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No April Fools Joke: Fletcher Joins Democrats
Well said! A look at some of those locals who "welcome" him to the Democratic party that they claim to belong to gives an idea of what the party label can mean here in San Diego. Those Nouveau Republicrats include the shameful Marcella Escobar-Eck, and Jerry Sanders' former mouthpiece Rachel Laing.— May 4, 2013 7:48 p.m.
Ocean Beach ashcans cut down on cigarette litter
This is good. Great, in fact. However, a reminder of how one San Diego nonprofit was mainly in the business of ripping off neighborhood property owners is the purchase, by the Greater Golden Hill Community Development Corporation, of $400 ashcans. Oh gee! You can actually get cheaper ones? Of course they could have bought them cheaper (the $400 didn't even include the shipping/tax from Pennsylvania, from a company called Keystone Ridge), but since they were spending property owner MAD assessments, they wanted to spend as much as possible. They bought 15, for $6000 + shipping. The thousands of *property owners* in South Park and Golden Hill neighborhoods were forced to pay for them, all so that the GGH CDC could place them in commercial areas, in front of the restaurants and shops that the GGH CDC wanted to please. And some of the GGH CDC owned those businesses. Nice. Oh well. The court ruled the Golden Hill MAD illegal. No more Golden Hill MAD. Won't ever happen again...will it?— May 3, 2013 7:39 p.m.
Potential conflict of interest for planning commissioner whose spouse works at land-use consultant firm?
Great report. As to "*speaks volumes about the course of conduct by Kilroy Realty, Inc. in seeking as much influence as possible through Escobar-Eck's revolving-door connections*...," one word: **Sunroad**. The phrase "*speaks volumes*" just seems to stick to Escobar-Eck: http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/news/article_a2bb5…— May 2, 2013 2:48 p.m.
City agrees to $120,000 settlement in lawsuit over downtown PBID overcharges
There is another ongoing case, also moved to Orange county, between City and SCI, filed at the same time as the settled breach of contract case. This other case is a tort (for negligence). There is no settlement on the horizon for the tort. Should be interesting. Next hearing is June 18. The breach of contract settlement is small potatoes. The tort is a bigger deal.— May 2, 2013 9:22 a.m.
Tijuana’s piece of Olympic dream likely over
Well, with a new mayor, things will be, are being, more reasonably approached (i.e., the parking solution in BP). Just because we have had rotten mayor and government in the past, there is always hope. If only we had a council that would act as reasonably as the new mayor, it could happen.— April 30, 2013 6:25 p.m.
Fourteen Barrio Logan property owners represented 70 percent of vote needed to establish new Barrio Logan Maintenance Assessment District
Here is the ad: http://www.camainstreet.org/index.php/news/111-ba… The Barrio Logan Association that McCook somehow became president of was registered with the state last December, by....da-da...Marco Li Mandri. The download link in the ad has lots of strange claims, such as a council meeting on November 20 2012. Check the docket. No council meeting that day. It claims that there is already a MAD in place, but there is not. I'm sure Alvarez knows what's going on. Too bad he is hiding the information.So much for transparency. And too bad he is in league with known scoundrels, all outsider developers and consultants from La Jolla and Little Italy.— April 26, 2013 1:08 p.m.
Fourteen Barrio Logan property owners represented 70 percent of vote needed to establish new Barrio Logan Maintenance Assessment District
I wonder if the "ballots" are actually results from the 2011 *New City America* survey? The November 27 2012 council meeting was only to **start** the process to form a MAD, and no ballots had then been mailed to property owners of all 335 parcels in the Oct 2012 preliminary Engineer's Report. The Nov 27 2012 council supporting documents don't include the so-called "assessment ballots" that the City Clerk provided for this article. Also unbelievable is the 100% "ballot" return. Can't happen in the real world. Even with surveys. Something is really, really hinckey about this. The so-called ballots were broken down into two groups, "nonprofit corporation" and "other [unnamed]" with a total number of votes solicited = 329, and NO = 162, YES = 167. There is no assessment district, yet....not in the real world, anyway. In the fictional world of New City Amerika, maybe. You would think that a good councilperson would have explained what was really happening. Really disappointed in Alvarez. Hasn't San Diego had enough of this kind of gaming the system?— April 25, 2013 4:49 p.m.
Mattress Man picks up and delivers to Mexico
This is great. So many of the things that people on this side of the border throw out, or cannot sell or give away here, can be used by people elsewhere. Blankets, sheets, old bikes, camping gear, and dishes, for example. If your friend wants to let you post a contact number or email, I'd be happy to let him know when I know of useful items for free.— April 25, 2013 2:03 p.m.
710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach irks neighbors with sidewalk cafe
Over at the OBRag, someone posted comments showing who is behind the sidewalk intrusions: see the BID Council document http://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/pdf/… and the supplemental item for the council agenda on April 23 http://dockets.sandiego.gov/sirepub/cache/2/gsnx1… which shows how the business associations profit by charging and collecting for their own use the "PROW fees."— April 21, 2013 6:58 p.m.
710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach irks neighbors with sidewalk cafe
Well, at least the horrid Bluefoot and its creepy, creepy daytime customers will have to endure a bit of noise and disruption themselves. The entire block of 30th and Upas is undergoing demolition - smashed, bye-bye - and will become a horrid Segal-style 4-story warren of 25 or more apartments/commercial lease-space over the next 6 months or so of construction. The dust and noise should add to the ambiance of the open-wall Bluefoot street-front drinkers' paradise. I'm so sorry for the hood. New Bluefoot customers will reside right across the street when its all over.— April 18, 2013 5:50 p.m.