Listen to the public
Thank you for your cover story on the new left. I did not know any of the people featured, except Midori Wong, and I would like to say to Ms. Wong: You may have had 50 hearings on redistricting, but the Redistricting Commission did not move anything on their original map except one little boundary to cut Linda Vista in two instead of three districts.
Hundreds of people came down from Rancho Penasquitos twice to protest being cut in two, but the commission ignored them and cut that neighborhood in two, lumping half with Mira Mesa and tearing Clairemont and Linda Vista apart and throwing Clairemont into the "Asian" district and throwing Linda Vista, another Asian district, in with east city suburbs.
Hearings don't matter if people don't listen to you. This same syndrome goes on at City Council and especially at county Board of Supervisors, who always seem to have their decisions made up beforehand and do little to no public debate.
We need to protest people who do not listen to public input and demand that we be heard by publicizing the fact of commissioners, council people and board supervisors who ignore the public, such as when Carl DeMaio does his computer work during non-agenda comment.
Val Sanfilippo, Linda Vista
Liberals had better learn
The article about the new left was long on language, short on substance. Given the importance of the topic, it could have been the other way around—less gossip, more facts and better analysis.
While some of your explanations for the present state of local progressivism ring true, the best advice for progressives, local and national, was Don Cohen's: " to have grace and leadership and smarts about how you're perceived in the world." In some recent activities, the new left has paid no attention to how it's broadly perceived, and so it lost influence among progressives.
Cory Briggs is right that the progressive left in San Diego is fractured. The way things are going, and despite your centerpiece article, it's likely to be fractured for a long time. Colin Parent's brave talk about demographics, momentum, Democrat plurality and a progressive power structure was put to the test on June 5 and will be again in November. Don't bet the rent money that Mr. Filner will win.
Progressives might analyze why, in Briggs' words, " there's not enough money; there's not enough people involved." They might analyze why the Two Cathedrals blog hasn't caught on. They might dial up San Diego Rostra to see what it offers conservatives. They might find a wide range of issues and respect for the admonition to speak no evil of a fellow Republican. Those keep conservatives civil, united, organized. Progressivism could learn from that. I hope it does.
Jim Varnadore, City Heights
That's no star up there
Regarding your photo-contest results: Obviously, CityBeat failed science in school—that is a planet, not a star, in "Lovers at Seaport Village." I'll let you all figure out her name.
Gavin Warlaumont, Point Loma