Prop. D and fundraisers in furniture stores

Tom Shepard

Meh on D

The Yes on D campaign is to political junkies what Tron Legacy is sci-fi geeks: A highly anticipated, big-budget production full of familiar names and rising stars, peddling an old concept in a super-hyped new package.

The November ballot measure would create a half-cent sales-sax increase that would last five years but wouldn’t go into effect until the city meets certain financial-reform milestones. Opponents have been fundraising, precinct walking and posting tweets like they’ve got cyborg thumbs. But Yes on D’s been relatively quiet, only recently launching a website (propdsandiego.com) dotted with unfortunate spelling errors (like a request for supporters to sign up for “upcomming events”) and sending out a press release naming its campaign team:

• Can’t-lose Republican campaign consultant Tom Shepard.

• Republican party fundraiser Jean Freelove, who’s also currently working for Carly Fiorina’s campaign.

• Legal counsel Jim Sutton, who in 2004 was dubbed the “dark prince of San Francisco elections” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and who’s worked on elections for Prop. D opponent Carl DeMaio.

It’s the who’s-whoiest of San Diego County Republican Party election wizards. But, given the local GOP’s opposition to Prop. D, it’s akin to Babe Ruth going from the Red Sox to the Yankees. (The team has also picked up mayoral-spokesperson-on-sabbatical Rachel Laing, which is akin to Padres owner Jeff Moorad’s executive assistant hawking giant foam fingers on her lunch break.)

If you could see our faces, you’d see us grimacing with irritable pol syndrome—we want to award them something, but we’re still waiting for them shit or get off the pot.

Don who?

A Sept. 23 fundraiser for San Diego City Council candidate Lorie Zapf, held at Jerome’s Furniture (what’s up with the campaign fundraisers at furniture stores?) includes this: “Join us for Don Refugio’s famous tacos featuring: Homemade tortillas, carne asada, chicken, and cheese quesadillas. With authentic margaritas and other refreshments.”

If we know anything, it’s where to get good Mexican food and we’ve never heard of this “Don Refugio” (and, a Google search turned up nada). To the fundraiser’s organizers: We’ll give you an enchilada’s worth of squash blossoms, contingent on you telling us where to find Señor Refugio’s grub.

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