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South Park's Granny Flats — City Says Yea, Some Citizens Say Nay
#12, I like that! And thanks for the active link.— November 1, 2010 3:14 p.m.
South Park's Granny Flats — City Says Yea, Some Citizens Say Nay
The time spent on talking about "pedestrian friendly" and bike routes at the community plan updates relates to the imaginary world in which the city "reinvests" (with what?) and Urban Village infrastructure provides everything the urban villagers need (the provider is the Urban Land Institute, for the naive). Yet we can't walk/bike to Target or Home Depot and get those pillows and dry wall to redo the bedroom, or to Costco for 25 pounds of dogfood, or to Nordies or Macy's for shoes and luggage, or to North Park Produce for anything much if we live in Golden Hill, or even to Miller's or Gala if we need more than an item or two. So what are the Village People supposed to do? Pay the high price for the limited goods that can be bought at teeny little local outfits, and walk or bike there rain or shine? I remember a pathetic hardware store in South Park, before the first Home Depot came to Sports Arena. Overpriced and totally useless for anything bigger than hanging a picture. Forget it!!! Aint going back to those days. South Park is the original suburb to downtown. In the 1920s, people bought houses in SP to escape the crammed together older houses and rentals in Little Italy and near downtown. The families wanted backyards where kids could play, in quiet, residential neighborhoods. Guess what? That is what people still want in South Park, and for the city to change the rules so that realtors, investors, and developer-architects can load up the hood with infill and sell it as an investment opportunity is outrageous. Yes, we want pocket parks. So do it, City. You got the dough to do it anytime soon? Changing the code to allow density is what the city is really doing, and they have Planning Department staff working full-time doing it. The city has the dough to do that...where are the Planning Department staff cutbacks? It's not gonna be granny crammed into in your neighbor's backyard cute-as-pie "craftsman-style" granny flat rental, it's more likely to be a self-professed "artist" - a 20-something who plays loud music, hangs out with tons of Facebook and local bar buds, and comes home from the 30th-street bar tour after 2 am and makes lots of noise. That's what the city should be talking about at the plan updates, what YOU should be talking about, and I hope it IS the main subject on the November 6 charrette. It doesn't appear to be on the agenda of the city if you read this propaganda: http://sduptownnews.com/?p=5463 "residents will get a chance to make more decisions" ??? When did they get to make the previous ones of real consequence?— November 1, 2010 12:45 p.m.
Would Spelling Lessons Affect the Library?
Thanks but no thanks, LaPlaya: having watched Urban Corps workers around the City, I'll pass on letting them have right of entry in my neighborhood. Some of the guys and gals I have observed seemed like diligent sweepers, etc., but most I've seen sat behind bushes or leaned against walls, eyeing the neighborhood, keeping an eye out for the truck with their supervisor. I don't like unsupervised kids in my neighborhood, studying the coming/going and presence/absence of residents, accountable to no one in government... There is a problem with UC workers' lack of expertise and a bigger problem with their lack of supervision. There are well-documented studies of some damage they've done in area canyons, because of lack of expertise and worker supervision. There is also high turnover at all UC levels (except for the top guys, a major Ben Hueso donor pool, who are very well paid CEOs and directors of this "nonprofit"). And...the County sheriff brings bus loads of prisoners into my canyon regularly, and does a great job of clearing brush. I like that those workers are VERY supervised!— October 30, 2010 10:56 a.m.
Would Spelling Lessons Affect the Library?
Thanks Don! Felony grammar crimes, if Prop D loses, will skyrocket! Lock your keyboards in the safe and cease writing all letters of complaint to City employees. The grammatical errors in their responses are already out of control and will just get worse. Seriously, I'm looking for a report on the War Memorial Building town hall to scare the bejezuz out of us anti-Prop D idiots. What happened? Todd the D3-God-squad-Gloria twittered "Huge turnout at tonight's City Budget Town Hall in D3. Many San Diegans concerned about potential budget cuts. http://twitpic.com/31qcdc " Who went and what happened? Anyone out there?— October 29, 2010 7:06 p.m.
Mayor a No-Show at Second Community Forum
You're welcome SP. Note no Planning Dept staff attending these town halls: it occurs to me that staff cuts in DSD and Econ Dev would serve the desired development streamlined free-for-all that underlies the CPUs and their accompanying proposed Land Use Ordinance changes. See the last main section, bottom of the page (esp embedded "Issue Matrix" pdf), this link: http://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/indu… Density, density, density. Pay close attention in the Issue Matrix to "Companion Units." It's an issue the San Diego Assn of Realtors is pushing hard. Want granny flats in every yard, more cars, less parking, more people to fill the local bars. Founder, step up to the plate here.— October 22, 2010 12:12 p.m.
Sanders's "Frighten 'Em" Prop. D Scam
Can't resist posting this here, too: Jerry didn't show up for the last two town halls because he is busy at home putting on his uniform. The Oct 28 meeting is at the War Memorial Building, and he'll be there in full dress. http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd3/pdf/10102…— October 22, 2010 11:47 a.m.
Mayor a No-Show at Second Community Forum
Jerry didn't show up for the last two town halls because he is busy at home putting on his uniform. The Oct 28 meeting is at the War Memorial Building, and he'll be there in full dress. http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd3/pdf/10102…— October 22, 2010 11:43 a.m.
Mayor a No-Show at Second Community Forum
# 33 Great analysis! We'll see....the other current and related case against the city, which they lost and have appealed, would be hurt if Sanders testified truthfully in Kessler v City. It seems possible that it is a cost-benefit equation: depose/testify truthfully or settle w/SK?— October 21, 2010 6:27 p.m.
Mayor a No-Show at Second Community Forum
Response to # 19: The irony is that Kessler used the same tactic (having attendees write questions on slips of paper), during a public meeting to "discuss" the imposition of an assessment tax in Golden Hill. Kessler ran the meeting and had Mitchell Berner, the CDBG$-paid MAD-formation consultant (propagandist) there to explain it all. Hueso was there, too. So while Hueso and Kessler spun the warm and fuzzy goodness it all would be, Berner sat at a table and openly went through the slips, tossing most into a trash can. He found the few he wanted to answer. Kessler then introduced Berner as a "disinterested" party, and some people stood up and pointed out what Berner had been doing and insisted that everyone be allowed to openly ask questions. No go. The loyal Kessler supporters shouted down the dissidents. Kessler, as president of the Golden Hill Community Development Corporation in 2000, gave Li Mandri at least $24,000 to conduct a "survey" of GH property owners. Li Mandri included fear questions, suggesting GH would be overrun by homeless due to Petco, and proposed that a private security patrol, paid for by a MAD, would solve the problem. Whose security company do you think Kessler and Li Mandri had in mind? No one has ever examined the actual returned surveys except for Kessler and Li Mandri, but they claimed there was "overwhelming" positive response. Sound familiar? The rigged Mannino survey in the FBI report? Kessler does not have clean hands, in his time with the city or before, no matter how much everyone wants him to prevail to bring down Sanders and Dumanis. All Sanders has to do is testify that Kessler was fired because of Kessler's numerous lies and conflicts in using HUD $ and in MAD formation, but that would also bring down Bill Anderson. Who knows?— October 21, 2010 9:11 a.m.
Mayor Sanders Frustrates Critic at San Diego Budget Town Hall Meeting
Thanks for the report. Among the San Diego Republican (and some Republican-backing, e.g., Hueso) elected officials, there is a pattern of the type of attitude embodied in Sanders' comment, “This is a town hall, and you’re not part of it.” Scot Peters was equally insulting and sneering, routinely, in his role as Council president. Hueso is a close second. Very few cities have mayors or councilpersons who publicly treat citizens in this way. Many probably feel like doing so, but it is unusual. Lucky us.— October 20, 2010 11:33 a.m.