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Plaintiffs lose Mount Soledad landslide case
I imagine that suing the City of San Diego must be a lot like suing SDG&E and Sempra Energy. When SDG&E was indicted in 2006 over the Encanto Gas Holder site demolition in 2000-2001, the US EPA stated that asbestos would cause our horrible, painful deaths from mesothelioma and other lung diseases in two decades or so. We're about half way there now. Even though we lost our Proposition 65 case in the public interest earlier this fall, we are keeping documents and the depositions of lab analysts who reported rather significant levels of asbestos in the samples taken both inside and just outside the fence line at the site in Lemon Grove, next to the Orange Line trolley tracks. One day when we do start coming down with lung cancer, the documents may be more useful. One of those documents is a bulk sample report to Ninyo & Moore stating that two samples (used to get guilty verdicts in the 2007 United States v. SDG&E enviro-crimes trial then tossed out in the dismissed new trial this fall) tested at 40-50% asbestos and 5-10% asbestos (http://eghvsdge.stickywebs.com/oppmemo/att02.pdf). Amazingly more than enough to get guilty verdicts in District Court, these were not the highest levels found there. In this state, any large demolition job involving asbestos content greater than one tenth of a percent (0.1%) will get the demolition contractor and site owner in some serious trouble if the state is not so advised... unless the workers at the site can't speak up because they were never informed, which is another serious violation... From a google of "SDG&E guilty": http://www.justice.gov/usao/cas/press/cas70713-SD…— December 24, 2009 9:20 a.m.
One more reason why California is the laughingstock of America
If environmentalists go to hell as you suggest, then at least Sempra Energy doesn't profit on the heating bill. Of course, I may be wrong about that. After all, who among us had a clue about the smuggled conflict gold out of the Congo by way of Uganda, heading into Dubai before made into jewelery sold in America? In any case, I'm not going to rat anybody out for using wood the fireplace tonight if it'll lower the family utility bill before Christmas. Hell on earth is where you find it.— December 23, 2009 7:45 p.m.
Republicans File Suit to Knock Out Political Giving Restrictions
I remember more than a few things said by Gregory Vega during the US v. SDG&E trial in 2007... including his reference in closing arguments to one government witness as a "lunatic" for being pretty darn mad about getting dusted with asbestos debris. I remember that when Robert Trotter, the EPA Region 9 (western US) enforcement coordinator for Clean Air Act's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, was sworn in and testified that the Encanto Gas Holder site demolition was the "worst case" of friable asbestos production in a residential area that he'd ever seen in his career as a government inspector, Vega was pretty much silent. Found on a Google search of "SDG&E guilty": http://www.justice.gov/usao/cas/press/cas70713-SD…— December 23, 2009 5:08 p.m.
One more reason why California is the laughingstock of America
Yup. Only tree-hugging, bleeding heart liberals would take somebody to court because the required federal permit was not obtained. I guess this explains why a federal prosecutor in the most recent Bush administration got jury guilty verdicts back in 2007 for a certain public utility calling an asbestos demolition job a "renovation" instead to avoid permits (http://www.justice.gov/usao/cas/press/cas70713-SD…) You know, if the fireworks show over the bay is a good idea, then why not move it to Point Loma High? There's no bay to worry about there, and it would still pretty much visible to all... That is the point of a fireworks display, isn't it?— December 23, 2009 9:12 a.m.
The Brittany Murphy Debate
RE #8: But not after the funeral. Or even after the autopsy. Right?— December 23, 2009 8:45 a.m.
Pinky Swear
The whole idea of the pinky swear thing as conflict resolution is beautiful on its own. It would be hard to use Japanese as a secret-code language downtown, as there are 'way too many Japanese students of private English language schools wandering around on mid-day study breaks to make it practical! Still, since most of us are too American to bother with foreign languages, it certainly has practical applications for, say, a lawyer and her client in the Hall of Justice? Irony: any success in using Esperanto as a secret-code language (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto).— December 22, 2009 2:07 p.m.
Republicans File Suit to Knock Out Political Giving Restrictions
Neither Thalheimer nor Neinstadt are forbidden by the the City, the mayor, the city attorney, or members of the Ethics Commission from doing the kinds of good deeds in public that build good will in the community, whether it's the 1st District or the Fantasy 9th. Without bothering to earn good will in an honest fashion, $500 per donor seems to be a reasonable limit for buying political favors in this town. Of course, they could take a lesson on campaign financing from Joel Anderson... just be slicker about it (http://www.10news.com/news/21926451/detail.html). The fact that all of the above are Republicans tells me that my decision last summer to opt out and re-register as an independent was a good thing.— December 22, 2009 1:33 p.m.
The Brittany Murphy Debate
If she were hideous, then I must be grotesque. Seriously grotesque.— December 22, 2009 12:01 p.m.
“Ghetto” is not an adjective
Certain aspects of reality will change. The relatively few people attending community planning meetings (that send recommendations to the City of San Diego Redevelopment Authority AKA city council) know that neighborhood-changing developers want more high-density development NOW... otherwise, developers go out of business by making no money on projects not built and sold.— December 22, 2009 9:51 a.m.
Explosion on Midway?
I know... I know!! The employee pix in payroll records were just too darn HOT!— December 20, 2009 8:53 p.m.