Staff Blog Entries

Rancho Santa Fe broker gets caught in FBI sting

David Bahr pleads guilty to penny stock fraud

Rancho Santa Fe consultant David Bahr pleaded guilty today to criminal charges to commit securities fraud by pumping up a ...

Why pro sports subsidies are c**p

But Oakland A's owner denies he sabotaged the plumbing

On Sunday, the Oakland A's sewage system backed up. Neil deMause of fieldofschemes.com said one thing was certain: there would ...

Manchester hotel to break ground in Austin in November

Papa Doug's son releases consultant study claiming there is need for it

The $350 million Fairmont Hotel in downtown Austin will start going up in November, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Developer ...

SD 10th in science, tech, engineer, math jobs

23% of local jobs require such skills

There is a category of jobs with the acronym STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). According to a new study ...

Marriott wants fat subsidy to keep Tony Robbins seminar in Palm Desert

Town asked to chip in $20,000 to keep motivational seminar

CORPORATE WELFARE REPORT: The J.W. Marriott Desert Springs resort is asking Palm Desert to cough up $20,000 to help keep ...

Fitch gives SD lease revenue bonds A+ rating

Says tax base recovering but pension problems linger

Fitch Ratings has assigned A+ ratings to $40 million of San Diego capital improvement projects and Old Town Light Rail ...

Auto repair centers disciplined

One charged $867.40 for unneeded work

The Bureau of Automotive Repairs has disciplined three firms in the county. Arian Inc., dba Cox Automotive Service, 5782 Miramar ...

Fraley banned from securities business

Peddling Nova Gen stock, he told investors gross untruths

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has banned Paul Randall Fraley from the securities industry. The commission's complaint said that ...

For-profit colleges exploit African-Americans

Bridgepoint's Ashford among top two schools, says Salon.com

Salon.com has an excellent article dated June 9: "Young, black and buried in debt: How for-profit colleges prey on African-American ...

CPUC commissioner proposes use of storage systems

Would minimize greenhouse gas emissions, avoid fossil fuel utility plants

Carla Peterman, a commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), proposed today (June 10) that the commission begin a ...

De La Fuente's posh Uruguay restaurant ordered closed

Judge says rotating dining spa, in foreclosure, should be auctioned

La Vista, a fancy, rotating restaurant atop a hotel in Punta del Este, Uruguay, has been ordered closed, according to ...

WFP Securities ordered to pay $19 million for peddling Ponzi

Brokerage, closed in 2011, loses before arbitration panel

WFP Securities has been ordered to pay almost $19 million to a trust representing investors who lost money in a ...

U.S. gains 175,000 jobs in May

But unemployment rate rises as more join labor force

The United States gained 175,000 jobs in May, more than economists had expected. That is a sharp improvement from the ...

Edison shutting down San Onofre permanently

Announcement made early this (Friday, June 7) morning

Southern California announced this morning that it is shutting down the troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant, according to a ...

Enterprise zones a flop, says new study

They don't generate job growth or promote business development

Enterprise zones, which through tax breaks were supposed to help small businesses in distressed areas, are a boon for big ...

Cunningham worries about local housing bubble

Price-to-income ratio getting pretty high again

Kelly Cunningham, economist for the National University System Institute for Policy Research, says investors are jumping into the San Diego ...

Qualcomm unit backs Chinese company aping Apple

Xiaomi founder models self after Steve Jobs

The New York Times today (June 5) has an excellent story on China's Xiaomi, whose head, Lei Jun, is a ...

Doctor arrested for selling Oxycodone pills for non-medicinal purposes

William Joseph Watson allegedly got cash, goods, by selling to addicts

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, physician William Joseph Watson was arrested and charged today (June 4) with selling thousands ...

San Diego 13th most romantic travel destination

But look at those cities that are higher on the list

Travel.com has come out with a list of the most romantic U.S. travel destinations. San Diego is 13th on the ...

Charles Langley resigns from UCAN

So-called watchdog still "irredeemably corrupt," he says

Charles Langley, the well-known and respected executive of Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) has resigned. He joined the group in ...