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San Diego's Broadway Pier — a Wart?
"The original price tag for the project was almost $13 million. Now it's almost $27 million. More than double." Source: You Still Can't Get There from Here | NBC San Diego, Wed, Jun 23, 2010 http://www.nbcsandiego.com/around-town/real-estat… And that was last June...I'm not sure if anyone has yet been able to walk across it, but it looms large, and not too handsomely, in my opinion, over Harbor Drive.— December 14, 2010 10:10 p.m.
Bar Brawl With North Park Rages On
The Bluefoot has people sitting at its tables out on the sidewalk all day...drive by the intersection and view the lost, wasted lives. Bluefoot is a blight and the landing place of blighted people. Future alcoholics: go find a life, something to do other than drinking yourselves stupid!— December 8, 2010 6:42 p.m.
Walmart's All-Out War Against San Diego City Hall; Bridgepoint Leases New Space
Right on, Founder! You said it all!— December 8, 2010 6:37 p.m.
Trash Pickup in Peril in Rancho Bernardo
Also, more LiMandri at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/dec/01/fe…— December 6, 2010 4:35 p.m.
Trash Pickup in Peril in Rancho Bernardo
Founder, if the new NP assessment plan is called a "Community Benefit District," that's LiMandri's hallmark name of choice for assessing property owners and turning the money over to a business group, preferably one he controls. Here is LiMandri's idea of how it all should work: http://newcityamerica.com/downloads/DIX0120106rep… LiMandri says, "We [meaning he, and his company with the scary name New City America] need to manage residential downtowns in totality just like a mall management company would manage a mall. Dogs, parking, schools, everything." Welcome to your neighborhood LiMandri mallworld!— December 6, 2010 4:32 p.m.
Fees Are More Popular than Taxes
DeMaio is a mixed bag: His talk is always about being against "fees" and "taxes," but "assessments" are never mentioned. And guess what? DeMaio loves assessments. As nostalgic says, "The only people who can't tell them apart are the people who pay them." DeMaio's recent plan http://cleanupcityhall.com/uploaded/FinancialRepo… documents his support for assessments, and with the code language, "local control" meaning total privatization. From page 49 of DeMaio's plan: "Long-Term Changes IN PROGRESS – ADDITIONAL REFORMS IN DEVELOPMENT In addition to the issues discussed above, Councilmember DeMaio plans to explore: • Expanded Maintenance Assessment Districts to Provide Enhanced Service with Local Control On top of that, if you watch the July 20, 2010, Council video for Item 332, renewal of the CPCI-controlled MADs, DeMaio blusters on about this same "local control" idea. What does local control mean? Oh, sounds good...assess people on their property bill and let them have total local control, meaning cut out any City oversight (for what it's worth!) and give local control to ...who? I'll show you "who" is: The minutes from the Little Italy Association Board of Directors Meeting, January 9, 2007, state: "On August 17, 2006, a letter was sent to Mayor Jerry Sanders requesting help for the Little Italy Maintenance Assessment District. The letter reiterated to the Mayor that the Little Italy MAD funds are not City funds, rather assessment funds raised through property owner taxes. Also, that the City is Assessing the Association 4% of the total annual assessments (collected or not), totaling approximately $26,000 for Administration of the district but not providing a fast turn-around for reimbursements or effective service. The letter requests that the Mayor consider a policy shift for all San Diego Maintenance Districts that would consist of the following: 1. Transfer the property assessments, in bulk as collected, to the contracted non-profit organizations at least twice per year 2. Allow the district management corporation to use these anticipated property assessments as collateral for lines of credit by local lending institutions. This would be accomplished through a letter from the City of the lending institutions that would allow these anticipated assessments to be used as collateral for any lines of credit or term loans, extended to the management corporations." This is what LiMandri and DeMaio belive in: taxes that aren't called "taxes," and giving private local powerbroker groups the right to collect and use property assessment taxes as they wish, with no government interference! With DeMaio, watch out what you ask for. You might get it.— December 6, 2010 9:19 a.m.
Trash Pickup in Peril in Rancho Bernardo
Right, Founder. Privatization has been going on for several years in the MidCity-Downtown areas, in many ways, including the TMD. Privatization started really expanding in 2006, with the hiring of William Anderson (who was working for a company named Economic Research Associates) to direct CPCI; the heart of the privatization scheme rests within the Economic Development division in CPCI and in the BID Council. The business associations in MidCity have been allowed to move from taking/controlling assessments on businesses to taking/controlling assessments on properties within and beyond the business districts, in a completely illegal subversion of state law. Much of the thrust to assess people on their property tax bills and to give the money to the business associations/nonprofits came from a push by Marco LiMandri and Ben Hueso (neither of whom care much about the law!. LiMandri still has great influence. Have you followed the fight over the porta-potties downtown? The Little Italy maintenance assessment district, controlled by LiMandri, happily took on all maintenance costs for the loos purchased by CCDC, whereas the PBID assessment district is fighting that...because it is not legal. It's a mess. If you want to see what I mean about the porta-potties fight, watch the July 20 archived Council video, Item 332. Emerald and Hueso put on a show of contempt for and ignorance of the law.— December 6, 2010 8:31 a.m.
Trash Pickup in Peril in Rancho Bernardo
For anyone interested in seeing the City's Budget and Finance Committee documents and actions, see Item-3 from Nov 10 2010: http://docs.sandiego.gov/ccaction_budgetfinance/B… The report, dated Nov 1 2010, is here: http://docs.sandiego.gov/councilcomm_agendas_atta…— December 5, 2010 8:39 p.m.
Gold, Newspaper Ink
Woo, glad to know we haven't been ingesting lead, arsenic, and mercury from ink dyes! Thanks, Matthew Alice. That's lots of good info. That said, I think I'll use the South American newspapers I brought home from vacation as fire starters ...can't be sure about the environmental diligence of other federales. It's only when I've used The Reader to defrost/dry meat that I have ever read those body-obsessed ads. They surprise me! There must be lots of $$ in mental and body interventions and enhancements.— December 2, 2010 3:23 p.m.
Can Imperial County Come Back From the Dust?
This is an incredibly detailed, well-done report on the Imperial Valley. Thank you for the great work. I've never stopped in any of the towns in the Valley, on going to or returning from camping trips in the mountains or desert. But the vast and amazing stretches of land and agriculture are a sight to behold. I'll stop next time and spend some money in a grocery or other business. It's great to have a glimmer of what the reality is for the residents. Luck to them all.— December 2, 2010 8:43 a.m.