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 …