Blogs | Scam Diego
Waring Named to Housing Commission by 6-2 Vote
By Don Bauder | Posted June 9, 2009, 12:43 p.m.
Jim Waring, who championed Sunroad while he was Mayor Jerry Sanders's real estate czar, was approved for a seat on the Housing Commission today (June 9) by a 6-2 vote of city council. Councilmembers Donna Frye and Sherri Lightner voted against Waring, in a balloting that some have called a litmus test of the corruption level of the current council. Frye argued vociferously against Sanders's nomination and is still mad about the council's vote, according to an aide. When the Federal Aviation Administration complained that Sunroad had built an office building too close to Montgomery Field, Waring stood up for the company, complaining that real estate developers should not have to lose money. Waring also stood up for an affordable housing density bonus that opened the door to the breaking of the 30-foot height limit. And Waring did not force developer Doug Manchester to do a valid earthquake fault study for the Navy Broadway Complex, according to activist Katheryn Rhodes. Sunroad's chief executive had raised big bucks for Sanders, and huddled with the mayor over the FAA problem. Sunroad eventually took down the top part of the structure. Waring departed abruptly. Before being appointed, Waring had been an attorney for trusts of the late gangster Moe Dalitz and his Rancho Santa Fe daughter.
LOL...and people wonder why this City is so screwed up.
I had DeMaio and Emerald voting against JW (Hmm, I wonder if Jim Wating is our own JW?), looks like they both failed me on this one.
Same old same old-different day.
By SurfPuppy619 1:02 p.m., Jun 9, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #1: Jim Waring as JW? LOL. (There: even I am communicating in Tweeter Talk. Or is it Twitter? Or is LOL for text messaging only? Elucidate, please.) Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 1:35 p.m., Jun 9, 2009 > Report it
Very disappointing that DeMaio and Emerald voted for him. So much for the change and reform candidates...
By JakeSD 4:42 p.m., Jun 9, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #3: The 6-2 vote is utterly revolting. Reform is doubtful now. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 5:51 p.m., Jun 9, 2009 > Report it
"...some have called a litmus test of the corruption level of the current council..."
Who are the some? And quite a diverse spectrum of voices who are now considered 'corrupt by some'.
Did you even watch the hearing, Mr. Bauder? I thought Mr. Waring did a good job of explaining his actions and why he wanted to serve the city (in an unpaid position as one of several people on a commission where he would, again, be one of several).
By Kate123 10:16 p.m., Jun 9, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #5: I did not watch the hearing. At my age, I have to be careful about dyspepsia. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 7:59 a.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Johnny,
I'll reveal my secret identity in a private meeting with anytime. IF Don makes it back to SD I take you both to dinner, Don's choice. I've enjoyed our dialog. We may not always agree but it's the exercise that makes it worthwhile. Whether or not I am JW will be yours to ponder.
By JustWondering 8:37 a.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Waring can now go back to helping his developer buddies:
http://www.sdhc.org/dbwantdev1.shtml
By JakeSD 10:26 a.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #7: I already know what James Waring looks like, although I have never seen him in person. So if James Waring is JW, I think the secret will get out. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 10:51 a.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #8: Yes, the Housing Commission is trying to recruit developers. Waring certainly knows -- intimately -- a bundle of them. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 10:53 a.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Did you even watch the hearing, Mr. Bauder? I thought Mr. Waring did a good job of explaining his actions and why he wanted to serve the city (in an unpaid position as one of several people on a commission where he would, again, be one of several).
By Kate123 10
===========================
Hmmm....could "Kate123" possibly be James Thomas Waring??????
I have even money it is.
By SurfPuppy619 12:10 p.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #11: It doesn't have to be he. Waring has his fans; after all, he is in the pocket of the real estate development industry. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 4:12 p.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Response to #11: This will probably be a shock to people, but you're quite mistaken.
I am still curious about who "some" are from my original post.
By Kate123 6:59 p.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #13: Who are the "some?" Katheryn Rhodes sent around an email before Waring was officially named by the council, urging a "no" vote. Katheryn's email was then sent around to lists of people by several other reformers, enthusiastically supporting her position. I got several of them myself. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 9:24 p.m., Jun 10, 2009 > Report it
I was shocked to hear about James Waring's appointment to the Housing Commission on KPBS and disappointed not to read one word about it in voiceofsandiego.org. Only a supine and sold-out City Council would vote 6-2 for the Mayor's recommendation of a person he'd fired less than two years ago for his part in the outrageous Sunroad debacle.
I'd like to mention that it was then-City Attorney Mike Aguirre who revealed Sunroad's flaunting of FAA rules concerning a too-tall Sunroad office building adjacent to Montgomery Airport. It was Aguirre who finally forced Sunroad owner Aaron Feldman to remove the structure's offending top two floors. Jim Waring's defense of Sunroad brought too much negative attention to his boss, Mayor Sanders, just as Sanders was gearing up for a re-election campaign in 2008, so Sanders fired him over the Christmas hiatus of 2007. Subsequently it was revealed that Sanders had taken campaign contributions from Feldman and met secretly with him over the Sunroad dispute.
Anyway, I always appreciated Mike Aguirre's energy and willingness to fight for better city government here and I am grateful to Councilmembers Sherri Lightner and Donna Frye for not caving in on this disgraceful appointment.
By monaghan 5:36 p.m., Jun 11, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #15: You are correct on what happened. But I wonder if most San Diegans understand the truth. It was Aguirre who forced the issue, forced Sunroad to take the top off the building. Sanders was cozy with the Sunroad owner Feldman and met with him late in the game. But if you read the Union-Tribune propaganda during that period, you would have thought it was a great victory for Sanders. Both the U-T editorials and so-called news coverage of that whole incident were disgraceful. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 7:33 p.m., Jun 11, 2009 > Report it
Now that Aguirre's gone, the coastal eddy has returned to San Diego and the public mind is clouded and foggy. You are quite right to wonder if people understand what really happened. The Union-Tribune AND the little voiceofsandiego were determined to get rid of Mike Aguirre and they succeeded. The community is poorer for it, as this craven City Council vote for Jim Waring demonstrates.
Thanks, Don, for covering the story.
By monaghan 10:14 p.m., Jun 11, 2009 > Report it
Response to post #17: Both the business establishment and organized labor wanted Aguirre gone, because he was a threat to their hegemony. The U-T carried their water, as it has always done. Now the power structure has the place to itself again. Aguirre made mistakes, such as taking on too many reforms too quickly, but he didn't make the mistakes of his predecessors and his successor: to be for sale. Best, Don Bauder
By dbauder 6:27 a.m., Jun 12, 2009 > Report it