Iran made international headlines when it seized two Navy boats and 10 American sailors after the ships supposedly drifted into Iranian waters. As you know, the ships and their crew were released days later. Well, the sailors were based in San Diego and during the ordeal I was contacted by one of the sailor’s partner and he was, needless to say, very upset and worried. He only calmed down when he saw his partner was alive on Iranian television. The problem was that his gay sailor was in the closet and had not put his partner on his emergency contact list or death notification, so while the sailor’s family was kept informed, the partner was not. Well, he finally got a call from his released partner and he wants this situation taken care of as the Navy boyfriend asked him to marry him!
Boycott the Chargers … Hello Raiders!
Chargers fans, can we talk? Remember that scene with Cher in the movie Moonstruck? Well “snap out of it!” Dean Spanos and the Chargers leadership don’t care about you. It’s all about the money. Forbes estimates the value of the Chargers at $1.5 billion, but if they move to Los Angeles that will likely increase to nearly $3 billion. What is unacceptable is their mind game playing and double talk. I say stop supporting the Chargers and boycott their games. Let’s welcome the Raiders to America’s Finest City. Star War’s Darth Vader has always been one of my personal heroes!
The National LGBTQ Task Force’s very big mistake
As a former National Board member of the National LGBTQ Task Force (America’s oldest gay civil rights organization), my phone started ringing off the hook when the Task Force announced they were canceling “A Wider Bridge Israel Reception” at the upcoming annual Creating Change Conference in Chicago. This is a respected LGBT organization and I met some of its leaders at the home of City Commissioner Bruce Abrams last year, and the International Court System even presented them with a $1,000 donation.
Needless to say, I spent a lot of time making calls to Washington, D.C. and the Task Force leaders. The good news is that many other activists and LGBT leaders also lobbied to undo this unacceptable decision and the Task Force listened and uncancelled the reception Tuesday morning.
Now let us all move on and continue to support the most progressive and diverse LGBT national organization in the U.S.A. And trust me, I am sure the Task Force leadership learned from this big mistake – the worst in its history!
About the Atkins/Block debate
About 150 people showed up on a freezing rainy night for the first debate between Marty Block and Toni Atkins. Our hosts were the La Mesa Foothill Democratic Club. Block seemed to think that he was definitely going to get their endorsement as he has lived in the neighborhood and has been a member of the club for decades. He even bragged that he knew the names of the founders, but at the end of the debate the club voted and it was a tie vote.
While Toni Atkins talked about her accomplishments as the first San Diegan to be elected as the Speaker of the State Assembly, Block tried to impress the crowd with a story about how Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon asked him to be his desk buddy and sit next to him during the Capitol Senate sessions. No, I’m not making this up; you can ask anyone who was at the debate.
The bottom line is that this race is about proven leadership and a nice guy with an average record who just keeps his senate seat warm. This is why a vast majority of Democratic leaders in San Diego have endorsed Toni Atkins for Senate.
Endorse the San Diego Citizens Police Review Board
I 100 percent support the efforts to empower the Citizens Police Review Board and feel that this is long overdue. While I have confidence in our Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and the department, things are not perfect and it has been proven that there are bad cops everywhere, including racist and homophobic ones. In my experience as the chair of the first Chief of Police’s Advisory Board and dealing with police officials since the 1970s, I firmly believe that the empowerment of a Citizen’s Police Review Board is a good thing for all communities and should include subpoena power.
Mayor Faulconer’s State of the City address
The Balboa Theatre was packed for the popular mayor’s annual speech which was well received. He focused on the improvements in our neighborhoods, the homeless and the education of our city’s youth. It was a strong speech which included perfect Spanish.
The mayor seemed relaxed and down to earth and these usually boring presentations included some good humor, thank goodness.
One suggestion I do have for Mayor Faulconer and his recent endorsement of Marco Rubio for president. You could most certainly teach Rubio how to take a drink from a water bottle in public, at a podium during a speech like a man and not like a clumsy kid as Rubio so famously did. Just saying.
