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Dad embezzled $275,000 from Disney ship
The crews on those ships are from many countries, so much so that you'd wonder how they can communicate. I wonder just where and when the thefts occurred, and who has jurisdiction over crimes committed while the ship is at sea. Seems complicated to me.— October 31, 2017 2:34 p.m.
Make room for shrooms
New Zealand is a most pleasant country to visit. Dunedin is well to the south on the South Island, and has a flat waterfront. As soon as you leave the waterfront, the terrain steepens, and you have San Francisco-style hills. A most interesting city. There is the matter of the Kiwi accent. Seems as if they have utterly banished the short "e" sound, and are on the way to eliminating other short vowels. So, how to pronounce Dunedin? It's "doo-nee-din". Emphasis is equally on the first two syllables. So stretch it out, and it starts to sound and feel natural. The Kiwis have been really trying to develop a cuisine that is their own. The restaurants try to make the food look as appetizing as possible. (On one or more occasions I'd have much rather they just bring some food to me, and not spend so much effort on the appearance.) So, maybe I'll visit the place and see if it brings it all back to me.— October 29, 2017 7:51 p.m.
Tiny homes for the homeless and your backyard
This idea sounds so good. But the devil is in the details, and when neighbors get a look at what they do to the neighborhood, there is often strong opposition. Areas of San Diego that might be the first to go for those "flats" have small lots as it is, and after meeting setback rules and lot coverage rules, there often isn't enough space for one. Oh, the city could change the rules about those added units, but the city always struggles to make any changes that are acceptable to all involved. (Just look at the battle about short-term rentals.) Adding some of these units would help with the shortage of affordable housing, but don't expect to see them pop up by the thousands. It won't happen, folks.— October 28, 2017 9:01 a.m.
Cops called over tenants' uprising
I'm surprised. The cops were called and didn't put muscle on the crowd? Yes, those folks were within their rights, but that doesn't mean the SDPD would respect that. They could have declared it an unlawful assembly and then arrested the ringleaders for conspiracy. When Goldy was city attorney, they might well have done just that.— October 26, 2017 3:06 p.m.
Qualcomm wants to be loved
If Qualcomm wanted to be loved, or even recognized in town, it should have taken steps in that direction years ago. Shortly prior to the dot-com market bust, Qualcomm stock went on a tear and many of its employees found their stock so valuable that they were millionaires. In fact, the term "Qualcomm millionaire" was bandied about town for a while when those fortunate folks went out to spend their new-found fortunes. At that time, the company was the local kid company that made good, and was well-thought-of for a time. A major factor in the Qualcomm success story was the Jacobs family, and how munificently they benefited from the stock run up. Founder Irwin Jacobs and his wife and his sons became major philanthropists. The elder Jacobs made a huge gift to the San Diego Symphony, reported at in excess of $100 million, that should keep that orchestra in fine financial shape into perpetuity. They also made massive grants to other cultural and educational institutions locally. One coup was to have UCSD name its engineering school the Jacobs school. That cost many millions. But while that was going on, the company became a cut-throat competitor and was most aggressive in its licensing practices, and also turned secretive. While it is now necessary to separate the company from the Jacobs family, Irwin and Paul have not done a good job of being esteemed citizens. Irwin has a plan to remodel Balboa Park that isn't liked by many park users, and despite judicial reversals, the plan may still be alive. His attitude came through as "If I'm going to give $25 million to the park makeover, you'll use my plan, or no dough." Then he and his sons and some other minions at Qualcomm headed into politics, with most noteworthy effort trying to get political party jumper Nathan Fletcher elected mayor. When that didn't work out, they started supporting the current mayor with donations. Money buys power, and that's what they are doing. Not a pretty picture. Worse yet for the company is its constant complaints of not being able to find enough qualified employees, even though they refuse to interview hundreds of grads of the Jacobs school. Rather they are a large-scale abuser of the H1-b visa system that floods the area with thousands of foreigners and their families, while keeping pay levels depressed. Oh, and Qualcomm makes heavy use of temps to get work done, rather than hiring them as real employees with benefits and job security. So, if Qualcomm wants to be loved, it needs to stop getting bad publicity with its license holders, unfavorable court decisions and fines in foreign courts, reform its employment practices, and prevail upon the Jacobs family to stop sticking its nose into local politics. Try those things for, oh, five years, and then revisit the matter. Doing right things right would go a very long way to polish the reputation of Qualcomm.— October 26, 2017 3 p.m.
Middle-aged cops were alleged targets of rage
Eva, I'm expecting a conviction, and what you've already reported indicates the trial will be brief. But you never know what a jury might do.— October 26, 2017 8:08 a.m.
Middle-aged cops were alleged targets of rage
My initial reaction to this case was to compare it to the Julie Harper murder case. Keith Watanabe was the prosecutor, and "Blainey" Bowman the judge. The first time around the judge ruled repeatedly against the DA's requests to include evidence, including some things that put the role of the defense attorney, former DA Paul Pfingst, in a bad light. Eventually, in the second trial, Julie was convicted of murder, and got a sentence of forty years. So, as this case starts, the judge suppresses the woeful criminal record of the defendant, while saying that the case all hinges on "intent." That record would help determine that element, but the jury will never see or hear it. We might ask if this judge is interested at all in justice, or it he has some other agenda. Looking closer, it may be that he just refuses to do anything that might be reversed on appeal. By now, Watanabe should be used to the ways of the judge, and can adjust to them. Let's hope he can make the case to the jury. On the other hand, when it comes to sentencing, Bowman is tough. He's sent gang bangers up for life sentences. So, when/if Watanabe gets his jury conviction, Bowman might again get tough. But it is troubling to read of his rulings that keep needed information away from the juries.— October 25, 2017 7:40 p.m.
Political fútbol
This headline was most misleading; the narrative has to do with the stadium, not Qualcomm. Let's be careful going forward to avoid those sloppy references to the stadium as "Qualcomm". In the near future there will be plenty of things to report that have to do with the corporation and not the woebegone stadium that formerly bore that name.— October 25, 2017 7:27 p.m.
Acid attack in O.B.?
The story as reported may not be the entire story. But anyone packing a squirt gun full of some sort of acid, or caustic solution (which are on opposite ends of the pH scale) is looking for trouble. That's not anything the average citizen has in his or her car for any purpose.— October 24, 2017 2:31 p.m.
U-T subletting newsroom space
Any office building, after a few decades, will have hosted businesses that failed, or departed when they shut down. This one isn't unique in that regard. There is more to the Great American story, though. That institution was flying very high until shortly before it collapsed, and had plans for something far more grand than 600 B Street. It had made a deal with the developer of a new high-rise tower to be the anchor tenant, and to have the building named for itself. Have you ever wondered why the tallest structure in downtown SD has the odd name of One America Plaza? It was going to be named Great American Plaza, to honor the city's largest bank/thrift institution. But before it was completed, Great American was history, and keeping that name made no sense at all. They changed it, but not much, into what it is called today.— October 24, 2017 8:05 a.m.