Sweetwater board candidate stumps on civility

**Tuesday October 7 5:30PM-7:45PM candidates for SUHSD Board areas 4 and 2 will be at South CV Library, 389 Orange Ave to speak with voters who live in these areas. We will be using both room A and B in the literacy section of the library so meetings with area 2 and 4 candidates can be in different rooms. Southwest Chula Vista Civic Association is hosting this meeting. All residents of these areas are welcome to attend. Area 4 basically is attendance area for Castle Park high and San Ysidro High. Area 2 is attendance area of Hilltop and Bonita. Voter registration forms will be available. Information: 425-5771**
— September 26, 2014 8:50 p.m.

Save Walk in Beauty -- 06/04/13 at Montgomery High School

This garden is the result of the efforts of students and staff at the school. We are grateful for the support and help of the Imperial Beach Job Corps teachers and students. We also received a lot of help from Mike Gorham and his landscaping students. Many other individuals and businesses made donations and or gave discounts.
— May 28, 2013 9:16 p.m.

SDG&E Defends Solar Rate Hike At County Hearing

Not out to make a profit? What a bunch of lies. This is a prime reason why public utilities should not be owned by private entities with stockholders to please. SDGE pays us solar users 4 cents per kilowatt for every extra kw we produce. It also pays all other producers of electricity only 4 cents per kw NO MATTER WHAT TIME OF DAY THEY BUY THE ELECTRICITY, but it sells that electricity for as much as 21 cents per kw to time of day users, which with smart meters we are all poised to become. They are making a fortune. Perhaps the more people who install solar the less electricity they sell at exorbitant rates as well as the more people conserve energy the less they sell. This is the number one reason that the money we pay towards energy conservation SHOULD NOT be going to SDGE to run the program. This program is totally in contradiction to their bottom line. A non-profit that has the mission to conserve energy should be running it. SDGE spends as much of the money as it can on staff and expenses. This whole garbage about paying for infrastructure solar users do not use is because SDGE is mad that the legislature informed them they must start paying those who over-produce for the excess energy they produce. SDGE wants that law changed. The dinosaur they are constructing at huge rate-payer expense-The Sunrise Powerlink is an example of how the utility builds unneeded infrastructure just so it can gouge more money out of rate payers. There are several large power lines that are under used coming into the state now and the more people and businesses installing solar and conserving the less need there is for out of area power. Sure killing the nascent solar industry in the state will help SDGE's bottom line. All they care about is profit. Cities and other government bodies need to start investigating taking over providing electricity to their citizens. This latest money grab should be the last! It is obvious that the future needs to be locally produced and locally used energy, not a grid that is very vulnerable to terrorists, accidents and all kinds of other nonsense which shuts off the power to huge numbers of people, instead of keeping any damage very localized.
— December 7, 2011 4:36 p.m.

Food 4 Kids Program Helps Families

Unfortunately the planned draconian cuts to Park and Recreation are going to eliminate the lunch program for children held during school breaks at the Recreation Centers, which are going to be open less than the two half days per week they are open now.
— April 3, 2011 7:12 p.m.

Castaneda Clean

These ridiculous charges against council people that have no basis in fact have to stop. The city can not afford all these unnecessary investigations. The negative advertising by Tom Shephard and the Lincoln Club all started when Cheryl Cox first ran for mayor. I don't know about the rest of Chula Vistans but I want this to stop. If that means getting rid of the instigator of it all then I hope we do this June 8.
— May 27, 2010 10:24 a.m.

Condo Excitement

While I agree it is unfortunate that our Bayfront may end up with all these high rise buildings and the plan clearly calls for too much development, the buffer zones are exactly the same size in both the Sweetwater Park and the Harbor Park plans. Also the port is working on adding a possible pedestrain only bridge between the two parks and getting land from the Marine Group Boat Works to expand the park in that section. There is a public road between the proposed hotel and the expanded existing Bayview Park which will not be changed at all only made larger. I would think it highly unlikely hotel guests paying $400 a room for all the amenities offered on site will be crossing the road in droves and crowding out local people at a passive strip of sand on a polluted Bay. The condos are across the road from the marina, which will have a pedestrian and bicycle path as well as shops under the proposed plan along its edge. The environment is being protected to a larger degree than previously by the current plan. If people object to the development then the alternative is no project. If that is what is wanted people should honestly say so instead of making up an issue about parks which would be the same size and of the same nature whether the Harbor Park or the Sweetwater Park alternative were adopted once the required environmental protection guidelines to get CCC and legal approval were added.
— May 23, 2010 12:06 p.m.

Just the Facts

Refried Gringo, If you lived in Chula Vista you would know that one of our biggest problems here is that a small group of families have been running the city for decades and who you know has way too much sway in government. Robert Fagin is the ideal candidate for City Attorney because he does not live here, has never practiced law here and does not know any of the insider families. We worked for an elected City Attorney to ensure an independent City Attorney not beholden to mayor and council for his or her job. Someone who will decide matters only based upon the law. Robert Faigin's opponent has been in private practice in Chula Vista and almost all his clients have been people having business with the city, which is why he is listed as a Municipal Law Attorney. These clients are the very same people who will continue having business with city hall. If he is elected their former attorney will be deciding their legal matters still. This clearly does not look independent and could require hiring outside council to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. He also is recieving financial support from law firms which work for the city, a sitting council member held an event for him, which the mayor's husband among other insiders attended, and he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Third Ave. Business Association, and numerous other local groups. Is there any issue that the City Attorney will have to give an opinion on that he does not have an existing connection to the players? Quite Possibly Not.
— May 13, 2010 11:37 a.m.

The Mad Hatter’s Chula Vista council meeting

55% of all taxes are supposed to go to schools. When Redevelopment gets 60% of all increased property tax in an area the schools lose. There are agreements sometimes where they get some of the money, but never the full amount they are entitled to. Of course the politicians like to say that the state just takes this money, but the state gives it to schools on a per pupil basis. This was designed to equalize the amount of money rich and poor schools receive. If the money goes to redevelopment agencies instead as 10% of property tax money does in San Diego County the state does not have adequate funds for all the schools. The state sometimes takes some of this through ERAF payments from Redevelopment Agencies, but someone has to pay for the schools. When a well to do city such as Coronado places the whole city in redevelopment they do not pay their fair share toward schools, which increases the budget difficulties of the state and short-changes all schools.
— January 31, 2010 8:14 p.m.

Get Involved -- 09/28/09 at MAAC Charter School

Southwest Chula Vista Civic Association (A BRIGHTER FUTURE THROUGH COMMUNITY ACTION) http://www.swcvca.org; PO Box 6064, Chula Vista, CA 91909, (619) 425-5771 · Do you have questions about solar electricity? · Would you like to know about solar water heating? COME ASK YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE ENERGY FOR YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS! Monday, April 27 6:45 PM MAAC Charter School 1385 Third Ave. (near Quintard) Martin Learn of Home Energy Systems & Someone from the city will present and answer questions about: · Ways city is exploring to help with costs. · Rebates and tax credits · Energy Conservation
— April 12, 2009 4:31 p.m.

A Little Warm, Mr. Ramirez?

Almost everyone who spoke at the meeting expressed distrust of the city council and how they would spend the money. Many wanted guarantees, which would make the ballot measure a 2/3rds vote to pass. As it is now the money will go to the General Fund and only require 50% plus 1 to pass. The City Manager tried to convince us that there would be safeguards to make sure past mistakes did not happen again, but nothing has been brought to council to discuss, and he indicated even though he was working late every night the details have not been worked out yet. This is really disappointing and not at all reassuring. Sitting in a building leased from the Finance Authority and requiring development fees to pay the rent, people were wise to be hesitant to trust. Since there are no development fees at this time the debt will need to be restructured at added cost. We need guarantees about how these funds will be spent. Since police and fire only delayed their raises for two years likely in three years some of money will go to paying these raises. We were recently told the new projection for the budget gap is now $15,163,000. A one cent tax increase should produce between 20 and 26 million per year unless the economy continues to deteriorate. There are so many unknowns.
— March 11, 2009 8:43 p.m.