Category Archives: 2012

9/11: 11 Years Ago. I Remember.

Posted on September 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hard to imagine it happened 11 years ago, but I remember 9/11 quite well.

I remember being in 2nd Period just finished a test on the Middle East, and the Coach turned on the TV. It played out over television throughout the whole day.

I remember Principal Tompkins came over the PA system and told us what had happened. The bell rang for the next class and I don’t remember anyone talking.

I remember Mrs. LeBeouf wiping tears from her eyes, and Rebecca had to leave school that week because her uncle was in New York for a meeting at the World Trade Center that morning. We were in shock. We cried. We prayed.

I remember that Friday after, we all gathered outside the flagpole for National Day of Prayer and Remembrance and I remember the tears in the eyes of everyone watching Old Glory rise up the flagpole, and then we recited the pledge.

I remember we came together as a country. We were united. We shared common values.

I remember we were proud to be Americans, and I will never forget that.

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Posted in 2012, September

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A History of San Diego Government

Posted on August 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Saw a tweet from the San Diego City Clerk’s office (@SDCityClerk) this morning which asked, “When was the City of SD’s current Charter first adopted?” The tweet ended with this link (http://www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk/geninfo/history.shtml) which takes you to the City Clerk’s website where you can learn all about the history of San Diego government.

Wow. What a history!

Founded in 1850, San Diego went bankrupt two years later, and eventually emerged in 1889 with not only a strong mayor, but TWO houses within the city’s Common Council: a Board of Aldermen, and a Board of Delegates.

If you’re a history buff, you’ll love reading up on this at the City Clerk’s website. Great way to start a Wednesday morning!

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Posted in 2012, August, Politics, Public Policy

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Walk for Justice 2012

Posted on August 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Just signed up to participate in Walk for Justice 2012 — an event to help show support for Proposition 35, the CASE Act (Californians Against Sexual Exploitation). If passed, Prop 35 will help curb sex trafficking throughout California.

Walk for Justice 2012 Event Information
Saturday, August 25, 2012
3:00pm-4:00pm: Registration
4:00pm-7:00pm: Event
NTC Park at Liberty Station (Section D)
2455 Cushing Road
San Diego, CA 92106

If you’d like to walk with me, please visit walk.caseact.org/#sandiego

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Posted in 2012, August, Public Policy

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San Diego Should Lead, Not Just Follow, on Open Government

Posted on July 25, 2012 | 3 Comments

Yesterday, San Diego News Room reported that despite the state reigning in costs associated with the Ralph M. Brown Act, both the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the San Diego City Council both committed to following open government and transparency measures laid out in the 1953 legislature-enacted law.

As a point of information, the Brown Act was enacted by the state legislature back in the 50′s to allow the public right of knowledge and participation in municipal government meetings.

For years, Councilwoman Donna Frye championed open government in San Diego, and expressed her thoughts recently about the state’s move to curb certain parts of the Brown Act.

Although there’s much I may disagree with Mrs. Frye on, I must applaud her past and current efforts in highlighting government transparency at City Hall — and I encourage it at all levels of government. Continue reading →

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Posted in 2012, July, Public Policy

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U-T San Diego’s @sdutzeigler: America’s Olympic Capital

Posted on July 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

With the London 2012 Olympic Games starting this week, U-T San Diego’s Mark Zeigler offers this great profile “San Diego: America’s Olympic Capital.”

This has become the world’s five-ring capital, a place where the Olympic flame is more like a raging beach bonfire, a place that increasingly produces more Olympic athletes in more sports on a more regular basis per capita than anywhere else maybe on the planet. The 2012 Summer Games begin Friday in London, and San Diego — a city of 1.3 million, a county of 3.1 million — can claim 80 athletes who either grew up here or currently live and train here.

And that doesn’t include another two dozen rowers who have wintered on Lower Otay Reservoir for the past several years, which would push the number north of 100 — or roughly one in five members of the U.S. Olympic team. San Diego County has roughly one-hundredth of the U.S. population.

Read more here: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jul/21/san-diego-americas-olympic-capital/

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Posted in 2012, July

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HuffPost: Politicians Who Look Like Disney Characters

Posted on July 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

I totally thought this was amusing! LOL!

Good laugh for the day :-)

From Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/13/politicians-disney-characters-photos_n_1670736.html

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Posted in 2012, July, Politics

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My Statement on Our Lawsuit Against Arturo ‘Art’ Pedroza

Posted on July 16, 2012 | 1 Comment

May this be the first — and last time — I ever have to address this.

Arturo ‘Art’ Pedroza makes many claims about many people.  More often than not, his claims are false with the intent of being malicious.  Art Pedroza has written about me, and people I know and associate with — on more than one occasion over the years – and I made the personal decision to stay quiet about my thoughts. Until now.

Lately, I have been asked by a couple folks, “Who is this Art Pedroza guy, and why is he writing about you?” Simple. Continue reading →

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Posted in 2012, July, Uncategorized

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Council Approves Balboa Park Centennial Plan

Posted on July 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

Yesterday, the San Diego City Council voted 6-1 to approve over $45 million worth of traffic and aesthetic  improvements, in order to celebrate the centennial of the Panama-California Exposition, which our great city hosted in 1915-16.

I want to offer thanks and support for the Council in approving this project, largely envisioned by Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs, and put forward by the Plaza de Panama Committee.

For more news on the project, check out the coverage in U-T San Diego.

The Committee was formed a few years ago and developed an all-encompassing master plan to remove vehicular traffic from the plaza’s central square, restoring the area to its’ former glory, with additional modern aesthetics.

Although the plan is not without a few, nuanced faults — my personal beef being the addition of a paid parking structure replacing years of free parking — the overall plan does much to help re-envision our city’s cultural center in the veil of its’ 1915 heyday.

The original Exposition transformed Balboa Park — which had only been dedicated as a large, open space — into a cultural center for San Diego. This, in turn, helped transform San Diego.

As a regional asset, it’s important to keep a dedicated focus in continuing to renovate and improve Balboa Park, as necessary, to survive through generations.

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Posted in 2012, July, Public Policy

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Vote History (2008-2012)

Posted on June 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

A close friend of mine who works as a political consultant put this chart together showing the progression of votes I’ve received from Republican voters in San Diego County since 2008.

He proceeded to tell me, “If you were a stock, people should be buying and investing.” I figured I’d post this and let you all decide.

I gotta tell you, there’s not a more rewarding feeling then having random folks — having just met some of them — communicate that they believe in you, and like the job you’re doing.

Can’t say I’d be as successful though if I didn’t listen to the needs of others and do my best to make it happen. Honesty, trust, and sincerity is a hard thing to find in politics. My advice: just keep yourself grounded and real.

– Ryan.

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Posted in 2012, July, Politics

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12 Propositions Qualify for November

Posted on June 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

12 propositions have qualified for the November ballot. My good friend Chris Nguyen over at OC Political provides a great rundown of all the initiatives and what they’ll effect if they’re approved (or not) by the voters. Check out Chris Nguyen’s post here.

For more information, check out the California Secretary of State’s website on ballot measures.

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Posted in 2012, June, Politics, Public Policy

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