Entries
Fiesta Bowl Execs Partied in San Diego
Call it the Junker Junket -- one of many. Phoenix's Fiesta Bowl (a college football bowl game) has fired its chief executive, John Junker, for lavish spending, inappropriate political contributions by employees, and political dealings beyond the scope of a …
Issa's Earmarks Meant to Line his Pocket: Publication
The liberal publication Think Progress says that North County Congressman Darrell Issa is trying to use earmarks to enhance the value of his real estate investments. One of Issa's most valuable properties is a medical office building at 2067 West …
Minkow Will Help Prosecution Investigate Developer
Barry Minkow, fraudster turned pastor/investigator, then charged with fraud himself, will help U.S. prosecutors investigate a San Diego developer, according to the Los Angeles Times. In a plea bargain, Minkow will help federal prosecutors investigate a San Diego developer who …
Minnesota Accuses Encore Capital of "Robo-Signing"
Minnesota's attorney general accused San Diego-based Encore Capital Group of filing "robo-signed" affidavits in debt collection lawsuits, according to Reuters. Encore's stock was down as much as 10.3% yesterday (March 28) but ended the day down 3%. Today, it's down …
Case-Shiller Data Suggest Possible Housing Double-Dip
Housing data for January, released today (March 29) by Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller, show home prices off to "a dismal start in 2011," says S&P economist David Blitzer. San Diego, however, was one of only two metro areas showing gains, but …
City Advertising for Redistricting Support Services
The City of San Diego's Purchasing & Contracting Department has sent out a request for proposal for professionals to provide council redistricting services.The City is looking for contractors for mapping software; data processing and analysis; preparation and review of proposed …
Where Are County Job Needs Greatest? Registered Nurses
The Employment Development Department has come out with a new product that counts online and print employment ads for the county each month. For February, the most ads appeared for registered nurses, 1009. Others in order: computer software engineers 934; …
San Diego Gaining Jobs, but Unemployment Rate Still above 10%
San Diego County's unemployment rate in February was 10.1%, down from a revised 10.4% in January and below the year-ago 10.6%. This compared with California's 12.3% and the nation's 9.5% over the same period, according to the state Employment Development …
Biotech to Sell Stock below Market. So Stock Plunges
Biotech MediciNova plummeted 25.28% today to $2.66, even though it was a good day for the market and pharmaceuticals. On Wednesday, the stock closed at $3.56. But the company announced a public offering of 2.75 million securities priced at $3 …
Minkow Charged with Securities Conspiracy
Barry Minkow, ex-convicted Ponzi schemer who ran the Fraud Discovery Institute while a San Diego pastor, was charged by Miami federal officials today with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, according to Bloomberg News. Earlier this month he said he would …
U-T Employees Restive Again -- Understandably
Union-Tribune employees are wondering once again just who will own their company, or whether the U-T could be folded into a conglomeration of Southern California papers. Two management missteps fomented the worry. First, the company said early this year that …
Fed to Release Information on Wall Street Loans during Crisis
The Supreme Court today (March 21) refused to intervene in a long-running Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit filed by Bloomberg News in 2008. Thus, the Federal Reserve will have to release information on emergency loans it made to Wall …
Aztecs to Lose in Second Round of Lobbying Tourney
Matt Potter has sent along a new version of March Madness. This has all the brackets of the teams. However, the winner of each game is determined by how much the school spends on lobbying, not by the score of …
Local Law Firm Looking into Bridgepoint
The San Diego plaintiffs' securities law firm of Robbins Umeda said today (March 17) that it is looking into possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other possible violations of laws at Bridgepoint Education. The stock dropped 3.32% to $18.08, but …
El Centro Unemployment Rate Down to 28%
"For two years, El Centro has struggled with the highest unemployment rate in the country," says the New York Times in this morning's (March 17) edition. The rate peaked at 32% last summer and is now down to 28%. "Some …
Minkow to Plead Guilty to Insider Trading
The Los Angeles Times is reporting in a story meant for tomorrow (March 17) that Barry Minkow, the former Ponzi schemer who was believed to have become a reformer, will plead guilty to insider trading. He has resigned as minister …
San Diegan Gets Only Probation for Stashing Funds Offshore
San Diegan Jeffrey Chatfield was given a mere sentence of three years of probation today (March 14) for hiding assets in secrecy-shrouded tax havens of the Bahamas and Switzerland. U.S. District Judge Michael Annello did the sentencing. Chatfield was also …
SD Unemployment Rises to 10.3%
The unemployment rate in San Diego County rose to 10.3% in January from a revised 10.1% in December, as the county lost 17,600 jobs. The biggest loss was in retail, 5,000 jobs, which which were affected by seasonal factors. Employment …
City's Latest Attempt to Thwart Kessler Suit Fails
The City of San Diego submitted a writ to the appeals court, claiming that Scott Kessler, who is suing the City over his firing, did not exhaust his remedies by going to the Ethics Commission before going to court. The …
Lerach: Don't Blame Public Union Members. Blame Wall Street
Former San Diego securities plaintiff lawyer Bill Lerach has a powerful piece in Saturday's (Feb. 26) Huffington Post. Title: "Blame Wall Street, Not Hard Working Americans, for the Pension Funds Fiasco." He touches on several key matters: 1. The dismantling …