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Local journalism may not get the cash
If I'm befuddled, forgive me. He shells out a half billion bucks for these media properties, yet will starve them of capital and operating cash? Why he thought such shrinking newspapers were worth that breathtaking sum, I cannot imagine. tronc might have paid him to take them off their hands, under one pessimistic scenario. The real situation here is that nobody knows nuthin' about the prospects for those papers, and that will remain the case for quite some time. All we can do is watch, wait, and if so inclined, weep. Jeff Light will continue to lose weight, look progressively more gaunt, and try to keep a happy face. A turnaround? Possible but most unlikely for many reasons.— March 8, 2018 8:42 p.m.
Security panel deals blow to Qualcomm takeover
In regard to this pending buyout/merger (name your poison), on Monday the Wall Street Journal had an editorial entitled "The Qualcomm Question; Why are the feds passing on a review of Broadcomm's takeover bid?" The text of the editorial goes into detail about the conflicts, 5G, classified defense work and other matters. But what's not so usual here is the rather exasperated tone of the editorial. Isn't it interesting that the Trump administration asked for a hold on further consideration of the deal on Sunday? I'm virtually certain that the feds knew in advance of the intent of the WSJ to print that editorial on Monday, a piece that was written toward the end of the week prior. And that paper does have some influence and is widely read. While there are doubts about Trump and what he likes and dislikes, there's a good chance that if he weighs in, it will be to scuttle the deal. Keep in mind he isn't big on foreign companies, foreign competition, or some foreigners in general. So, he might do the right thing with this deal, even if he does it for the wrong reason(s).— March 7, 2018 4:50 p.m.
SDPD gets pricey mayoral PR makeover
Probably because those overpaid PR people can't do an effective job of selling anything. Communications for them may be just telling some things that need to be explained. But making them desirable? That's the hard part.— March 7, 2018 3:01 p.m.
SDPD gets pricey mayoral PR makeover
One final, I hope, salvo: Kevin made a career of public relations, and the current buzz word in that occupation is "branding." Actually, there are plenty of examples of successful branding, and locally I can think of no better example than the Marine Corps. But a successful brand has more than just slick ads, slogans, brochures and talking points. It has to deliver something tangible and consistent over a long period of time. (We're talking decades here.) If the "mare" actually thinks that some costly, slick campaign is going to turn those numbers around in a few weeks, he really believes his own BS. And that's always a possibility.— March 7, 2018 9:05 a.m.
Airbnb forcing you out?
While I don't want to come across as having a "don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up" attitude, my sense is that short-term rentals are far more significant than these experts conclude. Reading your posting, it appears that much of the data is based their opinions and not so much on research. The study by Nevin states that such rentals bring in $500 million a year to the city. That's a lotta dough, folks! And the city gets $700 K from them in taxes. Plus they support 3,000 jobs. Put that all together, and it is most significant, but they then opine that it isn't affecting real estate prices much. Something doesn't follow there. It is amusing that Nevin claims that there are bars to short-term rentals in apartment leases and in condos and master planned communities, although "some people cheat." My limited experience with short-term rentals in San Francisco and Santa Barbara was that almost all of the hosts were cheating in that way. Inasmuch as zoning should prevent short-term rentals and does not, the whole concept involves cheating to some degree. Markets operate at the margin, and if it is lucrative to own a property that can be rented out most nights, it makes that property worth more than as a residence for a single family or small household. Push up the price of desirable homes near water, and it ripples through the housing market and affects all home prices. If Airbnb and the others are only getting started, the effects will become more obvious as time passes. Time will tell.— March 7, 2018 8:52 a.m.
SDPD gets pricey mayoral PR makeover
Yes, I think we did just that.— March 6, 2018 5:17 p.m.
SDPD gets pricey mayoral PR makeover
My bad. He was the exception who proved the rule. But he upheld the traditions of the department, in that he was a weak as his predecessors.— March 6, 2018 5:15 p.m.
SDPD gets pricey mayoral PR makeover
Could the fact that the chief was just replaced by another up-from-tjhe-ranks SDPD veteran have anything to do with this? Kev-boy and the council all agreed to conduct a national search to find the best possible candidate. After an opaque process by a committee, they settled on another good old boy in the department. This is how that position has been filled for as long as I've lived in the San Diego area. Could it be that applicants really prefer to work in a department that has a good reputation, of which there are several in the county and throughout Southern California? It comes across as if the expectation was a promised pay raise would bring them flocking. The department needs plenty of repair work, and regaining confidence of the citizenry is just part of the job to be done. There isn't any quick-and-easy solution for a beaten up department like this one.— March 6, 2018 2:48 p.m.
Lemon Grove councilman accused of drunken violence
This story has some strange parts. The victim reported the assault but there was no arrest, and no charges have been filed. That is odd, unless there was some reason to think the combat was mutual or provoked.— March 4, 2018 2:47 p.m.
Get drinking — U.S. beer production down
Could home brewers, inspired by the micro- and craft-brewers, be slaking their thirsts with suds that never are reported? That seems a bit of a stretch, but it is one possibility. On the other hand, maybe beer drinkers are now seeking quality over quantity, and are turning away from the yellow fizzy generally-tasteless mass product of legacy brewers to drink smaller quantities of much more interesting beer. I hope so.— March 4, 2018 10:21 a.m.