Blue Plate Special: Jess Durfee Roasted at the Tipsy Crow

The City of San Diego is slashing library hours and street repairs, but GOP mayor Jerry Sanders is still handing out big money to City lobbyists. According to its most recent disclosure statement, during the first three months of this year the City paid $42,000 to the Sacramento firm of Sloat, Higgins, Jensen and Associates. The City also spent $3976.40 for tickets on Southwest Airlines and $103.41 for a tab at Sacramento’s Holiday Inn. In addition, the City forked over hefty payments to the Association of California Water Agencies ($43,490) and the California Association of Sanitation Agencies ($26,640). Sanders maintained his customary secrecy about the specific legislative causes he favored. Whereas other local government agencies, including the port district and county, provided detailed lists of the bills that they lobbied on, the City merely disclosed that it lobbied the governor’s office, the state office of finance, and the legislature regarding “budget, redevelopment, enterprise zones.”…Molecular biologist Suresh Subramani, appointed recently as permanent senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at UCSD, is making a cool $350,000 a year, plus car allowance of $8916…County Democrats are getting ready to roast their top honcho Jess Durfee at downtown’s Tipsy Crow lounge. “This isn’t your typical rubber-chicken dinner,” emails party executive director Ryan Hurd about the June 9, $100-a-head event. “Our roasters — party officials, labor leaders, and other special guests — will be working ‘blue,’ and not just in the Democratic sense of the word.”