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News Ticker Entries for June, 2012

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Big Tobacco To Participate In Trans-Pacific Trade Talks In San Diego

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On Monday, government officials from Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Brunei, Australia, Peru, Vietnam and the U.S. will converge on the Hilton Bayfront to discuss the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement which would promote trade between growing nations in Asia and the …

DUIs: Less Than One Tenth Of One Percent

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Good news for San Marcos drivers. Sheriff’s deputies did one of their DUI “check points” in San Marcos last night, and out of 4,797 drivers who were counted and passed through the inspection spot, only 4 persons were arrested for …

Busy Young Repeat Felon Back In Custody

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Two years ago, Ernesto Roberto Salinas was released from custody on the condition that he live in his mother’s home and obey her “household rules,” after he was arrested for burglary. But in less than 3 weeks he was arrested …

Guilty Plea From Escondido Stabber

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Alexander John Twedt, 29, pleaded guilty yesterday to attempted murder and causing great bodily injury. A year ago, in the early morning hours of May 30 2011, Twedt reportedly stabbed his lover in the neck as he lay in bed …

Another Wave of Foreclosures Imminent?

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Cue the contrarian opinions on the local housing market: investment group Blue Sky Capital released a statement yesterday predicting another wave of foreclosures will soon hit San Diego County, this one even worse than the first round of massive foreclosures …

Decision On Quail Brush Power Plant Delayed, Again

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Residents of Santee and northeastern San Diego who oppose a proposal to build a 100-megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant near the edge of Mission Trails Regional Park have spent months fighting against the project. They will have to keep fighting …

SDSU Study: $330K Gender Pay Gap in PR Work

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When it comes to public relations work, women earn about $8,000 per year less than their male counterparts, pocketing about $330,000 less over the course of their careers, researchers at San Diego State University have concluded. David Dozier, Bey-Ling Sha …

Briefs Filed in Suit Against SANDAG Transit Plan

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Opening briefs have been filed in a November 2011 lawsuit launched by environmental groups Cleveland National Forest Foundation, the Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity against the San Diego Association of Governments over their 2050 Regional Transit Plan. …

Lincoln Club Endorses DeMaio

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This may come as a shocker; on the same day Chief Justice Roberts's decision to side with the liberal judges and uphold the Affordable Care Act was revealed, San Diego's conservative group the Lincoln Club announced the endorsement of republican …

No on Dead Men Walking: Ex-Con Millionaire Staging Celebrity Bash Against Capital Punishment

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La Jolla's favorite former superlawyer Bill Lerach, who did a stretch in a Federal penitentiary after pleading guilty in a kickback case, is throwing a star-studded party to raise money for the so-called SAFE California Act, a measure on November's …

Protests Planned For Trans-Pacific Trade Talks

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Beginning on Monday, trade officials from Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, Brunei, Australia, Peru and Vietnam will meet at the Hilton Bayfront with representatives from Office of the United States Trade Representative for the 13th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement talks. …

Pipe Taken From Burial Site Returned to Tribes

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The Department of the Interior earlier this month published a notice in the Federal Register stating its intention to return a clay pipe associated with a native burial ritual to a collective representing several tribes of the Kumeyaay nation in …

“I find that, frankly, kind of insulting,” Judge Maino said.

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This stopped the attorney who was suggesting that the judge had already made up his mind, before the end of the hearing today. A San Diego Superior Court judge heard arguments this morning on whether to release sealed search warrants …

Scott Peters Looks For Party Unity After Tough Primary

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Democrats look to put the bitter primary race for 52nd congressional seat between democrats Scott Peters and Lori Saldana to rest once and for all. Today, the Peters campaign asked fellow Democrats to join together in the fight against incumbent …

Our Lady Of Perpetual Ocean Damaged in Move

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Local artist Mark Patterson has found a new home for his colorful mosaic entitled “Surfing Madonna.” The large artwork now takes up most of a wall facing a patio at Café Ipe, on Highway 101 in North San Diego County. …

Canadian Firm Pulls Power Plant Vote, Vows Future "Public Engagement" Battle

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A little more than two years ago, on June 23, 2010, we wrote about a stealthy plan by San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders to locate a power plant on land the city owns just east of I-805 near University Towne …

SDSU Professor Connects Narcissism and Social Network Sites

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Facebook and other social networks can connect long-lost friends and those in faraway places, but that's not all, they also allow the user to get in touch with the people they love the most, themselves. According to a new study …

Housing Sales Pace Quickens

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A report out last Friday from the California Association of Realtors shows the number of previously owned homes in escrow remained flat in May as compared to April, but that result still represents a double digit gain in year-over-year figures …

Kehoe Blasted for Bill Text Swap

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California Catholic Daily is accusing California Senator Christine Kehoe of San Diego of “using a sneaky legislative tactic” to revive a failed law to allow non-physicians to perform certain abortion procedures in the state. Senate Bill 623, which passed the …

Shames Forms Own Group; Malcolm of UCAN Questions His Statements

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Michael Shames, cofounder and former head of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), today (June 26) made a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) claiming that he is taking over UCAN's role in San Diego Gas & Electric's …

Command Master Chief of Guided Missile Destroyer Gridley Fired After DUI Arrest, Navy Times Reports

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Navy Times is reporting that the command master chief of the San Diego-based guided missile destroyer Gridley was fired earlier this month after being arrested for drunk driving in Millington, Tennessee. According to the account, William R. Adams was relieved …

Family Loyalties Divided After Shooting

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Testimony today suggested that two sisters who ear-witnessed a shooting last April now have a strained relationship, because one sister continues her romantic connection with a man charged as “accessory after the fact” in the killing of a third sister. …

Agency With Ties To Blackwater Running Training Facility In Otay Mesa After Another Name Change

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Last week, Gail Collins, an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, wrote a story about privatization. In the article, Collins describes privatization efforts that haven't gone so well. Some examples she listed were privatizing prisons, educational facilities, and training …

Wealthy Donors Behind La Jolla Super PAC's "Independent" Campaign for Fletcher

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Who paid for all those icpurple.org television spots featuring a gang of children mixing red and blue paint on behalf of ex-GOP Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher's self-professed independent bid to become mayor of San Diego? As we first reported on May …

Former KUSI Anchor To Serve As Bob Filner's Communications Director

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Lena Lewis, former anchor and reporter for KUSI news, is returning to San Diego to become Bob Filner's new communications director. Lewis announced her new gig working for Filner on Twitter yesterday. "My new boss! Working for Bob Filner in …

U.S., San Diego Home Values Up in April

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San Diego County home values rose 1.4% in April, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller data just released (June 26), a bit better than the composite 1.3% gain of the 20 largest metropolitan areas. Home values in 19 of 20 metro …

Qualcomm: Implant Microchips in Everyone!

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The world would be a much better place and we’d all function better as humans . . . if only we had microchips implanted in our bodies monitoring our every impulse. That’s the gist of an article commissioned by local …

Has the Lincoln Club Lost Sway in the South Bay?

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Though the San Diego County Registrar of Voters has until July 3 to certify election results, the votes are counted and some results merit more analysis. Why did the campaign efforts of the influential, pro-business Lincoln Club fare so poorly …

Mt. Soledad Cross Case Not Supreme Court's Cross To Bear

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The Supreme Court announced today that justices are staying out of the legal dispute over the Mt. Soledad Cross in La Jolla, refusing to hear an appeal of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court ruling which deemed the cross a public …

Disbarred Attorney Promises to Behave

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A former Carlsbad attorney has been disbarred in California, one week after a judge in a downtown San Diego courtroom found him “competent” and then accepted his guilty plea in a pending case. Michael Theodore Pines, now 60 years old, …

State May Launch San Onofre Probe

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“Nuclear safety in action,” is how San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station operator Southern California Edison spokesperson Jennifer Manfre describes the ongoing emergency shutdown at the facility in the North County Times. After four months, experts have determined that a faulty …

Mitt Romney's La Jolla Neighborhood News Warns Neighbors About Talking to Reporters

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There is the New York Times, published since 1891, the nation's influential bastion of liberalism, winner of 108 Pulitzer prizes. Its motto: "All the News That's Fit to Print." And there is the Barber Tract Times, published by La Jolla's …

Stock of NC Times Parent Zooms

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Stock of Lee Enterprises, owner of the North County Times, has zoomed the last two days, probably because of rumors that Omaha billionaire/wizard Warren Buffett may be interested in it. Buffett likes small-town papers and has bought some recently. Lee …

Imperial Beach City Council Forced to Address Pot Dispensary Ban

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Proponents of prescription pot will once again converge on City Hall in Imperial Beach to ask the city council to end the current moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries and enact a new ordinance which allows dispensary owners to open shop …

Child Sex Trafficking Ring Dismantled in Tijuana

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10 girls, from the ages of 13 to 17, were rescued from a sex trafficking ring in Tijuana last week. State police arrested five men on June 19th who ran the operation. Five of the victims gave statements regarding how …

Fiorina's Campaign Manager Says "There is a Plan" to Pay Off 2010 Campaign Debt

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The campaign of Republican Carly Fiorina’s failed 2010 senate bid is nearly $500,000 in debt two years after the election’s conclusion, the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting. Among those left awaiting payment is her campaign manager Marty Wilson, who is …

California Fugitive Arrested in New Mexico

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Pictured: Booking photo of Elizabeth Sheldon-Masters, 44, from New Mexico. Authorities in New Mexico have taken into custody a woman fugitive from California who is wanted for allegedly embezzling $5.74 million from a San Marcos business. Elizabeth Sheldon-Masters, 44, was …

San Bernardino Escapee Caught in Tijuana

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An inmate who escaped from a correctional facility in San Bernardino County was picked up in Tijuana Friday, June 22nd. Steven Patrick Gallagher, the escapee, was arrested by Federal Police agents around noon. Gallagher escaped on Tuesday along with Jonathon …

Heavy Deportations a Burden on Tijuana

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Nearly 20 percent of all deportations in the United States occur at the San Ysidro port of entry. According to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) statistics, 360,172 Mexicans have been deported to Tijuana since 2003. That is of the …

San Diego Unified to Proceed with Sale of Excess Properties

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Trustees at San Diego Unified approved a proposal to sell seven excess properties was approved during a board meeting on Friday. The proposal has had its opponents, including Trustee Scott Barnett, who said selling the properties for the estimated $26 …

Navy Carrier Group Hunts for Illegal Fishermen

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On the way back to its San Diego home port, the U.S. Navy’s Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group received a new mission: patrolling protected fishing areas in the southern Pacific, searching for fishing vessels without proper permits. While the Navy …

Federal Agent Using Rifle to Take Out Predators in San Dieguito Lagoon

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Predation has become such a problem at the San Dieguito Lagoon near the Del Mar fairgrounds that an agent of the United States Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division has been employing a rifle to kill a list of varmints …

Councilmembers Set To Vote On Old Town Transitional Housing Facility For Combat Veterans

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At a city council meeting on Tuesday, counclimembers will make the final decision whether to allow a transitional housing facility for combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to be built in Old Town. The "Aspire Center," a 40-bed facility would …

Energy Commission Plans for Clean(er) Energy Future

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The California Energy Commission convenes a meeting this morning in Los Angeles regarding the 2012 Integrated Energy Policy Report Update. The report focuses on the state’s long range clean energy goals and includes questions concerning the future of the San …

Shames out at UCAN

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Michael Shames, cofounder of Utiliy Consumers' Action Network, is off the payroll as of today, June 21. New executive director Kim Malcolm notified the California Public Utilities Commission that a different staff member will represent UCAN inn the general rate …

Local News Media Battle DA in Court For Public Access

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San Diego television station KFMB News 8 is leading a court challenge, battling the District Attorney’s office trying to gain access to 20 search warrants connected to a high-profile murder case. Deputy district attorneys Patrick Espinoza and Garret Wong responded …

SDSU Students, Retired Professor Tour State's Prison System

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Retired San Diego State University criminal justice professor Paul Sutton, who the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says “has seen the inside of more prisons than many CDCR employees who have spent their entire careers with the department,” recently …

U-T San Diego Publisher Manchester's Charity Cash Strays from San Diego

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U-T San Diego publisher Doug Manchester has long been famous for his well-advertised gifts to charity, and has many buildings and other assorted improvements named in his honor to show for it, though recent recession years have apparently taken their …

U-T San Diego Will Charge Fee To View Articles Online

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Just in case you missed it, or if you've already viewed 15 pages of online content at utsandiego.com, the paper announced today that it will be charging for digital subscriptions, similar to policies at the New York Times and Los …

Another Huge Pot Bust, 22 Tons Seized at Checkpoint

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A monstrous marijuana load was seized Wednesday morning, June 21st, near San Luis Colorado. The drugs were found on a tractor trailer, headed for Tijuana. 22 tons of marijuana, 5 kilos of marijuana seeds, and 7 kilos of methamphetamine were …

Michigan Stalker of Santee Woman Fit to Stand Trial

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New details have come to light regarding the case of a Michigan man who traveled to San Diego last year to stalk and potentially murder a Santee woman and her boyfriend, courtesy The Smoking Gun. Twenty-eight year old Brian Hile, …

New Bill in Congress Would Thwart Bridgepoint

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Sen. Kay Hagan, D-NC, this morning in a conference call with reporters promoted a bill she has introduced that would stop for-profit colleges from using taxpayer-funded financial aid for marketing, recruiting, or advertising. "Make no mistake, Hagan's bill, if it …

Another Step Forward for the South Bay Power Plant

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The California Coastal Commission's June 14 vote granting a permit to demolish the South Bay power plant is something to celebrate. However, it will be a while until residents dance on the power plant site. Chula Vista deputy mayor Steve …

Local Brokers Win Multi-Million Dollar Award

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Two San Diego County stockbrokers have won an arbitration judgment against Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The brokers charged they were wooed from remunerative posts at brokerage UBS by false promises. Todd Vitale, who was awarded $2.6 million said that Morgan …

Report: Arellano-Félix Organization Still Runs Baja

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According to an analysis report by Insight Crime, the Arellano-Félix Organization (AFO/Tijuana Cartel) still controls its own turf of Baja, contrary to what many analysts have claimed. Many opposing reports and analysts have recently claimed that the AFO is struggling …

Utility Shareholders Should Pay for Pipeline Tests -- not Customers

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The Division of Ratepayer Advocates, an independent group within the California Public Utilities Commission, has said that shareholders of San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) -- and not ratepayers -- should pick up the tab for natural gas pipeline safety …

Filner Launches Verbal Assault Over Backlog of Pending Disability Claims

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Putting his mayoral campaign on hold, Congressman Bob Filner is back in Washington and according to the New York Times blog, is making his presence known. The blog post recants a House Veterans Affairs Committee meeting on Tuesday where Filner …

State Senator Mark Wyland Gives $10,000 To Romney Super PAC

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Add Republican State Senator Mark Wyland ito the growing list of San Diego County residents throwing large sums of cash at Mitt Romney's Super PAC, Restore Our Future. The state senator from Escondido, representing cities in north San Diego County …

Design Flaws, Not Worker Error, to Blame for San Onofre Damages

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Federal regulators are pointing to design flaws over defective materials or improper installation as the primary cause of premature tube wear that caused San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station to enter emergency shutdown over safety concerns. “It looks primarily [like] we …

San Diego Lags US in May Housing Statistics

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San Diego County housing values dropped 1.5% in May from a year earlier, worse than the 0.9% decline of the nation's major metro areas collectively, according to Zillow.com. The median price was $340,200, one of the highest in the nation. …

Brawl at School Carnival Turned Into Stabbing

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A carnival hosted at Fallbrook High School two weeks ago degenerated into a brawl which then escalated into a stabbing, according to testimony in court today. A man identified as “Jose” told investigators that he didn’t like the “stare” of …

Over 12 Tons of Marijuana Found in Pacific Ocean

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Several large loads of marijuana have been found floating in the ocean over three days, near Baja California. The U.S. Navy and the Mexican Navy have reportedly recovered over 12 tons of marijuana since Saturday, June 16th. The first two …

DeMaio-Backing Lobbyist Retained to Push Manchester Mission Valley Makeover

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Manchester Financial Group, the holding company for the San Diego media, hotel, and real estate empire of La Jolla's Doug Manchester, is using the services of Latitude 33 Planning and Engineering, a local development consulting and lobbying outfit, to help …

Port Seeks New National City Tenants

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The Port of San Diego is seeking potential tenants to lease and improve land in the National City marina district on 32nd street near the Pier32 Marina and National City Marine Terminal. “Both the Port and National City are committed …

U-T San Diego's John Lynch To Talk New Development And Vision For Downtown Waterfront to Mexican-American Business Leaders

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On Thursday, John Lynch, President and CEO of U-T San Diego, is taking his show on the road, just a few blocks down the road, to the Best Western Seven Seas on Hotel Circle, to speak to the Mexican American …

Spring Valley Suspect Robs Home With Stolen SUV

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19 year-old Andre Lavere Ford was taken into custody by San Diego Sheriff’s deputies yesterday after a man called to report witnessing the burglary of a neighbor’s home in Spring Valley. Ford was observed with three other individuals exiting the …

Obama in Cabo, Secret Service Told to Behave

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United States President Barack Obama is in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, meeting with world leaders during a G-20 summit. A large portion of the meetings are dedicated to discussing the European fiscal crisis and the future of Greece. Press …

Nuclear Waste Must be Considered in Plant Relicensing

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A June 8 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. could impact the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision on re-licensing California’s two nuclear plants, as well as dozens of others across the nation. In a 2010 Waste Confidence …

UCAN Backs Out of Settlement OK

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Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), the watchdog that unsuccessfully attempted to dissolve, and is now going forward under new management, has withdrawn approval of the broad settlement agreement that laid out plans for its continued existence. According to Kim Malcolm, …

Deputy: Felon Said The Rifle Was A Fair Trade

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A repeat felon told the Sheriff’s deputy that the rifle found alongside his bed was dropped off by somebody who traded the firearm for drugs, a deputy testified today. Deputy Jeff Lauhon said the “very animated” and “hype-active” suspect also …

UCSD prof a behavior manipulation guru

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The June issue of The Atlantic is using the authority of UCSD social psychology professor Christopher Bryan to prop up the long tarnished reputation of B. F. Skinner, author of the novel Walden Two, first published in 1948, and Beyond …

The Wealthy GOP Donor in the Peters Family Tree

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Ex-San Diego city council Democrat Scott Peters, who managed to eke out a second-place finish in this month's 52nd District congressional primary to face off against Republican Brian Bilbray in the fall, has the support of his wealthy wife Lynn …

Nuclear Initiative Backers Look to Supreme Court to Place Measure on Ballot

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California Nuclear Initiative, a group that has circulated petitions in an attempt to place its Nuclear Waste Act of 2012 on the November ballot, announced last week that it has asked the California Supreme Court to put its measure up …

Over 1.5 Tons of Pot Seized in TJ

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Late Sunday afternoon, June 17th, a large marijuana stash was discovered in a Tijuana residence. 1,683.400 kilos (3,711.3 pounds) were seized from a house in the colonia Torres Altas. One suspect was arrested during the raid, while another was apprehended …

Local Unions Cheer, Republicans Decry Obama's Immigration Order

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The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council has quickly responded to President Obama’s controversial plan to stop deporting some young undocumented immigrants. Lorena Gonzalez, the secretary-treasurer/CEO of the Council, issued the following statement of support Friday: “Working families in …

Koch Brothers to Have San Diego Convention

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Arch-conservative billionaire political activists Charles and David Koch will hold a convention in San Diego June 23, according to Kenneth P. Vogel and Tarini Parti of Politico.com. The meeting is secretive and the authors couldn't find out where the convention …

Mexico Cancels Baja Mega-Resort Plans

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Mexico announced Friday that plans to build a mega-resort in Baja California Sur would be halted. Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon, made the announcement from his official residence. Cabo Cortes, the previously planned resort, would have been built northeast up the …

Mexican Mafia Fugitive Caught in Tijuana

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A fugitive from Los Angeles, who is a known member of the Mexican Mafia gang, was apprehended in Tijuana this week. 52 year old José Luis Montellano was wanted with arrests warrants for armed robbery, bank robbery, and probation violations. …

Local Unemployment Rate at 8.8%

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The San Diego County unemployment rate was 8.8% in May, unchanged from a revised 8.8% in April, according to the California Employment Development Department. The county gained 6,400 jobs in the month. The biggest gain was in construction: 6,400. Government …

Supervisors Roberts and Horn Want SAFE to Stay

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County Supervisor Ron Roberts is steadfast in his support for the San Diego Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SD SAFE). Roberts has come out against a new state bill that would transfer management of the program to SANDAG, taking it …

Congresswoman from Kensington Borrows Against Her Homes

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Democratic Congresswoman Susan Davis has taken out mortgages against two houses she owns in San Diego's Kensington neighborhood and Washington, D.C., according to her annual statement of personal financial interests. The loans, made in January of this year, are both …

Local Nonprofit Receives Funding to Repair Veterans' Homes

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Embrace, a local nonprofit focused on “the promotion of social and physical wellness programs that serve underprivileged communities,” announced this week that it has been awarded $25,000 from the Weingart Foundation to fund its H3: Healing our Heroes’ Homes program. …

Koch Brothers To Hold A Political Summit In San Diego

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The Koch brothers are coming to town and not just for a stroll on San Diego's beaches. The conservative billionaire brethren will be holding a political convention in hopes of raising some serious cash to take down Obama and other …

Foreclosures Flat, but Over 4,000 San Diego Homes Are Owned By Banks

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The latest statistics on distressed properties, issued earlier this week on the website ForeclosureRadar, are a mixed bag so far as California is concerned. Reflecting on the month of May, both new foreclosure starts and trustee sales, the final step …

Opposition To Quail Brush Power Plant Continues

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Residents from Santee and San Diego are ramping up their fight against a plan from Cogentrix Energy to build a 100 megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant on the edge of Mission Trails Regional Park, where Santee and San Diego meet. …

Man Who Mailed Heroin Into Jail Gets Sentenced

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Lee Edward Amesquita, 37, was sentenced to 8 years prison this morning, for three separate counts of mailing heroin into jail. Amesquita sent the hidden drug to his incarcerated girlfriend, according to evidence presented during a two-week trial last April. …

Picasso, Pistol and Porsche Stolen from Posh Place

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Tuesday afternoon a lady returned to her seaside home in a posh part of San Diego County and found her garage door open and her Porsche missing, according to San Diego Police spokeswoman Lt. Andra Brown. The license on the …

Redistricting Commissioners Cash In With Honor System Pay Reporting

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Working on the California citizens’ redistricting commission appears to have been lucrative work for the 14 commissioners appointed to serve, who collected between $35,100 and $68,400 in per diem pay based on “honor system” reporting of days worked, many of …

SDG&E Settles With City, Announces Shareholder Payout

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Sempra Energy, the parent of San Diego Gas & Electric, the local utility that holds a 20 percent ownership stake in the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, which has been shuttered since January and will remain offline through the summer …

Lawsuit Filed Over Injuries Suffered at "Large and Dangerous" Rocket Festival

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A lawsuit against the Tripoli Rocketry Association, the Rocket Organization of California, and Tripoli San Diego has been filed by Kairee Goodin, who claims she suffered first and second-degree burns to approximately five percent of her body, as well as …

Will Reduced Tolls Increase South Bay Expressway Riders?

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San Diego Association of Government, SANDAG, announced today that beginning June 30 tolls will be reduced for State Route 125/South Bay Expressway. According to the press release, "New tolls will range from 50 cents to $2.75 for FasTrak users and …

U.S. Fugitive Nabbed by Border Patrol

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A suspect wanted for a double murder was apprehended while trying to cross back into the United States from Tijuana on Tuesday, June 12th. José Alejandro González was wanted for the murder of two men in Las Vegas, on April …

SDSU Professor Curates Writings on Mobile Technology

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San Diego State University journalism and mass media professor Noah Arceneaux has released a collection of essays on the rapid evolution of mobile technology, The Mobile Media Reader. “If you had asked people fifty years ago what they predicted for …

Planning Chairman Can Weigh in on Casino Plans of Tribe That Employs His Lobbyist Client, Agency Says

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It isn't a conflict of interest for the chairman of the county's Jamul and Dulzura planning group to participate in discussions about a casino project being promoted by a lobbying firm that employs him on a project-by-project contractual basis. So …

FCC Asked To Water Down Requirement For Broadcasters To Post Ad Buys Online

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In late April the Federal Communication Commission approved a rule requiring broadcasters to post public files, including political data, online. During the hearing, the majority of commissioners agreed that displaying political ad buys at television stations and cable networks wasn't …

Atheist Lobbying Group to Install California Chapter

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The Secular Coalition for America, a group describing itself as “a lobbying organization representing nontheistic Americans and advocating for a strong separation of religion and government,” has announced plans to launch a chapter in California and eight other states. The …

Cartoonist Steve Kelley Laid Off in New Orleans

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Political cartoonist Steve Kelley, who had been fired by the Union-Tribune more than a decade ago, will be laid off by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, according to story in Poynter.org. After a nasty fight with the U-T that went to …

Fugitive Wanted On Murder Charges Arraigned

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Ruben Anthony Cepeda, 21, is accused of putting a gun to the belly of the woman carrying his baby and killing both her and her four-month-old fetus, in an apartment in Escondido last April. Cepeda kept his head down in …

UCAN to Fight Another SDGE Program to Fleece Customers

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As part of its general rate case, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) wants to institute a so-called "prepaid utility service program" that would allow the utility to disconnect a customer four days after payments are exhausted. The Division of …

Register Staffers Didn't Want Manchester, Says L.A. Times

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According to a story today (June 12) in the Los Angeles Times, some Orange County Register employees were happy that San Diego's "Papa Doug" Manchester, owner of the UT, did not buy the Register, as he had hinted he would. …

Tijuana Named Most Hated City in the World by CNNGo

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Yesterday, June 11th, CNNGo released a list of the most hated cities in the world. Tijuana took the number one spot on the list. The report states that the list is “not the worst cities in the world, they're the …

UCSD Prof Wins Battle Against Dean's Gag Order, Will Publish Book

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UC San Diego sociology professor Richard Biernacki has won a two-year legal battle over his right to publish work critical of peer review methods in the social sciences, the university’s The Guardian reports. Biernacki’s book * Reinventing Evidence in Social …

Postal Service Audit Blasts San Diego Mail Carriers for Inefficiency

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"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," Herodotus wrote back in 503 B.C., but then he never met the efficiency experts from the U.S. Postal Service's …

Louis Farrakhan's San Diego Visit Goes Largely Unnoticed

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The first San Diego visit in nearly 25 years by controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan late last month appears to have gone unnoticed by most of the city’s residents and media, despite his history of attracting controversy and …

69-Year-Old Man Denies Child Abuse Charges

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Corazon Paulino Flores is on trial in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse, charged with more than 40 counts of felony child abuse. He is pleading not guilty through his public defender. Three named victims were allegedly abused over multiple …

Trustees at San Diego Unified Will Consider Placing New Bond Measure on November Ballot

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Officials from San Diego Unified are banking on the 2012 Capital Facilities Bond Measure to bring in an estimated $2.8 billion, which would be used to ease the strain caused by yearly budget deficits and bring new technology and provide …

Environmental Group Points to Mojave Desert as Potential Power Source

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A new paper from The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization, suggests that land in California’s Mojave Desert, if used for the development of large-scale renewable energy projects such as solar farms, could provide for between 1.8 and seven times …

Manchester Fails to Corral O.C. Register

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Wellesley, Massachusetts businessman Aaron Kushner and a group of investors have purchased the Orange County Register and six other papers from Freedom Communications, according to the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times. "Papa Doug" Manchester, owner of the UT …

Gwynn Family Backs Bob Filner, Tax Liens Highlighted by Union-Tribune

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Over the years, the business tribulations of Padres baseball hero Tony Gwynn have made occasional news. Back in December 1999 we reported about the slugger's battle with the big downtown San Diego law firm of Seltzer, Caplan, Wilkins and McMahon …

Richard Russell Calls Primary Bear Market

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La Jolla's Richard Russell, who has published Dow Theory Letters since 1958, has stated that stocks are now in a primary bear market. Russell is the preeminent interpreter of the Dow Theory, which is based on essays written by Charles …

Group Seeks to Launch Independent Minor League Baseball

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Mission Viejo-based Godfather Media on Friday announced an update on its plans to launch the American West Baseball League, an independent minor league baseball franchise. So far, the group has announced deals to launch at least four teams, in Fullerton, …

Former Tijuana Police Released From Prison

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23 former federal and municipal police officers, who were arrested in Tijuana with drug trafficking charges, were released from prison Sunday, June 10th. The former officers were part of the 56 who were arrested on July 29, 2010, in an …

NY Times Columnist Slams U-T Ownership

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David Carr, media columnist for the New York Times, precisely pinpoints what is wrong with the Union-Tribune's current ownership and management in a column slated to appear tomorrow (June 11). Carr begins, "There is a growing worry that the falling …

New Proposal: Huge Hike in TOT Tax to Improve Infrastructure

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Activists Katheryn Rhodes and Conrad Hartsell will present to the city council's rules committee Wednesday a plan to boost the Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel tax) from 10.5% to 15.5%. The increase would provide $73.5 million annually to spend on road …

Hewlett Packard's Contract with San Diego County

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Election night, June 5, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters website was going to report tallied votes online. However, the service was down between 8:00 and 10:00. The U-T reported that "San Diego County and Hewlett Packard are investigating …

Californians Driving Demand for General Motors' Electric Car

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California drivers are propping up otherwise lackluster sales of General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt gas/electric hybrid, the Detroit Free Press observes. California buyers are snapping up nearly 23 percent of all Volts sold nationwide, motivated by gasoline prices that remain over …

Teenager Freed From Sinaloa Cartel Kidnapping Ring

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An 18 year old student was freed yesterday, June 7th, from captivity in a home in Tijuana. The man was kidnapped by gunpoint while on his way to his high school, the day before his rescue. Seven suspects were arrested …

San Onofre to Remain Offline Through Summer

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It’s official: both of the troubled nuclear generators at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will remain offline throughout the summer, according to plant operator Southern California Edison. Edison expects to present a safety plan to restart the plant’s Unit …

Hailed as a Grower, Now Guilty of Fraud

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Yan Skwara had worked on Wall Street 20 years when he arrived in San Diego a few years back. He called himself a farmer -- a grower of aspragus, aloe vera, and other things. His company was named U.S. Farms, …

County Seeks to Reduce Uranium Levels in Campo Hills Water

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San Diego County is requesting bids from private contractors to reduce uranium levels found in drinking water at wells supplying the Campo Hills development in the East County community of Campo to safe levels. The 221-unit development was built beginning …

Union-Tribune Owner's Family Members Climb Aboard Romney Presidential Bandwagon

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As noted here earlier, Union-Tribune owner Douglas F. Manchester has been a long-time financial supporter of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Back in January, Manchester gave $25,000 to the Romney-backing Super PAC, "Restore our Future," on top of the …

La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Receives Negative Bond Rating From Moody's

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As if there isn't enough bad news for school districts across San Diego County. Yesterday, Moody's Ratings Agency downgraded general bond obligations for the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. According to Moody's the outlook on the rating is now negative. …

Lakeside Woman Arrested After Fight, SUV Used as Attempted Murder Weapon

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Lakeside resident Beverly Gligo was taken into custody yesterday afternoon by San Diego Sheriff’s deputies after using her SUV to strike a woman with whom she had been arguing while her two children, a four year-old and an infant, were …

Over 2 Tons of Marijuana Seized Headed for Tijuana

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The Mexican Army confiscated 2,300 kilograms of marijuana (5,070.6 pounds) at a checkpoint on Tuesday, June 5th. The drugs were found in a cargo trailer when it was searched on highway 3, between El Golfo de Santa Clara and Mexicali. …

THQ Abruptly Shutters Local Video Game Design Studio, Charged With 'Burying' the News

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Video game developer THQ quietly announced this week that it will sell its rights to publish video games based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship series of mixed martial arts competitions to competitor Electronic Arts. As a result, the company on …

Planning Commissioners To Vote On Plaza de Panama Project

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Tomorrow, June 7, San Diego's planning commission will discuss the plan to remove traffic from Balboa Park's Plaza de Panama. And, if the agenda is any indication, commissioners are anticipating a lengthy debate. The proposal is the only project listed …

San Diego Unified Raises Price Tag On Mission Beach Center

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The starting bid for the 2.3 acres of beach and bayfront property in Mission Beach has just gone up. If San Diego Unified board members decide to approve the sale of seven excess properties at a June 19 hearing, bids …

County Library System Honored

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Library Journal magazine and Gale, a national library content supplier, have named San Diego County Library’s 33 branch system as Library of the Year. Despite a 30% reduction in funding over the last three years, circulation throughout the system has …

UCAN Lays Off Two

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Financially ailing watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) has laid off two employees because of a paucity of funds, according to an outsider who is very close to the organization. There are now only three employees plus the new executive …

Political Parties Gave Last-Minute Cash To Mayoral Candidates

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As the registrar of voters continues to tally the votes, I thought I'd look at some of the large, last-minute donations that the four Mayoral candidates received in the final weeks before today's election. The vast majority of those last …

Husband Who Bombed Wife Gets Life Sentence

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An East County woman who was bombed by her husband confronted the man in court today before he was sentenced to life in prison for his unsuccessful attempts to kill her. Connie Hoagland, 52, startled onlookers by claiming that her …

Escondido Organic Soap Magnate Wades into Colorado Pot Fray with $50,000.

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David Bronner, president and CEO of Escondido-based Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a prosperous maker of organic cleaning products, is anteing up $50,000 for a marijuana legalization campaign in the state of Colorado, according to news reports from Denver. An account …

Gay Couple Claims Discrimination Over Loan Modification Denial

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A gay couple is alleging that Bank of America is guilty of discrimination in denying them a loan modification, according to a recently filed lawsuit. James Donnelly and Randy McWhorter of San Diego, who have been together 12 years and …

More Republicans Returned Mail-In Ballots Than Democrats

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Going into election day, Republicans have returned nearly 20,000 more mail-in ballots than Democratic voters, according to stats released by the County Registrar's Office. Not surprising in a county with such high numbers of military voters, Republicans returned 105,975 ballots …

Fairgrounds Rolls Out Local Shopping Buses

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In an effort to ease relations with the cities of Del Mar and Solana Beach, who complain that the San Diego County Fair brings in plenty of visitors but no benefit to local business, fairgrounds operators have announced the installation …

Tim Sullivan Tells His Side of the Story

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Fired UT sports columnist Tim Sullivan has told his side of the story to a publication called The Sherman Report. First, and perhaps foremost, Sullivan mentions a column he wrote in 2006, in which he said current UT CEO John …

Corporations Pour Last Minute Money into Downtown Interests' PAC Backing Steve Danon

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California redevelopment may be a thing of the past, but San Diego's downtown redevelopment lobbying group is still in business. According to disclosure filings posted online by the San Diego county Registrar of Voters, the Downtown San Diego Partnership's "San …

Scott Peters' Campaign Responds to the Attack Ads From Both Sides of the Aisle

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Now in the final hours before the Primary election, candidates in tight races are doing all they can to be left standing on Wednesday. Attack ads are more personal and party lines have blurred. This is evident in the race …

Former Utility Director Voices Nuclear Criticism

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S. David Freeman, former general manager of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, added his name to a list of critics calling for an end to operations at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station over the weekend, by way of an …

L.A. Cop Union PAC, Other Police Union PACs, Pouring Last Minute Money into Anti-DeMaio TV Spots

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Sergeant Joe Friday used to say in the vintage radio and TV series Dragnet, "This is the city, Los Angeles, California. I work here, I carry a badge." These days he might add, "We were working the day-watch out of …

Another Honest Journalist Canned by U-T

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Voice of San Diego reports this morning (June 2) that sports columnist Tim Sullivan is out at the Union-Tribune. Sullivan confirmed his ouster to the online publication by twitter, although his past columns are still on the U-T website. This …

Once-Ejected Sefton Son Should Share in Estate, Says Appeals Court

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The Fourth Appellate District of California has reversed a Superior Court decision, and ruled that Thomas W. Sefton Jr., a son of prominent banker Thomas W. Sefton Sr., who died in 2006, should share in his father's estate. Thomas W. …

Latino Group Critical of DeMaio

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A group calling itself “Latinos Against DeMaio,” consisting of over a hundred local community members including San Diego Unified School Board trustee Richard Barrera, Southwestern College trustee Humberto Peraza, and Democratic legislators Ben Hueso and Juan Vargas, has issued a …

Councilmember Marti Emerald Speaks Out Against Prop A

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City councilmember Marti Emerald released a taped statement today in opposition to Proposition A, the proposed ban on project labor agreements in the city of San Diego. In the video, she questions the initiative’s potential impact on city parks and …

Prop A Responds to Report From Fitch Ratings

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Labor leaders and opponents of Prop A, the initiative to ban project labor agreements in San Diego, are touting a recent report from Fitch Ratings agency warning of negative impacts on the City's finances and bond ratings if the measure …

Chargers' Mark Fabiani Gives Big to New York Critic of Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg

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After New York City's billionaire mayor Mike Bloomberg jumped the continent yesterday to endorse former GOP, now independent, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, we wondered if any San Diegans had deigned to return the favor and play in the sandbox of Big …

Group Wants Privacy Protection in Self-Driving Car Bill

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Nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog has published an open letter to state assembly speaker John Perez seeking amendments to SB 1298, which would allow Google to legally operate its self-driving cars on California roadways. Nevada passed a law last year that …

U.S. Adds Few Jobs in May, Unemployment Rate Rises

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The U.S. gained only 69,000 jobs in May, according to the Labor Department. Economists had been expecting 165,000. The May gain was the smallest jobs increase in a year. April's gain was revised down to 77,000 from 115,000 and March …

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