B-Daddy Endorses Lorie Zapf

After lengthy consideration, I have decided to endorse Lorie Zapf for City Council in District 6 in San Diego. The B-Daddy endorsement has been shown to be worth as many as five votes under carefully biased research conditions.

Little new information informs this decision since the debates; you can read my previous coverage of the District 6 council race here. This came down to a process of elimination. First, Steve Hadley showed himself not ready for the dignity of the office with his cheap shots and lack of knowledge despite lengthy time in City Hall. Kim Tran, despite some great community backing never showed up at the debates and hasn't put out enough specific material to make up for the lack of knowledge about her positions. Her web site talks about police and firefighters being a priority, but their pensions are part of the problem. Ryan Huckabone is a likeable enough guy, and we hope to see him in some future forum. But he is too gung-ho about keeping the Chargers at the Q and unwilling to take drastic action to deal with pension issues. I appreciate his position that we have cut a deal, but even Howard Wayne has pointed out that that is to simplistic a position. We can ask the employees for a greater contribution to their own pension fund and still be within the bargaining agreement.

That brings me to Howard Wayne, former assemblyman and deputy attorney general for the state of California. He is knowledgeable but carries the very, very heavy baggage of employee union endorsements, including local firefighters, the local "labor council," the San Diego Police officers association and assorted progressive groups. Sorry, but endorsements by any employee unions are going to earn the enmity of B-Daddy and other Tea Party members. As chronicled in these pages unions have been fleecing state and local taxpayers for decades. Despite Wayne's good impression in the debate, I can't trust him to take on the unions. Further, Wayne seems to change his tune depending on his audience.

Which brings me, finally, to Lorie Zapf. She is a bit more combative than I might normally like in a local office holder, but these are tough times and she has done the hard work of starting her own business. Her heart is clearly in the right place, from her prior work with Californians against lawsuit abuse. I predict a run off between Zapf and Wayne, which is the CW. She needs to step up her debate game if she is going to win in November.