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San Diego to get $125 million for its Symphony Hall
Garrett, In September you were reporting about this rework of the facility, but at the time complained about the lack of details. You said something about how such an effort should have been explained "sooner rather than later." Well, it is later now, and there are details to report. And it seems as if you are optimistic about the outcome. Back when the old movie house was converted into Copley Symphony Hall, plenty was spent, or so we were told, to make it suitable as a music venue. This all suggests that it lacked much of the features and acoustics that it should have had all along. Will the big expenditure make it that much better and more accommodating? Or will the funds end up in the pockets of well-connected contractors who deliver too little for the cost? Time will tell. Keep us posted.— March 4, 2022 11:21 a.m.
Young man clad in black beats janitor at Plaza Paseo Real
The victim is in a very bad way; he may not survive. So, this dude may be looking at a murder charge, and is in deep doo-doo. He's not playing it smart at all, and that could indicate mental impairment, or having been high on something(s). He needs to stay in the slammer until things get sorted out better.— February 25, 2022 5:21 p.m.
Creep Catcher gets 45-year-old meeting 14-year-old boy at Ramona's Stater Brothers
Reading the earlier piece about the mess at Lincoln High and Soto's role in it was a revelation. I recalled the story and how it supposedly played out. He's a real piece of human scum, and shouldn't be out and free on the streets. While Creep Catcher isn't a cop, that shouldn't prevent Sad Face Summer from investigating the attempted assignation in Ramona, and determining what happened. She has claimed to be giving high priority to rooting out human trafficking and that involves protecting children much of the time. Some more of her tough talk that doesn't get walked into a courtroom. It is also worth mentioning that the scandals in So County districts involved some players from the Rio Grand Valley of Texas. Members of the Sweetwater district board had their origins there and when it came to hiring "leaders" for the district they headed home to find candidates. The egregious hiring and coddling of the supe, Gandara, supposedly a highly-qualified educrat, had its origins just that way. For those who don't know about that, he was bought out and later pleaded guilty to a felony count, and actually did some jail time. If you think that Texas is tough on misconduct, you need look no farther than creeps like Gandara and Soto. Will he lose his Texan credential? Don't bet on it. At least he's no longer employable in California.— February 15, 2022 9:01 a.m.
San Diego's mistakes covered up by insurance
When the city settles a claim or lawsuit caused by negligence or malice by a city employee, such as a cop, often the story mentions that insurance will cover the cost. The notion that such a situation has no impact on the city or services is faulty, extremely faulty. The insurance companies don't last long if they lose money on policies, and few do for any length of time. They employ risk assessment underwriters who look very closely at the past patterns of settlements when they decide what to charge for the insurance coverage. A sloppy municipality that can't avoid repeated valid claims pays "through the nose" for such coverage, and that takes dollars away from needed services and upkeep. For the long-suffering residents/taxpayers there's no "free lunch" in the area of liabilities. Good management of risks and avoiding exposure due to employee indifference or misconduct pays off big time. Insurance should be purchased to cover a few unavoidable settlements, not to make everyone think that they can do whatever they please and have the insurer pay the bill when a claim comes due.— February 13, 2022 9:18 a.m.
Lease holdover nightmares haunt San Diego city's real estate
This new city auditor is at least shining light into the dark closets and recesses of city mis-government. How successful he will be in getting such abuses corrected isn't clear yet. Residents keep questioning why the city is perpetually short of cash to pay for routine city services. While there are many causes, few of them legitimate, this is just another one: foregone rental income from city property. Maus, whose photo suggests aging former beauty queen, now commits to a major effort to correct the mess. So, she "agreed with the latest report's findings and vowed to complete a series of corrections by next year", huh? Good for her, but why hasn't she been doing that all along? Some of those leases likely go back to the days when Mo O'Connor was mayor. And will she keep her promise? City government has failed to meet its solemn commitments and vows many times before now. Finally, the comment regarding how tenants regard city managers with contempt says plenty. The tenants are smarter and work harder than the petty bureaucrats, and have an incentive to get the best deal they can. The bureaucrat "managers" like Maus, get their fat paychecks regardless of how much or how little they accomplish.— February 13, 2022 9:07 a.m.
Toasting Cap’n Keno’s
Many years ago (80's) I too worked in North County, Encinitas to be exact, and also drove past the place many, many times. In fact, it was just up the street from "my" independent Volvo mechanic when we had two of them in the family fleet. And I wondered just what it was like to eat there, but I never did, despite having tried every other spot along Coast Highway and well inland. So, now I know a little about the place, and am most unlikely to ever go there due to the distance from home. Too bad I passed up those bargain prices and the ambience when I had the chance.— February 11, 2022 9:11 a.m.
Murder suspects hop fence near Carlsbad lagoon – updated 12-6-21
One thing I don't see mentioned is what has happened and will now happen to the defendant's kids. Will they grow up knowing their mother was a murderer? Will they be reminded of just what she did and how she did it? Let's hope this plea deal sends her to the joint to die there. As it stands, because she pled guilty, there's no appealing the sentence.— February 6, 2022 4:27 p.m.
Split Pulitzer verdict on Union-Tribune's Bill Gore treatment?
Gore had been getting a pass on almost everything. But that was the "old" YouTee, and the new one is actually doing things differently, and whether you like that or not, it isn't the same old, same old paper. Now the U-T/LAT is calling the state's jails a disgrace, and this local situation is part of the reasoning. I find the comment about Kolender's decision to step down being "due to his wife's ill health" amusing. Insiders at the time said it was his own dementia that mandated his resignation. Going back to when Kolender hired Gore, there was little scrutiny of Gore or his record. He had a great resume, having ascended to the assistant directorship of the FBI. But there were troubling pieces, such as the Ruby Ridge, Idaho fiasco by the FBI that resulted in deaths of innocent parties. For those who might not recall it was an attempt to arrest a survivalist type on a firearms charge that resulted in a tragic shootout. Gore has never admitted to any fault on his part, yet others make a credible case of it. Kolender placed Gore in the highest levels of department management, and that meant he was in line when ol' Bill quit. The decision to appoint him sheriff and give him the incumbency when he ran for his own term was odd and make many think there was something to hide. A pattern was developing and when Dumanis decided to quit as DA, the board did it again, and appointed "Sad Face" Summer to the job, making her the instant incumbent for reelection, which is what happened. Again, it looked like a fix. If the local voters wake up and evaluate the candidates for sheriff, they can choose a different path, and not just vote for his anointed successor. It seems that Nate doesn't want to appoint any of the announced candidates to be interim sheriff, but let it go to a vote. At this point the choices will be Gore's anointed one, or an announced reformer, or a guy who says Gore did a great job. Which do you want? Just be careful, 'cause they can do just the opposite of their campaign promises.— February 6, 2022 4:08 p.m.
UCSD not watching drugs used in human experiments
Another audit and another black eye for Khosla and his pals running UCSD. He and the med school dean have been found wanting before. How long will it take the UC president to fire them both? Napolitano had ample grounds to replace Khosla and didn't do it; she left it for her successor to deal with. This isn't some small matter. And it isn't nitpicking by auditors. This is serious stuff and any med school knows better than to let it get out of control. But they did. Where's the accountability? Ans: there isn't any at UCSD or in the UC as a whole.— February 4, 2022 8:58 a.m.
Amtrak is flying blind on crumbling Del Mar bluffs, auditor finds
The route, including the stretch through Del Mar is very busy. There are only two alternatives to moving freight into and out of San Diego/Tijuana would be the already-overburdened freeways or the eastern rail link. There is more shipped from LA than you think. Automobiles, including some of the output from the Toyota truck factory east of TJ, travel by rail in autorack cars. There's a waterfront operation that unloads vehicles from ships and then adds some, meaning those autoracks travel filled in both directions. The building industry depends on rail for lumber and other building commodities. TJ can't operate without cement, building steel. LP gas or a number of other commodities that come in by rail from the north. The Mexican highways could never handle the truck traffic necessary to supply that city. While it is true that Amtrak should be at those meetings that have to do with track maintenance, keep in mind that the owner(s) of the rails are responsible for keeping them open and safe. That's NCTD in this case, and if the line were severed north of Del Mar, Amtrak would just stop coming all the way into SD. One reason for all the passenger trains is that they are supported by the state; CalTrans has much to do with the frequency of the trains in state. And one large beneficiary of that support has been the dozen Pacific Surfliners in each direction each day. Severing the line at Del Mar would also be the end of the Coaster and put many more No County commuters on I-5 just when it is at its busiest. The opponents of rails on the bluffs in DM need to put their considerable influence and resources to work getting the rails relocated. And the sooner the better for all concerned.— January 24, 2022 3:17 p.m.