Chairman of San Diego GOP Co-Founded International Piracy Ring, Says Online News Website
Tony Krvaric, San Diego Republican Party chairman and head of the party's state budget committee, "is the co-founder of Fairlight, a band of software crackers which later evolved into an international video and software piracy group that law enforcement authorities …
San Diego House Price Declines Among Largest in Nation
Today's (April 29) S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which measure the direction of home prices in 20 major U.S. markets, once again show San Diego price declines among the sharpest in the nation. In February, San Diego home prices dropped 3.6 …
U-T, North County Times Lose Circulation, but LA Times, Orange County Register Do Worse
Circulation at the Union-Tribune and North County Times continues to drop, but other Southern California dailies are doing worse, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations data for the first six months of 2008 released this morning (April 28, 2008). The …
Why You Don't Get Accurate Information on San Diego from U-T Editorial Page
In an editorial this morning, the Union-Tribune claims that City Attorney Mike Aguirre wants to "kill" a $103 million bond issue Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed. Actually, Aguirre has said that under state law and the San Diego charter, this …
U-T's Combined Paper and Online Edition Lose Market Share in County, According to Report
In a new report, Scarborough Research has found that most metropolitan daily newspapers, including the Union-Tribune in San Diego, are losing market share in their combined print and online editions. The April 25 issue of Editor & Publisher, media trade …
Ad Hoc Committee Says Auditor Should Be Independent; Says City's Financial Processes Ill-Defined
The Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee to the City's Audit Committee will give its report Monday, April 28. The report definitively states that the city auditor should be appointed by the city council and not appointed by the mayor in …
FDA Calls for Delay in Isis Pharmaceuticals' Anti-Cholesterol Drug; Stock down 28 Percent
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today (Friday, April 25) that it wants more information on Mipomersen, a potential cholesterol-lowering drug being developed by San Diego biotech Isis Pharmaceuticals along with Genzyme. The agency wants more data on two …
Straight-Talking Financial Journalist Herb Greenberg Leaving the Field To Go into Research
Carmel Valley's Herb Greenberg, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones's online MarketWatch, is leaving print journalism May 1 to set up an independent research firm with Debbie Meritz, an analyst/accountant who has been a good source …
Sanders's Flack Bombarded Friendly Media with Anti-Aguirre Hit Pieces
In a relentless hate campaign, Mayor Jerry Sanders's publicist, Fred Sainz, flooded local media with hit pieces on City Attorney Mike Aguirre, a study of Sainz's emails in August, September, and October of last year reveals. Blogger Pat Flannery got …
This Month, Gaylord Called Off One Deal for Lack of Financing, but Still Plans to Go Ahead in Chula Vista
Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment, which still plans on building a subsidized project in Chula Vista, on April 15 called off a $252.5 million deal to buy a resort in San Antonio. The problem was financing. After the economy slumped, Gaylord sought …
Mercenary Firm Blackwater, Which Gave Up On Attempt to Get Potrero Training Camp in March, Now Has Shooting Range Near Border
Blackwater Worldwide, the mercenary firm that has stirred up so much controversy in Iraq, now plans to open what appears to be a shooting range at 7685 Siempre Viva Road, about a block from the border. I was not able …
Amylin Shares Plunge 10.28 Percent; Diabetes Drug Byetta Comes Up Short
Stock of biotech Amylin Pharmaceuticals plummeted 10.28 percent today (April 21) as the company reported weak sales of its franchise diabetes drug Byetta. In its first quarter, the company lost $68.8 million or 51 cents a share, compared with a …
Sanders Official Who Was Fired for Challenging Unethical Practices Files Wrongful Termination Suit
Rick Reynolds, former assistant chief operating officer for the City, was fired last October for challenging practices of Fred Sainz, Mayor Jerry Sanders's spinmeister. On April 15, Reynolds filed suit against the City for wrongful termination. The depositions in this …
Three Former City Officials Charged by SEC with Fraud Are Receiving Generous City Pensions
Three of the five former City employees charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with issuing false and misleading financial statements in bond offerings are now receiving juicy pensions from the City, according to City Attorney Mike Aguirre, who …
City Chastened: New Proposed 2009 Budget Warns Investors Not To Use It in Making Decisions
The Securities and Exchange Commission's April 7 fraud charges against five former City bureaucrats for filing false and misleading statements in bond offerings seem to have sobered up San Diego government. In the introduction to the just-released proposed 2009 budget …
Sanders Wants City To Pay Union President's Salary During Bargaining; Aguirre Says It's Against the Charter
On April 10, City Attorney Mike Aguirre wrote to the mayor and council, saying that in closed-door meetings that did not include a representative of his office, Mayor Jerry Sanders said that beginning in January, the president of the Police …
Union-Tribune's Internet Radio Will Be Off the Air Soon, Say Industry Pros and Newspaper Staffers
The Union-Tribune's stab at Internet radio, called SignOn Radio, will be ending this month. It had been launched last October. Some staffers were told yesterday (Monday, April 7), but the company has made no public announcement. The radio industry is …
SEC Charges Five Former City Officials with Fraud for Roles in False Municipal Bond Filings
The Securities & Exchange Commission today (April 7) charged five former City officials with securities fraud for aiding in the concealment of negative information in municipal bond offerings. Charged were these former officials: Michael Uberuaga, city manager; Edward Ryan, auditor …
Another La Jolla Ponzi Scheme: This One Engineered by an Attorney Now Headed to Prison
Former La Jolla attorney Cameron Campbell was sentenced today (Friday, April 4) to 63 months in prison for his role in wooing investors into a $4.5 million scam called The Brixon Group Ltd. Federal Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz ordered Campbell …
California Is in Such a Financial Quagmire That There Could Be Municipal Bankruptcies
Laffer Associates, the economics firm run by supply side economist Arthur Laffer, says in a new report that California faces a massive budget deficit through fiscal years 2008-2009. The deficit could be $16 billion. "Thanks to stagnating/declining revenues and out-of-control …