San Diego Reader

Judge Prager OKs convention center expansion tax

Tomorrow March 12 there is a Special Election for State Senate which includes Assemblymember Hueso. March 26, 2013 Council District 4 is having a Special Election for a new council member. It is very likely that Special Elections will be needed for the top two District 4 City Council candidates, Assemblyman Ben Hueso, and Lorena Gonzalez The next wave of required Special Elections should be together on one ballot. At that time the City Council can put citywide issues on the Ballot if they choose. The Chargers should also put up their plan for voters approval. Potential citywide Ballots language could include: Within the City of San Diego should our TRANSNET revenue administered by SANDAG be used for Transit First , including creating sustainable east-west pedestrian and bicycle corridors along the San Diego River, San Dieguito River, Chollas Crrek, and Otay Mesa? By this vote San Diegans authorize SANDAG to prioritize TRANSNET funds to update our local neighborhood community plans, and local streets. SANDAG is using the excuse of the 2004 public vote for forcing increases to our Freeways and not adhering to minimum future air pollution stadards. A 5 percent TOT increase to fund public infrastructure projects.
— March 11, 2013 6:26 p.m.

Chargers hawking combined convention center/roofed stadium

Financially, do you think San Diego should increase the TOT 5 percent for public infrastructure/needs, or just leave the annual $80 in bascially free money on the table? How would the ballot be worded to get the 2/3 voter approval needed to increase Hotel taxes?
— March 10, 2013 8:07 p.m.

Chargers hawking combined convention center/roofed stadium

Currently San Diego is leaving an annual $80+ million on the table through the Hotelier- and City Council pre-approved 5 percent increase to our Hotel Taxes, because everyone is afraid to put the issue to a public vote which needs 2/3 public approval. The private Hoteliers lack of cooperation to increase Hotel taxes for the benefit of all, is the reason we have such a low TOT rate compared to other big cities. Hopefully after the Hotel tax increase lawsuits are thrown out, a discussion on the merits of increase our extremely low TOT for infrastructure and public improvements will happen. Solution. Put the issue of increasing Hotel taxes to a public vote.Make the deal as sweet as possible for voters, and give environmentalist everything they want. Instead of 5 to 6 percent Hotel Tax Increase going to advertisement and the hotelier-only approved 5-acre Convention Center expansion; the legal 5 percent tax increase (annual $80 million) through a public vote could be used for advertisement, a 15-acre multi-purpose NFL Stadium and contiguous Convention Center expansion on our waterfront, or any other properly vetted infrastructure projects voted on by the public. Like a direct subway from downtown and the Old Town Trolley to the airport, by a full reclamation of our public tidelands. www.tinyurl.com/20120606a Farmers Insurance promised $600 million for the naming rights to the proposed AEG downtown Los Angeles NFL Stadium and Convention Center expansion. Now that the LA project has been turned down by the NFL, San Diego coiuld get the same deal to invest the same $600 million just in private naming rights for a multi-use NFL Stadium and Contiguous Convention Center Expansion. After the Hotel taxes are deemed illegal this week, San Diego will not have the 1- to 3-percent Special Tax to pay for the $575 million Convention Center Phase III Expansion, and the 2 percent TMD to advertise San Diego as a world wide tourism destination. In LA, the city taxpayers planned to pay for the foundation and off-site mitigation, with private AEG, Farmers Insurance, NFL, and private investors paying for the actual above-ground structure. Therefore, not one nickle of public funds for a NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles. It can be done. San Diego can get the same deal with the NFL declaring San Diego its West Coast Headquarters. Beautiful San Diego Bay is much more marketable than cramped downtown LA. If you could write a deal in favor of the taxpayers, what would the ballot language say in order to get the 2/3 public vote?
— March 10, 2013 4:37 p.m.

In Filner case, tangled tale of four GOP leaning judges

In the Navy Broadway Complex case, Judge Ronald Prager ruled that San Diego does not have any State-recognized Seismic Hazards including liquefaction and active faulting.do to a lack of digital State Seismic Hazard Maps. See Pages 22 - 23. www.tinyurl.com/20130117 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_fHftxFXFhyWE1... The Convention Center Special Tax hearing has been rescheduled to March 13, 2013 at 10 am.
— March 7, 2013 9:42 a.m.

Todd Gloria, staffer, hotelier and spouse signed nomination paper for judge who ruled against Filner

The Budget and Finance Committee chaired by Todd Gloria met on February 27, 2013 to discuss Item 4 Fiscal Year 2013 Mid-Year Budget Monitoring Report prepared by Mayor Filner. This issue has been sent to the full City Council for an upcoming hearing. www.tinyurl.com/20130227 Council President Todd Gloria has yet to schedule a hearing date to confirm the financial adjustments, and in fact may try to change the Mayor’s recommendations at the upcoming City Council hearing. Specifically as it relates to Balboa Park Traffic, and extending the $300,000 for Emergency Winter Homeless Shelter for 3 months in Fiscal Year 2013, which end June 30, 2013. http://granicus.sandiego.gov/ASX.php?view_id=16... Linked above, please see Video Start Time: 2 Hours and 16 minutes to 2 Hours and 20 minutes for Council President Todd Gloria comments on Mayor Filner’s Mid-Year Budget Recommendations. Todd Gloria wants alternative funding recommendations for the $3.6 million, and is not supportive of new Balboa Park Traffic Management Plan and the $500,000 costs. For the 3 month extension to the Emergency Shelter, Gloria wants the extension added in the fall in Fiscal Year 2014, instead of right now in Fiscal Year 2013. Gloria has also asked the City Attorney to prepare a legal memorandum to discuss legal and environmental CEQA reviews that were waived when siting the Temporary Winter Homeless Shelters. This is great news as we will finally get to see City Attorney Goldsmith’s misguided legal arguments, repeated by Council President Gloria, on the need for Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) for Homeless Emergency Shelters citywide.
— March 6, 2013 7:35 p.m.

Majority of Tourism Marketing District board didn't even vote to renew the Tourism Marketing District

Thank you for the study. Great reporting.
— March 1, 2013 3:42 p.m.

Convention center expansion would build into a glut

Gaylord got out of Chula Vista because they could not find a financial solution to pay for the subsurface infrastructure for their proposed project on liquefiable State tidelands. http://blogofsandiego.com/Elections/Prop-G/Gayl... http://blogofsandiego.com/Elections.htm#06/07/10 Of course local world class luxury Hotels can pay the City of San Diego living wage off $13+ and let everyone share the wealth created by our public lands. Or be like Manchester Grand Hyatt, and pay worker's minimum wage so that you can get rich off of publically owned land.
— February 13, 2013 9:44 p.m.

Convention center expansion would build into a glut

City Attorney Goldsmith has been commenting on the new Hotel Tax on SDROSTRA. Goldsmith gave himself a legal loophole that moved legal responsibility to the City Council for increasing taxes without the required 2/3 voter approval. See Page 6. "Absent clear direction from the courts or legislature, this Office advises that the City should not impose a new business-based assessment without voter approval unless the program of improvements and activities to be funded by the assessment can be limited to benefits or services provided directly to the charged businesses and not to others who are not charged." http://sdrostra.com/?p=32766 "Please see our July 7, 2012 Memorandum of Law, which is published on our website. Read it carefully, particularly pages 6 and 9. http://docs.sandiego.gov/memooflaw/MS-2012-21.pdf Jan Goldsmith The July 27 memo I cite above summarizes the legal issues and specifically references the TMD. We have more reports and legal opinions published. The issue before the city council was whether to move forward despite the risks we outline. The hotels point out that other cities competing for tourism dollars have done so and the lawyer hired by the TMD believes strongly that they have structured the TMD to meet the legal standards discussed in our memo. The TMD and city decided to move forward, but with some protections for the city. The city is protected through an indemnity provision in the TMD operating agreement (which the mayor has not signed). In addition, the funds collected under the new TMD are frozen — not being spent — until expressly authorized by the city council."
— February 13, 2013 10:33 a.m.

Filner ends pot dispensary crackdown; U.S. Attorney Duffy yet to respond

Laura Duffy and Bonnie Dumanis received Federal grants to combat the Mexican Drug Cartels. Instead of fighting organized crime and gangs, Duffy and Dumanis used the Federal grants to teamed with Mayor Sanders to go after the medical marijuana community in San Diego. The City of San Diego received millions in Federal grants for taking part in the Federal raids. The County of San Diego, Suprerior Court, and Federal Courts also received the Federal grant fund for the prosecution of the Mexican Drug Cartels and gangs. An audit should be done to see if Duffy and Dumanis used the Federal grant funds inappropriatedly, on their own personal vendetta.
— January 10, 2013 6:47 p.m.

Democrats rule in lucrative Filner committee appointments

According to our City Charter Mayor Bob Filner has the ”SOLE AUTHORITY” to appoint City representatives to outside agencies. Gloria and Zapf conspired with the City Attorney’s office to challenge the City Charter authority, “rights, powers, and duties” of the voter-approved Strong Mayor form of government. Specifically our City Charter Sections 265(b)(11 and 12). Pages 2 and 3 state: http://docs.sandiego.gov/citycharter/Article%20... “Section 265: The Mayor (b) In addition to exercising the authority, power, and responsibilities formally conferred upon the City Manager as described in section 260, the Mayor shall have the following additional rights, powers, and duties: (11) As provided for in Charter sections 41 and 43, the authority to appoint members of City boards, commissions, and committees, subject to Council confirmation; (12) Sole authority to appoint City representatives to boards, commissions, committees and governmental agencies, unless controlling law vests the power of appointment with the City Council or a City Official other than the Mayor;” City Attorney Goldsmith’s December 21, 2009 Report to the City Council RC-2009-33 “Authority to Make Appointments to Outside Organizations under the Mayor-Council Form of Governance” stated 16 times that then-Mayor Sanders had the sole authority to appoint SANDAG representatives. http://docs.sandiego.gov/cityattorneyreports/RC... Video start time: 1 Hour 16 Minutes. http://t.co/fBos30lQ
— January 9, 2013 9:39 a.m.