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Get close but not too close to Carrizo Gorge trestle
I'm skeptical abut the story of why the trestle was built of wood instead of steel. It was an unplanned change, caused by a landslide and blockage of a tunnel. Every day the line was blocked, the railroad took in no revenue. So, speed in getting a replacement in place was of essence. To wait while steel was fabricated to order and brought from afar would have taken many months. Wood was readily available and could be cut to need, and was cheaper, too. After the 1983 closure, the line was reopened during the early years of this century by an operation called Carrizo Gorge Railway for limited use. Union Pacific provided a test train through the gorge in 2004. So, it has been used sporadically over the years.— July 21, 2017 6:09 p.m.
$800K signs mounted at City College
How many of those who voted for the bond issue thought that signs would take almost $1 million of the proceeds? How many of those who voted for it even care? No, this smacks of fancying up the campus with some very costly, very visible signs, to impress somebody. It shouldn't impress the students who know all about the education they are getting there from a staff of freeway flyer instructors who are underpaid and unappreciated. Only the administrators, and the top ones at that, are getting anything out of this outlay. Many other things that directly affect the educational mission could have used those funds. And I'll bet that some perfectly visible and legible signs could have been procured for around 10% of the cost of these.— July 20, 2017 2:54 p.m.
Faulconer’s mid-summer S.F. daydream
This is how he can have it both ways. He says he isn't running for higher office. Some GOP types come along and start to tout him as a potential candidate for statewide office. He goes along with it, makes his appearance, and starts to get better state recognition. So, he can "run" while being a non-candidate. As to his chances of landing the governorship, how many of us thought Trump had any chance of getting the GOP nomination, let alone get elected? Stranger things can happen. Actually, I think Kev-boy may be lining himself up for a run for the Senate, or just for a high spot in the national administration.— July 20, 2017 2:47 p.m.
Another mess for San Ysidro School District
It's always something in So County school districts, isn't it? The late Susan Luzzaro was kept busy reporting on and uncovering scandals in a number of those districts. So, Dorian, if the city of SD should stop providing grist for your mill (an unlikely prospect, for sure), you will find plenty to cover in So County.— July 19, 2017 11:59 a.m.
The potholes of Harbor Drive
The "Mare" made infrastructure maintenance, notably street repair and conditions, a big part of both election campaigns. He hasn't done squat about them, other than to talk about tax increases. Why does SD have such raunchy streets when other municipalities in the county do so much better? Where does the money go, and where has it gone? That's the question of the new century, and there are many answers, none of them satisfactory. Yeah, he needs to do something. What he's done has had more to do with developers, trying to keep the ungrateful Chargers. and a host of other showy efforts. Fix the streets? Fuhgedaboudit!— July 17, 2017 9:37 p.m.
Lawrence Isen knows white-collar crime
In my family there is a tax attorney who handles offshore tax compliance work. He's very busy these days bringing US citizens (and others who are subject to the US tax code) into compliance. After contact with Swiss bankers, he now thinks they are all crooks. He has no liking for any of them at all, and knows how they helped get otherwise honest folks into trouble with the IRS. He's doing very well with his practice, and his clients are willing and eager to pay him handsomely to get them in out of the cold.— July 17, 2017 2:54 p.m.
Lemon Grove lady ran a tax scam while awaiting sentencing for earlier one
A sentence of this length for white-collar crime is unusual. She really had some people ticked off, notably the US Attorney and the judge, to get slammed with almost fifteen years in prison. The outrageous nature of continuing her crimes while awaiting sentencing for earlier offenses was not typical, and I'd suppose it was that sort of defiant action that led to the severity of the jail term.— July 15, 2017 10:14 p.m.
San Diego's official destination beer is not Stone
Trying to pick an official beer is a sure formula for conflict and much unhappiness. This choice sounds like a rather bland sort of brew, but then who can predict tastes in beer? It may be well received, or may be treated as something for tourists whose liking for beer is limited to mass-produced light beers from the Big Beer behemoths. As for Stone and a few others locally that are no longer micro- or craft-breweries, they should be on the sidelines. Personally I don't care for much of anything that comes out of Stone, and the current overemphasis on IPAs in their many variations is a turn off.— July 15, 2017 8:04 a.m.
Thrift trader owner Jeff Clark hit by train in Little Italy
The headlines here are confusing. One line in the story describes this tragic incident as involving Amtrak. But the main headline mentions the trolley. Amtrak and the trolley are two distinctively different operations, although they run parallel north of the Santa Fe depot up as far as Old Town. Generally a pedestrian doesn't survive a collision with an Amtrak train. But then, there are not a great many pedestrian accidents involving the Trolley. Any of the accidents that cause loss of life, or major injury, are tragic. This time it comes across as a loss to the city and to many loyal employees. Let's all hope/pray for a speedy recovery for Jeff Clark.— July 14, 2017 8:01 p.m.
How Navy culture may have caused the Fitzgerald disaster
While this was very enlightening, I was gratified to see that the Reader headline writer said "may" in the subhead. There are a number of other explanations and they include a simple matter of someone just making a huge mistake. If you are a bookkeeper, making an error isn't all that big a deal. Once detected, it can be adjusted, and everyone is (usually) satisfied. Heck, nobody died. Like many other things, such as railroading, a silly mistake can be fatal. Ships and trains and planes are unforgiving. There is an old saying in railroading that every rule in the book is "written in blood." I'd suspect that in the operation of warships in crowded shipping channels, that is true. Or maybe not so true as in railroading because international waters are a no-man's land of unenforced rules and jockeying for position.— July 12, 2017 7:17 p.m.