Who's more embarrassing? U-T or Filner?
Journalists debate U-T TV's gauche Filner dance video.
The Los Angeles Times has broken a story about U-T TV's juvenile, unprofessional post on the Filner controversy. TV Week and Huffington Post have also commented on the video. All should consider Matt Potter's excellent Reader post: when details about …
Hard Rock Hotel investors lose appeal of fraud suit
Ninth Circuit doesn't buy fraudulent security claims of plaintiffs
According to Courthouse News Service, investors who bought condominiums in the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego have lost their fraud suit on appeal. The investors claimed that they had bought contracts for condominiums that were effectively securities that were not …
Was Filner's office bugged by long distance microphone?
Rumors fly as Filner continues to lose support, government gangs up
One of the rumors making the Twitter circles today (Aug. 9) is that Homeland Security has caught a person or persons eavesdropping on the mayor's office with a directional microphone from a room at the Westgate Hotel. I could not …
Investor files suit against Issa, DEI Holdings
Says board didn't consider other bids when selling company
According to the publication Law360, a Florida shareholder early this month filed a lawsuit, intended to be a class action, against Vista's DEI Holdings and its board for selling the company for $285 million to private equity firm Charlesbank Capital …
SDG&E challenges UCAN's fee request
Utility has problem with amount asked for Shames's services
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has challenged the request of troubled Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) for intervenor fees related to its role in the general rate case of the utility. UCAN has asked the California Public Utilities Commission …
Cabrera of Padres may lead MLB to sports agency
Shortstop's interview may intensify drug probe
USA Today, SBnation.com, and other media outlets today (Aug. 6) are pointing to an interview that Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, banned for 50 games for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), had with a Nicaraguan journalist, as a reason for Major League …
Head of Indian center admits embezzling
Spent the money gambling at Indian casino
David Hedley, former executive director of the Indian Human Resource Center, admitted embezzling $141,260 of federal money from the center. He was only the head for three months last year, but obtained a debit card that he used to embezzle …
Who's investigating Filner? It's who's NOT investigating him
Now Allred wants attorney general, city attorney to pile on
The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee is investigating San Diego Mayor Robert Filner. Well, not really, but it might as well be. In today's (Aug. 6) U-T, Los Angeles sexual harassment attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing a former Filner staffer, …
Is Papa Doug headed to the altar again?
Authoritative San Diego Social Diary says so
It is no secret that Papa Doug Manchester, owner of the U-T, has been seen and photographed around town with the young, beautiful lady of Russian descent, Geniya Derzhavina. They have been photographed together in such publications as lajollalight.com, the …
Shuttered firm, broker charged with aiding and abetting fraud
Seth Leyton also gave misleading information to FINRA
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has filed a complaint against Viewpoint Securities, which closed last year for lack of capital, and broker Seth Leyton. They "aided and abetted a fraudulent scheme to obtain possession and control of [Collateralized Mortgage …
Two county lawyers disbarred
One writes bad checks to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
According to the August issue of the Calbar Journal, two county lawyers have been disbarred. James Chester Weseman of Del Mar was disbarred because discipline imposed on him by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office amounted to professional misconduct. He …
Amazon's Bezos buys Washington Post for $250 million
But the ailing newspaper will not be part of booming Amazon
The Washington Post Co. has agreed to sell its flagship paper to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos for $250 million in cash. The paper will not be part of Amazon, which is prospering handsomely. The deal includes a few other smaller …
Former CCDC misused a billion dollars over two decades
Fulton says some of it could have gone for affordable housing outside of downtown
The former Centre City Development Corp. (CCDC) had a sacred belief: money that was made from the former Redevelopment Agency tax increment financing had to go back where it came from. And that was downtown. And that's one of the …
Padres's Cabrera suspended for 50 games: reports
It's part of the Biogenesis investigation
San Diego Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera is among a dozen suspensions that sports media are talking about today (Aug. 5). The players are all connected with investigation of the Biogenesis wellness clinic in Florida, which first hit the news months …
Reports: Rural/Metro ambulance service near bankruptcy
Wall Street's Warburg Pincus, which controls Bridgepoint, bought out, piled debt on Rural/Metro
Rural/Metro Corp., an ambulance operation serving San Diego County, is near bankruptcy, media are reporting. (This blog, quoting the San Jose Mercury News, reported the deep financial woes July 18.) The Wall Street Journal, quoting knowledgeable sources, reported July 31 …
Manchester fails to corral Boston Globe
Paper, once purchased for $1.1 billion, goes for $70 million
The New York Times announced today (Saturday, Aug.3) that it has sold the Boston Globe and other New England media properties to John W. Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox. Henry paid $70 million. The Times had bought …
Another offshore penny stock scam
John Rizzo pleads guilty on iTrackr caper
John Rizzo, chief executive of iTrackr Systems, admitted yesterday (Aug. 1) that he defrauded investors in the Florida company. He peddled penny stock in the company through offshore boiler rooms. investors didn't know that only 20% of the money would …
FTC stops work-at-home scam
Christopher Andrew Sterling won't pay fine for lack of funds
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went to federal court in San Diego in a work-at-home scam case against Christopher Andrew Sterling. The government said that on his websites (sterlingvisa.com, rebatedataprocessor.com and creditcardworker.com) he falsely promised that people could earn $1000 …
FDA warns doctor selling herb-based diabetes treatment
Agency questions claims for Glucosil
The Food and Drug Administration has warned Lee Zhong, M.D., Ph.D., that his company, Neuliven Health, 10171 Pacific Mesa Blvd., could be selling a diabetes treatment that violates federal law. From its website, the company sells the Glucocil product for …
U.S. adds disappointing 162,000 jobs in July
But unemployment rate falls to 7.4%
Economists were expecting the U.S. economy to generate 180,000 new jobs in July, but the total only came in at 162,000, the government revealed this morning (Aug. 2). However, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.4%, down from 7.6% in June. …