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Linda Vista Landmark Skateworld Faces the Wrecking Ball of Redevelopment
Raffael, I'm having a difficult time trying to figure you out. On one hand you seem like a nice guy, and on the other you seem like a very smug and assuming man. You said; "Second, I think you noticed that your mix of article and editorial has either confused people so much that they feel the urge to write hateful comments or they use it to support their preconceived opinions." That statement speaks volumes about your view of Linda Vistans because it assumes that Linda Vistans don't know the facts and are easily confused by the Reader article. Did it ever dawn on you that these people have had first hand knowledge of the details and villains involved in this scandalous event? The Reader simply confirmed, in a public way, what they already knew! The Reader provided a voice for a community that, as you state, is "too often ignored". Joe Deegan did something that very few in this city are willing to do because of the players involved, and that is to expose the way money and power come together to corrupt, even community centers such as Bayside. The solution is to re-enter into negotiations with Gary from Skateworld, come up with something that everyone can support, and work together to provide a service to all members of Linda Vista the way Bayside used to back when they were on Morley Street. I remember the old Bayside well and have nothing but good memories of the way they helped everyone. Talk to anyone in Linda Vista today and they'll tell you it's become the Linda Vista hispanic center. When I went to Bayside it was mix of black, white, hispanic, Vietnamese. What happened between 1978 and today? Bayside has an opportunity to repair their tarnished reputation and regain the trust of Linda Vista, but they must do so by including Skateworld and the non-hispanic members of the community.— September 21, 2010 6:12 a.m.
Linda Vista Landmark Skateworld Faces the Wrecking Ball of Redevelopment
Raffael, you say "Donna has been an outstanding advocate for the community of Linda Vista. Bayside and its present and former Executive Directors and Board members have been fighting for this community for decades.", then I would say they were simply buttering them up for the kill. C'mon, are you really going to ignore the facts presented above? Your simply saying "they're good people" wont make the facts go away! Lets say for the sake of argument that the area was run down like you insinuate, and that a new development would actually benefit the area. Then why wasn't this deal done in full view of the public and the residents of Linda Vista? Why weren't the people of Linda Vista brought in? Why not propose a development that included Skateworld, a piece of Americana, and the last skating rink in San Diego? And if Donna and our city council are so full of virtue, why are they selling this parcel for $1 when this city if flat broke!! And as for your final statement "Here is hoping that the fierceness of the debate will subside and that Linda Vistans will work together as a community." Well, that's all Linda Vista wanted in the first place but they never got the chance!! Donna Frye and Bayside chose this path instead, they knew Linda Vistans DO work together and they're finding out just how committed they are....the hard way! The fact is, they underestimated Linda Vistans when they thought they could sneak this by them. Well, now it's time for Bayside and this city council to face the music. Linda Vistans will boycott any and everything Bayside for a long long time. And if Donna Frye EVER seeks office in San Diego again we'll use every resource available to us to stop her from winning. The whole issue is a microcosm of how this city works. If you want to defend the actions of Bayside and Frye, Raffael, then address the FACTS from the article above! You won't because you can't, they're all public record, these things really happened in the way they're portrayed, it isn't just "insinuation, innuendo, and libel" as you claim. Joe Deegan did a damn good job putting the facts together, and if they don't sit well with you then you should direct your disappointment with the people you serve, not the victims of this debacle!— September 2, 2010 7:04 p.m.
Linda Vista Landmark Skateworld Faces the Wrecking Ball of Redevelopment
I grew up in Linda Vista, spent many hours at Skateworld AND Bayside. Skateworld is still a community asset, however, I can't say the same for Bayside. Now I know why my family and friends in Linda Vista HATE Bayside, and refer to them as "Bayside hispanic center". I wasn't sure how accurate a nick-name that was until this article. They want to tear down an American past time, and replace it with Futsal??? Why not volleyball, indoor field hockey, Lacrosse, or any other sport that the kids can also play in high school. I now live in Allied Gardens and get to see our Chicago style politics play out again with the Grantville redevelopment project (see Brian Peterson's comment above). THANK YOU San Diego Reader!! This story would never have gone out if not for your publication. Keep up the good work and keep on exposing the dirty rotten politicians like Donna Frye and the so-called "community center's" like Bayside who have an agenda that more in line with the city council than it is with the communities they claim to serve.— September 1, 2010 6:40 p.m.
San Diego Unified charges all kinds of illegal fees
.....continued from previous thread.... If you do the math, $10,000 divided by 40 players, you'll come up with $250 per player. Most boosters will sell a "spirit pack" containing a custom designed t-shirt with the team logo, perhaps some shorts, and other school spirit type items. The booster club often times will sell the spirit pack for about half the estimated per person budget costs, in this case a player would be asked for a $125 "donation" for his/her spirit pack. The remaining $125 per person costs would be raised throughout the year via car washes, concessions sales, and other fund raising activities. If spirit packs are eliminated where will the money come from? If non-funded school clubs cannot charge "fee's" then how will band, lacrosse, field hockey, drama clubs, and many other programs stay in existence? Parents have formed booster clubs to raise funds WITHOUT tax payers money and without using school personnel. Uniforms, referee's, coaching salaries, transportation, safety equipment etc comes from fundraising and parent volunteers, i.e. "boosters". Parents are taking photo's for the school album, buying concessions at Costco and Wal-Mart to sell at games, walking around at each game selling 50/50 opportunity raffles, washing and sewing the uniforms every year, parents are taking vacation days from work to coordinate spaghetti fundraisers, driving the players to and from games twice a week, parents are spray painting lines on the fields the night before games. The Spirit Pack was as solution to charging a fee. Boosters would love to simply divide the budget by the number of participants and charge accordingly, but that would be considered "unfair" to those who cannot afford to pay, and that's where the school, the district, Sally, and the ACLU says NO. For those who would say I'm insensitive to the social stigma and the issues facing poor students you're wrong, I spent my entire childhood in section 8 housing in Linda Vista, not far from Serra high, on welfare, and poor. I hate the thought of a child missing out on the chance to play sports, band, cheer, or any other activity because they cannot afford it. But the solution isn't to take it away from everyone else. These non-funded activities produce college scholarships every year for band, sports, and other arts. For some kids it's a way out of a difficult family life, and for others it's a way to stay out of trouble. Remember folks, these are nothing more than parents trying to raise money for their kids programs so they can enjoy the same high school activities that we enjoyed! So, what is your solution Sally Smith and supporters? You seem to have a lot of good ideas when it comes to destroying a program, so how would you build one? And please don't tell me that "redirecting funs" is the solution because we all know that won't happen any time soon. Thousands of high school children need answers TODAY!— August 9, 2010 5:37 a.m.
San Diego Unified charges all kinds of illegal fees
Those days are over....big time! I'll speak to what I know, girls lacrosse. Girls lacrosse is considered a "club" sport, meaning they do not receive funding from the school or district. Any school sanctioned activity that does not receive tax payer money is considered "club", be it band, drama, or a sport like lacrosse. Club programs are organized, funded, and coordinated 100% by volunteer parents who form non-profit booster clubs. Boosters are not payed, they work year around to raise money, find prospective coaches, purchase uniforms, set schedules, purchase and repair equipment, plan fundraisers and social functions, meet with other schools and coaches to set season schedules. They handle all game functions like score keepers, marking/painting fields, announcers, concessions, and referee payments. A typical budget would include coaches salaries, uniforms, safety items, field paint, tournament fee's, etc and is about $10,000 per year for a 40 player JV and Varsity club. Coaches work 2 hours a day, five days a week(sometimes six days a week when there are Saturday games/tournaments). The coaches salary when divided by the hours worked will usually end up very close to minimum wage, so it's not about the money. Coaches are very hard to find because they're only paid during the season and most game and practice times are between 2:30pm and 5:00pm when most people are still at work. Finding a qualified coach with a work schedule that allows them to be off that early in the day is not easy, and most teachers simply don't do it anymore. continued on next thread.....— August 9, 2010 5:31 a.m.