As utility companies scramble to meet the state's mandate of generating 33 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020, developers of solar and wind energy have their eyes on San Diego County. In January, the San Diego County …

A key part of SB 183, passed last April by state legislature, is set to take effect tomorrow. As of July 1, all single-family homes in the state are required to be equipped with a carbon monoxide detector. Multi-family properties …

A.G. Spanos Cos., run by Alex Spanos and his Chargers-owning clan — in perennial search of a taxpayer-subsidized pro-football stadium here — is angling for a complicated 23-year tax break from the city of Albany, New York on a posh …

A report issued today touts the continued strength of San Diego’s business community to court federal government contracts. Covering a period of time spanning from 2007 to 2010, government spending in the region increased by 50%. Federal dollars flowing into …

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged San Diegan Peter L. Jensen and another executive with fraudulently inflating revenues of Cucamonga's Basin Water, now defunct. The securities agency charges that Jensen and Thomas Tekulve fraudulently pumped up revenues for the …

For decades, the National Football League, and other professional sports organizations such as Major League Baseball, have claimed that a new sports facility generates huge economic activity for a community. Making this claim has been one essential part of the …

In a June 29 performance audit, city auditor Eduardo Luna found that of the 347 vehicles provided to city employees, 99 of them were underutilized. And, removing the 99 take-home city vehicles would save the city $718,000 per year. "The …

The non-profit investigative news site ProPublica.org is out today with a lengthy analysis of safety reports released by the Nuclear Regulartory Agency in May, finding problems at 60 of 65 of the U.S. atomic plans inspected following the Japanese nuclear …

According to assistant fire chief Brian Fennessey, the city's firefighters spend approximately 2000 hours each year investigating false-alarm calls. The department estimates that false-alarm calls costs the city more than $500,000 annually. "Of the estimated 111,000 emergency calls for service …

Harbor Police have found approximately 600 pounds of marijuana on a disabled fishing boat that was towed into San Diego by the Coast Guard on Monday night. The several bales seized were thought to be worth about $24,000. The boat, …

The city council approved new fees to generate income for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department at its meeting yesterday. A new fee for inspection of high-rise buildings was set at $10.96 per 1,000 square feet of building space and will …

Natasha Collura, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the City of San Diego, appeared at the Budget and Finance committee meeting today to give an update on the effort to sell ads at public beaches and parks. Proponents of the corporate …

A group of heavyweight San Diegans are lining up to help bankroll circulation of a new initiative, intended for the 2012 ballot, that would ban labor unions and corporations from the use of automatic payroll deductions for political contributions. It …

As the 4th of July weekend approaches, local environmental groups are gearing up for what’s often San Diego’s messiest holiday, at least as far as parks and beaches go. The San Diego Clean Beach Coalition announced this morning that it …

The average annual wage in the county was $38,148 in 2001 and rose 28% to $48,802 last year, reports economist Kelly Cunningham of the National University System Institute for Policy Research, who has culled the latest numbers from the California …

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death of a woman reported yesterday on Gillespie Drive in the La Presa neighborhood of Spring Valley. Deputies responding to the call decided to bring in a specialized homicide detail, who are …

Nearly two dozen people showed up to speak at yesterday’s city council meeting in San Diego concerning a statement the council was drafting to provide the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The letter is to provide feedback on SANDAG’s …

County home values rose 0.4% from March to April, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller data released this morning (June 28). That was less than the rise for the 20-metro-area composite, 0.7%. It was the first monthly gain for the composite …

La Mesa city officials want to rid neighborhoods of properties with excessive weeds or refuse. Not only are unkempt properties an eyesore to the community, but they also create fire hazards. The weed-abatement program began in May, after the city …

A collection of same-sex marriage advocates is set to appear in San Diego Superior Court this morning, petitioning for dismissal of charges against them. The group, which has been referred to as the “Equality 9,” was arrested and briefly detained …

Encore Capital Group has been named one of the top 50 places to work . . . in India. The San Diego-based company “is a recognized leader in distressed consumer debt buying and recovery,” per a statement on their website. …

Around 11 a.m. yesterday, police were summoned to a Wells Fargo branch on North Second Street in El Cajon. A man leaving the bank after making a deposit had his bank bag snatched by an individual who fled on foot. …

Representative Darrell Issa is calling for "sweeping" and "structural" reforms of the United States Postal Service. His statement comes days after the USPS announced that it would stop contributing to the Federal Employee Retirement System in order to find approximately …

Frustrated with overgrown trees and unabated weeds in your local business district? Are you repulsed by the graffiti tag that is now considered a public-art installation? Do you think the City has failed to provide adequate city services, and that …

The Port of San Diego is celebrating five years since the founding of its environmental fund. Since the fund’s inception in 2006, port commissioners have approved 62 cleanup, outreach, and green building projects, of which 42 have been completed. An …

The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group is out with its annual database of federal farm subsidy recipients from 1995 through 2010, searchable by zip code, and more than a few downtown San Diego, La Jolla, and Rancho Santa Fe addresses …

Excel Trust Inc., a San Diego-based real estate investment company, announced today the issue of 12.5 million shares of stock. The shares will be priced at $10.94 per share, this morning’s opening bell price. Monies raised from the stock sale …

City of San Diego homeowners will have lost $19.2 billion in wealth between 2008 and 2012 (estimated), according to a study by Corinne Wilson of the Center on Policy Initiatives, released today (June 23). Using zip code data from RealtyTrac, …

In its "People" feature on page A-2 today (June 23), the Union-Tribune blue-penciled the name of its owner from a gossip item. The paper was reporting on La-La Land celebrities playing unlicensed poker games in upscale Beverly Hills hotels. Lawsuits …

San Diego sheriff's deputies responded to a tip last night hoping to serve felony arrest warrants. Sergio Castaneda had two outstanding warrants for burglary and domestic violence. On arriving at a Linda Vista house on Volta Court, deputies saw the …

On Monday, San Diego city councilmembers will consider allocating an additional $575,000 for consultants and lawyers hired by the City to address the gasoline and other contamination from under Qualcomm Stadium. The pollution seeped from the Mission Valley Terminal site …

Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy announced the purchase of 6.5 acres of land on Tuesday. The parcel, which runs along Los Coches Creek, will provide habitat for several native local plants, including riverine, riparian scrub, and coastal sage. The land will …

The county's Chief Administrative Officer issued a response to six Grand Jury reports that were released during the past year. Each response will be reviewed by county supervisors during a June 28 meeting. One of those reports dealt with the …

La Mesa Police report an attempted robbery in the parking lot outside Bank of America at Grossmont Center. Just before 10 a.m. this morning, a female left her car and approached the bank, carrying a plainly visible deposit bag. A …

It is the true story of hundreds of residents living in the quiet beach community of Bird Rock, forced to live next to the new cast of MTV reality TV show The Real World. The neighbors fear that they will …

Today marks the opening of the county’s "Cool Zone" program, administered by the Health & Human Services Agency. The aim of Cool Zone is to provide seniors and low-income individuals without access to air conditioning a place to congregate during …

Fans lately have been grasping for reason to believe the Chargers are doing more in San Diego than biding time while a new Los Angeles stadium is built. They were given a new theory to consider this morning by Mike …

Mel Katz, chairman of the San Diego Public Library Foundation, appeared at today's Rules Committee meeting to update councilmembers on fundraising efforts for downtown's new central library. The update: there's a whole lot more fundraising to go. The presentation was …

A crowd of about 60 gathered last Friday, June 17 at Pioneer Park in Mission Hills to call for a massive overhaul of United States drug policy. The rally was timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s …

Host Hotels and Resorts has filed the official statement for its most recent quarter. It indicates that San Diego's Papa Doug Manchester didn't clean up on the March 17 sale of the Manchester Grand Hyatt to Host. According to information …

Photo on left: Byron Georgiou Democratic Sen. Harry Reid has come out swinging against Byron Georgiou, the ex-San Diego lawyer who worked for Bill Lerach and is now living in Nevada and running in that state's Democratic senatorial primary against …

As if traffic at San Ysidro's border crossing wasn't bad enough, now the 50,000-plus commuters that cross the border each day will have to wait even longer as construction at the port speeds up. The purpose of the San Ysidro …

San Diego-based Jack in the Box has become the first major fast food chain to stop offering toys with its children’s meals, Reuters reported today. Fast food restaurants have come under increasing pressure to drop the toys, which opponents say …

Several groups of citizens appealed to the city council during an open comment period in this morning’s meeting to step into a dispute between the city and Tom Lochtefeld, holder of the lease to Belmont Park in Mission Beach, an …

The bullet that struck a moving school bus in the Rincon Indian Reservation on Monday was a stray bullet, found San Diego County sheriff deputies. The MAAC Project Headstart school bus, carrying six children and two adults, was heading down …

Photo on left: Jerry Hall on Channel 10 News Pacific Beach residents looking to curb alcohol abuse in Pacific Beach are waving the white flag in an attempt to bring the community together. "There are many residents, businesses and civic …

Chesapeake Lodging Trust, a Maryland-based real estate investment trust, announced the purchase of Hotel Indigo in the Gaslamp today. Total cost was $55.5 million, approximately $264,000 per room. The seller, InterContinental Hotels Group, then inked a deal to stay on …

A raft of high-powered San Diego lawyers are hosting a campaign fundraiser tomorrow evening for District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who is running for mayor. An invitation for the cocktail bash, to be held at the law offices of Casey Gerry …

Senator Barbara Boxer delivered a statement concerning the re-licensing of California’s two nuclear power plants last Thursday at an oversight hearing for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission study on the safety of American nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima …

Data provided by the California Association of Realtors show that resale activity dropped 5.8% between April and May of this year and now lags 14.4% behind 2010’s pace, a drop that could largely be attributed to federal homebuyer incentives in …

San Diego-based WD-40 Company, a chemical manufacturer perhaps best known for its namesake lubricant and 2000 Flushes toilet treatment products, announced today that it has opened a new $75 million credit line with Bank of America, replacing a previous $10 …

Ex-con man and anti-fraud investigator Barry Minkow owes $584 million to Florida-based homebuilder Lennar Corporation. The judgement, reported by the Dow Jones Newswire, was handed down this week after Minkow plead guilty to extorting the homebuilder and manipulating its stock. …

The May unemployment rate in the county dropped to 9.6% from April's revised 9.8%, according to the California Employment Development Department. During the same period, California had an adjusted rate of 11.4% and the nation 8.7%. Non-farm county jobs increased …

Reuters is reporting today that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has picked up the services of La Jollan Mark Fabiani to manage the public-relations angle of the firm's ongoing troubles with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An ICE audit of Chipotle …

According to some residents living in Coachella Valley, they can smell San Diego County from their homes and schools. And, the scent is so bad that it has been said to have sickened dozens of school children at Coachella Valley …

Curbed, a national website covering celebrity and other high-end digs, presented a guided tour of the houses of GOP presidential candidates yesterday, including an aerial photo of ex-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's house on the La Jolla coastline: "The former CEO …

Fifteen-year-old David Youngman appeared before the Escondido city council yesterday to ask for help getting permission to move forward with a public service project he’s been working on since late 2009 as part of his involvement with Eagle Scouts. Youngman …

On June 21, city councilmembers will consider appropriating $250,000 to the Brown Law Group to represent the City in a lawsuit filed by former deputy director of the Economic Development Division, Scott Kessler. If approved, the total cost of legal …

The Sacramento Bee's CapitolAlert blog reports this morning that former GOP Assembly Leader Martin Garrick was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving last night. Elected in 2006, Garrick is set to be termed out next year. The Bee says Garrick's …

After years of decay, an abandoned building at 2285 Hotel Circle South in Mission Valley appears to have attracted a new tenant. The building, which appears to have once been a service station, was most recently used by ‘Spa Guy,’ …

Ken Bell sees the impact that the decline in tourism to Mexico has had on the economy. As media reports of drug cartel violence increase, Bell has seen more businesses close near his home in Rosarito Beach, and he has …

Medical cannabis supporters took aim at Bonnie Dumanis during a San Diego chapter meeting of Americans for Safe Access held last night in La Jolla. Her duplicity alleged by the group in voicing support for medical marijuana patients’ rights while …

Charging for parking at San Diego's beaches is not the top recommendation for finding additional revenues, Independent Budget Analyst Andrea Tevlin said during the June 15 Budget and Finance Committee meeting. Tevlin was referring to a June 8 report that …

It's no doubt among the least of New York Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner's problems these days, but based on his official financial disclosure reports, he apparently once owned between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of preferred stock in Accredited Home Lenders, …

Burl Stiff, former society columnist for the Union-Tribune who died recently, left money and gifts to San Diegans, according to his estate trust. Stiff left $20,000 to socialite Judith Harris, who frequently appeared in his columns, and was executor of …

San Diego has been in the process of replacing its green street-name signs with blue ones for a few years. The new signs feature the city seal and a larger, more readable font. With 51,000 signs at intersections throughout the …

Residents of Mission Beach flooded council chambers on June 14 in support of Tom Lochtefeld (pictured at left), who leases Belmont Park. "I'm here on behalf of businesses that are adjacent to Belmont Park," said local business owner Mary Saska. …

More employees went to the guillotine at the Union-Tribune today (June 14). The move was completely unexpected, according to sources who know the inside. Getting laid off were David Ogul of the metro desk; Cathy Snapp of the business section; …

A bomb scare temporarily shut down a section of Broadway downtown for about 45 minutes Tuesday afternoon. An employee of Ra Sushi Bar reported that numerous police vehicles flooded the street around 2:00 p.m., forcing onlookers and pedestrians into nearby …

County supervisor Dianne Jacob wants companies that have contracts with San Diego County to register with the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system to ensure that none of their employees are in the country illegally. Jacob announced the initiative to …

The San Diego city council this morning debated the retention of Rob Quigley Architects, Inc. for the re-design of Hillcrest’s Fire Station No. 5 at the corner of 9th and University. At issue was cost - $468,320 plus an additional …

Nothing is going to stop Marcus Boyd from attending the Imperial Beach city council meeting on Wednesday. He will be the guy in council chambers wearing a "Take a Look Marijuana is Medicine" shirt. Boyd sits as the vice-chairperson for …

A vehicle jumped a curb, crossed a pedestrian walkway, and crashed into the lobby of Rancho Village Veterinary Hospital near Avocado Boulevard and Interstate 94 late Sunday morning. The auto stopped short of examination rooms and the kennel for pets …

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has quietly told its law enforcement partners along the border that they should be prepared for a new wave of cross-border violence aimed squarely at them, according to the website Homeland Security Today, which says …

The ordinance being proposed by Imperial Beach City Manager Gary Brown doesn't ban the use of medical marijuana, it just, well, prohibits any dispensaries from distributing it. "Large-scale dispensaries are inconsistent with the City's character," reads a 617-page report to …

A grant deed recorded on May 10, 2011, confirmed the transfer of property at 1902 Kettner Boulevard, former home of the Metro Volkswagen dealership. The new owner of record is Broadstone Little Italy LLC, who lists a mailing address in …

Michael Trap, owner of a loan modification scheme, was sentenced to 30 months in prison today (June 10) and ordered to pay $460,249 in restitution to victims. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Trap admitted that in 2009, he and …

As we first reported in September 2008, back in 2005 Sempra Energy helped enlist the backing of then-ex Wasilla, Alaska mayor Sarah Palin regarding a scheme to build a liquified natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez for …

San Diego city councilmembers are searching for ways to chip away at the structural deficit. A few months back, Budget and Finance Committee chair Todd Gloria asked his colleagues to send the Independent Budget Analyst both short-term and long-term solutions …

Mexican drug lords are corrupting U.S. border patrol and customs agents at an increasing pace while supposed watchdogs in the Department of Homeland Security and San Diego FBI officials feud with each other over how to clean up the mess. …

One day after Irwin Jacobs announced that he was putting a hold on the Plaza de Panama project, the Save Our Heritage Organisation couldn't hold back the excitement over the decision. "[Save Our Heritage Organisation] is grateful that the bypass …

Now that Bob Filner has jumped into the San Diego mayoral race, online researchers will have a ball looking him up on the many D.C. websites dedicated to following members of Congress. One good starting point is OpenSecrets.org, which features …

It's official, after weeks of speculation Congressman Bob Filner has entered the race to become San Diego's next mayor. Filner is the first high-profile Democratic candidate to announce his candidacy. He joins Republican candidates Bonnie Dumanis, Nathan Fletcher, and councilmember …

Mayor Jerry Sanders and Qualcomm cofounder Irwin Jacobs appeared at a Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday in support of a proposal to remove traffic from the Plaza de Panama in Balboa Park. Both Sanders and Jacobs touted the project and …

Democratic congressman Bob Filner, who appears to be inching closer toward a mayoral run, made a splash last month when he appeared on one of Oprah Winfrey's final shows to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders, of which …

In 1999, engineers for the City of San Diego determined that a yield-sign was needed for drivers turning left from Pacific Highway on to Cedar Street. The sign was never installed. Five years later, engineers proposed redesigning the intersection, but …

Longtime civic activist, Mel Shapiro, wants to find out if any complaints have been made against government officials since District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis (left) took office in 2003. In March, Shapiro requested that the District Attorney's Special Operations Division release …

Albany, Oregon is a long way from San Diego. But does prolonged haggling between the city council there and trash behemoth Allied Waste, which also operates here, offer a preview of what's in store if Mayor Jerry Sanders and allies …

It's not quite the Manchurian Candidate, but a staff psychiatrist at the Naval Medical Center here has gone public with graphic accounts of local sailors and Marines who've blown their minds on "spice," otherwise known as synthetic cannabis. Third-year resident …

WFP Securities, the San Diego County brokerage whose extremely dubious investments were featured in my April 20 column, has told the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority that it is shutting its doors, according to Investment News. WFP has $14 million in …

For years, residents of Uptown lobbied the City to reform the Uptown Partnership, the nonprofit responsible for administering the community parking district in Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Five Points, and Banker's Hill. On December 28 of last year, the city council …

Sheriff Bill Gore has been talking up his plans for high-tech intelligence-driven crime fighting, but he's also quietly hedging his bets by looking to acquire some heavy shooting iron. The sheriff just hired Dr. Noah Fritz to be the department's …

“Something is not quite right here in Encinitas, there seems to be a lot of collusion and misinformation within our city government," writes resident Steve Meiche in a June 2 email. Meiche, a Los Angeles firefighter and Encinitas Taxpayers Association …

The nation created a mere 54,000 jobs in May as the unemployment rate rose to 9.1% from 9.0% in April. Economists were expecting 175,000 jobs. Stock market futures sank on the news. The average work week was unchanged from April …

A commission made up of establishment figures including ex-Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, ex-GOP secretary of state George Shultz, and Virgin Group's Richard Branson has just issued a report declaring the nation's war on drugs, especially as it applies to …

Former city councilmember, and current two-term State Senator, Christine Kehoe is definitely maybe entering the race to become San Diego's next mayor. Today, Kehoe announced that she was forming an exploratory committee to look into a possible run for mayor. …

It's official, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis' campaign to be San Diego's next mayor is now underway. With three days remaining before mayoral candidates are allowed to accept campaign donations, Dumanis will appear at a June 2 meeting of the Clairemont …

The Department of Education last night (June 1) issued Milquetoast, pusillanimous new regulations for the for-profit colleges, as many such as myself expected. Programs could lose their federal aid (thus be shut down) if over the next four years their …

An indictment was unsealed today (June 1) charging Steven Bartko of Vista with running a Ponzi scheme and accusing him of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, according to the U.S. attorney's office. The indictment charges that Bartko used …

Residents of Mission Valley Village Mobile Home Park are breathing a sigh of relief after San Diego Superior Court Judge Judith Hayes approved a class-action settlement offered by Archstone-Smith Development Group. For nearly four years, ever since Archstone purchased the …

It's not unusual for Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature to accept big contributions from special interests, including both corporate and labor money, but sometimes the timing gets a bit too coincidental. Democratic Sen. Juan Vargas is leading the …