Don’t Talk About the Billionaire Tax 

This post was updated.

Proposition 40 would force Californians with a net worth of more than $1 billion to pay a one-time 5 percent tax on their assets. The money would mainly go toward healthcare. 

For the latest Sacramento Report, Nadia Lathan asked San Diego’s legislative delegation if they support or oppose the measure. Most would not say, only state Sen. Catherine Blakespear said she opposes it.

Competing pressures are at work. Democrats may generally support taxing extreme wealth, but some worry about the negative economic effects of a California-only wealth tax on businesses and tax revenue for the state. Others don’t want to alienate wealthy voters or donors or aren’t happy with the plan for spending the money collected.

Read the Sacramento Report here. 

A Socialist and a Conservative Walk Into Politifest 

At our Oct. 3 Politifest, it’s the Socialist ‘Stache versus the conservative constant in El Cajon city politics in a debate for the mayoral seat. 

Bill Wells has held onto the mayoral gavel since 2013 and proved to be an “electoral juggernaut,” writes our Jakob McWhinney. “Despite El Cajon becoming ever-more Democratic, he’s won every mayoral election by at least 40 points.”

But his politics, particularly when it comes to collaborating with immigration officials, have stirred up controversy that may have opened a window for his opponent, labor organizer Alexander Kraft. 

Read the full post here. 

VOSD Podcast: It’s Silly Season

It’s that time of year, when journalists, especially our commander in chief Scott Lewis, get really giddy over their U.S. Postal Service mailboxes. 

Candidates and interest groups start to fill these babies up with mailers that try their darndest to earn your vote. Your faithful podcast crew is here to help.

First up, an AI-generated graphic that fired shots at co-hosts Jakob McWhinney and Scott Lewis for something they never said. And how San Diego City Councilman Henry Foster lost his endorsement from the city firefighters union in the thick of a battle to keep his seat. 

Listen to the show here. 

Related: Scott Lewis wrote more about the Silly Season including the primary defining feature of it: Extreme Umbrage Taking, or EUT. That and more in this week’s Politics Report for members.

In Other News

• San Diego officials want to be the first in California to require warning signs on cryptocurrency ATMs to help protect people, especially seniors, from scams (Union-Tribune)
• Animal rights group PETA is asking the SDPD to replace the Department’s K-9 program with modern technology, after a police dog was injured in North Park. (CBS8)
• San Diego County officials warned doctors at the Otay Mesa Detention Center that they could face professional consequences if they continue to delay reporting suspected tuberculosis cases. (Union-Tribune)
• Lock up your wives! Metallica is performing in San Diego this upcoming May – the first time in a decade. (CBS 8)

The Morning Report was written by Naomi Granata and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.

Correction: This post has been updated to correct how a dog in the police department’s K-9 program was injured.

The post Don’t Talk About the Billionaire Tax  appeared first on Voice of San Diego.