Articles by Special to The Grapevine

End Citizens United begins GOP ditch drive

A major democratic political action organization that’s working to get big money and all of the temptation it offers out of politics recently released a list of 20 Republican Congress members that it intends to target next year. The organization on attack is End Citizens United, and it is calling its targeted Congress members the “Big Money 20.” A Group that Favors Its Special Interest…


DREAM Act opponent Issa gets served (UPDATED)

DREAM Act opponent, and the nation’s shakiest incumbent, embattled Rep. Darrell Issa (R-49th Congressional District got served in his own neighborhood by an organized protest Saturday, Dec. 2. Protestors showed up at 1 p.m. at Luz Duran Park, 340 Townsite Drive in Vista, then deployed to post lawn signs, talk with community members, and distribute voter education materials. The rally began at 3 p.m. attracting…


Busy Escondido Tuesday: Library lawsuit filed, ATF country club fire inquiry continues

Two hot-button Escondido issues got all pumped up Tuesday, Nov. 28 as opponents of the controversial Escondido City Council decision to privatize the public library filed suit to stop the plans while the ATF was continuing to investigate last week’s suspicious fire at the abandoned Escondido Country Club clubhouse. Legal shoe drops on Abed’s library privatization effort Despite mass protests by residents, the Escondido City…


LION Publishers: Net Neutrality repeal could damage local news startups

(Editor’s Note: The Escondido Grapevine is a proud member of LION — Local Independent Online News — Publishers. This article written by LION executive director Matt DeRienzo, appeared today at http://www.lionpublishers.com.) Information must flow freely for democracy to flourish Repealing Net Neutrality would allow giant chain media to work in concert with internet conglomerates to limit access to independent, alternative, and local news sites, according to…


Issa bogus IRS ‘scandal’ ends in whimper; predatory ‘payday’ lenders give Issa a bang

Congressman Darryl Issa (R-49th District) suffered humiliation as his so-called IRS ‘scandal’ investigation costing US taxpayers money and congressional time “came to a pathetic, whimpering conclusion earlier this month,” according to Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg View. And in a double whammy, as shown here, following the IRS ‘scandal’ update, examination of campaign finance filings showed Issa took tens of thousands of dollars from predatory “payday”…


America’s Wall: Decades-long struggle to secure U.S.-Mexico border

AMERICA’S WALL Decades-long struggle to secure U.S.-Mexico border By Jean Guerrero | KPBS and Leonardo Castañeda | inewsource By agreement, The Grapevine publishes investigative, in-depth data-driven journalism from independent non-profit inewsource based at San Diego State University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies. For more from inewsource, visit http://inewsource.org/about/. Ely Ortiz, founder of Aguilas Del Desierto, poses for a portrait on Aug. 26, 2017, at the base…


Coastal protection on the edge: The challenge of preserving California’s legacy

By Gary Griggs, University of California, Santa Cruz and Charles Lester, University of California, Santa Cruz For 50 years California has used laws and policies to manage development alongs its 1,100-mile coastline and preserve public access to the shore. Climate change will make that task harder. The California coast is an edge. It’s the place where 1,100 miles of shoreline meets the largest ocean on…


Court gets SANDAG on false climate claims

A California appeals court today confirmed most of a 2014 decision that the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, failed to reduce climate pollution and assess public health risks of a transportation plan that invests heavily in freeways and subsidizes sprawl at the expense of public transit. Although the California Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that SANDAG’s assessment of the plan’s long-term climate…


Spanning the grove wide world of avocados

Spanning the grove to bring you the constant variety of avocado news… the thrill of guacamole .. and the agony of spoiled fruit… the human drama of creating great avocado marketing…This is The Grapevine’s Wide World of Avocados! — Escondido-based Henry Avocado expands to Charlotte, North Carolina — Avocado importers weigh in on NAFTA — Mexican avocado volume up North County San Diego and Temecula account for…