Running the other way for Congress - Seekers of Cunningham seat shun GOP's record

San Diego Union - Tribune ^ | 3/5/06 | Dani Dodge

[Torie]

From Cardiff, one of those beach towns. She has the money, a lot of it, and is running on an anti corruption campaign. Being otherwise a relative blank slate, except going with the wave on the UAE deal, might be a plus. I don't know. She probably will not get away with coming across an empty dress in this district. She either has the depth, or she doesn't.

[Torie]

Plus, honor in politics is becoming increasingly scarce.

True, but the fact is, I would not do that ever, no matter how lean and hungry I was. I grant you, that ethics is a learned behavior, and it takes a lot of years of good habits to become deeply ingrained in one's psych and being. Trust me.

[Torie]

She is harping on having a vote right now, which of course is irresponsible, but perhaps effective, for the moment.

[MassachusettsGOP]

Here are some Registration Percentages taken from the CA sec of State's site

Carlsbad 29.2% Democratic 49.0% Republican
Del Mar 34.9% Democratic 39.8% Republican
Encinitas 34.4% Democratic 39.8% Republican
Escondido 29.3% Democratic 48.1% Republican
San Diego 32.6% Democratic 43.9% Republican
San Marcos 30.8% Democratic 47.4% Republican
Solana Beach 30.7% Democratic 46.4% Republican
Fairbanks Ranch 16.5% Democratic 64.6% Republican
Lake San Marcos 20.2% Democratic 65.4% Republican
Rancho Sante Fe 14.7% Democratic 69.3% Republican
Unincoporated 24.4% Democratic 56.4% Republican


Overall 30.9% Democratic 46.2% Republican

[Torie]

Kerry carried Del Mar, Encinitas, San Diego, and Solana Beach easily.

[CyberAnt]

I like Bill Morrow a lot, but I think I'll vote for Howard. He has a track record and he keeps his word. His actions speak louder than words.

[SDGOP]

I like eric roach myself.

[SDGOP]

I think uke was the front runner b/c he dumped a ton of ads early, but he comes off a tad rinoish to me. He doesnt really talk domestic issues at all.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

Busby running on an anti-corruption campaign, after sitting on the school board?

That's just too funny!

[mercpol]

After all is said & done, this race will come down to $ and name ID. I'm almost sure we'll see Roach, Uke, and Bilbray leading the pack, but I don't see Bilbray being able to sustain it. Want to know why? Here it is:

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Copyright Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Mar 2, 2006
Editions vary

An Imperial Beach environmental group yesterday asked U.S. Attorney Carol Lam to investigate financial ties between a local company and three current and former congressmen who worked to advance a contract for the company.

Serge Dedina, executive director of Wildcoast, asked Lam to determine whether any "quid pro quo" relationships exist between Bajagua Project LLC and Rep. Bob Filner or between Bajagua and former Reps. Brian Bilbray and Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

In a separate letter yesterday, Dedina also asked Bill O'Reilly, chief counsel for the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, to investigate whether Bilbray violated any ethics regulations in 2001, after leaving office and working as a Bajagua lobbyist.

Dedina enclosed a story The San Diego Union-Tribune published Sunday about local critics' and federal officials' concerns with Bajagua's lobbying efforts over the past decade.

Dedina sent the letters two days after he, Assemblywoman Lori Saldaa and Mayda Winter, an Imperial Beach councilwoman, held a news conference to voice their allegations near the federal building in downtown San Diego.

"This project smells worse than the sewage that's contaminating our beaches," Dedina said yesterday. "This is big and bad government at its worst."

Lam's office confirmed receipt of the letter, but did not comment further. O'Reilly did not return a call seeking comment.

The controversy over the Bajagua project rose a notch after the International Boundary and Water Commission signed a development agreement two weeks ago with the company to build a sewage treatment plant in Mexico. Bajagua plans to build aeration ponds to clean up the decades-old problem of Tijuana sewage polluting South County beaches.

Filner has received $66,000 in campaign contributions from Bajagua investors and their family members since 1996, Bilbray $3,500 since 1999 and Cunningham none.

Filner did not return a call seeking comment yesterday, but he and Bajagua spokesman Craig Benedetto have repeatedly denied any improper financial arrangement.

"There's no corruption proven in that story to justify a letter to Carol Lam or anybody else for that matter," Benedetto said. "We continue to dispute (the critics') allegations. The facts are on our side. There was nothing illegal or unethical done in the advocacy of this project, and this is simply sour grapes on their part."

Bilbray laughed off the allegations as absurd, saying they stem from a personal grudge Dedina has had against him since he dumped sewage on Dedina during a political demonstration in 1981.

Filner, Bilbray and Benedetto say the allegations are politically motivated by the fact that Filner and Bilbray, who authored a bill that paved the way for the sole-source contract with Bajagua in 2000, are both running in contested races. The bill was co- sponsored by all members of San Diego's congressional delegation, including Filner and Cunningham.

Cunningham resigned after admitting to taking $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. His attorney, K. Lee Blalack, declined to comment on the new allegations.

Assemblyman Juan Vargas, who is running against Filner in the Democratic primary in June for the 51st District seat, also called for a federal investigation into Filner's ties to Bajagua in January but took no official action.

At the time, Vargas said he pulled his years of support for the project after talking with Saldaa, D-San Diego, a longtime opponent of the Bajagua project who has accused company officials of corruption. Dedina, Saldaa and Vargas have all said they favor an alternative involving secondary treatment on this side of the border.

Dedina, in a letter to the House ethics committee, noted that Bilbray testified in favor of the Bajagua project before a House oversight committee in 2001, but did not verbally disclose he had been paid $35,000 as a company lobbyist.

Bilbray, who is running against 17 candidates in a special election for the 50th District seat next month, said Dedina is "trying to use the media and the legal system for a political tactic."

Bilbray said he didn't mention his relationship with Bajagua at the hearing because he didn't feel it was relevant at the time, but followed the law by filing the appropriate federal disclosure forms for his fees.

He told the committee he was there on behalf of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, but said yesterday that he couldn't remember the details of the arrangement.

"I had a letter from the chamber or something," he said. "The chamber had indicated that I should highlight the fact that they had taken a position on it."

Chamber President Jessie Knight said he couldn't remember the details either, but said the chamber never hired paid lobbyists.

"Somebody on the (chamber's water) committee may have asked him to invoke the chamber's support based on a letter that the chamber officially wrote on behalf of the project," he said, referring to a letter of support he wrote to the commission that signed the development agreement with Bajagua.

Dedina denied that his letters stem from any political motivation or desire for revenge against Bilbray.

"This issue is not personal, it's business," Dedina said. "It's about ethical standards. I expect existing and former U.S. officials to have the highest ethical standards."

Credit: STAFF WRITER

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So imho Uke and Roach will battle it out. My 2cents.

[mercpol]

Between Roach & Uke, Uke has the edge due to his track record. Roach hasn't really done anything besides make $, which Uke did as well.

[SDGOP]

Yea true, but to my recollection uke almost never talks about domestic issues and doesnt really come off as a conservative candidate. I mean in a district like ours, we really ought to have the most conservative guy possible. (i suppose ideally that means support kaloogian, but i think a vote for him would be throwing my vote away, that is unless he was polling pretty close then i'd consider shifting support).

[NeoCaveman]

I think Roach should save his money. This is my district, and I have never heard of him.

$750,000 doesn't buy what it used to, especially in California...

[mercpol]

I guess it depends what you mean by domestic issues. I've heard him say some good stuff about social security, veterans issues, and even immigration. And yes, in my opinion a vote for Howard is a waste of a vote...

[SDGOP]

Uke just comes off to me as more of a busuiness as usual republican, something about him i'm just not sure about. I mean for all i know eric roach could just be a rino who knows how to talk the talk, but i figure might as well give him a shot.

[mercpol]

Oh yeah, he's definitely a good talker alright, definitely a better talker than Uke. As far as your label for Uke, I think he's a very traditional republican. Nothing fancy, just common sense kind of stuff, like infrastructure for our roads. Just sounds more appealing to me than the other ideological crap that's out there; I think people are getting sick of politicians telling them how to think and live their lives...

[mercpol]

Doesn't matter anymore:

http://sdpolitics.blogsome.com/2006/03/12/eric-roachs-business-partner-tried-for-pedophilia/