Deputy Sheriff’s Association. There seems to be peace among Republicans for now.
Desmond Jumps In
San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond, a moderate, three-term Republican, has announced his campaign for County Supervisor to replace Bill Horn who is retiring after serving 20 years. Desmond was rumored to have been planning a run in 2012 but waiting for Horn to retire instead. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has a history of long serving members. Horn, Jacob, Ron Roberts, and Greg Cox are all retiring after each serving 5 terms.
CV Cops Back Padilla
Chula Vista’s Police Officers’ Association, the labor union for cops, has endorsed former Mayor Steve Padilla in his race for City Council. Padilla served on the Council from 1994-2002, then as mayor from 2002-2006 when he lost his re-election. During his tenure as mayor, he was criticized for supporting big raises for the cops. The CVPOA also backed Padilla in his 2006 re-election but he lost to Cheryl Cox, who went on to serve 8 years as mayor. Padilla tried to stage a comeback when he ran for Council in 2014 but lost to John McCann by just 2 votes. Maybe the third time is the charm. But not if you ask the current council: Padilla has yet to claim the support of any of the current council members.
Chamber Stays Out
The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce decided not to endorse in the race for Seat 3 of the City Council where the two leading candidates are Steve Padilla and Jason Paguio. The Chamber had supported Padilla in past elections. Paguio has received the backing of many CV Chamber Board members, including David Gonzalez, former Otay Water District Board member and older brother of pro-baseballer Adrian Gonzalez.