Navy says he falsified results of physical fitness assessment

According to the publication Stars & Stripes, Captain William B. Cogar was relieved of his duties as commander of Medical Treatment Facility USNS Mercy for falsely reporting the results of his physical fitness assessment. Cogar was also charged with failing …

He admitted it in court today

Martell Davis admitted in federal court today (Sept. 12) that he transported a 17-year old girl from San Diego to Yuma so she could engage in commercial sex acts. He had been arrested when he picked up the prostitute at …

Forum selection clause upheld, but case will be appealed

North County Superior Court Judge Timothy Casserly ruled in favor of Wells Fargo Bank in a case that I wrote about in my July 31 column. Vista's Casiano Hernandez-Venegas, who neither speaks nor reads English, was pitched by a Wells …

Ron Ober has history with DeConcini, Keating

Policy Development Group, the lobbying, public affairs and crisis communications firm based in Phoenix, has hired Paul Worlie to head its new California office in San Diego. The firm has a client list including Toyota Motor Sales and promoted the …

His Jaguar seized; accomplices also sentenced

Former Customs and Border Protection Officer Hector Rodriguez was sentenced today (Sept. 9) to 78 months in prison for taking bribes for bringing in aliens for financial gain. Among the items seized were a 2009 Jaguar and 12 luxury watches. …

He previously lost in his suit against UCAN

Michael Shames, former executive director of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), lost a libel suit today (Sept. 9) against attorney Mike Aguirre. Aguirre represented two whistleblowers whose revelations about Shames led indirectly to his dismissal as executive director. Shames …

Chicago area apartment/shopping compound couldn't service debt

According to Chicago area media, the Glen Town Center of north suburban Glenview is now up for sale. The residential/retail property went up on land that was formerly the Naval Air Station Glenview, which closed in 1995. The village got …

What will Fletcher's wife, Karl Rove apprentice, say about that?

Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm, has sent out a letter asking donations for Nathan Fletcher in the upcoming mayoral race. Fletcher's rapid conversion from Republican to Independent to Democrat was probably tied to his Qualcomm affiliation. He went to …

Fitch lauds regulator as it gives SDG&E bonds good rating

Fitch Ratings has given an AA-minus rating to the proposed San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) $450 million issue of 3.6% first mortgage bonds due 2023. Fitch positively gushes over "the constructive regulatory environment" -- a euphemistic way of saying …

Unemployment rate drops to 7.3% because more stop looking for work

The U.S. added a modest 169,000 jobs in August, below the consensus forecast of 173,000, according to the Labor Department today (Sept. 6). Employment gains for July and June were dropped by a combined 74,000; the decline in the unemployment …

Election question could be playthings versus essentials

The Chargers are continuing to pitch a combined convention center/stadium that, of course, would be financed by taxpayers. Neither the team nor City officials yet admit that convention centers are vastly overbuilt in the U.S. That's why centers, including San …

To enter mayoral race with call for water, infrastructure, electricity improvements

Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre will definitely enter the mayoral race, stressing that San Diego "must put essential things first...put needs first and wants second." Previously, he has been unsure of whether he would enter, despite reports that he was …

Moral turpitude involved in Shaber, Biedebach cases

According to the September California Bar Journal, two county lawyers have been disbarred. Craig Shaber, who had been convicted n 2010 for felony tax evasion, was deemed to have been involved in moral turpitude. Shaber and his accountant partner raked …

If no politician addresses these crucial issues, he will run for mayor

NBC Channel 7 reported tonight that former City Attorney Mike Aguirre will run for mayor. The station is jumping the gun. "I have not made a definitive decision," he says. Aguirre told me tonight that there are three critical issues …

Ian O. Mausner allegedly awarded profitable trades to funds in which he had his money

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today (Aug. 30) charged a San Diego-based investment advisory firm, J.S. Oliver Corp., and its president Ian O. Mausner, with a "cherry-picking" scheme in which Mausner got the cherries and his clients had their …

Ruling tentative, but Shames's lawyer has already been knocked out

In a tentative ruling today (Aug. 29), Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Prager ruled for Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) in the libel lawsuit filed against it by Michael Shames, UCAN's former executive director. The court said that Shames failed …

Move done in two steps

Acting mayor Todd Gloria today (Aug. 29) fired most of the staff of Mayor Bob Filner, who leaves office tomorrow (Aug. 30). Initially, the Human Resources department delivered the equivalent of pink slips to half the staff, including Chief of …

Among many things, he turned in duplicate expense accounts

Kevin Kelso, former director of finance at the Westin San Diego hotel, was arraigned yesterday (Aug. 28) on charges of embezzling more than $500,000 from the Westin in the years 2010-2012. Among many techniques, Kelso allegedly submitted duplicate expense accounts …

DeMaio claims charges are lies. Hueso says he answered Dalton queries truthfully

Carl DeMaio has taken the offensive, claiming on Channel 7 and to the Union-Tribune that the charge that he was caught masturbating in a City Hall restroom is "a lie" that could damage him and the City of San Diego. …

Matt Potter tries to get Redden to talk, as did McClatchy earlier

The Reader's Matt Potter today (Aug. 28) tried unsuccessfully to get San Diego polygrapher Paul Redden to talk about his financial relationship with Lafayette Instrument Co., a maker of lie detector devices. Redden purportedly gave local politician Carl DeMaio a …