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City refuses to pay $7.6 million to man paralyzed by a fallen tree. Requests new trial.
I don't think the City has a chance of winning this suit. The co-defendant in the suit was West Coast Arborists. This company was a co-defendant because Mr. Burke pays into a MAD (the Washington Street MAD), and WCA did the palm tree maintenance by contract with San Diego Park and Recreation. The Washington Street MAD Engineering Report states the MAD's purpose is "*to provide for the maintenance of landscaped medians, rights-of-way, and slope improvements*") - as with all MADs, above and beyond the general services of the City. WCA and the contractor, the City, were supposed to be providing particular and special attention to every tree in the PROW in the assessment district. Having seen WCA in action in Greater Golden Hill (district dissolved by the court), I know what a joke their contract for special services might be. Despite contracting for tens of thousands of dollars in contracts with each of the many MADs throughout San Diego, the workers may blow through, do make-work, and disregard municipal codes and requirements. I'm sure the City will soon be suing WCA, just as they sue any contractor involved when the City loses a lawsuit. I believe WCA is involved in other, similar lawsuits in the County.— March 11, 2013 11:06 a.m.
Democrats rule in lucrative Filner committee appointments
The amateurish attempt by Todd Gloria to wrest power from Filner was amazing to watch. Gloria is in waaaaay over his head. He kept trying to maintain the upper hand by calling the smaller shots, his last error being to direct his and Filner's staff to hash it out. Bam! It was hilarious when Todd tried to cast Filner's nominations as "defective" (for holding a vacancy for someone from the new D4; not a defect, opined the DCA), and when Lightner pointed out that actually Todd's nominations are defective (like, for illegally nominating too many of the same people for positions). Also wonderful when Todd pulled out the old "Form 1472" dodge. Heads up Mayor Filner: in council politics, 1472s are the last refuge of the day's scoundrel. Obviously, at 5 pm last Friday, Todd, not having Filner's 1472 with nominations, could have picked up the phone (or had his staff do it) and called Filner to remind him to submit it. But NO!!! Amateur Todd sees that as his big chance to make and docket HIS nominations (which he likes to refer to as "appointments"). Bam! You are working with a real politician now, Todd, and a real Democrat. Better get used to it. You really lost out on your big power play and look very foolish and small. Filner referred to "trying to work with Gloria for ~15 years" (Gloria was Rep Susan Davis' aide) ...would love to know some of that history. Good job, Mayor.— January 11, 2013 2:29 p.m.
Democrats rule in lucrative Filner committee appointments
Watched the session. I almost cried with feelings of gratitude for Filner for pointing out the evasive, incorrect words by the Dep City Atty. It reminded me of the many times in the past 8 years that some Dep City Atty sat up on the council dais and lied, twisted words, purposefully confused, or skirted the questions, to achieve an end that Sanders or someone from the council or Planning or Econ Dev depts wanted. ...Oh, how sweet to have a mayor who is shrewd and calls a spade a spade and clearly states the truth, the law and the facts. I am just ecstatic! I'm sure there are some good Dep City Attys, but they have yet to appear in council meetings. I mean, so many truly ignorant, ill-spoken, confused DCAs have been seen, and have been willing to lie or evade and follow the lead of a councilmember who wants them to say certain things to some end, that it's hard to believe that any really competent and honest ones exist. Maybe things will change. And the opining will become strictly honest and correct. Under Goldsmith, the laws have always been "interpreted" ito serve a twisted interest.— January 11, 2013 9:20 a.m.
Liberal Super PAC Attacks Scott Peters In New Ads
Thanks so much for this info. Peters, from first-hand experience ... as a recipient of his disdain and total disrespect during council hearings ... is always making a deal, but never with any ordinary citizen-constituents. I couldn't vote for Peters for anything, ever, after I experienced the effect of his representation in city council.— June 2, 2012 6:57 p.m.
Don't Diss "Papa Doug's" Friends in UT Book Section
Yes, so true. Any San Diego resident who has ever needed help shining a light on an issue with the City, when the City acts questionably, has had only The Reader as a voice. If the issue involved a battle, legal or not, and a resident ultimately prevailed, you'll read an honest account of the details and the victory only in Reader. Those of us who have relied on Reader's journalism have learned along the way that Reader's editors do very careful fact-checking. Sometimes things are more complex than Reader's format and timeframe allow, and so the multi-level details are omitted, but never do Reader journalists or editors skew the truth or purposefully omit facts so as to distort the truth. Thank you, all Reader staff! Note to Jan Goldsmith: Reader is a real newspaper, not a "blog," as you condescendingly called it in the May 8 Council meeting vote to approve a new municipal ordinance that prohibits groups of residents from filing class claims for tax refunds. You continually tweet and talk to staff of a real blog, the local online-only nonprofit publishing arm of your office and other donors, so why the condescension to Reader? On the bright side, the people working for the City DO read Reader, you betcha.— May 28, 2012 2:31 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
nostalgic - you mentioned that a lot of money is collected in special assessments. Well, it is, but mainly only in the poorest areas. Look at this little old house on National Avenue: [link text][1] Would you guess that the owners pay $420.24/year to the Central Commercial MAD? They do. They should at least get a banner in front of their house, no? Similar huge assessments are seen for poor little houses in City Heights Central Commercial MAD was started in 2000 by Hueso and Li Mandri with the helpful votes of a couple of commercial property owners who live in La Jolla and Del Mar. The La Jollan and Del Mar guys have been the main management all these years. The total assessment collected every year is about $218,000, on ~430 properties. In the most recent IRS filing from this MAD's La Jolla office, here's how some of this money was spent: 1. Exec Dir pay, $18,000 2. Management pay, $17,508 3. Accounting cost, $3300 4. Travel cost, $7941 5. Insurance cost, $4623 6. Banner Design $14,464 7. Event Expenses $41,522 8. Payroll taxes $3424 An audit report in 2009 [link text][2] concerning commingling of funds from property assessments and grants from an afterschool music program that the MAD management runs stated: > ... expenses exceeded program revenues by $13,108 which were paid for ...from property owner assessments which raises the issue of whether these are authorized expenses. And so it goes. This is an Economic Development-run MAD. Just like the Golden Hill MAD **was**. [1]: http://g.co/maps/bhuw6 [2]: http://www.centralvillage.com/pdf/2008%20Audit%20…— May 3, 2012 11:45 a.m.
DMV Staffers Took Bribes and Provided False Licenses, Says U.S. Attorney
Wow! Good reporting, Don. No, I cannot imagine Dumanis following up. This is amazing!— May 2, 2012 7:07 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
Thanks, 92101. We will keep watching.— May 1, 2012 4:24 p.m.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith's Campaign Committee Donates $25,000 to Romney Super PAC
The Romney "Restore Our Future" PAC spends almost all of its donations against Repubs. For 2012: > Grand Total Spent on 2012 Federal Elections: $53,549,228 For Democrats: $0 Against Democrats: $0 For Republicans: $3,072,210 Against Republicans: $50,477,018 Total Electioneering Communications: $0 Goldsmith doesn't have anyone to be against except the citizens of San Diego. The time he spends doing that doesn't cost him anything. We pay him to do it. I'd like to restore our past, before Goldsmith.— May 1, 2012 1:15 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
enjoyPB -On residential assessments being the focal point of the CBD ordinance, if you need convincing: Li Mandri was instrumental in working with his friend Gavin Newsome to create multiple CBDs in the early 2000s. Here is the San Francisco ordinance in Business and Tax Regulations Code, Article 15, Business Improvement Districts Procedure Code, verbatim [link text][1]: > a) State law provides procedures to form property and business improvement districts. This Article provides authority for the City to invoke those state procedures and in addition to apply those procedures to **residential property** that would not be covered were the City to follow the state law exclusively. This Article incorporates the state law and then specifies how the Board of Supervisors may choose to augment the state law provisions by choosing to: (1) reduce the percentage of petitions required from owners in order to initiate formation; (2) have the district encompass and assess residential property; or (3) extend the term of the district to a maximum of 15 years, unless a longer term is authorized by state law; or (4) authorize the district to recover through assessments the costs incurred in its formation. [1]: http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll?f=template…— April 29, 2012 6:42 p.m.