Civil suits filed against Michael Vilkin in San Diego Superior Court

John C. Upton Senior is requesting $5 million in general damages and $1 million in special damages and “reserves the right to seek $10 million in punitive damages,” according to papers filed last week, in a suit against the man …

Her former boyfriend got less than half that Friday

Former San Diegan Mary Armstrong, mastermind of a $100 million mortgage scam that generated almost $15 million in kickbacks, was sentenced today (Sept. 30) to 100 months in prison. Her former boyfriend, William Fountain, Friday got 42 months. Armstrong, Fountain, …

Military, including contracting, is 22% of local economy

The presence of the military and aerospace/defense contracting add up to 22% of the San Diego economy, says Kelly Cunningham, economist for the National University System Institute for Policy Research. If the government shuts down tonight -- as seems quite …

BAE Systems, NASSCO, and Continental Maritime San Diego among the companies to join in opposition against the newly amended update.

Ships are starting to hit the plan in Barrio Logan. A group of ship repair companies have united and hired a lobbyist to start pounding the pavement at City Hall in hopes of getting a more industry-friendly update to the …

Forbes calls Chula Vista "Second Fastest-Growing City Since Recession;" Growth Oversight Commission's report on fire, libraries, police and traffic

The Millenia project in Chula Vista broke ground September 26 only a short time after Forbes magazine called the city the second fastest-growing in the United States. The Forbes article looked at cities with a population of 200,000 or more …

Uranium miner General Atomics, maker of deadly drones and other high-tech battle gear, joins the war for San Diego mayor

U-T San Diego publisher Douglas Manchester, the well-heeled Republican hotel magnate and associate of the conservative Koch brothers, has just received some more big time conservative reinforcement in his mayoral proxy war with San Diego's richest man, billionaire Obama Democrat …

Following nearly 17 years of litigation, the City of Santee has announced an agreement regarding rent controls with the owners of the Meadowbrook Mobile Home Park. As part of the court-approved agreement, the owners of the Meadowbrook park will be …

Landmark Tijuana cantina closes doors in Zona Norte.

Historic Tijuana cantina Dragon Rojo closes its mural-incrusted doors on Monday, September 30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru4aGSzYw9E Originally opened in 1977, The Red Dragon is located just west of the tacky arch/clock monument on Revolucion, where the jubilant abandon of Plaza Santa Cecilia …

Most will be spent on polling and television ad buys; ads began airing this weekend.

Update: The Working Families for a Better San Diego added $22,000 to their television ad budget. San Diego's unions are united behind councilmember David Alvarez and are putting up major cash as a sign of their support. In the past …

The commission considers the matter Oct. 10

In a 24-page report, the staff of the California Coastal Commission recommended a "No" vote on the planned $520 million convention center expansion. The commission will take up the matter at a meeting Oct. 10. " The [proposal] will result …

Exclusive California Republican Leadership fund kicks off high-end cash raising event with Friday golf tournament and lavish party closed to media at publishing magnate's Grand del Mar

U-T San Diego publisher Douglas Manchester, known for his extravagant party giving, is playing host to California Republican Party officials, lawmakers, and their monied financial backers this weekend at his sprawling Grand del Mar resort in the northern reaches of …

Krishna Haney, who drove car while impaired, must go to bar's Ethics School

Krishna Haney, a former commissioner of the San Diego Ethics Commission (appointed by former Mayor Jerry Sanders), has been disciplined by the California State Bar. In 2011, her car struck an emergency call box. She went to a gas station …

Local Democratic Congressman Scott Peters joined 184 other House Democrats in signing a letter to President Obama expressing support for “a clean extension of the debt ceiling,” which would entail an authorized increase without additional spending cuts. House Republicans, on …

San Diego-based Sempra U.S. Gas & Power announced yesterday (September 26) that the company will be developing a 75-megawatt wind power project in Nebraska, dubbed Broken Bow 2, with construction expected to begin in December. “Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's …

Fifty-five indicted, many from foreign countries

Culminating a two-year investigation by federal authorities in San Diego and Los Angeles, four federal indictments accusing 55 people of participating in financial schemes were unsealed today (Sept. 26). Officials have arrested 22 defendants, but 33 are still at large …

Labor vs. capital vs. not so idle rich, as special interests continue to shovel big money into San Diego mayor's race

While those two rich guys from La Jolla, Democrat Irwin Jacobs and Republican Douglas Manchester, are battling it out for their respective mayoral candidates and putative future control of San Diego's city hall, big labor hasn't remained idle. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/26/53760/ A …

Dumanis, who ran unopposed in the past two elections, now has two candidates vying for her job.

The care-free election days when there's no opponent to run against have drawn to a close for San Diego's District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. Now running for her fourth term, Dumanis has already witnessed one challenger enter the race to replace …

San Diego County Crime Stoppers is looking for help in identifying a man accused of robbing a Domino’s Pizza in Poway on September 6, as well as a second man who bought a pizza before the robbery and is suspected …

Support among Californians also high for same-sex marriage, immigration reform

A new study from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that, for the first time since it has polled the question, a majority of Californians now favor the outright legalization of marijuana. In the wake of recent moves toward …

He may have used Community Bible Church funds in his fraud-busting business

Barry Minkow, the con man-turned-pastor-turned con man, may face more criminal charges, according to a story in the New York Post today (Sept. 25). Minkow is now serving a five-year sentence in the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky after …

The City is now being sued for finally taking back land in Bankers Hill donated to it as a public park in 1908

More than a century ago, three families donated a small 16,000-square-foot of land in Bankers Hill to the City of San Diego with the agreement that it be "forever" used as a public park. Nearly 50 years ago, Doctor Milan …

$1000 likely first volley in cash war between George Soros Democrat Jacobs and Koch brothers-linked Republican publisher and hotel mogul Manchester

With a thousand dollar contribution to Nathan Fletcher, Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs has finally made it official: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/25/53715/ Two super rich, aging white men from La Jolla are mustering their big money and media influence in a political death battle …

The largest contribution yet comes from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, who wrote a $50k check to a committee in support of David Alvarez. Building industry backs Faulconer and Fletcher gets help from private industry

Big donors are opening up their pocketbooks in support of the three-big-name mayoral candidates running in the upcoming November 19 special election. As is the case with any election, developers and labor unions have gone all in to get their …

County officials are reluctantly touting successes realized via the prison realignment system imposed by federal judges and designed to alleviate severe overcrowding at state prisons by re-directing some inmates to county jails. “Nobody wanted this, nobody asked for this, but …

Parks will feature furniture made from reclaimed garbage

The San Diego Center for Civic Engagement and the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that the two organizations will partner to award $45,000 to nonprofit 4Walls International for the construction of a bi-national park space. The funds will …

But the two companies continue to blame each other over San Onofre

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a notice of non-conformance to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, manufacturer of steam generators at the now-closed San Onofre nuclear plant. The regulatory commission has given a similar warning to Southern California Edison, the utility that …

High prices, high mortgage rates begin to price out buyers

A new report out yesterday (September 23) from the California Association of Realtors trade group sends mixed messages about the strength of the real estate market going forward, following a jump in average mortgage rates of nearly one percent since …

Chronically junketing California Democrat Susan Davis heads off for Ethiopia to hear about the evils of Chinese investment in the African continent

In the game of musical chairs that is San Diego politics, many political insiders expect Congresswoman Susan Davis to retire sooner or later, making way for her one-time staffer, city councilman Todd Gloria. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/24/53629/ But while Gloria basks in newfound …

The San Diego County Water Authority is celebrating a partial victory over the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, after a judge ruled on Friday (September 20) that Metropolitan could not exempt significant water rate hikes for 2013 …

One pair cheated sports fans; other pair filed fictitious documents

Twin brothers Anthony David Casias and Leo Ronald Casias Jr. today (Sept. 23) pleaded guilty to cheating sports fans through their L&T Sports Events, Inc. Clients paid in advance for flights, game tickets, and hotel accommodations for sporting events. But …

Could trail other cities through 2015

According to Smith Travel Research, August occupancy at San Diego hotels rose only 1% from July, while Orange County rose 4%, L.A. 2.3%, and San Francisco 2.5%. Year-to-date figures are similar: San Diego occupancy is up 0.8%, versus 3.3% for …

His lending scheme smacked of a Ponzi

Douglas McClain Jr. was sentenced to 15 years in prison today (Sept. 23) and ordered to pay $81.7 million in restitution for his lending scheme which defrauded people in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Panama, China, England, and Belgium. According to …

Former Merrill Lynch broker charged; they used offshore account

Jing Wang, a former executive vice president and president of global business operations at Qualcomm, was today (Sept. 23) charged with insider trading in stock of Qualcomm and Atheros, a company Qualcomm bought. As a senior Qualcomm executive, Wang was …

Money from one of nation's biggest billboard companies flows to GOP's Faulconer and Democrat Alvarez as battle to loosen city's outdoor advertising regulations comes to mayoral campaign

The future of San Diego's restrictions on billboards could be determined by cash pouring into the current race for mayor, judging by campaign disclosures filed by two top contenders. On September 19, Christopher Tavarides of Washington, D.C. based Capitol Outdoor, …

Values up almost 24% from year ago

In August, San Diego County home prices were up 23.7% from a year earlier -- one of the biggest gains in the country, according to Zillow.com. Of the top 30 metro areas, only 5 did better. Sacramento values rose 34.1% …

Mario Olivares caught on concealed camera

The state Board of Pharmacy has revoked the license of Mario G. Olivares, who worked as a pharmacist at Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy on Avocado Boulevard in La Mesa. Audits revealed that large amounts of Restoril (temazepam), a controlled substance used …

Tom Metzger and fellow white supremacists want to occupy tiny North Dakota town

Tom Metzger, former Fallbrook white supremacist and losing Congressional candidate, is involved in an attempt by neo-Nazis to establish an all-white beachhead in Leith, North Dakota, population 24. The town is resisting. The group intends to "plant the seeds of …

Shuttered plant operator Southern California Edison downplays responsibility to oversee work of their preferred contractor

Southern California Edison, majority owner and operator of the failed San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in northern San Diego County, announced Sunday (September 22) that the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has “identified flaws in how Mitsubishi Heavy Industries used its …

Article tears apart the tax-free status of the league, and subsidies it receives

The October issue of The Atlantic magazine is "must" reading for San Diegans. Title: "How the NFL Fleeces Taxpayers," by Gregg Easterbrook, who is writing a book on the topic. The article focuses on taxpayer screwings that have been covered …

San Diego center of U.S. drone manufacturing

A story in today's (Sept. 21) New York Times tells how Chinese hackers have been gathering information about drone manufacturing. China wants to expand its drone-making capability in a big way. San Diego is the nation's biggest drone-making location, dominated …

Brian Joseph Webb II expects 15-years-to-life when sentenced

After more than a year in custody, a repeat DUI offender admitted gross vehicular manslaughter, resulting from a head-on collision in which he killed a man on a motorcycle. Brian Joseph Webb II, now 35, was driving the wrong way …

Alleged Escondido gangsters made plea deals

Two young men from Escondido made plea deals in which they admitted assaulting other young men in their community, in San Diego’s North County Courthouse this past week. Diego Nunez, 18, and Alvaro Rangel, 18, had both faced felony assault …

Douglas Manchester's mini media empire may be part of political play as newspaper omits mention of publisher's big money contributions

Does San Diego have the best politicians money can buy? It's not clear just yet, but based on a flurry of campaign disclosure filings over the past forty-eight hours, and a report in a newspaper whose publisher is a major …

Former Padre says local agent talked him into too big a policy, didn't disclose costs

Major League Baseball All-Star and former Padres closer Heath Bell says in a lawsuit filed Tuesday (September 17) that he was duped into buying an extravagant $25 million life insurance policy by San Diego resident Jason Huntley, an agent with …

Letter from an attorney for the Municipal Employees Association warns city officials against behind the scenes discussions without MEA's knowledge

Civic San Diego, formerly known as Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), wants to assume control of permitting and processing responsibilities in the 14-former redevelopment areas. To accomplish that task, executives at Civic San Diego are working behind the scenes with …

County adds 2900 nonfarm jobs in August

The San Diego County unemployment rate dropped to 7.4% in August from a revised 7.8% in July, as 2900 jobs were added. Over the year, employment rose by 14,800 jobs, according to the California Employment Development Department. Leisure and hospitality …

1-and-2-year-old son and daughter found in pool outside La Mesa house used as marijuana farm

After over four months of investigation, Tassie Behrens was arrested yesterday (September 19) on a host of charges related to a tragedy on May 13 that left her infant children, Harley and Jason Bradford, dead. On the morning of May …

Housing sales numbers from the California Association of Realtors and foreclosure-tracking outfit Property Radar are in, neither painting a particularly optimistic picture. Following rising interest rates, overall home sales slumped in August, and the median home price in San Diego …

A full 28.4% of individuals earn less than the minimum it takes to exist in county

The Center on Policy Initiatives, working with 2012 U.S. Census Bureau data just released, says that the top-earning 20% of households raked in half of all income in the county, as inflation-adjusted income declined. Almost 30% (28.4%) of persons working …

San Diego's homes among the least affordable

The affordability of San Diego County homes is eighth worst in the nation, according to a new study by Kelly Cunningham, economist for the National University System Institute for Policy Research. The National Association of Home Builders measures the percentage …

NASSCO, the massive General Dynamics shipbuilding arm that occupies 124 acres of waterfront along the San Diego Bay, has agreed to pick up a portion of the cost to conduct a cleanup project estimated to cost approximately $50 million, the …

Federal Reserve will keep interest rates low, harming family savers

A new set of statistics plus an action by the central bank, (Federal Reserve) dramatically showed today (Sept. 17) why Wall Street is feasting off Main Street's pain. The Census Bureau announced that median household income, adjusted for inflation, is …

District has already lost a case challenging the use of funds for stadium lights at Hoover High School

Update: An earlier version stated that the cost of the lights was $800,000. That was incorrect. The amount was $462,000. 'Lights, renovation, and revenue' seems to be the motto these days from officials at the cash-strapped San Diego Unified School …

Competitive bidding is needed first, except for current service provider Rural/Metro

San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith’s office is out with a report advising the city council against considering a request by the fire department and their International Association of Firefighters Union, Local 145, to take the responsibility for providing Advanced …

A sparse crowd of about two dozen gathered at San Diego Civic Center downtown yesterday evening (September 17) to celebrate the second anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement, paling in comparison to the thousand or more who once stormed …

More than a year after the previous attempt failed, North Park Main Street is back again

The required one-and-a-half year cooling off period has expired and North Park Main Street is back with a new proposal to bring a Property-based Improvement District (PBID) to North Park. In July 2011, a proposal to expand the current assessment …

Singapore executive arrested in San Diego

Three individuals were charged with participating in a criminal military bribery scheme unsealed in federal court today (Sept. 17). Leonard Glenn Francis, head of a Singapore defense contractor, was charged with providing luxury travel and prostitutes to U.S. Navy Commander …

A new urban mini-park is planned for Alabama Street in front of Mama's Bakery and Live Wire.

On August 23, with their eyes shining brightly towards utopia, North Park Main Street, the City of San Diego, and the North Park community inaugurated the city’s first parklet in front of Caffé Calabria (3933 30th Street). The eco-urban gesture …

City has support of the Humane Society

After months of protests and city council consideration, the City of San Diego moved last month to ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in a commercial setting. Now, a similar movement is brewing in Oceanside, and the San …

Tim Lambesis’ attorney suggested it was all a “setup”

A fitness trainer named Brett said he knew Tim Lambesis at the gym where he worked, but just in passing. Lambesis was a client of a different trainer there, at the gym called Pure Fitness in Carlsbad, California. The trainer …

Following the money in San Diego mayor's race gets yet more interesting as heavily partying Republican Manchester writes weighty check to California party committee

As reported here two weeks ago, the folks over at the local Republican party seem to have become the town’s unrivaled masters at moving cash around in creative ways that, whether intentional or not, have the effect of obscuring the …

Loan applications falsified

John Allen of Laguna Hills was sentenced today (Sept. 16) for participation in a mortgage scam. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, he solicited so-called investors who would become straw buyers of homes. Allen would falsify loan applications by claiming …

Money laundering, witness tampering among charges

Two San Diegans have lost their Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licenses, according to the California Board of Accountancy. Steven Martinez earlier pleaded guilty to 12 felony counts, including mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and use of interstate commerce …

Doing better than 2008, but not much improvement in the last year

The Port of San Diego recently released its Green Port Year In Review results for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, celebrating significant reductions in water and electricity use and in the carbon footprint of Port activities. Little, however, appears to have …

Faulconer hired Kurt Snow from The Wayne Johnson Agency to purchase ads from October 5 to November 8.

Television viewers in San Diego will soon see a lot more of councilmember Kevin Faulconer. The Republican-endorsed mayoral candidate is the first of the crowded pack to buy ad time on local television stations in the run-up to the November …

As campaign cash mounts in unusual San Diego mayoral battle, friendships of the past continue to pay off big for former Republican legislator

You might say the chickens have come home to roost for newly minted Democrat and Qualcomm executive Nathan Fletcher. Or at least some of the money they make for a big poultry processor in the California industrial town of Vernon …

Sheriff’s deputies were called out to Viejas Casino in Alpine on Friday afternoon to investigate a suspicious device an employee located in a trash can while cleaning a restroom. The casino at the time was conducting a promotion wherein staff …

Brian Lee Olsen made a plea deal after nearly six years in custody

A man held in custody almost six years awaiting trial on a murder charge made a plea deal admitting manslaughter. Brian Lee Olsen, 40, was charged with murder after police shot and killed the female passenger in his car the …

Navy says he falsified results of physical fitness assessment

According to the publication Stars & Stripes, Captain William B. Cogar was relieved of his duties as commander of Medical Treatment Facility USNS Mercy for falsely reporting the results of his physical fitness assessment. Cogar was also charged with failing …

Newport Beach-based Tarsadia Investments family gives major money to Ex-Republican Qualcomm executive; Unite Here Local 30 vows Hilton boycott

With union-backed mayor Bob Filner deposed, the epic battle between labor and capital for control of San Diego's city hall has resumed with a vengeance, based on campaign cash disclosures filed by two putative major candidates. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/13/53124/ Yesterday, as reported …

Alpine’s Viejas Casino is celebrating Friday the 13th of September by attempting to break two obscure Guinness World Records. For the first stunt, the tribal gambling facility intends to play the world’s largest game of blackjack – dealing out cards …

Labor council organized a campaign committee on behalf of councilmember David Alvarez

What's an election without an endorsement, and major campaign contributions, from big-labor? On Thursday September 12, San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO, hinted at their endorsement of who they want to see replace former-mayor Bob Filner. Despite dogged …

Low rates of pay have long been a complaint among San Diego Police officers, with many lured away to other departments after undergoing a costly training process. Yesterday (September 12), the City of Eureka in northern California announced it would …

The Clean and Safe advisory board voted to allocate $100,000 to fight lawsuit

Let's start with a general summary: A non-profit paid to administer an assessment district is sued for misusing assessments collected from local property owners. Members of the assessment district's advisory board, which includes the President and treasurer of said non-profit, …

He admitted it in court today

Martell Davis admitted in federal court today (Sept. 12) that he transported a 17-year old girl from San Diego to Yuma so she could engage in commercial sex acts. He had been arrested when he picked up the prostitute at …

Republican fundraiser who worked with Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani now pulling in dollars for newly minted Democrat

Sometime it's hard to tell a Republican from a Democrat in San Diego's mayors race without a program. As reported here yesterday, Irwin Molasky, an old friend of the late mobster Moe Dalitz and a big backer of Nevada Democratic …

Forum selection clause upheld, but case will be appealed

North County Superior Court Judge Timothy Casserly ruled in favor of Wells Fargo Bank in a case that I wrote about in my July 31 column. Vista's Casiano Hernandez-Venegas, who neither speaks nor reads English, was pitched by a Wells …

Kenneth Wayne Welch made a plea deal

A repeat felon accused of trying to run down his girlfriend with his truck last June, this morning pleaded guilty to one felony assault charge. Kenneth Wayne Welch, 42, reportedly got into an argument with his girlfriend while they were …

Ron Ober has history with DeConcini, Keating

Policy Development Group, the lobbying, public affairs and crisis communications firm based in Phoenix, has hired Paul Worlie to head its new California office in San Diego. The firm has a client list including Toyota Motor Sales and promoted the …

La Jolla’s Institute of the Americas, which is housed on the UC San Diego campus and bills itself as an “impartial and independent nonprofit organization” that “promotes cooperation between the public and private sectors to improve the economic, political and …

Despite solid profits and rising share prices, local utility San Diego Gas & Electric is implementing a rate hike on all San Diego businesses and about a quarter of its customers. But the utility offers a helpful solution to customers …

Bail bond was forfeited and judge issued bench warrant

An experienced burglar was arrested after he leaped from the second story of a home where he had been considering the loot, Carlsbad police reported. It was after 3 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, August 29, when officers arrived at …

Denies any wrongdoing and says Irene McCormack Jackson only exacerbated the problem.

Just four days removed from office, former Mayor Bob Filner and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith had crafted their response to claims set against him by former communications director, Irene McCormack Jackson. On July 22, McCormack Jackson appeared before a crowded …

Posh FBI field office, built by Las Vegas developer with ties to late mobster Moe Dalitz and San Diego GOP candidates Carl DeMaio and Kevin Faulconer, was financed by funds from U.S. visa-seeking Chinese investors, Sen. Charles Grassley says

A costly new FBI headquarters in San Diego, built by means of a lease-back arrangement with the United States government by Las Vegas developer Irwin Molasky, was financed by investors from China seeking immigration visas, according to a July letter …

Fast-food chain was not the only one scrambling to find a way around the building code.

A few feet taller, with new exterior and interior walls and fresh coats of paint, and a nice new parking lot, The Jack in the Box on Upas and 30th Street in North Park is now open for business. It's …

“Pet ferrets are a fun way to help young students learn these important skills at home so they’re ready to take on the new school year,” proclaims a release from animal and animal supply retailer Petco bearing a San Diego …

District attorney kept the conspiracy charge under wraps for years

Authorities have filed a felony conspiracy complaint and issued an arrest warrant under seal against Michael Robertson, former boss and lover of convicted murderer Kristin Rossum. Robertson has continued to live free and work as a forensic toxicology consultant in …

Yearlong narcotics investigation ends with 65 arrests

Various law enforcement agencies were kept busy yesterday morning (September 10), serving a dozen search warrants between 6 a.m. and noon that resulted in 65 arrests and sizeable drug and weapons seizures. The sweeps, dubbed “Operation Mountain Shadow,” are the …

Anthony Garcia denies throwing deputy to ground before she shot him

“He basically body-slammed me on the ground,” said deputy Michelle Storms. The pale brunette said the man with whom she had been scuffling picked her up bodily and walked her backwards, and then threw her onto a concrete walkway. Deputy …

Lawsuit challenges the City's donation of public land to developer Sunroad Enterprises.

Donating a city-owned building for use as a homeless shelter is bad but giving away city designated park space to a wealthy developer seems to be just fine. That appears to be the case in San Diego and the impetus …

Property manager allegedly stole over $900,000 from Simi Valley HOA

A Solana Beach property manager and her Los Angeles area cohort were arrested yesterday on charges of embezzling over $900,000 over a period of just one-and-a-half years from a community homeowners’ association she oversaw in the Ventura County community of …

The former councilmember reimbursed his Reform San Diego committee so as to avoid any potential violations.

Just how close did Carl DeMaio come to abandoning his run for congress in hopes of becoming San Diego's next mayor? Campaign documents show he was testing the waters when he used his Reform San Diego committee to commission an …

Persons of interest stepping up to foot the bill for Republican’s putative TV commercial barrage

A veritable rogues' gallery of those linked to San Diego crime and scandal has been pouring money into the mayoral campaign of Republican city councilman Kevin Faulconer. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/10/52953/ The wave of cash could help rival Nathan Fletcher and other mayoral …

Labor leaders yesterday afternoon (September 9) organized “a coalition of local business, faith, civil rights, community, and labor groups” Downtown to again demand action from Congress on passing an immigration reform bill. The event was also attended by a handful …

Immigrants had paid to be taken to the U.S. by sea, but were left at sea for over 12 hours

A group of 15 immigrants were rescued by the Mexican navy after being left at sea for over 12 hours on Monday, September 9. The group had paid for travel to the United States, but was abandoned after the small …

His Jaguar seized; accomplices also sentenced

Former Customs and Border Protection Officer Hector Rodriguez was sentenced today (Sept. 9) to 78 months in prison for taking bribes for bringing in aliens for financial gain. Among the items seized were a 2009 Jaguar and 12 luxury watches. …

He previously lost in his suit against UCAN

Michael Shames, former executive director of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), lost a libel suit today (Sept. 9) against attorney Mike Aguirre. Aguirre represented two whistleblowers whose revelations about Shames led indirectly to his dismissal as executive director. Shames …

Employees of San Diego marijuana lobbying firm founded by Bob White, aide to Pete Wilson from San Diego mayor through California governor, admit trying to influence state government without registering as lobbyists

Partners in California Strategies - the prosperous lobbying outfit founded by Bob White, who started his adult life working for fraternities at San Diego State and ended up as Pete Wilson's ultimate insider before going on to make a sizable …

Owner filed class action complaint in federal court

Remember when the lights went out throughout Southern California back in September 2011? The owner of Oggi's Pizza sure does. On Friday, September 6, Robert Waldon filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against Pinnacle West Capital, the parent …

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has opened online signups for its annual Rideshare Corporate Challenge, in which companies spend the month of October competing against one another to log the most use by employees of alternative transportation to …

Pay for play campaign of epic proportions shaping up as well-financed influence seekers and long time city power brokers, including ex-con, line up with open checkbooks

The two big Fs in San Diego's money race for mayor, Nathan Fletcher and Kevin Faulconer, appear locked in a tight battle over who can corral the most special interest campaign money from tony Rancho Santa Fe, one of America's …

Neighbors saw man jump out window of victim's house

Sheriff’s deputies were able to track down a man suspected of several residential burglaries in eastern El Cajon Sunday afternoon with the assistance of several neighbors and a law enforcement helicopter. Shortly after 3 p.m., a burglary call was received …

Chicago area apartment/shopping compound couldn't service debt

According to Chicago area media, the Glen Town Center of north suburban Glenview is now up for sale. The residential/retail property went up on land that was formerly the Naval Air Station Glenview, which closed in 1995. The village got …

Several dozen activists gathered outside Congresswoman Susan Davis’s office yesterday afternoon (September 6), arguing both against and in favor of United States military action in Syria. Ray Lutz, a common fixture at such events representing Citizens Oversight Projects, called into …

What will Fletcher's wife, Karl Rove apprentice, say about that?

Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm, has sent out a letter asking donations for Nathan Fletcher in the upcoming mayoral race. Fletcher's rapid conversion from Republican to Independent to Democrat was probably tied to his Qualcomm affiliation. He went to …

Fitch lauds regulator as it gives SDG&E bonds good rating

Fitch Ratings has given an AA-minus rating to the proposed San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) $450 million issue of 3.6% first mortgage bonds due 2023. Fitch positively gushes over "the constructive regulatory environment" -- a euphemistic way of saying …

Local chef Charity Pykles-George has been busy in recent weeks crafting and giving away elaborate birthday cakes to local children battling grave illnesses. Pykles-George, who by day runs d’Zrt Cake Studio in La Mesa and has been featured on a …

GOP city councilman's first campaign money disclosure reveals roster of wealthy special interests, one looking for "wiggle room" at city hall

It didn't take long for Republican city councilman Kevin Faulconer to begin tapping into his deep base of real estate and city lease related political funders. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/06/52696/ Days after his announcement for mayor, the former Porter Novelli PR maven has …

Unemployment rate drops to 7.3% because more stop looking for work

The U.S. added a modest 169,000 jobs in August, below the consensus forecast of 173,000, according to the Labor Department today (Sept. 6). Employment gains for July and June were dropped by a combined 74,000; the decline in the unemployment …

Election question could be playthings versus essentials

The Chargers are continuing to pitch a combined convention center/stadium that, of course, would be financed by taxpayers. Neither the team nor City officials yet admit that convention centers are vastly overbuilt in the U.S. That's why centers, including San …

Boy finds representation through Virginia-based anti-union group

An Oceanside teenager has filed a complaint alleging unfair labor practices, claiming he was misled to believe that membership in the United Food and Commercial Workers union was compulsory at his part-time job at a Ralphs supermarket represented by UFCW …

Clients protest San Diego's only Vietnamese-speaking lawyer being barred from representing them in Social Security cases

Hundreds of disabled Vietnamese refugees in San Diego have filed a second class action suit in federal court, claiming that Alexandra Nga Tran Manbeck, the only local attorney fluent in Vietnamese, was suspended as retaliation for an earlier class action …

More Qualcomm and Nathan Fletcher questions arise as powerful San Diegans square off in California capital over union construction deal for taxpayer financed Kings basketball arena

In what could be a precursor of things to come in San Diego's great mayoral race of 2013, war has erupted between Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and the San Diego-based Coalition for Fair Employment in Construction. The first volley came …

City council to give woman $350,000 for injuries she suffered at the hands of police officers during a Chargers game.

On Monday, September 9, city councilmembers will write a $350,000 check to a woman who was beaten by police officers during a Chargers game in 2012. The woman filed a lawsuit back on May 2 of this year after she …

Agents seize 59 pounds of meth and $654,900 in separate busts

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Calexico port of entry have been busy in recent days, making busts going each way at the border. On Thursday, August 29, officers seized 59 pounds of methamphetamine from a 40 year …

La Mesa Police Chief Ed Aceves is set to announce this morning (September 5) that the reward offered for information leading to the suspects responsible for a freeway shooting of 22 year-old Xusha Brown, Jr has been nearly doubled. Four …

Li Mandri wants the City to pay the remaining balance on contract with Shea Properties to set up the district.

There's a pot of money sitting on the east side of the Coronado Bridge in Barrio Logan. The money has been collected to get the Barrio Logan Maintenance Assessment District off the ground and running. Unfortunately for the 82 property …

Ruben Anthony Cepeda convicted after 2 week trial

After less than four hours deliberations, a jury declared Ruben Anthony Cepeda guilty of two counts of second-degree murder for shooting his pregnant girlfriend. The jury found true the allegation that Cepeda fired the weapon, but did not find true …

To enter mayoral race with call for water, infrastructure, electricity improvements

Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre will definitely enter the mayoral race, stressing that San Diego "must put essential things first...put needs first and wants second." Previously, he has been unsure of whether he would enter, despite reports that he was …

Nearly three years after introducing a new recruiting slogan, the U.S. Navy has discovered through a $40,000 focus group study targeting sailors and officers in San Diego and Norfolk, Virginia, that the tagline hasn’t been as effective as top brass …

Newly minted Democrat and Qualcomm development director Nathan Fletcher could shoulder increasing burden of corporation's concealed political and legal baggage as campaign unfolds

As the size and quality of San Diego's reporting corps has fallen due to layoffs and budget cuts resulting from the new Internet media economy, inside observers note that some of the city's biggest stories have increasingly gone unreported. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/sep/04/52604/ …

Moral turpitude involved in Shaber, Biedebach cases

According to the September California Bar Journal, two county lawyers have been disbarred. Craig Shaber, who had been convicted n 2010 for felony tax evasion, was deemed to have been involved in moral turpitude. Shaber and his accountant partner raked …

Cops were directed to a Facebook page to find their suspect

A gangster who showed another man a large knife and told him to empty his pockets may have just been checking to see if the other man had any weapons, his attorney suggested in court today. It sounded more like …

Continued legislative stalling on California Senate Bill 30 could mean big tax bills for thousands of San Diegans who have already sold or who may sell their homes this year under agreement from their lenders to accept a discounted payoff. …

As mayoral election approaches, Koch-linked publisher continues flow of money to local party, and is raised in political poker game by public employee union for Democrats

With the multi-million dollar special election to replace fallen Democratic mayor Bob Filner rapidly approaching, the big money proxy power war expected by inside political watchers appears to be shaping up on schedule, with major cash contributions to both Democratic …

Complaining of “ill-equipped and reckless hikers” that have tied up resources and sapped from the budget due to search-and-rescue operations, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced a new policy Friday (August 30) that henceforth, anyone requiring rescue due to illegal …

Antonio Amador and Brandon Martinez deny crime spree

Two young men from Escondido are due in court Wednesday, September 4, facing six felonies each, after arrest on suspicion of creating an overnight crime spree August 21, 2013. It was a little after midnight when a woman on Kenora …