El Cajon tobacco dealer gets four years in prison
Salam Kalasho evaded state excise taxes
El Cajon's Salam Kalasho has been sentenced to four years in prison for evading state excise taxes in the sale of tobacco products, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of California. According to documents introduced in …
Report: Bilzerian, one-time Spanos associate, stashed bucks offshore
Spanos involved in takeover with him before Bilzerian went to prison
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has released a devastating study of offshore tax havens, indicating that as much as $32 trillion -- the size of the U.S. and Japanese economies combined -- may be stashed in secrecy and tax …
KPBS investigation: U-T discounted anti-Filner ads
Practice appears to be violation of campaign finance rules
KPBS and inewsource, in an excellent investigative report released this morning (April 5), reveal what many San Diegans suspected: the barrages of anti-Filner ads run in the Union-Tribune prior to the mayoralty election were discounted. KPBS and inewsource audited ads …
Shocker: nation adds only 88,000 jobs in March
Participation rate drops. Maybe economy not bouncing back as predicted
The U.S. economy added only 88,000 jobs in March, according to the monthly Labor Department report issued this morning (April 5). That's down from an upwardly revised 268,000 in February. Economists had expected 190,000 in March. The 88,000 is the …
Ex-coach who bribed a USD player gets a year behind bars
Thaddeus Brown paid to influence games, then placed bets in Vegas
Former University of San Diego assistant basketball coach Thaddeus Brown was sentenced today (April 4) to a year in custody for conspiracy to commit sports bribery. He bribed co-defendant Brandon Johnson to influence the outcome of games during the 2009-2010 …
Hunger strike: hotel worker protests intensify
Union to protest use of E-Verify program at former Hilton Mission Valley
The Hilton Mission Valley hotel — scene of several large protests by members of the Unite Here Local 30 labor union — now faces a new threat: a planned five-day hunger strike from noon Friday to noon Tuesday. This hotel …
Vargas backs bill that would allow big bank bailouts
In short time in Congress, he has received $14,500 from 4 major banks
The 2010 Dodd-Frank bill requires banks to spin off their derivatives activity into non-bank subsidiaries that can't rush to the government for a bailout if their gambling backfires, according to MapLight, a watchdog group that follows the money that special …
SD home values not in bubble, says Cunningham
Home price rise consistent with economic gains, should continue rise
San Diego home prices, which rose 9.8% between January 2012 and January 2013, are probably not in a bubble, says economist Kelly Cunningham of the National University System Institute for Policy Research. To reach that conclusion, Cunningham compares the home …
Peregrine II? ServiceNow insiders, including Moores, dumping shares
Former Peregrine insiders Moores, Noell, Luddy jettisoning stock quickly
Richard Pearson of Seeking Alpha has an excellent story, dated April 1, on massive insider selling at San Diego's ServiceNow, an information tech company that went public last summer. "ServiceNow insiders have now sold over $400 million of stock, even …
UCAN: supposedly, revenue should have gone into different year
Draft of new IRS filing raises questions of accounting under new management
According to a March 30 article in the Union-Tribune, the new management of deeply troubled watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) has prepared a draft of its 990 report for the year 2009 to replace the one filed earlier by …
Drones big boost for county economy
As controversy intensifies, SD listening most intently, says Daily Beast
San Diego County is home to the two largest drone makers, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Northrop Grumman. Smaller local companies make drones, and others make components. In an article in the Daily Beast dated March 31, Erik Bruvold of …
Senate bill tackles H-1B reform to protect American workers
Iowa Sen. Grassley's bill would require employers to try to hire Americans first
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced a bill in March that would protect American workers from H-1B abuses. H-1B visas permit workers -- greatly from India -- to come to the U.S. for a …
Your SDGE bill may be going up 7.7%
Proposed decision would push up monthly rate by $6.55
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Administrative Law Judge John Wong yesterday (March 29) posted his tentative decision in the San Diego Gas & Electric general rate case, which has been dragging on since December of 2010. Fasten your seat belt: …
SD February unemployment falls to 8%
Jobs grew for month and also from year ago
The San Diego County unemployment rate was 8% in February, down from a revised 8.6% in January. The county gained 9,800 nonfarm jobs between January and February, and 31,400 jobs from February 2012 to February 2013, according to the Employment …
NFL doctor tries to squelch mention of CTE
Seau had chronic traumatic encephalopathy prior to suicide
According to today's (March 28) New York Times, a government agency prepared a safety fact sheet on degenerative brain disease in retired National Football League (NFL) players. Several people were invited to comment on the fact sheet. "One response stood …
Vibrator giveaway doesn't appear to have swept San Diego
Event at Stingaree apparently didn't create New York-type revolution
Trojan, the venerable maker of condoms, gave away $30 and $40 vibrators -- for men and women -- this afternoon from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Stingaree, which is billed as San Diego's hottest night spot. "The pleasure …
Investigative author Caitlin Rother amplifies her remarks on DeMaio
She is indignant about claims of gay-bashing, political sniping
Caitlin Rother, crime author and former U-T investigative reporter, tonight (March 27) issued a longer statement on her role in an investigation that was done of Carl DeMaio prior to the November mayoralty election. On Sunday, the U-T printed a …
Tourism drops sharply for month through March 23
But it may be premature to tie decline to advertising spat
New data from Smith Travel Research show that occupancy in San Diego hotels dropped 4.3% for the four weeks ended March 23, according to Jerry Morrison, Encinitas-based hotel guru. This was the sharpest decline among the 25 largest markets in …
Padres worth $600 million; Yanks $2.3 billion
Padres 18th in Major League Baseball valuation, says Forbes
Forbes magazine today (March 27) published its annual compilation of the valuation of Major League Baseball teams. The top four teams were the NY Yankees, $2.3 billion; LA Dodgers $1.62 billion; Boston Red Sox $1.3 billion and Chicago Cubs $1 …
SD average home prices top metro areas' yearly gain
San Diego values up 9.8% year over year
Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price values for January, released this morning (March 26), show San Diego County values rising 9.8% over the last year, topping the average of 8.1% for the 20 largest metro areas. However, from December to January, …