In My Orbit...
So Arizonans are fighting back against the boycotts and talk of boycotts by California cities, and San Diego has become the primary target. With border scariness of their own, you would think officials in San Diego would not have rushed to judgment. But they went there, and as a result, Arizonans are now canceling their typical vacation plans to the region. A pull quote:
"In many of the e-mails to the visitors bureau, Arizonans bluntly expressed their displeasure with San Diego’s stance on the illegal-immigration law and said that staying away was the best way of registering their protest.
'So you see when people in government start to boycott it goes both ways,' said one e-mail. 'You just lost our visits to our favorite places in your city and the $3,500 we had in our budget to spend there.' ”
Now, San Diego's tourism board is attempting to do damage control:
"In a draft letter yet to be approved by visitors bureau and hotel association leaders, Terzi sought to clarify the city’s position on the immigration law while stressing the respect the region has for Arizona’s visitors.
'While immigration is a complex and sensitive issue for our nation, we believe it needs to be addressed independent of actions that would harm our economies and hardworking residents,' states the letter. It implores prospective visitors to 'look past the political posturing and make your travel decision for all the right reasons.' ”
And this local official wins today's prize for the "Too Stupid to Run a Mile" category:
“ 'It’s sad that people would cancel their plans to come here in reaction to that, but I still think we did the right thing,' Jackson said. 'Certainly, we know how important tourism is to San Diego, and it wasn’t my intent to impact the tourism trade.' ”
San Diego, welcome to the law of unintended consequences. Some in Arizona canceling trips to S.D.
A potential runner-up for the "Too Stupid..." category is Nancy Salas, a UCLA student who disappeared last Wednesday after going for a morning run through Chevy Chase Canyon in Glendale. A manhunt lasting through the night was mounted, producing no telling evidence except that she had not been enrolled in UCLA since 2008. Salas turned up in Merced, California--265 miles NORTH of Glendale--claiming she had been abducted. This does not pass my smell test, and Glendale police are not satisfied with the story either, because they are still investigating. Stay tuned. Glendale woman reported missing found safe in Merced.
And here's a California group that could potentially get Arizonans' money: Recall City Hall. This grassroots organization is seeking to gather enough signatures and money to throw the bums out--not just Smilin' Tony--the entire clown posse that is the City Council. According to LAist:
"The group needs to collect 243,000 signatures in 120 days total. 'All we need is someone in Arizona who is angry enough to step forward with an independent campaign to help us out,' said [David] Hernandez."
The website is linked above, in the event that I have any Arizona readers who want to step up to the plate. I'm going to pop some popcorn, now.
Group that Wants to Recall Villaraigosa Looks to Arizona for Donations.