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Spanos Slow to Make Good on $10 Million Sac State Stadium Pledge
Couldn't agree more with Visduh's comment!— September 29, 2011 10:47 a.m.
Goldsmith Quietly Drops DROP Appeal
You guys are absolutely full of it. Talk about revisionist history of facts well documented in the media. Goldsmith is in the Union's pocket. That is one of the most ridiculous claims you made in a long time. If that's the case, why has he been suing and winning cases against the unions and city employees. Goldsmith said this: “We pursue cases that have a chance of success,” Goldsmith said in a statement Tuesday. “That’s why we have won every pension case during the past two years.” If he was a puppet of the unions as you two claim, why is he litigating against their interests? Oh and by the way, as a competent attorney, bringing claims with arguments the courts are agreeing with. Mr. Aguirre's work was shoddy at best, incompetent and corrupt at worst. Please explain why he paid $127,000 to one of his friends for the pension case. Aguirre hired Orange County accountant Steven Gabrielson as an expert witness in 2006 even though Gabrielson, by his own admission, had never done any professional work related to a public pension plan. $127,000+ taxpayer dollars to Aguirre's paid to Gabrielson who served as volunteer treasurer for Aguirre's city attorney campaign in 2004. He was also treasurer for Aguirre's unsuccessful 2002 campaign for San Diego County district attorney. Then there is the amended complaints. How many amended complaints does it take? What did he do? Six, Seven? There were so many, Judge Barton was ready to sanction him. Of course Aguirre KNEW previous legal case settlements (Gleason, Corbett and Macguian) gutted the core of his arguments. NEVERTHELESS he wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on outside counsel and his so called experts.— August 31, 2011 10:52 a.m.
Goldsmith Quietly Drops DROP Appeal
Many of the benefits you've outlined in this piece were done away with in July 2005. Furthermore, in a separate court case, brought by SDCERS, the court ruled that even though Mike Aguirre failed to bring the proper ordinances forward to the City Council for passage in timely manner, the intent of the Council to end those benefits was enough in the eyes of the Court. Additionally, to clarify what you've written, City Employees earn a defined benefit pension as part of their total compensation. If an employee chooses to enter the DROP program then their pension payment is deposited into an interest bearing account at SDCERS. Some employees have retired without entering the DROP program. While in 1997 when DROP was created eight percent(8%) was SDCERS expected rate of return. Please remember SDCERS only administers these programs for the City. It was the City Council who not only approved the program, but set the initial rates. Since then the rate of return, along with SDCERS expected rate of return has changed. Additionally, SDCERS in an ministerial role, separated the rates. DROP accounts currently earns 2.3% not 8%. The rate is now tied to the composite of the bell weather indices and adjusts annually. 1. 100% of the five‐year U.S. Treasury Rate; and 2. 50% of the five‐year HQC Bond Rate; and 3. 100% of the five‐year composite IRA CD rate During many of the years since 1996, but not all, SDCERS earned substantially more than the rate of return. For example while SDCERS was paying 2.3% this year, it earned 23.8% (as of June 30, 2011) tens times as much as it was paying to active DROP account holders. SDCERS keeps the difference which helps to lower the UAAL to the City. Finally when the employee ends their DROP participation they can select one of four options. Lump sum distribution, a life expectancy annuity, a 20 year annuity, or partial lump sum distribution and 20 year annuity on the remaining balance. Currently the annuity choice is paying 4.8 and is also tied to three indices. No cost of living adjustment is made to any of the options. A COLA is only applied to the pension as set forth by Ordinances approved by the City Council. Mr. Goldsmith, in looking out for the City taxpayers, made a common sense decision after the Cal Supreme Court rules against Orange County's litigation against it deputies. San Diego litigation mirrored some the Orange County case. With Orange County losing at at all three levels, trial, appellate and Supreme Court on Supervisor Moorlach's unique legal theories, Goldsmith saw the writing on the wall.— August 30, 2011 8:02 p.m.
Navy: 'Smart Pigs' Are on the Case
Khalil has resigned from the Peninsula Community Planning Board. Seems he, and his ego, just could not follow Board rules. This guy never learns. He has a history of causing dissension and division rather than bringing people together for the greater good. When the Board voted 9-3-1 to begin an investigation of Khalil's improper acts as Board President, he just stood up and resigned at last Thursday's 8/18/11 meeting. Since then Khalil has made endless excuses about his actions as documented in the Community newspaper. But the facts still remain he violated the Board rules. It's my hope the Board still forms its investigative committee and formally document what was done so these errors of acts and or omissions will be avoided by future Board members.— August 26, 2011 8:48 p.m.
Point Loma Residents Warn Navy Against Waking the "Sleeping Giant"
Khalil has resigned from the Peninsula Community Planning Board. Seems he, and his ego, just could not follow Board rules. This guy never learns. He has a history of causing dissension and division rather than bringing people together for the greater good. When the Board voted 9-3-1 to begin an investigation of Khalil's improper acts as Board President, he just stood up and resigned at last Thursday's 8/18/11 meeting. Since then Khalil has made endless excuses about his actions as documented in the Community newspaper. But the facts still remain he violated the Board rules. It's my hope the Board still forms its investigative committee and formally document what was done so these errors of acts and or omissions will be avoided by future Board members.— August 26, 2011 1:40 p.m.
Point Loma Residents Warn Navy Against Waking the "Sleeping Giant"
Khalil has a reputation of making things up and to put it as plain as possible fabricating so called facts. The Navy has had an ongoing inspection and repair process for years.— August 22, 2011 3:50 p.m.
Navy: 'Smart Pigs' Are on the Case
In other words, a total over reaction by Suhail Khalil, from the Peninsula Community Planning Board. An example of trying to scare people with unsubstantiated and incorrect information. This guy is just bad news.— August 22, 2011 3:47 p.m.
Will Southern Cal Newspapers Combine?
Sadly, the only difference between dinosaurs and the UT is a meteor hasn't struck 350....yet. And, like the dinosaurs, print newspapers will be extinct within a decade, two at the most. The process of printed and distributing a newspaper is just too slow in this technologically paced world. While newspapers worked for Benjamin Franklin in a brave new world, the 24/7 newscycle never stops, and is stale in just a few hours. While magazines, weekly and boutique papers will survive albeit not without pain, the daily is dead. But San Diego, with its history of corruption, mismanagement and other shenanigans absolutely needs a Watchdog on guard. Hopefully whoever ends up running the enterprise known as the UT will be able to bring it into the 21st century with a new strategy for success.— August 12, 2011 3:41 p.m.
Who Watches the UCAN Watchdog?
Fascinating! I await Mr. Bauder's response.— July 29, 2011 8:49 a.m.
San Diego Police Department Realigning Districts
Beat realignment by community is a subterfuge, not the real reason for this realignment. The real question that needs to be explored is the total number of patrol beats by command, compared to the previous beat maps. If the number of beats has been reduced, meaning new beats have been geographically enlarged, then it's all about smoke and mirrors and not public safety/response times. Why, you may ask? It's simple, with 200 fewer officers on the force than just a few years ago, to reach the minimum staffing requirements with fewer uniformed police officers, you need to reduce the number of beats. Since you cannot shrink the City, you enlarge the beat boundaries, and thereby increase response times with fewer available officers. Of course you do accomplish one thing, you can report you met your minimum staffing requirements each day, at least on paper. San Diegans are very lucky. We have an incredibly low crime rate for the 8th largest city in the nation. However, our population continues to grow as our police department shrinks. We have fewer officers today then we did just a few years ago. Let's hope the men and women who keep the public peace, not only keep us safe, we need them to stay safe too. By stretching a limited resource even more thinly than we already have, City leaders put us all in jeopardy. We've already seen the negative and life risking affects on fire department response times from the so called Brown-outs. We also seen how reported numbers are easily manipulated when the City wants a report to come out in a certain way. Now its the PD's turn in the public service hopper. Let's pray no one, citizen or cop get injured or killed over this latest decision.— July 29, 2011 8:37 a.m.