In a dramatic show of just how fractured the relationship is between the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and the San Diego Lifeguard Association, 76 of 102 permanent lifeguards voted to form their own department called the “Marine Safety Department," and leave the Fire-Rescue Department.

Turnout was 92% with roughly 77% voting for the new department.

The vote, taken at Marina Village, authorizes the Lifeguard Union to publicly express concerns with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and demand a separation.

The Republican Party of Alaska is sending a message to its own: If you don't put party first, you can't run in the primary.

KTVA reported that the party recently voted to change its rules to kick three Republican lawmakers out of the primary for forming a coalition majority with Democrats and independents.

An overwhelming number of independent voters oppose the GOP tax reform plan, Gallup reported Tuesday. A slim 25 percent of non-affiliated voters say they support the tax plan, while 56 percent say they disapprove of the current bills.

Predictably, partisan voters divided up along party lines in the survey, with 70 percent of Republicans in favor of their party's efforts. Meanwhile, only 7 percent of Democrats feel the same.

The explosive FoxNews report that retired Rep. John Conyers, who stepped down on the heels of allegations of sexual misconduct, had "inside info" into the disappearance and murder of former federal intern Chandra Levy is not news to attorney and author Breton Peace or former Rep. Gary Condit.

On Friday, December 1, 2017, the Senate garnered sufficient votes to pass their version of tax reform legislation. Previously, the House had already passed their plan for tax reform.

At this point, the two plans will need to be reconciled before a final bill goes to President Trump for approval.

Critics of the legislation claim that it has been rushed already without consideration for the long-term consequences the bills could bring. Regardless of what happens during the reconciliation process, millions of American lives will be impacted.

A new mailer is gradually making its rounds on social media allegedly from the Doug Jones for Senate Committee, in the special US Senate election in Alabama.

The focus is on current sexual assault allegations against Republican Roy Moore, but does the mailer go too far?

Per source in AL, here’s the new Doug Jones mailer. Ostensibly, it’s meant to up black turnout. pic.twitter.com/tyX1fppj5h

Independent businessman Greg Orman looks like he may be taking another shot at defeating two-party politics in Kansas -- this time for governor. Orman’s campaign announced he has formed an exploratory committee and has just launched a new website.

US Rep Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) released a video over her social media channels raising awareness on the issue of net neutrality and the fundamental reasons why she believes reversing Obama-era regulations would be devastating to the industry and consumers.

"Without net neutrality, internet providers will be able to throttle internet speeds, block websites behind paywalls, unfairly favor some content over others, and charge you extra fees for high-quality streaming," Gabbard says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5watZ8UMqU

US Rep. John Conyers announced Tuesday that he is "retiring today" amidst a sexual harassment scandal and growing calls for him to step down. The announcement comes the same day NBC News published new allegations against the congressman by a former staffer who says Conyers "inappropriately touched" her.

This week, T.J. O’Hara is joined by Lenny Mendonca on the IVN podcast, A Civil Assessment.

Lenny Mendonca is a Senior Partner Emeritus from the Washington D.C. and San Francisco offices of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. He is a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and co-chair of California Forward. He is also an advisor to several entrepreneurs. Over the course of his career he helped dozens of government, corporate, and nonprofit clients solve their most difficult management challenges.