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Another potential lawsuit in Hotel Tax issue, this time over how district plans to pay for lawsuit against City
I'd love to sue Todd Gloria for being a complete fraud and a-hole. Wtf is he doing? Wonder what the Dems who spawned him think? Susan Davis, Toni Atkins? They must love his assault on the only Dem in years to win the mayor's office...— February 25, 2013 6:31 p.m.
Hotel titan leading legal war against Democrat Filner had role in San Diego Nixon scandal
The gentle, upbeat description of Wilson, "*the city's young mayor, Pete Wilson, created the new 'Finest City' slogan to boost the city's sagging spirits,*" reminds me how much the public prefers "gentlemanly" pols and big cheeses, no matter how greedy or ugly their politics (Sanders: fondly called Gentleman Jerry in his circle of admirers). And why Filner is treated so rudely. Though Sanders hurt the City in many ways, he was cunning. Filner isn't cunning. He says what he believes. I'll trust my wallet with Filner and his ilk any day of the week.— February 25, 2013 5:13 p.m.
Mayor Filner, City Council and City Attorney Goldsmith to discuss Tourism Marketing District during closed session meeting
Great compilation and synthesis of the Reader's reporting. Thanks for the lawsuit info. Without Reader and San Diego Free Press, which also has excellent reporting (by several reporters), we got nuthin!— February 24, 2013 5:54 p.m.
Hotel titan leading legal war against Democrat Filner had role in San Diego Nixon scandal
Great reporting and research. Why is San Diego cursed with these thugs? Let's hope the Browns have no successor spawn that will continue the mugging of our town using the family money. How fitting that the Taxpayers Assoc is showing up in tomorrow's council session to support the Brown coalition. I guess they approve of the tax dodges that the Brown family buddies, both Alessio brothers, went to prison for. Wonder if Frye will be in attendance? Brown targeted her, too, with big money for poisonous mailers by his Coalition to Keep San Diego Working. It's always really about jobs, right. For Brown's cronies.— February 24, 2013 5:29 p.m.
Declining to take public questions, tax-backed tourism board votes to sue Filner
In the Feb 24 UT, Goldsmith is quoted as saying "*Here, the mayor of my client city proposed an agreement to give the city part of the TMD funds as an inducement to get his signature on the TMD contract.*" This is an incorrect summary of Filner's position. Filner, recognizing that the legal validity of the 2% surcharge on hotel bills is tenuous, doesn't propose to "*give the city*" any of the surcharge already collected under the current contract. Rather, Filner wants only to sign a new, more time-limited contract (1 or 2 years, the likely timeframe of the legal battles) to release the already collected surcharge fund. A new contract could agree that some of the surcharge could be shared with the General Fund. Why not? The TMD Board is costing the City money by suing. The legal challenges involve not only laws on the proper process of imposing a surcharge (tax law or assessment/fee law), but also the legal time limit (max 5 years) to impose a surcharge. Signing a contract for 40 years, which violates one State law, is an issue. Filner, in renegotiating a potentially legal shorter term assessment, while legal challenges are heard and decided, also wants an agreement that all of the **specially benefiting hotel corporations** will pay hotel staff a living wage. If the court decides that assessment law has been violated (even Goldsmith concurs this is likely), the TMD can be reintroduced legally, by public vote, as a tax, and part of the vote would be that the City would receive part of the new tax. Good for business, good for jobs, good for workers, good for the economy, good for our city. It's going to be impossible for the court to find that the hotel corporations are the **payors** of an assessment, though they are the direct beneficiaries, by their own claim, in violation of law. The SDTMD (EIN 262646009) is organized as a nonprofit 501(c)6. Their mission statement on their IRS filing is thus: http://tinyurl.com/ag8wkmf > SDTMD IS A **FUNDING CONDUIT** FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND > IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE MARKETING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES >**THAT BENEFIT THE ASSESSED BUSINESSES** WITHIN THE SAN DIEGO > TOURISM MARKETING DISTRICT.— February 24, 2013 10:14 a.m.
Advocacy group closely tied to big hotel owner backs legal attack on Filner
Well, per their mission statement, the SDTA is for "opposing ***unnecessary*** taxes and fees." They decide what is necessary.— February 23, 2013 2:43 p.m.
Declining to take public questions, tax-backed tourism board votes to sue Filner
The "*board members were not eager to be quoted because they were employees of corporate hotel chains and feared the publicity and negative job consequences*" ... Good idea, and thanks for the suggestion, Bill Evans: I will write/email the hotels' corporate HQs and complain about all of the signers of the agreement to sue my mayor and my town.— February 23, 2013 7:35 a.m.
Declining to take public questions, tax-backed tourism board votes to sue Filner
Just a few of the PR firms that make $ from the downtown groups, and some of the people: Public Policy Strategies - former Sanders staffer Rachel Laing now there. By George Strategies - Tony Manolatos, past Deputy Chief of Staff & Communications Director for Councilman Kevin Faulconer; former reporter at the Union-Tribune Southwest Strategies - Alan Ziegaus, CEO, http://swspr.com/bios/alan-ziegaus.php— February 22, 2013 7:22 p.m.
Declining to take public questions, tax-backed tourism board votes to sue Filner
Thanks Matt!— February 22, 2013 4:05 p.m.
Tourism Marketing District has some economic incentive...for city councilmembers
Todd Gloria, as usual, avoids the actual issue of the legality of the TMD mechanism. The twisted construct used to bring the TMD about involved a voting process and a timeframe that violate two different State laws. Gloria knows this. His statement that "the City Council approved the renewal of the TMD by a vote of 7-1" is a useless fact. They've voted to approve all sorts of illegal things. Gloria, in particular, is the worst, most disingenuous sycophant on the Council. Emerald runs a close second, but she's a bit dumber.— February 21, 2013 3:25 p.m.