edited by Lorie Hearn | inewsource
[one_half][box type=”shadow”]
Why this matters: Sexual harassment in the workplace is a serious matter, one that caused the former mayor of San Diego Bob Filner to resign earlier this year. Now two men who worked for Carl DeMaio’s campaign are claiming the candidate sexually harassed them.
[/box][/one_half]
Just days before Tuesday’s election in the tight race for San Diego’s 52nd Congressional District seat, a second former staffer for Republican candidate Carl DeMaio is accusing him of sexual harassment.
Navy veteran Justin Harper, 25, said he began interning with DeMaio’s campaign in February and was hired as a regional political director a month later. His job was to make phone calls and knock on doors to ask voters for their support.
Harper said he quit on July 12, two days after an incident involving DeMaio in a restroom at campaign headquarters.
Harper talked with KPBS a week ago by phone, but he requested that his name not be used in a story about the alleged harassment. KPBS declined to publish or air anonymous allegations.
On Saturday, Harper told KPBS he decided to put his name to the story after getting phone calls on Friday of “encouragement and support from the veterans community in San Diego.” He did not want to say who had called him, and said he did not know who had given his name to the veterans who called.
Harper related the following story to KPBS:
On Thursday, July 10, Harper said, he returned to DeMaio’s Miramar campaign office in the afternoon following a day of walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors for the campaign. He said there had been a news conference at the headquarters, so DeMaio and other staffers were still in the office.
According to a campaign press release, DeMaio had a news conference at noon that day to “blast sweeping Medicare cuts.”
Harper said he went to the restroom and didn’t know anyone was in there.
“I was at the urinal, and (DeMaio) came from the stall that was closest to the urinal and was kind of just standing there hovering,” Harper said. “I turned around and realized that it was Carl. He had his pants up, but his fly was undone, and he had his hand over, not over, grasping his genitals.”
Harper said DeMaio didn’t say anything to him, and he didn’t say anything to DeMaio.
“I just walked out. I didn’t say anything to him, I just left,” Harper said.
When contacted early Sunday by KPBS about the allegations, DeMaio’s campaign spokesman Dave McCulloch responded with a statement:
“Reporters with journalistic integrity have dismissed these false smears because they’ve been peddled by the same people fired from the campaign months ago – and the District Attorney dismissed these false allegations weeks ago. KPBS is reckless in reporting this outrageous lie because our office has not even had a urinal to use – a fact confirmed to KPBS by our landlord.”
JD Bols, the landlord for the office complex where DeMaio headquarters is located, told KPBS on Sunday that there is only one urinal in the second floor men’s room and it has been broken since January and has been covered with plastic wrap. Harper said the urinal was not broken at the time of the incident. A receptionist for Babies First Ultrasound, another business in the office complex, also said the urinal is not currently broken.
Bols has contributed nearly $4,000 to DeMaio’s congressional campaign.
DeMaio has denied sexual harassment allegations made by another former campaign staffer, Todd Bosnich. Bosnich said that DeMaio grabbed his crotch last December and masturbated in front of him on April 30. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said it does not have enough evidence to file criminal charges involving those sexual misconduct allegations.
KPBS has communicated with Harper by phone, email and Twitter but has not had a face-to-face meeting with him because he now lives out of state.
Harper said he thought he was the only one with allegations of sexual harassment against DeMaio, but then in mid-October he saw the news reports about Bosnich.
“I honestly thought it happened once to me, and it was a mistake, but since it happened to Todd, I really don’t know who else it happened to,” Harper said.
Since Bosnich’s sexual harassment allegations were first mentioned publicly by a reporter during a DeMaio news conference on Oct. 8, accusations of sexual misconduct, bribery and attempts at a cover-up have dogged DeMaio’s campaign.
The accusations have dominated social media and became national news when CNN aired them, overshadowing the tight race between DeMaio and first-term Democratic Rep. Scott Peters. DeMaio would be the first openly gay Republican to campaign and win a seat in Congress if he beats Peters.
Both candidates are former San Diego city councilmen, and their contest is considered one of the few pure congressional toss-ups. At least $10 million has poured into the race.
Harper’s allegations almost assure that the issue of workplace sexual harassment will remain in the spotlight through Election Day.
Harper told KPBS he didn’t tell anyone right away about what he said had happened in the restroom and has not talked to the police.
About a month ago, he said he told his then-girlfriend, Alison Rentschler, about what he says DeMaio did. She had also worked for the DeMaio campaign but had been fired a few months earlier. Harper said Rentschler told other people, including Bosnich.
Harper’s name has circulated among news outlets ever since Bosnich’s story first aired on CNN on Oct. 10, but he was unwilling to come forward. That’s despite growing pressure from Bosnich over the past few weeks.
On Thursday, Bosnich posted on Twitter that Harper had been “sexually assaulted” by DeMaio. He then forwarded an email chain to several news outlets, including KPBS, that included an email Harper sent on Oct. 11 to the Peters campaign.
“I am a former campaign worker on Carl Demaios [sic] campaign and I wish to talk only to the DCCC or NRCC,” Harper wrote, referring to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee. “Please, I am reaching out because of the incident that happened to me.”
The email chain showed that MaryAnne Pintar, chief of staff for the Peters campaign, forwarded Harper’s email to Bosnich. Pintar told KPBS on Friday that she forwarded the email because she was “concerned about this young man.”
“I thought he needed somebody to talk to,” Pintar said.
She said she had been in contact with Bosnich before forwarding him the email from Harper, but Pintar said she could not specify when because of an ongoing FBI investigation. NBC San Diego reported the FBI is investigating threatening emails sent to Bosnich. An FBI spokesman told KPBS he would not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
Pintar said she had not been in contact with Harper before the email he sent to the Peters campaign.
Harper said he was “pissed” that Bosnich made his name public before he was ready to come forward on his own. KPBS continued to reach out to Harper after Bosnich released his name, and on Saturday received Harper’s permission to use his name with this story.
Harper said after DeMaio exposed himself to him, he left the campaign office without speaking to anyone and went home to his apartment in Oceanside, which he shared with his girlfriend, Rentschler.
“I shut off for two days,” he said. “I didn’t really do anything for a couple more days. I just stayed in bed.”
Rentschler told KPBS she remembers Harper coming home from work and going straight to bed two days before he quit.
“He didn’t want to hang out, he didn’t want to talk, he wasn’t social,” she said.
After two days, on July 12, Harper sent an email to DeMaio’s campaign manager, Tommy Knepper, telling him he was quitting the campaign to go back to school.
“It has been an amazing experience working on the campaign since starting as an intern in February,” the email read. “However, I need to begin school again in the fall.”
Harper said he didn’t tell Knepper what had happened and sent an email that was positive about his experience on the campaign because he wanted a recommendation letter.
“I would love to continue volunteering and participating in events!” he wrote. “It would be great to continue to help out when I can.”
Harper provided KPBS with Knepper’s response, which was sent the next day, July 13.
“Sorry to lose you, but I understand the need for school,” Knepper wrote. “If you want to keep coming around and/or work part time I would love to have you still.”
On Aug. 8, the campaign forwarded Harper a recommendation letter signed by DeMaio, which Harper provided to KPBS.
“Justin is an absolute pleasure to have around the office,” it read. “I know I speak for my staff when I say that she [sic] will be an asset to any organization.”
Harper said he grew up in San Diego and Redding, and joined the Navy in 2007. He said he left after five years, and used the GI bill to enroll at Palomar College in San Marcos. He said he was still in school while interning for the campaign.
Harper said after he quit the DeMaio campaign, he moved to Ohio to get away from everyone who worked there. He said he is no longer in school and now works selling insurance.
The tight race between DeMaio and Peters has held national attention ever since DeMaio announced his candidacy in May 2013. DeMaio has campaigned on his work on the City Council reforming pensions and on his socially moderate Republican views, both of which attracted Harper to his campaign.
“He seemed not to be a crazy tea partier,” Harper said. “He’s not pro pot, but he has moderate stances toward that, toward abortion, but is still fiscally conservative. Kind of like, to put it simply, a libertarian, which I identified as. He matched, so I thought that was perfect.”
Harper said he now hopes someone with DeMaio’s views is able to get elected but doesn’t think DeMaio should hold political office. He said he’s still affected by what he says DeMaio did to him.
“Carl was a hero of mine. I liked pension reform, I thought he could possibly change the Republican Party, and now I don’t know if it’s just a big political game to him,” Harper said. “I really don’t know what to think except that I had the same thing that (Bosnich) had.”
When KPBS told the Peters campaign on Sunday about Harper’s allegations, spokesman Alex Roth declined to comment.
A 10News/U-T San Diego poll released Sunday shows DeMaio and Peters in a statistical tie — 46 percent for DeMaio, 45 percent for Peters and 11 percent undecided.
- Editorial Standards Page
- Ethics Policy
- Diversity Statement
- Diversity Staffing Report
- Corrections Policy
- Ownership Structure, Funding
- Founding Date
- Masthead
- Mission Statement with Coverage Priorities
- Fact-checking Standards
- Unnamed Sources Policy
Editorial Standards Page
- Our Mission
- Ethics Policy
- Diversity
- Ownership Structure, Funding and Grants
- Financial Documents
- Fact-checking and Verification Standards
- Unnamed Sources
- Corrections and Clarifications
- Actionable Feedback and Newsroom Contacts
- Masthead
- Byline Policy
- The Trust Project
- Privacy Policy
Our Mission
inewsource is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to improving lives in the San Diego region and beyond through impactful, data-based investigative and accountability journalism.
Our Vision
Betrayals of the public trust are revealed and rectified, wrongdoing is deterred, and inequities are illuminated thanks to inewsource’s deep, dogged, fact-based reporting.
Our Values
Truth: Above all else, we value the importance of a free and credible press. Truth is the cornerstone of democracy and the core value for inewsource.
Transparency: We build trust with our readers by adhering to the highest standards and ethics, and to reporting with facts, precision and context.
Collaboration: Our newsroom prioritizes collaboration over competition. We regularly partner with media outlets on reporting projects and to share content.
Community: Our reporting serves the San Diego region, and we strive to build relationships with our audience by getting out into the community to listen and engage.
Ethics Policy
inewsource will conduct its business with the highest standards of decency, fairness and accuracy. These standards shall apply equally to inewsource employees, freelancers and all others engaged in gathering information on behalf of inewsource. All receive a copy of these ethical standards.
In the course of our reporting, we will consistently:
● Identify our organization and ourselves fully and avoid false representations of any kind to any source.
● Obtain consent from all parties before electronically recording any interview or conversation except in extraordinary cases authorized by the Managing Editor and Editor. If a source refuses to be taped, that must be honored; no recordings are to be made without consent.
● Respect the individual’s right to privacy. inewsource will never manipulate or barter private, personal, health, financial or other extraneous information in the course of preparing its reports.
● Any source we describe or write about in any significant manner must be contacted. The employee should document all efforts to contact the source, and if unsuccessful, should summarize these efforts at contact in the body of his/her writing.
In addition, inewsource follows the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists. The latest version, revised in 2014, can be found here.
Editorial Independence Policy
We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) as follows:
Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We will maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Our organization also may consider donations to support the coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. We will cede no right of review or influence of editorial content, nor of unauthorized distribution of editorial content.
Our organization will make public all donors who give a total of $1,000 or more. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with INN’s Membership Standards.
Diversity
Diverse Voices
Inclusiveness is at the heart of thinking and acting as journalists, and it supports the educational mandate of inewsource. Race, class, generation, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and geography all affect point of view. inewsource believes that reflecting societal differences in reporting leads to better, more nuanced stories and a better-informed community.
inewsource is committed to employment equity and diversity.
Diverse Staffing Report
Below is a breakdown of staffing data at inewsource. We determine the composition of our staff by asking them to self-identify. It is based on a newsroom of 11 and a total staff of 15 as of August 2020. Percentages are based on 15 total survey responses. The numbers include full-time and part-time staff, full-time fellows and full-time and part-time interns.
| All Staff Percentages are based on 15 total survey responses. The numbers include full-time and part-time staff, full-time fellows and full-time and part-time interns. | Newsroom Percentages are based on 15 completed survey responses to this question. | Business Percentages are based on 15 completed survey responses to this question. | |||
| Gender Identity | Gender Identity | Gender Identity | |||
| Women | 80% | Women | 82% | Women | 75% |
| Men | 20% | Men | 18% | Men | 25% |
| Sexual Orientation | Sexual Orientation | Sexual Orientation | |||
| Straight | 87% | Straight | 82% | Straight | 100% |
| LGBTQ-identifying | 7% | LGBTQ-identifying | 7% | ||
| Not specified | 7% | Not specified | 7% | ||
| Speak a language beyond English at home | 33% | Speak a language beyond English at home | 18% | Speak a language beyond English at home | 75% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Race/Ethnicity | Race/Ethnicity | |||
| White | 67% | White | 73% | White | 50% |
| Hispanic or Latinx | 20% | Two or more races | 18% | Hispanic or Latinx | 50% |
| Two or more races | 13% | Hispanic or Latinx | 9% | ||
| Age | Age | Age | |||
| 20-29 | 40% | 20-29 | 45% | 20-29 | 25% |
| 30-39 | 47% | 30-39 | 45% | 30-39 | 50% |
| 60 or older | 13% | 60 or older | 9% | 60 or older | 25% |
* The percentages in the charts have been rounded and may not add up to 100.
Ownership Structure, Funding and Grants
inewsource is a nonprofit organization, whose legal name is Investigative Newsource. It does business as inewsource. The business was incorporated on Aug. 4, 2009 in the state of California. Tax-exempt status as a 501c3 was granted by the IRS on Sept. 15, 2010. inewsource is funded primarily by individual contributions and foundation grants. We are guided by a board of directors.
Editorial independence: Journalists employed by inewsource take no editorial direction from donors whose contributions may support the organization. inewsource will not hesitate to report on its donors when events warrant. Our Editorial Independence Policy details the firewall between journalism and revenue.
To be transparent with the public, inewsource lists its donors on its website. In cases where a donor is the subject of an inewsource story, additional disclosure will be made.
Financial Documents
We do our due diligence to earn your trust in our reporting, as well as in our governance and financial sustainability. All of our financial documents are made available to view so that our supporters can trust we are sound stewards of your philanthropy. Review our IRS Form 990s, audited financial statements and annual reports:
Tax Returns
Financial Statements
Annual Reports
Fact-checking and Verification Standards
Transparency is one of our core values. Today, there is a need to build trust with our audience because new media and ways of communicating spread lies and slanted news faster than “real” news. At the same time, this era of new technologies makes it easier than ever for news organizations to be transparent. People don’t just have to believe us, they can investigate our investigations with our source materials.
Transparency is key to building credibility.
inewsource reporters have primary responsibility for reporting, writing, and fact-checking their stories. But before a story is published, the reporter reviews all facts and sources with an editor or another reporter. Facts must be traced to a primary source.
In addition, we “transparify” certain investigative stories. This process involves publishing a version of the web story with hyperlinks to all the story’s facts. This is proof that all facts have been documented with primary evidence. We do this to build trust with our readers and to be as transparent as we hope the public figures and institutions that we hold accountable will be.
Unnamed Sources
Not all sources are created equal. Some sources cannot speak authoritatively, provide proper analysis or speak specifically to every inquiry placed before them. To maintain the integrity of our reporting, inewsource reporters must select sources who can speak with validity to the topic at hand, and avoid presenting unqualified or underqualified sources as experts.
If an interviewed source has a conflict of interest, or whose qualifications may be tangential or limited, reporters will note that within the context of the story.
It is incumbent upon reporters to fully background their sources to uncover conflicts of interest or slant prior to using them in a story.
Unless discussed prior to an interview, all subjects talking to inewsource journalists are on the record. Specifically, the source is identified by name and title, and their exact or paraphrased words are attributed to them for publication. If journalists speak with sources who are not politicians, public figures or those not commonly interviewed by journalists, staff should explain clearly that information discussed will be on the record and for publication.
There are times, however, when information may be critical for a story but cannot be found or verified by other means. For example, a source may be able to confirm specific information about a series of events they may have witnessed, but have legitimate concerns about using their name or title. The repercussions to the source could be legal, job-related retribution or personal safety. The source and journalist must discuss these potential dangers and terms of use should be agreed upon by both parties.
If inewsource publishes information from an anonymous source, inewsource will explain to readers, in as much detail as possible, why we agreed to anonymity.
Corrections and Clarifications
inewsource strives for accuracy in everything we do, which is why we are committed to fact checking our content. But sometimes we make errors. When that happens, we correct them. We also clarify stories when something we’ve written is confusing or could be misinterpreted.
We endeavor to always be transparent about our commitment to correcting errors and clarifying misperceptions. When staffers see, hear or read about a possible issue with the accuracy of any inewsource content, they are expected to bring it to the attention of an editor and the web producer so it can be evaluated to determine how to proceed.
Including the web producer is key because inewsource is a multimedia news organization and shares its content with multiple partners on multiple platforms. The web producer must alert these partners about corrections and clarifications.
Corrections and clarifications should be included at the bottom of stories and dated.
Actionable Feedback and Newsroom Contacts
Our audiences know the region we cover and have a stake in maintaining and improving the quality of life in San Diego and Imperial counties. We know your knowledge and insights can help shape what we cover and how we cover it. We invite your comments and complaints on news stories, suggestions for issues to cover or sources to consult. We rely on you to tell us when we get it right and when we need to keep pushing.
Your comments, questions and suggestions can be sent to the team as a whole at contact@inewsource.org or you can contact a specific member of our staff.
Masthead
CEO, Editor and Founder: Lorie Hearn, loriehearn@inewsource.org
Lorie Hearn is the chief executive officer, editor and founder of inewsource. She founded inewsource in the summer of 2009, following a successful reporting and editing career in newspapers. She retired from The San Diego Union-Tribune, where she had been a reporter, Metro Editor and finally the senior editor for Metro and Watchdog Journalism. In addition to department oversight, Hearn personally managed a four-person watchdog team, composed of two data specialists and two investigative reporters. Hearn was a Nieman Foundation fellow at Harvard University in 1994-95. She focused on juvenile justice and drug control policy, a natural course to follow her years as a courts and legal affairs reporter at the San Diego Union and then the Union-Tribune.
Hearn became Metro Editor in 1999 and oversaw regional and city news coverage, which included the city of San Diego’s financial debacle and near bankruptcy. Reporters and editors on Metro during her tenure were part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning stories that exposed Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham and led to his imprisonment.
Hearn began her journalism career as a reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times, a small daily outside of Philadelphia, shortly after graduating from the University of Delaware. During the decades following, she moved through countless beats at five newspapers on both coasts.
High-profile coverage included the historic state Supreme Court election in 1986, when three sitting justices were ousted from the bench, and the 1992 execution of Robert Alton Harris. That gas chamber execution was the first time the death penalty was carried out in California in 25 years.
In her nine years as Metro Editor at the Union-Tribune, Hearn made watchdog reporting a priority. Her reporters produced award-winning investigations covering large and small local governments. The depth and breadth of their public service work was most evident in coverage of the wildfires of 2003 and then 2007, when more than half a million people were evacuated from their homes.
Managing Editor: Laura Wingard, laurawingard@inewsource.org
Laura Wingard is the managing editor at inewsource. She has been an editor in San Diego since 2002, working at The San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS and now inewsource. At the Union-Tribune, she served in a variety of roles including as enterprise editor, government editor, public safety and legal affairs editor, and metro editor. She directed the newspaper’s award-winning coverage of the October 2007 wildfires and the 2010 disappearance of Poway teenager Chelsea King. She also oversaw reporting on San Diego’s pension crisis.
For two years, Wingard was news and digital editor at KPBS, overseeing a team of four multimedia reporters and two web producers. She also was the KPBS liaison with inewsource and collaborated with inewsource chief executive officer and editor Lorie Hearn on investigative work by both news organizations.
Wingard also worked at the Las Vegas Review-Journal as the city editor and as an award-winning reporter covering the environment and politics. She also was the assistant managing editor for metro at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside. She earned her bachelor’s degree at California State University, Fullerton, with a double major in communications/journalism and political science.
Assistant Editor and Senior Reporter: Brad Racino, bradracino@inewsource.org
Brad Racino is the assistant editor and a senior reporter at inewsource. He has produced investigations for print, radio and TV on topics including political corruption, transportation, health, maritime, education and nonprofits.
His cross-platform reporting for inewsource has earned more than 50 awards since 2012, including back-to-back national medals from Investigative Reporters and Editors, two national Edward R. Murrow awards, a Meyer “Mike” Berger award from New York City’s Columbia Journalism School, the Sol Price Award for Responsible Journalism, San Diego SPJ’s First Amendment Award, and a national Emmy nomination.
In 2017, Racino was selected by the Institute for Nonprofit News as one of 10 “Emerging Leaders” in U.S. nonprofit journalism.
Racino has worked as a reporter and database analyst for News21; as a photographer, videographer and reporter for the Columbia Missourian; as a project coordinator for the National Freedom of Information Coalition and as a videographer and editor for Verizon Fios1 TV in New York. He received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 2012.
Byline Policy
Most of our articles carry a byline to identify the author. In some cases, inewsource will use a brand byline such as “Staff” or “inewsource” for internal or editorial information about the newsroom. In these instances, inewsource‘s Editor and Managing Editor are responsible for content that uses a brand byline.
The Trust Project
inewsource is proud to be a member of The Trust Project and support efforts to increase transparency in journalism by displaying the 8 Trust Indicators on our stories. We launched the Trust Indicators on Sep. 16, 2020.
Privacy Policy
inewsource has prepared this Privacy Policy to explain how we collect, use, protect, and share information when you use our inewsource.org website (the “Site“) or when you use any of our services (the “Services“).
By using the Site or Services you consent to this Privacy Policy.
Log Data
Like many site operators, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our site (“Log Data”).
This Log Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages and other statistics.
Cookies
Cookies are files with small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a web site and stored on your computer or mobile device.
Like many sites, we use “cookies” to collect information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our site.
Certain pages on our site may set other third party cookies. For example, we may embed content, such as videos, from another site that sets a cookie. While we try to minimize these third party cookies, we can’t always control what cookies this third party content sets.
Additionally, we may use third party services — such as those that provide social media conveniences, measure traffic, send newsletters and facilitate donations — that may place cookies on your computer. We don’t have any way of knowing how such services handle the resulting data internally. inewsource makes no claim, nor takes liability for the insecure submission of information via these applications.
Here are the services whose cookies you can find on inewsource.org:
- Sharing buttons for Facebook and Twitter. These use the standard scripts provided by each company.
- Google Analytics, which we use to measure site traffic. Google Analytics gathers certain non-personally identifying information over time, such as your IP address, browser type, internet service provider, referring and exit pages, time stamp, and similar data. We also use Facebook Pixel to measure, optimize and build audiences for advertising campaigns served on Facebook. In particular it enables us to see how our users move between devices when accessing our website and Facebook, to ensure that our Facebook advertising is seen by our users most likely to be interested in such advertising by analyzing which content a user has viewed and interacted with on our website.
- Stripe, which allows us to accept donations through our website.
- Salesforce to manage newsletter subscriber, donor, and other identifiable user data.
- Mailchimp, to manage newsletter distributions. We collect your email address if you choose to subscribe to one of our email newsletters or email news alerts. Other optional information that you enter when subscribing – such as your first and last names or city are simply so that we can deliver more personalized email newsletters. We DO NOT sell, rent or market your information to any other parties. We retain your information only as long as necessary to provide your service. When we send emails, it collects some data about which users open the emails and which links are clicked. We use this information to optimize our email newsletters and, as aggregate information, to explain what percentage of our users open and interact with our newsletters.
Personal Data
We only collect personally identifiable information such as your name and email address when you sign up for a newsletter, donate to our organization, or otherwise submit it to us voluntarily. We do not share your personal data with any third parties other than some common service providers, whose products use your information to help us improve our site, deliver newsletters, or allow us to offer donation opportunities.
inewsource limits access to all user data for the purposes of newsletter, fundraising, and customer service only. User data is not sold to or otherwise shared with anyone not working with or for the inewsource.
You may unsubscribe or opt-out of our email and mail communications at any time by hitting the “unsubscribe” button in any email you receive from inewsource, or by emailing us at contact@inewsource.org or calling us at 619-594-5100.
Donor Information
The identities of all donors will be listed on our website. inewsource does not share, trade, sell, or otherwise release donors’ personal information to any third parties.
Refunds
If you encounter errors when donating on the website, please contact us at members@inewsource.org. For example, if you submit a donation for an incorrect amount or make a duplicate transaction please email us immediately so we can reverse the charges.
Cancellation of Recurring Donations
You can cancel your monthly recurring donations free of charge by notifying us at members@inewsource.org.
Links to Other Websites
Our site may contain links to documents, resources or other websites that we think may be of interest to you. We have no control over these other sites or their content. You should be aware when you leave our site for another, and remember that other sites are governed by their own user agreements and privacy policies, which should be available to you to read.
Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
Although we take reasonable steps to prevent the introduction of viruses, worms, “Trojan Horses” or other destructive materials to our site, we do not guarantee or warrant that our site or materials that may be downloaded from our site are free from such destructive features. We are not liable for any damages or harm attributable to such features. We are not liable for any claim, loss or injust based on errors, omissions, interruptions or other inaccuracies on our site, nor for any claim, loss or injust that results from your use of this site or your breach of any provision of this User Agreement.
Contact Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy, please contact us at contact@inewsource.org or call us at 619-594-5100.
Hey, a guy with an unzipped fly in a men’s restroom…betcha didn’t see that coming! The lengths to which these Peters cohorts witll go is just amazing…this is smarmy, ugly and stupid on every level…If I didn’t vote I would not vote for the arrogant self-serving aristocrat, Scott Peters. IMHO Lots of this stuff swirling around DeMaio is because he is gay–openly gay. I think the Bosich guy is enjoying his moment in the spotlighted sewer and feeling pretty powerful. There has been what, $5 mil spent on this campaign? Hope he got enough to salve his conscience. No altruism and God and country for the people in this story.
Linda, please be honest. Are you really trying to say that the Democratic party is not accepting of gays? You simply cannot be considered credible after a statement like that. Did you ever think that people might not like Carl DeMaio just because he is Carl Demaio?
Nope. Didn’t say that and don’t put words in my mouth. What I am saying is that however many gays there are in the Democrat party, they would not be averse to using DeMaio’s sexual orientation against him –hanging all the tawdry accusations like Christmas tree ornaments on DeMaio in the hopes that people (straight or not) will be so disgusted they will vote against their pocketbook and for Scott Peters. I think they would say anything it helped them get SP elected, simply because they have no successes to attach to Peters. In other words, plainly, they have no shame. IMHO.
I am going to keep this respectful here and simply politely disagree.
(1) Claiming the Anti-Gay Card against DeMaio: It might help if you clarify in your text to whom you are referring when you say, “they”. If “they” = gay Democrats, I think your claim that gay Democrats would support using DeMaio’s sexual orientation against him is wrong. If “they” = Democratic Party,I also think such a claim is wrong. I think there are plenty of reasons why people
are against voting for DeMaio that have nothing to do with his sexual orientation.
(2) Protecting the Pocketbook: When you talk about people voting
against their pocketbook if they vote for Peters, are you aware that business groups from the local level (Start-up Circle) to national level (US Chamber of Commerce) have backed Peters over DeMaio?
(3) “Arrogant Self-Serving Aristocrat”: This is quite the rude
comment to say about someone that I don’t believe you have ever met. It is a bit surreal to see Republicans suddenly demonizing financial success. Peters has donated significant portions of his salary when he did not have to. By any objective standard, he has been generous with his money. Using your metaphor, I must say this looks a lot like a tawdry accusation/Christmas tree ornament. IMHO.
(1) “they” being Democrat political operatives who would do or say anything to win.
(2) Start up Circle..? How important are they and what broad appeal/influence would they have save money in a dysfunctional government. What was the rationale for the Chamber to endorse Peters if they did Who else in the local business community wants him back? Roger Hedgecock blistered Peters and Richard Rider did too…these are fiscally conservative people who speak for many voters like me who care less about party and more about results. Scott Peters was one of a handful of people who nearly bankrupted the City as a 2 term councilman and I was appalled that he had the gall to run for the US Congress–and horrified when he won. A do nothing but go with the flow. He is a 98% vote in agreement with the current administration. “O U T, damned Scott,,” to paraphrase.
(3)Why is it rude/ He is arrogant. I have watched and been in the audience at many City Council meetings…he actually runs a pretty good meeting…but in spite of good manners, he comes across as self-important, entitled and dismissive. And unless you know him pretty well, how would you know whether or not we have met? Donating portions of his salary–well as one of the 5 richest guys in Congress, that doesn’t impress me too much. Besides I think it was Mrs. Peters who donated lots of money, as she is the one who had it. Her wealth, really.
Oh, one other gaffe that I remember besides the mismanagement of the Pension Fund was his getting busted for being a water hog for his estate, when widows and orphans were being fined for water over use…His was like 21 times more use than anyone else….Now that might be a slight exaggeration, as I haven’t really cared enough about Mr. Peters to follow and retain all of the verified mistakes he’s made. But certainly these are no “ornaments”!
(1) I can agree that there may be a handful of political operatives
on the left and right who would do almost anything for the win. I cannot support the implication, however, that such a philosophy is purely a Democratic-party phenomena.Overall, I think it unlikely that the majority of Democratics would be OK with bashing Carl for being gay. Can you agree with that?
(2) Of course Roger Hedgecock is going to be anti-Peters. Like you, I also care less about party and more about results. My point is that there are reasons why local entrepreneurs’ and the world’s largest business group do not support DeMaio. You are asking why, so please see the links below for answers:
http://www.scottpeters.com/press-releases/blockbuster-endorsement-us-chamber-of-commerce-backs-peters
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=ee6afc07-962f-42b2-891b-0e4df7ac9279&c=51fc4990-7cda-11e3-81a8-d4ae529ce120&ch=52c4a2a0-7cda-11e3-81fc-d4ae529ce120
(3) Well, again, I will simply respectively disagree. I consider it rude to call someone an “arrogant self-serving aristocrat” unless you KNOW that to be true. My ability to feel comfortable making such a statement would need to be grounded in more than how he “comes across” as viewed from the City Council audience seats.
I met with Scott in his office in DC and found him to be straight-forward, professional, and polite.
The accusations made by Bosnich were that DeMaio called him into his office with his pants around his ankles masturbating himself. While the allegations by Harper don’t go into that kind of detail, I think it’s safe to say this wasn’t DeMaio just “zipping-up”.