The California 49th Congressional District
I live in the 49th congressional district of California, hence the placement of this page under "Home." The decision to include a local focus on a site primarily concerned with national issues was a late one. How better to capture the "on-the-ground" spirit of political affairs in the lives of the real people whose space I share on this challenging and ever-changing planet?
Residing in the 49th means I've been "represented" for the past 15 years by Congressman Darrell Issa. (93% rating by the Chamber of Commerce; 85% by Americans for Prosperity; 11% by the American Civil Liberties Union; 0% by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.* You get the picture.) After months of weekly protests outside his Vista office, Issa peered into the future and announced he will not run--at least not in our district--again. The trio of photos below shows how sad we are about that.
All this proves something we often find hard to believe: Involved voters can change the political landscape. While I credit the hundreds of protesters for Issa's surrender, he got a strong shove from Democrat Doug Applegate, who ran a strong campaign against him in 2016, and, despite a late start, was defeated by the slimmest of margins. A down-to-the-wire contest, relentless protesters, and--voila!--Issa's history, in a congressional district so solidly his that for years he rarely campaigned and cruised to easy victories. (This year, Applegate's running again.)
*Source: govtrack.com
Residing in the 49th means I've been "represented" for the past 15 years by Congressman Darrell Issa. (93% rating by the Chamber of Commerce; 85% by Americans for Prosperity; 11% by the American Civil Liberties Union; 0% by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.* You get the picture.) After months of weekly protests outside his Vista office, Issa peered into the future and announced he will not run--at least not in our district--again. The trio of photos below shows how sad we are about that.
All this proves something we often find hard to believe: Involved voters can change the political landscape. While I credit the hundreds of protesters for Issa's surrender, he got a strong shove from Democrat Doug Applegate, who ran a strong campaign against him in 2016, and, despite a late start, was defeated by the slimmest of margins. A down-to-the-wire contest, relentless protesters, and--voila!--Issa's history, in a congressional district so solidly his that for years he rarely campaigned and cruised to easy victories. (This year, Applegate's running again.)
*Source: govtrack.com
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Scenes from protesters' victory celebration after Issa announced he would not run for re-election in 2018
(Photos courtesy of Nancy Hardwick)
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(Photos courtesy of Nancy Hardwick)
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Thus it was that we had a decidedly upbeat atmosphere at the our 2018 Women's March in San Diego's North County. I found it markedly different from last year's event. Marchers then were energized, but that day, the day after Trump's inauguration, many were … well … borderline grim—determined, but grim. In the photos below, you'll get a sense of the tenor of this year's event.
(And just as uplifting ... A lively video from Tobe Carey of Woodstock, NY: "Women's March on Woodstock," where 2,000 of the 6,000 residents of this small, but renowned New York town showed up.)
(And just as uplifting ... A lively video from Tobe Carey of Woodstock, NY: "Women's March on Woodstock," where 2,000 of the 6,000 residents of this small, but renowned New York town showed up.)
January 20, 2018
Scenes from the 2018 Women's March, San Marcos California
Click on images below to see full photos, then scroll by clicking on the arrows which appear in the photos
Click on images below to see full photos, then scroll by clicking on the arrows which appear in the photos
