http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/31/34748/ Opponents of Proposition 30, led by Richard Rider of San Diego Tax Fighters and Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, gathered this afternoon at Tuna Harbor Park near the USS Midway museum to make their case against …

A shootout occurred Tuesday evening, October 30th, in a popular Tijuana strip club parking lot which left a state police officer injured. The shootout occurred just outside of the Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club around 9pm, which is in the Zona …

The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee has entered the local election with big league support. According to a recent filing, county supervisor Greg Cox through Friends of Greg Cox for Supervisor 2012 gave the chamber PAC $7,500. …

Grover Norquist, the anti-tax hero of the Tea Party, continues to pour money into the hotly contested race for the 52nd congressional district race between Scott Peters and Brian Bilbray. Today, Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform foundation announced …

Rancho Santa Fe mega-millionaire John Moores is one of the most infamous switch-hitters of San Diego politics. When he arrived in San Diego from Texas after buying the Padres in 1994, Moores was a Democrat, and so friendly with President …

The Associated Press has moved Irwin Jacobs from President Obama's second-most giving donor to fourth, in an October 31 article. As we reported on October 22, the AP initially had placed Jacobs higher on the top-five donor list but has …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department has been awarded a $300,000 grant via the California Office of Traffic Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in order to continue administering the countywide “Avoid the 15” campaign against drunk driving, which has …

Larry Remer, the publicist and local progressive, is slamming the Voice of San Diego, the online publication. The subject is ethics. The tale is hilarious, and I thank Matt Potter for alerting me to it. Some history is in order. …

Police say alcohol involved in incident

A small crowd of Ocean Beach residents gathered at the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue around 7:30 Tuesday evening, attracted by a plethora of emergency vehicles, including police cruisers, fire trucks, an ambulance, city lifeguards, and a police helicopter focusing …

The San Diego county Deputy District Attorney's Association has been piling up some major cash for its push against Proposition 34, the anti-death penalty measure on November's ballot, as well as in favor of Republican Steve Danon, the Brian Bilbray …

David Copley, the heir to the Copley fortune who retired from the newspaper publishing business in 2009 when he sold his flagship paper the Union Tribune to Beverly Hills–based Platinum Equity, has not retired from giving money to politicians. Late …

The incoming Mexican President, Enrique Peña Nieto, continues to state that he intends to open up the national oil industry to private investment. Peña Nieto believes private investment is necessary to boost Mexico’s economy and take advantage of the countries …

Scam exploited bank's software glitch.

Local FBI officials, in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney, have indicted 14 individuals in San Diego in charges related to a scheme investigators have dubbed “Gone in 60 Seconds,” which allowed them to defraud Citibank of more than $1 million …

San Diego County home values rose 0.9% in August from July, according to data released this morning by Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller. That's the same as the composite 0.9% gain of the 20 largest metro areas. Year-over-year, local home values rose …

Smoke canister used in SWAT team training set blaze

A brush fire that burned four acres in El Cajon on Saturday has officially been linked to training exercises conducted by the city’s Special Weapons and Tactics team, El Cajon Police Chief Jim Redman announced yesterday. Several homes on Hacienda …

According to Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) data released this morning (Oct. 30), U-T circulation declined for all but its Saturday edition between Sept. 30, 2011 and Sept. 30, 2012. Sunday circulation dropped from 368,723 in fall of last year …

In a little over a week, residents of San Diego will no longer have to sift through political slate mailers to retrieve a bill or letter. But until then avoiding that task will be virtually impossible. Slate mailers have become …

A young multi-felon admitted three new felonies in a plea deal this morning in the Vista courthouse. Chase Evans Jenkins, 25, today admitted car theft and first degree burglary of an inhabited home and possession of hypodermic needle while in …

A charge filed against a Fallbrook handyman was dismissed today, after a prosecutor said there were witness “credibility” problems. Forty-year-old Paul Singh is known as a handyman around the neighborhood of North Pico Avenue, where he used to live, according …

Almost 150 inmates were transferred out of state prisons in Baja California to a new federal prison in Ocampo, Guanajuato Sunday evening, October 28th. The federal inmates being held in state prisons were taken from Tijuana, Ensenada, and Mexicali. Mexico’s …

Real estate agents usually tout the quality of neighborhood schools in their come-ons to would-be homebuyers, but this year at least, the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors is sending another message. According to a Friday filing posted online by the …

The California Board of Accountancy officially announced today (Oct. 29) that Escondido accountant Ronald Klingensmith has admitted the accuracy of charges filed by the board and has lost his license. The accounting firm of Ron Klingensmith & Associates will cease …

The UC San Diego campus this morning launched its “24/5 Study Commons” area within the iconic Geisel Library that will remain open throughout the school year, with round-the-clock hours beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday and continuing through 6 p.m. …

Juan Boyce, chair of the Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio has refuted claims that his committee is a shadow committee with ties to the Medical Marijuana industry. In an October 27 email, Boyce had some harsh words for …

The severely ailing Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois has dropped two San Diego money managers. According to an announcement last Friday, the fund dropped Brandes Investment Partners, which was managing $655 million in international stocks, and Denali …

El Cajon Police arrested 18 year-old Mohammed Muhsin Albatat and three juveniles on burglary charges Saturday night after being called to a residence on the 1200 block of Yerba Verde Drive in the Fletcher Hills neighborhood. Shortly before 8 p.m., …

U-T San Diego has revealed on its North County website that it has entered escrow to sell its 4-acre Escondido site -- former home of the North County Times -- to Classical Academy charter school. U-T got $7 million in …

The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation has given $17,000 to a group backing Ray Ellis, the La Jolla Republican city council candidate who is hoping to unseat first district Democratic incumbent Sherri Lightner. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/27/34441/ According to an October 25 …

A United States fugitive was arrested in eastern Tijuana this week after U.S. Marshals collaborated with Baja state police in finding the suspect. Kenneth David Melton, a 56 year old alleged drug trafficker from Texas, was arrested by the international …

A man accused of hammering his mother to death and cutting her body into pieces is set to be in court Tuesday, October 30. At this hearing, attorneys are expected to set a date for a preliminary hearing, in mid-November. …

It's safe to assume that the primary goal for the Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio in 2012 is to see DeMaio become San Diego's next Mayor. But there's always an element of risk in assuming anything, especially in …

A copper-cobalt-zinc-manganese mine located near the town of Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur is hoping for more money from Korean investors in order to continue with the ongoing project. Baja Mining, which is in charge of the project named Boleo, …

California Highway Patrol officers and San Diego Sheriff Department deputies closed off a section of San Vicente Road in Ramona early yesterday morning after receiving reports of a man walking through the rural residential community openly displaying a gun. Shortly …

A group comprised of various faith-based and labor-backed organizations led by Rabbi Laurie Coskey of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice gathered this afternoon to speak out in favor of Proposition 39, which would eliminate an option for businesses that …

Veolia Water North American Operating Services, Inc., a Chicago-based based subsidiary of the French corporate giant Veolia Environment, has given $5,000 to the San Diego's GOP Lincoln Club, according to a filing posted online Tuesday by the California Secretary of …

The Super PAC supporting Tea Party hero, Representative Allen West of Florida, has received a hefty donation from one wealthy resident of San Diego. Robert Shillman, founder and chairman of Cognex Corporation gave the Treasure Coast Jobs Coalition, the pro-West …

As the race for San Diego mayor heads for the wire, it's getting harder to keep track of which big money players are giving to what causes. Take for example, the case of the San Diego Restaurant & Beverage Political …

The District Attorney's office has shut down yet another medical marijuana dispensary in the City of San Diego. Yesterday agents and police officers raided the Next Generation Cannabis Club on San Ysidro Boulevard. The raid comes one day after a …

A group of five alleged kidnappers were apprehended Tuesday evening, October 23rd in Tijuana after a freed captive contacted municipal police. One of the alleged kidnappers arrested is David Servín Rodríguez, the son of David Servín. The elder Servín is …

Ruling may set protective precedent for controversial storefront medical marijuana dispensaries.

A California appeals court yesterday reversed the 2010 conviction of medical marijuana dispensary manager Jovan Jackson, who was sentenced to six months in jail in 2010 for possessing and selling cannabis for profit. The Reader first reported on Jackson’s intent …

A man arrested on suspicion of a series of bank robberies in San Diego County will be prosecuted through the federal court system, an informed source said yesterday. A person can be charged with robbery-of-a-bank-teller and that case will go …

“Mister Pines was arrested in Mexico, then extradited to the U.S. on our request,” said prosecutor James Romo. The much-arrested and disbarred attorney Michael Theodore Pines failed to appear for two court hearings in a row, and two weeks ago …

Chula Vista city council voted October 23 to disband the Tourism Marketing District. A grand jury report released on the subject in June suggests funds were mismanaged.

The Chula Vista city council voted October 24 to disestablish the Tourism Marketing District. The action was prompted by a petition of 53% of the city's hoteliers requesting the district be dissolved. In December 2008 Supervisor Greg Cox gave the …

On October 13th, the first home to shelter Mexicans deported from the United States who served in the U.S. military opened in Rosarito. Fox News Latino reported today, October 24th that numerous Mexicana have served in the U.S. military thinking …

The Downtown San Diego Partnership, the non-profit corporate booster that administers downtown assessment districts, will soon have a new and improved website. The Partnership plans to spend $38,500 to $41,500 on the new site. The vast majority of the cost, …

Book retailer Barnes & Noble said today (Oct. 24) that customers shopping at 63 of its stores as recently as last month may have had credit or debit card information stolen, according to Reuters. Barnes & Noble said it had …

But the number of San Diego home sales considered "distressed" is the lowest in the state

Consumers attempting to dispose of “underwater” real estate by conducting a short sale, in which lenders accept a payoff of less than the full amount due, are having an easier time than in recent years, though the transactions are still …

After months of fundraising by those having a special financial interest in what happens at San Diego's city hall, the cash has begun to fly in record amounts during the final run-up to next month's mayoral election. Major television advertising …

A single San Diego man appears to have been responsible for a string of residential burglaries spanning the 100 through 400 blocks of Stratford Court in Del Mar, all on the night of October 22. As Sheriff’s deputies were investigating …

Karen Grant, a former assistant career services dean at Thomas Jefferson School of Law has filed a declaration stating that she was told by her supervisor to pad employment numbers. Publications such as Law School Transparency and the National Law …

Southern California Edison has powered up the steam generators at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in order to conduct testing on upgrades completed last January before the minor radiation leak at the plant’s Unit 3 reactor idled both units …

A Mexican army special forces soldier was arrested in Tijuana Tuesday, October 22nd, in connection with kidnapping a civilian. The soldier, whose identity has not been released, was arrested by local police in the Zona Río after the victim specifically …

According to a report released October 16 by the California State Auditor, the San Diego Community College district, along with five other California schools, failed to adequately comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime …

Was a computer glitch really to blame for Mitt Romney's failure to pay more than $18,500 in city fees on time? The U-T San Diego claimed that was the case. Public records, however, seem to show otherwise. The records show …

Three guards at Centinela State Prison in the Imperial Valley east of San Diego are recovering after being attacked by inmates last Friday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is reporting. Shortly after 6 p.m., two correctional officers conducting …

San Diego home values rise faster than most other metro areas in Zillow report, but SD is not in top ten turnaround markets.

National home values rose 1.3% in the third quarter, according to a Zillow report released this morning (Oct 23), and year-over-year values rose 3.2%. Among the 30 largest markets, San Diego did better than the nation, rising 3.2% in the …

San Bernardino, which went into Chapter 9 bankruptcy in August, is not making its regular contribution to the California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) according to a story in today's (Oct. 22) Wall Street Journal. An official told the Journal …

After a neighbor notified authorities, a 14-year-old girl was rescued from her family in Tijuana, who is believed to have forced her into prostitution over the last year. A prosecutor was investigating a wreck in the colonia Granjas Amparo Sánchez …

The FBI said a man suspected of robbing six banks and one CVS pharmacy was taken into custody last weekend. Aaron Alan Hyman, 27, is accused of being the “Chubby Bandit” seen in banks’ surveillance video and featured on the …

Bob Filner's camp continues to cast doubt on the results from a recent U-T San Diego and University of San Diego poll that showed Councilmember Carl DeMaio with a ten-point advantage in the mayoral race. The results have raised concerns …

A jury declared Debbie Pacheco Sumi guilty of three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, today, after a two week trial. Three persons were killed on the side of highway 78 two years ago, in August 2010, when a …

Groups say proposed residential project in Carmel Valley is subject to 1985 law that requires voter approval to re-zone land

A group of about two dozen activists gathered outside city hall this afternoon to protest approval granted by the San Diego Planning Commission to a proposed large-scale seniors’ residential development in the Carmel Valley area named Rancho Del Mar. The …

The Associated Press is out with a dispatch ranking controversial La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs as second in the nation among contributors to the re-election cause of President Barack Obama. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/22/34100/ With total Obama-related donations of $2.122 million, Jacobs is …

A suspect remains on the loose after a botched armed robbery at the Welldeck Liquor store on the 3700 block of Avocado Boulevard in the unincorporated La Mesa community of Rancho San Diego late Saturday morning. Witnesses described a “possibly …

The Califorina Public Utilities Commission late last week issued a proposed ruling on funding Southern California Edison, operator of the idled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, hopes to recover from ratepayers. One of the items on the list asks electricity …

A group of three men are now in custody for the September 16th murder in Ensenada of Cinthia Yadira Iriarte Crespo. Mora Murillo, who is 32 years old, 20 year old Gálvez Neftali Sanchez and 28 year old Edgar de …

Staffers for Scott Peters, the Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray in the 52nd congressional district, along with a handful of media, gathered this morning at the candidate's headquarters for the latest news conference held to announce an endorsement …

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is looking to acquire the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, according to a story today (Oct. 20) in the Los Angeles Times. Chicago-based Tribune Company, which is expected to emerge from bankruptcy soon, owns both …

Union members get paid to walk precincts in support of Bob Filner

Recent campaign disclosures show employee unions continue to toss thousands of dollars into San Diego's mayoral race. As of October 17 the political committee, San Diegans for Retirement Security which is comprised of union powerhouses, American Federation of State, County, …

Jail records show that Michael Theodore Pines was arrested about 8 p.m. yesterday, and is currently held in San Diego’s downtown jail. The Sheriff’s website states that Pines was captured by U.S. Marshals and booked Friday evening, October 19, 2012. …

A new pro-DeMaio political committee, Conservatives for Gay Rights In Support of Carl DeMaio for San Diego Mayor 2012, might not be all that "pro" DeMaio after all. Some DeMaio supporters continue to question the intentions of the political committee, …

Construction crews waiting to get to work on building a bypass road from the Cabrillo Bridge to a new parking garage behind the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park will have to wait until mid- February 2013 to break ground. According …

A group of Tijuana municipal police will begin a training program instructed partly by United States ex-military and ex-law enforcement officers serving as instructors. The group of 125 officers will be part of an ongoing program to give continuing training …

Juan Alberto Rocha Jr., now 21, was sentenced this morning to 15-years-to-life for his part in a gang stabbing that killed a man, more than a year ago. His two-week trial finished last summer. Rocha was reportedly part of a …

The county's unemployment rate dropped to 8.4% in September from 9% in August, according to the state Employment Development Department. However, the county gained only 200 jobs in the month. The big gainer was local government, up 4,100 jobs, but …

23 year-old Bryce Zubicki of Temecula has been sentenced to three years’ probation and a six month suspended jail term related to the June 2011 attempted theft of two goats from Fallbrook High School’s agricultural department, Valley News is reporting. …

The New York Times has reported that Howard Willie Carter II, arrested for child porn in San Diego Wednesday, has been linked to a Bangladeshi man who is accused of plotting to blow up the New York Federal Reserve in …

Pat Zaharopoulos, who became temporary executive director of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network on Oct. 8, resigned today (Oct. 18), explaining that her knowledge of non-profits was too limited. She succeeded Kim Malcolm, who lasted only a few months, and …

On heels of FBI deal, DeMaio catches a break from the Feds.

GOP hotel mogul Doug Manchester's U-T San Diego reported this afternoon that U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy has jumped into San Diego's mayoral fray with both feet, calling Democratic congressman Bob Filner's behavior at a weekend forum "uncivil." “Our apologies that …

El Cajon Police are searching for perhaps the least competent car thief in recent memory after a brief rampage left a local resident’s Chevrolet Suburban wrecked less than a mile from where it was stolen. Around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning …

Two Democratic members of the San Diego city council, already safely re-elected, have been giving their surplus campaign funds - gathered in large part from an array of special interests with business at city hall - to the county Democratic …

San Diego State University will hold a “topping off” ceremony this morning to celebrate completion of construction of the steel framing for its new Student Union building, whose final beam will be placed at 11:30. The framing project began on …

Naming rights to the San Elijo Lagoon, which lies between the coastal communities of Solana Beach and Cardiff, have been put out for bid, Coast News reports. “This is a rare opportunity and helps us raise money for the land,” …

A man accused of using the identities of his mom and dad to run up more than $3 million in debt admitted all 48 felony counts in court yesterday. He could get up to 41 years in prison, according to …

A 23-year-old woman admitted two more counts of shoplifting yesterday, and expects to get 3 years in prison, according to her felony plea deal. Nhu Quynh Truong admitted “commercial burglary” of two different stores, last June. Those two businesses are …

Forensic experts for both prosecution and defense gave conflicting testimony this week, in the triple-manslaughter trial of a woman accused of being the driver in a fatal highway crash. Thirty-six-year-old Debbie Pacheco Sumi denies that she was behind the wheel …

The world famous Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will start in Ensenada this year, as more than 200 all-terrain vehicles will line up to race down the Baja peninsula. The race is considered by most to be the world’s …

Civic San Diego, the offshoot of the former Centre City Development Council, announced plans last week to install between 100 and 200 bike racks and 3-6 bicycle corrals, or repurposed street parking areas, around the Downtown area in coming months, …

The matter of a politician paying his spouse from a campaign committee has long served as political attack fodder in San Diego. The most recent example came earlier this month when a U-T San Diego editorial blasted Democratic congressman Bob …

The California Public Utilities Commission is moving toward opening a formal investigation into the troubled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, with a vote scheduled for next Thursday, October 25. Such a probe has reportedly been in the works for nearly …

New housing numbers out from the California Association of Realtors show housing prices up but sales numbers down in September, as inventory throughout the county and state remains tight, particularly in the sector of bank-owned homes, which have made up …

The journalist who was killed earlier this week in Tijuana, Ramón Abel López Aguilar, was allegedly shot during a dispute with his daughter’s boyfriend. Raúl Velázquez Hernández, the 22 year old suspect, admitted to killing López and throwing his body …

Tech equipment maker Cymer has agreed to be purchased by ASML Holding NV, Europe's largest semiconductor maker, for $2.6 billion. Cymer shareholders will receive $20 in cash and 1.1502 ASML ordinary shares, according to Bloomberg News. That's 72% higher than …

Pictured: Linda Wagner speaking to the media about EyeCandy Residents have been in an uproar since the nude dancing club, EyeCandy, took up residence on Chula Vista's Bayfront Boulevard. On October 15, a council candidate, Linda Wagner, marched on city …

U.S Customs and Border Protection officers in Calexico, just southeast of El Centro in Imperial Valley, intercepted just shy of a half million dollars in cash that a 24 year-old San Bernardino resident was attempting to sneak across the border …

As the day of the November election draws ever nearer, campaign cash continues to pile up at a record pace. The latest big money players include the San Diego Association of Realtors IMPAC, which, according to a disclosure filing posted …

The Port of San Diego has announced a series of meetings, beginning this Thursday at 4:30 at the Port’s administration building on Pacific Highway, to address the issue of news racks that dot the bayfront and implement a new ordinance …

The publication Business Insider has published a list of American law schools with the worst employment records -- that is, percent of 2011 grads that were unemployed or seeking employment nine months after graduation. The data are from the Wall …

A woman who claims to be the daughter of the leader of the Sinaloa cartel was arrested at the San Ysidro port of entry on Friday, October 12th in San Diego. Alejandrina Gisselle Guzmán Salazar, who is 31 years old, …

An environmental watchdog group has penned a letter critical of several key points of the plan issued by Southern California Edison, operators of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, to resume power generation activities at one of the plant’s two …

Defense is expected to begin their case today, in a two-week trial for 34-year-old Debbie Pacheco Sumi. The petite woman is charged with killing three persons on the side of highway 78 more than two years ago. An “accident reconstruction …

The trial date for a murder case involving a cop shooting was delayed again, moved from the end of this month out to December. Ronald Jay Sisson, now 39, was charged with murder after police reportedly shot and killed a …

Bridgepoint Education announced in a filing Monday (Oct 15) that it is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department. Bridgepoint stock plummeted almost 9% in after-hours trading. Bridgepoint said investigators are looking into compensation of its admission personnel. The Department …

California Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Maribeth A. Bushey today (Oct. 15) issued a decision rejecting the attempt by San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Co., units of Sempra Energy, to get ratepayers to pick up …

A journalist was found dead early Monday morning, October 15th, after suffering a bullet wound to the head. Ramón Abel López Aguilar, a 53 year old journalist and photographer, was found dead around 6:00am shortly after being reported missing. Local …

There's San Diegans for Reform in Opposition to Bob Filner - Mayor 2012, and there's San Diegans in Support of Bob Filner for Mayor - 2012. There's Too Extreme for San Diego - a committee to oppose Carl DeMaio for …

September’s foreclosure numbers are out, and according to ForeclosureRadar the trend of decreasing foreclosure activity continues, despite speculation that the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, which takes effect January 1, would encourage lenders to push as many delinquent loans through …

A police officer was shot and killed while in pursuit of three suspects in Tijuana Sunday evening, October 14th. Another officer was also wounded in the attack; both were assigned to the K-9 unit. Other officers in the area quickly …

Three-and-a-half-year-old Kai Williams enjoyed sitting behind the wheel of a shiny red truck in Carlsbad yesterday. Kai came with his Dad and sister to participate in the open house at a new safety center, located at 5750 Orion Way, on …

Police canine Tyson and partner Corporal Alonso De Velasco demonstrated their work yesterday, at the Carlsbad safety center. Officer DeVelasco first drove up in his patrol car before a roped-off crowd, then got out of his car and spoke to …

A team of rescuers swarmed a crushed car during a demonstration at the Carlsbad safety center yesterday. Three different power tools were used on a sample traffic-collision-casualty, and the car was taken apart in surprisingly few minutes. The child-mannequin inside …

The weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 13-14) shows how the convention center industry keeps expanding into a glut. Although leisure travel has recovered from the deep recession, convention business has not made similar gains, says the Journal. …

Recently, the board of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network wrote a letter to its co-founder, Michael Shames, demanding that he return $474,000 that he took as bonuses on intervenor fees the organization was awarded for participation in matters of the …

Trial began this week for a 34-year-old woman who is charged with three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter resulting from a collision on the side of highway 78 more than two years ago. Debbie Pacheco Sumi is accused of running …

New analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Asian Pacific American Coalition finds that San Diego’s Asian community “is in last place for voter registration and voter turnout among all ethnic groups.” Asians comprise the fastest-growing ethnic …

Oceanside Police finished a special operation in which they arrested 11 persons associated with drug and gang activity, they announced in a press conference this week. The special investigation began four months ago, police said, when they put a wire-tap …

Two pro-DeMaio LGBT political committees -- Gay Friends Supporting Carl DeMaio for Mayor 2012, and Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio for Mayor 2012 -- have popped up in the past week. That appears to be good news for …

Gov. Jerry Brown is in the latest fight of his political life this fall with Molly Munger, the wealthy lawyer who is backing Proposition 38 against Brown's Prop 30 tax hike measure on November's ballot. But the governor is apparently …

An elderly man who was reported missing and “at risk” was found and safely returned to his family this week. Louis Lake Senior, 72, was reported missing by his family on Tuesday afternoon, October 9. The man was last seen …

A disgraced cop got words of approval yesterday afternoon, from the same judge who took his guilty plea five months ago. Judge Kimberlee Lagotta read from a doctor’s report affirming that former-cop Michael Christian Koch has been attending group therapy …

A 23-year-old multi-felon asked a judge yesterday if he could be released from custody to take care of his elderly parents. Abdullah Alekabi was in court just last week charged with a new felony, on top of his six prior …

Sheriff’s deputies based out of the Encinitas patrol station were led on a pursuit from Solana Beach to Rancho Santa Fe on Wednesday afternoon after responding to a report of suspicious persons attempting to open various cars on the 700 …

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) made a move yesterday (Oct. 10) to register a $17 million judgment against Danny Tarkanian, who is running for Congress in a new district in Nevada, according to political observer Jon Ralston, Las Vegas …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/11/33382/ The Interfaith Community for Worker Justice, which describes itself as representing “clergy, synagogues, churches, mosques, faith and justice organizations . . . who feel called by their respective religious traditions to work for justice and stand up for the …

Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon, is visiting Tijuana and Baja California for likely the last time as president Thursday, October 11th. Calderon will attend the inaugural day of the Tijuana Innovadora (Innovative Tijuana) expo, as well as other events in the …

World biotech giant Syngenta AG, which once ran the Torrey Mesa Research Institute just north of La Jolla, has come up with $1 million for the campaign against California's Proposition 37, a measure to impose labeling requirements on so-called genetically …

Four civilian Navy officials and three defense contractors have been sentenced as a result of a bribery scheme in which the contractors provided over $1 million in bribes including “checks, retail gift cards, flat screen television sets, luxury massage chairs, …

Ever wonder just how much the City of San Diego spends to stock the shelves at its 36 libraries with magazines and newspapers? The answer: $346,000 each year. On Tuesday, city councilmembers are expected to approve a two-year extension with …

Speculators are buying bottom tier San Diego homes at one of the fastest paces in the nation, according to Zillow.com. First-time homebuyers are being squeezed out as speculators buy low-price homes with the idea of renting them out to people …

Just a little over one year ago Don Bauder broke the story that Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills was dumping the San Diego Union-Tribune. The buyer: hotelier and GOP stalwart Doug Manchester. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/11/33344/ Now comes word via Forbes magazine that …

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission played to a packed house Tuesday night in Dana Point, as they convened a public meeting to address the myriad concerns of residents and stakeholders concerning the problems experienced at, and the restart plans for …

For two consecutive days the State Attorneys Office of Baja California has received threats in Mexicali. Early Tuesday, October 9th, three banners were placed in the city making threats to a particular state official. On Wednesday, the threats were taken …

The San Diego City Council’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted unanimously last week to recommend an end to the city’s bicycle licensing program, BikeSD.org reports. “We were really required to have a license to ride a bike?” asked …

New details in the case of a 24-year-old man convicted of sex with a 12-year-old girl are alleged in a probation officer’s report. According to the report, five different “sexually explicit” photographs were found on Christopher Bradley Nutt’s cell phone, …

The new business model for non-profit business booster Downtown San Diego Partnership is now complete and property and business owners in downtown San Diego can now see where $19,000 worth of assessments went. While primarily focusing on strategies aimed at …

Unusual, much-arrested and disbarred attorney Michael Theodore Pines failed to appear for two court hearings in a row, and yesterday a San Diego Superior Court judge ordered him arrested on a no-bail warrant. In his most recent courtroom adventures, Michael …

Copley Press Inc., an institution run by the Copley family who for decades controlled the San Diego Union-Tribune and other local newspapers around the country, has finally completed the sale of its former corporate headquarters, a 25,600 square foot office …

The campaign to pass Proposition Z, a $2.8 billion bond measure put on the ballot by the San Diego Unified school district, has collected $266,075 through September 30. A good chunk of the money has come from firms with a …

Orange County attorney Stephen Kenneth Chrysler was sentenced today (Oct. 9) to 37 months in prison and his mother, Aida Agusti Castro of Carlsbad, got a 33-month sentence. The two pulled an $8 million mortgage fraud involving homes in Oceanside, …

CAC Advisory Services, LLC, a firm run by charter school advocate Rod Dammeyer, has kicked in $3,350 to the San Diego County Taxpayers Association PAC, a group of business and lobbying interests currently warring against the San Diego Unified School …

Another school age girl has gone missing in Tijuana, adding to an increasing number of similar reports. Evelyn Heredia Chairez, a 15 year old native of Tijuana, has been missing since September 4th. According to the El-Mexicano she was last …

Dr. Ingrid N. Visser, an orca expert and founder of the Orca Research Trust, continues to ponder the origin of a wound suffered on the lower mandible of Nakai, one of the “killer whales” that form the backbone of SeaWorld …

The City of San Diego isn't ready to give up in their fight against San Diegans for Open Government over dredging projects in the Tijuana River Valley. Today, more than five months after Judge Timothy Taylor halted work in the …

San Diego’s $76 million citrus industry faces a new threat: the tiny Asian Citrus Psyllid, according to a new KPBS report. The aphid-sized insects, while posing no harm on their own, carry a deadly tree disease that over a four …

The Mexican navy has reported that the founder and leader of the Los Zetas was killed in a firefight Sunday, October 7th, in Sabinas, Coahuila. Heriberto 'El Lazca' Lazcano, once the sole leader of the cartel but currently in a …

The historic Friendship Park has reopened after a three year hiatus, although in a limited program enforced by the United States Border Patrol. The park, which is in the furthest southwest point of the U.S. at Border Field State Park, …

Ray Salazar, the former mayor of El Paso, Texas has filed a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to stop it from demolishing the local City Hall in order to clear land for a new $50 million stadium that …

As the attorney for San Diegans for Open Government put it earlier this week, issuing $17.4 million worth of bonds to pay for a new parking garage in Balboa Park is a "total scam." In his October 2 letter to …

A group calling itself "San Diegans for Reform in Opposition to Bob Filner - Mayor 2012," sponsored by the Lincoln Club of San Diego, a Republican organization of regional business and lobbying interests, has raised $403,900 through September 30, according …

Five months after a Superior Court Judge ruled that the City of San Diego failed to conduct proper environmental review for dredging in the Tijuana River Valley, the City continues to drag its feet to settle the case. Meanwhile ranchers, …

An independent expenditure committee calling itself "San Diegans in Support of Bob Filner for Mayor - 2012" has collected a total of $607,500 from labor unions, a wealthy local Democrat, and a corporation sharing an address with La Jolla's premier …

“She told dispatchers that her ex-boyfriend, later identified as Christopher James Selena, had just stabbed her current boyfriend while inside her home.” Police issued a statement later the same day. “The woman said she had been in her townhome with …

The family of a 16 year old school girl is asking for help after she disappeared last month in Tijuana. Katerine Dávalos Muñoz, a native of Tijuana, left for school on September 26th but never returned home later that day. …

San Diego Sheriff’s Department deputies have arrested a suspect accused of following and sexually assaulting a 20 year-old woman on a North County Transit District bus and on the Sprinter light rail system in the Vista area on September 28. …

San Diego gas prices are now $4.69 a gallon for regular, higher than Los Angeles's $4.66 and Orange County's $4.65, according to Charles Langley of Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN). The current price is now the highest in California history. …

The blowback from councilmember Carl DeMaio's recent admission that he met with U-T San Diego's publisher and CEO, despite saying otherwise at a recent mayoral debate, has now ended up on the pages of Facebook. The page was created by …

Seven persons were sentenced last month, in connection with a credit card scam that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from casinos in San Diego County. Cesar Noeli Dario, 33, was arrested in May of this year in the lobby …

Officials of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold a meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Al Bahr Shriners Hall, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road, for a discussion of SDGE's profits. The public is invited. According to the Utility Consumers' …

Christopher Bradley Nutt, 24, admitted sexual intercourse and possession of pornographic photos of a 12-year-old girl in a plea deal, and was sentenced to 270 days in local jail. The plea deal was signed in August, he was sentenced yesterday …

So the Reader is 40 today, and to celebrate, they've put their first issue online. As the promo notes, "Among the early writers for the paper were Kathleen Woodward (ex-wife of Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward); Jonathan Saville, literature professor …

More than six months after Idriss Maher, owner of the Solana Beach-based Oberlin Medical Supply and Service Corporation, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for his role in distributing over $7 million worth of prescription medications not approved for use …

Patrick Lewis Barnett, 25, admitted he killed the passenger in his car when he was driving under the influence and crashed, last March. Barnett admitted he was driving too fast for conditions, “with gross negligence,” just after midnight on March …

Three wealthy San Diegans are doubling down on their support of William Ponder against teachers union-endorsed Marne Foster in their race for San Diego school board. The two candidates, vying for the sub-district E seat being vacated by Shelia Jackson, …

Details on the underground drug tunnels which connected Tijuana to San Diego have emerged as the man who was in charge of the operation is facing prosecution in the San Diego federal courthouse. Jose Sanchez Villalobos, who was apprehended in …

According to state authorities, a man suspected of committing a murder in Chula Vista was apprehended by Baja California state police in Tijuana Thursday, October 4th. Alex Flores Rubio, who is allegedly a member of the “Otay 13 Boys” gang, …

Southern California Edison, operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on San Diego County’s northern coast, has come forward with the long-awaited plan to resume power generation activities at the plant. Edison’s plan is to restart the Unit 2 …

The unemployment rate was 7.8% in September, the lowest since President Obama took office, according to the Labor Department. The economy created 114,000 jobs, slightly above the 110,000 economists expected. August job creation was revised up to 142,000 from the …

University of California president Mark Yudof has been out on the stump for Jerry Brown's Proposition 30, talking down the university’s financial future if voters reject the governor's massive tax hike measure in November. "I see Prop. 30 as, perhaps, …

The Secular Coalition for America, a new lobbying group for “non-theistic Americans” that announced plans in June to establish a presence throughout the country, has officially launched its California chapter. The stated aim of the group is to advocate for …

A 23-year-old man already convicted of six crimes was back in court today, accused of another burglary. Abdullah Alekabi has a criminal record dating back to 2007, when he was 18-years-old and stole a vehicle, according to prosecutor Benjamin Barlow. …

Authorities are seeking to apprehend two suspects who robbed the 7-Eleven convenience store on the 100 block of Worthington Avenue in Spring Valley on Tuesday night. According to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, the suspects, described as “a Hispanic male, …

Last week, Don Bauder broke the news that U-T honcho John Lynch had defaulted on his Rancho Santa Fe mortgage. In a series of emails with Lynch, we asked the CEO for details on the foreclosure proceedings. He responded: "I …

The mudslinging in the race for California’s newly mapped 52nd Congressional District continues, with the campaign of Democratic challenger Scott Peters bristling at an attack from Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray (currently serving in the 50th District) criticizing Peters for receiving …

A report released by the U.S. Senate yesterday is critical of spending at the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center, one of four such centers in the state for various law enforcement agencies to share data. Among the questionable purchases: …

A state prosecutor was executed in a Mexicali casino last night, October 2nd, as he sat at a slot machine. Juan Cristóbal Aguilar Aispuro, who is a former chief of the state police, was shot by a gunman about 11:00pm …

When a woman reported that her ex-boyfriend was threatening her, Escondido police tracked him through cell-phone use to a trailer park – the man appeared to be lurking near the mobile home where the woman lived with her mother. It …

Michael Shames, former head of financially ailing watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), has been told to return $474,019 to UCAN as a result of consultation with the Attorney General's office. As reported by the Reader in July of 2011, …

Yesterday, San Diego city councilmembers approved issuing $17.4 million in bonds to pay for a four-story parking garage behind the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Councilmembers issued the bonds through a joint use agreement between the City of San Diego …

A large cocaine seizure was recorded over the weekend at the San Ysidro port of entry when a man tried to smuggle the narcotics into the United States hidden in a propane tank. A 39 year old United States citizen, …

Politically speaking, it's been quite a week for Qualcomm founder and La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs. Fresh from his endorsement of Republican city councilman Carl DeMaio's mayoral candidacy last Thursday, the interview-shy cell phone magnate quickly tacked back to the …

Backers of Proposition 37, which would require food producers who knowingly use genetically modified crops to disclose such use, is for the second time in recent weeks touting the release of a new study to drum up support for the …

John Clayborne Kerr was sentenced yesterday to time already served, for his attempted burglary of an inhabited home. A Carlsbad housewife caught the young man crawling into her doggie door last June, and the man fled on foot when he …

Flights from Texas to Mexico City began today after a long promised plan to return some deportees back to central and southern Mexico. The first flight left today, October 2nd, with 131 Mexican nationals from the El Paso, Texas airport. …

Martin Paul Bean III of Boca Raton, Florida is facing federal charges for selling more than $7 million worth of misbranded and unapproved oncology drugs through a San Diego pharmacy, the Latin American Herald Tribune reports. Bean was indicted last …

Oceanside attorney Dan Chandler and telemarketer Shelveen Singh were arraigned today (Oct. 2) in federal court on charges of defrauding thousands of homeowners in an $11 million loan modification scam. Chandler's Oceanside office, 1st American Law Center, was home base. …

The Molasky Group of Companies, controlled by Irwin Molasky, a one-time partner with late Las Vegas mobster Moe Dalitz in the storied La Costa resort and Mafia hangout, has made yet another round of sizable campaign contributions to San Diego …

The Washington Legal Foundation, a D.C. nonprofit group organized around pro-business and free market principles, has released two recent op-ed pieces questioning the wisdom of California’s Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of food products whose manufacturers knowingly use …

Republicans in San Diego County aren't waisting any time trying to create new jobs, even if some of those positions offer little to no pay. In an advertisement on Internships.com, the "world's largest internships marketplace," the Republican Party of San …

Baja state police busted a drug dealer and stash house after an arrest was made in Tijuana on Monday, October 1st. Police apprehended a man in central Tijuana with a small package of marijuana after a surveillance operation. Germán Cardona …

A recently released poll commissioned by nuclear watchdog group Friends of the Earth finds that either a plurality or a majority of 700 respondents in the Southern California Edison power district favor keeping both reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear …

A young man who reportedly brandished a knife during a street brawl in Oceanside was accused of assault with a deadly weapon for benefit of a criminal street gang, in San Diego’s North County Superior court yesterday. David Nevitt Kortcamp, …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department this evening identified 64 year-old Paul Carl Tomasini as the sole suspect in the murder of an as-yet unidentified woman last night on the 10500 block of Strathmore Drive in Santee. Around 9:45 Sunday night, …

A string of violence in September has shaken the Baja California city of Ensenada as it witnessed multiple murders and other violent acts. During a six day stretch in mid September the typically peaceful coastal city recorded nine murders. One …

The California State Auditor has issued a blast at the San Diego Superior Court, saying that judges here have been waiving legally required payments due from those convicted of crimes of domestic violence. According to the state auditor's report, issued …

Richard Ravreby, attorney for Katherine Wolf, cannot get financial records from Michael Shames, former head of financially drained watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN). Wolf was Shames's second wife. The marriage lasted from November 2006 to December 2008. The breakup …

The controversial Plaza de Panama project appears to moving along according to plan, Mayor Jerry Sanders and billionaire philanthropist Irwin Jacobs' plan, that is. On September 19, the City put out a request for bids from outside companies capable of …

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/01/32613/ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct an investigation regarding the injury suffered by SeaWorld San Diego’s 11 year-old orca Nakai last month, when a portion of the whale’s …

Money sent back to Mexico by workers abroad dropped in August according to Mexico’s Central Bank, although numbers have been up for the year. According to MarketWatch.com, remittances in August of $1.9 billion U.S. dollars were 11.6% lower compared to …

Following the shooting death of 32 year old Valeria Monique Alvarado, a Chula Vista native and mother of five, the FBI and Chula Vista police are investigating why a non-uniformed Border Patrol agent shot and killed the woman. Border Patrol …

As many as 400,000 undocumented immigrants living in California may be eligible for driver’s licenses under legislation signed yesterday by Governor Jerry Brown on the last day for him to sign or veto over 100 measures approved by the legislature …