The High Cost of Local Politics

Bresnahan...Vargas...still together after all these years, and still not in jail. In 2006 it was reported that Vargas and Bresnahan violated California Election Code 18205 by attempting to bribe another Hispanic-surname candidate to not run for Congressional District 51. Bresnahan, however, must be more careful or better protected, or just smarter, than Vargas' previous aide, Ralph Inzunza, was. Bresnahan is not in jail, but Inzunza is. Both Vargas and Inzunza were involved in wire fraud, intimidation, and extortion. But Vargas, of course, is free and running again. Always chasing Filner's job. When Filner finishes serving his full terms as San Diego mayor, will Vargas still be out of jail and able to gun for that job? Time will tell.
— April 5, 2012 10:02 a.m.

Why San Diegans like Ron Paul

The simplistic views of Paul's followers are suitable (maybe) only for tiny populations. If only they lived in a country that had a population of just a few thousand! They aren't educatable, and don't care if you point out history and its lessons. Like the 1800s and early 1900s, when toxic, useless, or addictive "medicines" were advertised and sold freely, without regulation. And so what, they say, if it is well-known that raw milk can be lethal, and you won't know it until your child gets sick and dies. (Unless you have a home microscope, a culture lab, and an education in microbiology. That's the ticket! Oh wait, isn't that sort of what the FDA does for all of us?) "*But shouldn’t there be regulation of unethical companies that might put dangerous products on the market*?" " *'I think that’s a social function,” says Koehl. 'I can read in the newspaper that XYZ Corporation is swindling folks.'* " But Ms. Koehl, what if the newspaper has a financial interest and doesn't want to print the story? Silly people.
— April 5, 2012 9:32 a.m.

Fight Over Old Town Transitional Housing Facility For Combat Veterans Continues

Visduh, you couldn't have expressed it better. The adults are serving as terrible role models for the kids. Rejection of this well-planned VA facility goes beyond caution. It makes the school's social interaction programs seem pretty hypocritical. These programs are presented with much fanfare on the school's webpage; the kids participate to instill the importance of caring for others (e.g., Wounded Warrior program, especially addressing traumatic brain injury). You can't teach kids to love and care for their fellow humans in social care programs, while, in everyday life, your behavior teaches what President Snow said in The Hunger Games: "*There are lots of underdogs, but I think if you could see them you would not root for them..*." The VA has published myriad documents detailing how carefully the mainly Iraq and Afghanistan vets will be selected. For example, vets must: Be honorably discharged and eligible for VA health care services; Be mentally and medically stable; Be motivated to participate in all treatment components focused on recovery and empowerment; And be compliant with all program rules (breaking rules can lead to consequences up to and including discharge from the program). These veterans, all of whom will be known to the VA and fully engaged in the facility's services, won't need to be hidden from view or sequestered far away from children. The school children are in far more danger from an anonymous and huge population of residents in the high-density condo/rental units surrounding the school. There is a bar up the street, too. A hint at what the real grievance may be: A UT story earlier this year quoted some of the facility's opponents' complaints about the previous use of the facility, the Thomas Jefferson Law School library: "*Neighbors say there's leftover bitterness from a longterm clash with the law school over parking. Some say the law school's conditional use permit, the same kind of permit the VA would need, didn't stop Thomas Jefferson students from clogging residential streets with their cars*." The VA use would involve far fewer cars, and the 93 underground parking spaces would probably be more than adequate. Many of the wounded warriors may not ever be driving (and parking) again, or, being less affluent than law students, won't have cars.
— April 5, 2012 9:05 a.m.

Voice of San Diego. let go reporters Emily Alpert and Adrian Florido, photographer Sam Hodgson

Man, VoSD is really desperate for attention: they did a Reader interview. Not that I don't love Reader: I do. The Reader is all that San Diegans have to get the real story. Period. But there is almost no recognition by Lewis et al. of the Reader's many excellent reports by Reader journalists. VoSD definitely isn't about readership. Glad that Lewis admitted that! Reading VoSD is like reading the news from the high school principal: so what? All that VoSD does is find straw dogs to whip, and feel-good reports to print, to show how life inside the glass-walled offices of city hall are something to which the VoSD staff has access. Real issues, *really important actions* that are occurring daily inside city hall, are totally ignored. Or are falsely represented, in a good light, when in fact they are very dark. The only use VoSD's *FREE* online-only rag serves is to monitor hints at what to expect from city hall as the next move against the people. Because VoSD knows.
— April 4, 2012 7:08 p.m.

Lance Malone, Imprisoned in Strip Club Bribery Case, Opens Las Vegas Pizza Joint

Attorney Gentile says "*There was a time in this community when the return to the community of a man that has Lance Malone’s integrity would have been celebrated, and he would have been greeted with open arms and embraced*." Yeah. Men with Malone's and Inzunza's "integrity." Got that. What a beacon of justice and democracy you are, Dominic. Refresh our memory, sir: would that time have been the 1940s through the 1980s? The time when the Mafia bribed every cop and politician and casino owner in Las Vegas? I'm sure San Diego pols, especially Inzunza, miss those good old times when things were viewed in a more accommodating light. Given the thuggish politics of San Diego, if the next election for mayor goes the way that things have gone in recent years, Inzunza can look forward to being greeted with open arms and a City staff position.
— April 2, 2012 11:38 a.m.

San Diego's redevelopment pigs want back at the trough

bhound, Yes. The SDAR has influenced land-use code changes under Jerry Sanders. They were furious with Dick Murphy for rejecting second units in single-family residential zones (euphemistically referred to as "granny flats," AKA "companion units"). They got the code change they wanted with Sanders and his planning department.
— March 28, 2012 6:57 p.m.

Golden State of Lobbyists

Legislative and elective politics controlled by well-paid lobbyists is increasingly creating local, state, and federal governments that represent only insiders or corporate backers. Paul Krugman wrote about this earlier this week, focusing on the powerful American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) lobby group and crony capitalism. [link text][1] The ALEC model includes providing legislators with templates of a specific desired bill, ready to go and completely written, with exact language. All the legislator has to do is have staff prepare it for introduction and put his/her name on it. The legislator does this because of money donated, position or deal promised, or threat of support withheld. This is happening in San Diego with our councilmembers and our state legislators, and it is really frightening. In the final months of Jerry Sanders' reign over San Diego, he is quietly but fiercely pursuing changes locally and statewide that will undermine democracy and deny San Diegans a voice, for years to come. Yes, people who are surveyed seem to think he is a nice guy. But what he and his crony Goldsmith are doing to the future of San Diego and to its taxpayers is vile. [1]: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/27/4371134/krugman-…
— March 28, 2012 2:52 p.m.

County To Refund 2011 Assessments For Greater Golden Hill MAD

The hugest apology is due from the tiny group of people who call themselves the Greater Golden Hill Community Development Corporation. This little club consists of less than 10 people who appoint themselves to their pretentious committees and vote each other into and out of executive and board positions year after year, because they can't get anyone normal or honest to join their club. They have milked the system for decades, grabbing up as much public money as they can and routinely wasting it. They have overdue debts owed to LISC and the San Diego Architectural Foundation and routinely take credit for others' accomplishments. Propaganda is about the only thing they ever get halfway right. And even their propaganda is laughable and transparently self-serving. Thanks for linking to this article, CDC. That's your best-worst propaganda yet.
— March 28, 2012 12:09 p.m.

Environmental Groups Sue to Block New Desert Town

For a detailed report on the backers and the current lawsuit, see the March 14 2012 Builder Online: http://www.builderonline.com/development/lawsuit-… Interesting data: "Salton City, which in the 1950s was drawn up as a 25,000-household community. According to the 2010 Census, Salton City currently has only 1,204 households and 3,763 people, and is riddled by foreclosures..."
— March 21, 2012 8:20 a.m.

KUSI-TV Avoids Fines from FCC

Agree. The station decided to compete with Fox, the local version of which has news desk reporters who deliver even less of their personal ideological opinions than do the KUSI desk jockies. I just watched a dark-haired KUSI desk jockey woman refer to Pres Obama as "shady slim." The insulting label had nothing to do with the story. Her body language and facial expression left no doubt that she loathed having to watch a video showing Pres Obama speaking. That really disgusts me. If KUSI were fined each time their reporters breached journalistic standards, it'd be bankrupt.
— March 21, 2012 8:04 a.m.