The Paper
Local News Cont. from Page 4
dates have relatively low name ID, and to start, they’ll have to change that moving forward with their campaign communication quickly if any one of them wants to break out of the pack,” Thomas said.
“I think that this poll shows that voters aren’t really familiar with the Republican candidates, with really none of these three frontrunners [Rodriguez, Bartlett, and Maryott] pulling ahead, You have a county supervisor (Bartlett) who is from Orange County, which is a smaller part of the district. You have a city councilman (Rodriguez) who is also coming from a tiny corner of the district in Oceanside. And then you have Maryott, who hasn’t even held (higher) political office yet, so yeah, clearly there’s some name ID issues at play here.” Rodriguez has been plagued by many of his competitors claiming that he is a slumlord and slow about paying bills and often difficult to deal with.
Rodriguez acknowledges that the primary was shaping up to be a tight affair. “(Maryott) has all the endorsements from the state party and everything, but I still have the lead,” Rodriguez said. “What it shows is that people in this district are sick and tired of an establishment that does nothing for them and that they want somebody that’s different — an outsider. “What this poll really means is that this race is tight — it’s anybody’s race. It could be me, Bartlett, or Maryott, and there’s a lot of voters who haven’t voted yet. In fact, only 8% of the voters in this district have voted so far, and so there’s a large number of undecided people. In the end, what this conveys is that this is a tight race. Am I in the lead? Slightly. Overall, though, we have some great candidates on the ballot and I’m confident that the voters will do their research and pick the best candidate to face Levin.”
The survey also asked voters about what policy issues mattered the most to them. By far the majority of those polled indicated that inflation was their top consideration going into the primary (41%). Government overreach and immigration tied for second at 12%, while 9% of voters chose taxation as their top priority. Other issues reflected in the poll included values, health care costs, public safety, job creation, and education.
“The big one right now is Roe vs. Wade and you also have people’s minds focused on gun control with these recent shootings and what Congress is or isn’t doing about it, and every Democrat in the country is certainly focusing on it,” Kousser said. “Nationally, there is now some hope that this may not be a terrible year for Democrats after all. A lot ultimately hinges on whether Democrats can come up with a winning message on reproductive rights and gun control.” “This poll gives us a good rough guide of where the race is at and it’s fine for top-line stuff,” Thomas said. “But 2 to 3 weeks ago, given what’s happened this month on gun control, abortion, etc, is really a world away. So this doesn’t necessarily tell us where we’re at at this moment in time.”
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June 9, 2022
Social Butterfly Cont. from Page 3
Join us for 2nd Saturday Art Walk June 11th, 4-6pm for artists' meet and greet. Awards presentation at 5:30PM. Escondido Municipal Art Gallery, 262 East Grand Avenue.
Republican Club of North County welcomes Oceanside City Council District 1 Candidates Kori Jensen and Darin Selnick! On Wednesday, June 15th, the Republican Club of North County (RCNC) welcomes two candidates, Kori Jensen and Darin Selnick, running for Oceanside City Council District 1 in November! As both Republican candidates are running for the same district, don’t miss this opportunity to learn about their visions for Oceanside and why they want to represent you! Kori Jensen now serves as the District 1 councilmember, appointed in January 2021 when the previous councilmember, Esther Sanchez, was elected Mayor.
Darin Selnick is a retired USAF Captain and has lived in Oceanside for over ten years with his wife Anne. Darin has devoted himself to a lifetime of service, through the military, to our veterans, and to the community. From 2017-2018, Darin was the Veteran Affairs Advisor, Domestic Policy Council, at the Trump White House.
The Republican Club of North County (RCNC) believes in Republican values: individual responsibility, personal freedoms, limited government, a market economy, low taxes, and a strong national defense. RCNC meets the third Wednesday of each month at El Camino Country Club, 3202 Vista Way, Oceanside CA 92056. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. on June 15th and the meeting starts promptly at 12:00 noon. Cash or check ONLY at the door (credit cards not accepted). For more information and lunch choices, call or text Barbara at (760) 212-9995.
MainStreet Oceanside, Visit Oceanside and City of Oceanside Economic Developmenvolunteerdriven Downtown Ambassador Program. Ambassadors will staff the information booth at the west end of the underpass on Pier View Way and North Myers Street to welcome visitors and locals to Downtown Oceanside and to provide them with any information they might need to make their time in the Downtown area of our beautiful city the best it can be. Starting today, May 31, the program will operate Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sept. 3. We are looking for highly enthusiastic individuals ages 16 and older to serve as Downtown Ambassadors. Ambassadors will guide visitors to restaurants, muse-
Social Butterfly Cont. on Page 9
Capitol Annex Project Update
California’s main Capitol building in Sacramento was completed in 1874. It is a historic treasure, but after World War II it became obvious it wasn’t large enough to handle the needs of our growing state. An annex attached to the Capitol was completed in 1952, and at approximately 325,000 square feet, the space problem was solved for decades.
But, problems have developed over the years. The annex was designed to last just 50 years for a part-time Legislature. With six floors, the annex doesn’t line up with the historic Capitol, which has four. If you’re in the old building and need to go to a “higher” level in the annex, you have to go downstairs. Safety issues are a major concern since the building contains hazardous materials like asbestos and lacks adequate fire protection. There are wiring issues, and deteriorating galvanized sewer and drainage lines. The building is overcrowded by modern standards and fails to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards. Built long before the computer age, many of the halls are lined with empty wooden phone booths.
the new building will house offices of the Governor, the Legislature, with added space for committee hearings and caucus meetings.
Last year, executive and legislative offices were relocated to nearby office buildings and the annex is now vacant. Preliminary cost estimates for the replacement project are $506,858,000, with $6,409,000 for a new parking structure, and $29,964,000 for a new visitor center. Some non-structural construction work has begun, but there is no projected date for completion. Once completed with enhanced visitor access, modernized technology and upgraded safety compliance, the “people’s house” will finally move into the 21st century. Assemblymember Marie Waldron, RValley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.
Upgrades to the historic Capitol were made in the 1970s and 80s, but did not include the annex. In 2018, the Legislature authorized construction of a new building. Like the annex,
5th District Supervisor
Jim Desmond
San Diego County Budget
Over the coming weeks, the County of San Diego will receive community input, deliberate and adjust, and adopt the 2022-23 budget. I always believe this is one of the most important times of the year, as it's vital we spend taxpayer dollars effectively, while also maintaining a healthy finance state through operating reserves. I look at it this waythis is not the government's money, it's your money, and we must use it effectively to improve the lives of San Diegans. This year's proposed budget is $7.15 billion, which is a budget bigger than the entire country of Costa Rica. With over 3.4 million people over 4,261 square miles, it takes a lot of money to make the County run.
I've put together just a few anecdotes below from our proposed budget, but if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to my office. It's imperative that San Diegans feel safe and that our law enforcement officers have the tools they need. The proposed budget looks to increase the Sheriff's Department budget by $47 million and adds 24 new positions. Protecting our communities is my top priority, and we need to recruit and retain the best and brightest law enforcement offi-
cers, firefighters, and other peace officers. After advocating for money for our roads for a long time, I'm pleased to see that the proposed budget has an allocation of $60 million to maintain unincorporated County road surfaces. This is the most money allocated to road maintenance and improvement in the last decade.
We are also adding $41 million in District 5 parks and library projects. $30.9 million to operate 156 parks, 56,000 acres of parks, and 384 miles of trails and $28 million to operate 33 branch libraries, 4 electric bookmobiles, and 5 automated book kiosks. These are just a few of the items I’m focused on when it comes to the budget. I’ll keep you updated on the progress. To contact
North County Office – by appointment only 325 S. Melrose Ave., Suite 5200 Vista, CA 92081 Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Website: www.supervisorjimdesmond.com Email: Jim.Desmond@sdcounty.ca.gov
