Manny Cruz, longtime San Diego Journalist, passes away at 83
By Bob Page | SD METRO
Manny Cruz, a long-time San Diego journalist, passed away in his home in Kimball, Michigan, Monday, October 20, at age 83. He had moved from San Diego six years ago to be near his son, Matthew, and two grandchildren.
His long career in San Diego journalism began in the mid-1960s at the Daily Californian in El Cajon, beginning as a reporter before becoming a copy editor and taking the responsibility for training young college interns. He then spent eleven years at the Daily Transcript as wire editor and special sections editor.
He left the Daily Transcript to become editor of the Star-News, a weekly newspaper in Chula Vista, where he wrote a weekly column and supervised reporters, freelance writers, and photographers. Later, he became editor of Antiques & Collectables, a newsmagazine in El Cajon.
Battle Lines Drawn on Vacation Rental Tax
By Scott Lewis | Voice of San Diego
Wednesday, the Rules Committee for the San Diego City Council will consider Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s push for a tax on empty second homes and vacation rentals. He and his supporters have polled the issue and asked whether voters supported an up-to $5,000 per bedroom annual tax on vacation rentals.
The business community and AirBnB seem to see it as an existential threat.
First, the argument for: As announced at Politifest, Elo-Rivera wants the city to start seeing tourism differently: not as a precious industry that needs to be coddled and nurtured but instead like oil in Norway: An incredibly valuable resource that the city should extract more social benefits from.
The feds want to know more about the people on food stamps. How Newsom responded
By Phoebe Huss | CalMatters
A law that allowed the sharing of limitless amounts of personal data across the state to find people eligible for CalFresh was rescinded this week.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 593 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, a Democrat from Oakland, that forbids state and local departments from sharing sensitive personal data to increase food stamp enrollment.
But only a year ago, it was Wicks who introduced that same data sharing initiative, to get more people enrolled in CalFresh, the state’s federally funded food assistance program. Her bill from last year, Assembly Bill 518, granted state and local public entities involved in education, crime, employment, and other areas the authority to override all state privacy laws to share data about people who could potentially get CalFresh.
Supporters are way ahead in fundraising for Newsom’s Prop. 50, but the race remains close
By Maya C. Miller and Jeanne Kuang | CalMatters
California, listen up: Former President Barack Obama wants you to know that the whole nation is counting on you this November.
“Democracy is on the ballot,” the 44th president says straight to camera in the latest advertisement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s campaign for Proposition 50, the ballot question that asks voters to temporarily gerrymander California’s congressional districts to favor Democrats.
“Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,” Obama continues in the seven-figure ad buy airing across California, referring to GOP-led redistricting efforts President Donald Trump has backed in other states like Texas. “With Prop. 50, you can stop Republicans in their tracks.”