Quickies: Bilbray to Bardella to Issa, Dog Beach pot bust, San Pasqual Academy fundraiser...
Hot potato among North County GOP congressmen: Bilbray to Issa to Bilbray to Issa to national news -- The Kurt Bardella story
O.K., this is it for Vista Congressman Darrell Issa news this month, and we're only bringing it up because this also involves Brian Bilbray, your 50th Congressional District representative.
As has been reported by Politico, CNN and across the nation today, Issa canned former Bilbray press official Kurt Bardella, 27, who was earning $106,000 annually as Issa's deputy communications director. To wit:
"House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) fired one of the most prominent press secretaries on Capitol Hill today for improperly sharing reporters' emails with the New York Times' Mark Leibovich in connection with a book that the reporter is writing. The news that the committee was looking into Kurt Bardella's actions was first reported last night by Politico."
Actually, Bilbray and Issa have been staff-sharing for a while now. Bardella went from Bilbray's employ, to Issa's House Oversight Committee back to Bilbray, then back to Issa, all within a period of four years.
"The 27-year-old Bardella had a very unconventional style for a press secretary on Capitol Hill. The idea for most press secretaries is to make their boss the complete focus out front and work to control things behind the scenes. Bardella always seemed to enjoy being right out there with Issa, spoke very informally with his boss, and has been mentioned in the major profiles of the chairman -- which is highly unusual.
"The Times called Kurt Bardella Issa's 'mini-me.' And a recent New Yorker profile of Issa raised eyebrows among the Capitol Hill press corps when Bardella told the reporter that "some people in the press, I think, are just lazy as hell."
-- CBS News. For more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20037828-503544.html
No word on Bardella's future although Bilbray obviously has first dibs.
Dog Beach, Del Mar 3 a.m. Tuesday: Book 'em Danno...
Any night owls around Dog Beach early Tuesday may have gotten lucky, except the darn Border Patrol got in the way.
Border Patrol agents arrested two men on a panga boat -- that's a small skiff used primarily in Mexico and Central America -- along with 399 pounds of marijuana in 26 bundles.
About once a blue moon it seems, marijuana washes up around Dog Beach as smugglers attempt to take the loads on shore.
Agents saw the boat around 3 a.m near La Jolla., then followed its progress to Del Mar before lowering the boom.
The men were identified as Mexican national ages 28 and 41. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took custody of the men.
No further details were available.
Fundraiser to aid Jammer Family Foundation-San Pasqual Academy
The Jammer Foundation has a fundraiser at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 10 to raise money for the San Pasqual Academy Home Football Field Project.
"Guests are invited to mingle over select wine and appetizers while previewing the new line of Choo 24:7 Bags. A percentage of all sales from the event are being donated back from Jimmy Choo in support of the Jammer Family Foundation. "
For more information, contact:
danielle.barr@jimmychoo.com or jolanecrawford@sbcglobal.net.
