Relocation notice!
Effective October 17, 2013, News Ticker has moved out of the blogs and into the News & Stories section.
You may also be interested in: City Lights | Neighborhood News from Stringers | News Under the Radar
Entries
Backyard Chickens
Rachel Hiner appeared before the Ocean Beach Planning Board last week advocating for an easing of restrictions on keeping chickens in a residential area. Hers was the second in a series of presentations to local community groups, the first being …
Ex-County Lobbyist Staffers Use Congress's Revolving Door
Photo on left: Robert Primus Three ex-employees with the County of San Diego's Washington lobbying firm, Von Scoyoc Associates, have turned up on a "revolving door" list of former federally registered lobbyists now working as congressional aides. The list was …
Melee Over Managed Competition at Miramar Landfill
A San Diego city council committee approved moving a plan to let private companies run Miramar Landfill to the full city council for consideration. The hearing, however, was not without some major trash talk. Councilmembers Sherri Lightner and Marti Emerald …
Body Found in Sweetwater Reservoir
The body of a suspected burglar was found submerged in the Sweetwater Reservoir after witnesses saw the man enter the reservoir after breaking into a nearby home. Sheriffs say the unidentified man broke into a Spring Valley home on Tuesday …
Plaza de Panama Planners Dispute Criticisms
Supporters of a new bridge and paid parking structure at Balboa Park yesterday released a document entitled “Plaza de Panama – Myth vs. Fact,” yesterday afternoon. “Clearing up some misinformation in our quest to restore the heart of Balboa Park,” …
DeMaio's Dinero
Councilmember Carl DeMaio raised $540,000 for his mayoral campaign during the month of June, making him the highest fundraiser so far. Earlier this month, assemblyman Nathan Fletcher revealed that his campaign had raised $300,000. In a July 12 email, DeMaio …
North Park Maintenance Assessment Fails
North Park property owners rejected the proposal to create the maintenance assessment overlay district that I wrote about in this week's paper. The district will not be formed. In a ballot summary provided by the City, commercial property owners in …
Young Democrat to Sacramento
The San Diego County Young Democrats have announced that their political director has accepted a position with Governor Jerry Brown’s administration. Colin Parent took over as Director of External Affairs for the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) …
Jerry Brown's and Martin Garrick's Excellent Behests
So-called behest payments have long been a bit of a bugaboo for Sacramento politicos. According to the website of the state's Fair Political Practices Commission, "behest payments are contributions to charity by individuals and corporations solicited by members of the …
The Raid on Redevelopment Funds
Mayor Jerry Sanders is asking city councilmembers to go along with the state's $70 million takeaway of redevelopment funds in order for local redevelopment to continue. "Instead of reforming itself and making tough decisions like we’ve done here in San …
Marijuana Extract Pills Coming to Market
Medical Marijuana, Inc., a San Diego-based holding company announced today that its Cannabidiol and THC Free product lines will be available in the United States effective August 1. The company filed a patent for its process in extracting the compound …
Cat Cash Fever
Councilmember Carl DeMaio wants to send the city's auditor's recommendation of requiring cat owners to register their cats "to to the litter box.” “This proposal, which will impact every San Diegan who owns a cat, is driven not by a …
Audit Committee Reviews Take-Home Vehicle Audit
On Monday, members of the audit committee responded to a June 29 performance audit that looked at take-home vehicles for city employees. The audit found that of the 347 vehicles provided to city employees, 99 were underutilized, costing the city …
San Diego-Linked Gang Routes Pot to Rhode Island, Paper Says
The Providence Journal reported Sunday that Rhode Island drug traffic is tied to Tijuana and San Diego through a transcontinental pipeline operated by street gangs carefully nurtured by Mexico's most deadly cartels. "South of the border, rival cartels, including La …
Comic-Con Grossed More than $9 Million in FY '09, IRS Filing Says
Streetlight banners are up, the schedule is being dribbled out a day at a time to increase suspense, bouncers and bartenders are poised and at the ready, Gaslamp is bracing for an endless traffic jam. In short, it's time for …
Bobby Vassallo Indicted for Wire Fraud
Alfred Louis "Bobby" Vassallo, who ran a major scam out of a posh La Jolla home, has been indicted criminally for wire fraud by a grand jury in the Central District of California. The indictment charges that Vassallo obtained money …
San Diego Unified Restores 300 Positions
Two weeks after San Diego Unified trustees cut $115 million from the budget, Superintendent Bill Kowba announced the district will be reinstating approximately 300 of the 800 teachers that had received pink-slips as a result of the cuts. District officials …
Downtown Quiet Zone About To Get Really Loud
Downtown residents looking forward to hearing less noise once downtown's quiet zone project is complete may need some earplugs on Sunday, July 10. From 6am to 1pm, train horns will blast through their homes as safety crews test new signaling …