High Gas Prices to Dent SD Growth
Economist Kelly Cunningham of the National University System Institute for Policy Research says that the recent gasoline price increases (assuming the price stays at $4.37 a gallon) will dent the San Diego economy by 0.3% this year. Local households will …
UCAN Arguing for Stay of Litigation
In an ex parte huddling at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow (Wed. March 14) in the chambers of Superior Court judge John S. Meyer, Utility Consumers' Action Network will request that pending litigation be stayed. Whistleblowers in the organization have complained of …
San Diego Rents Third Highest in Nation
San Diego County median rents for January were $2083 per month, topped only by San Francisco ($2392) and Los Angeles ($2232) among the 25 major metro markets, according to statistics released by Zillow this morning (March 13). San Diego rents …
Ex-El Centro School Superintendent Admits Fraud
Michael Klentschy, former superintendent of El Centro Elementary School District, today (March 12) pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud charges related to school math and science grants. According to court documents, Klentschy admitted that during his tenure from …
This Time, Lochmiller Gets 33 Years
Philip Lochmiller Sr., 64, was sentenced Friday (March 9) to 33 years in prison, effectively a life sentence, for scamming investors in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was convicted of mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. According to the federal government, …
Suit Against UCAN Charges Document Destruction
The suit that whistleblowers within Utility Consumers' Action Network are filing this afternoon (March 9) charges that Robert Ames, chief operating officer, hired a professional document shredding company to destroy UCAN documents, supposedly in relation to the organization's move to …
Unemployment Rate Rises in County
San Diego County's unemployment rate was 9.3% in January, up from a revised 9% in December. The county lost 22,500 non-farm jobs between December and January, but 4800 of those lost jobs were in retailing, reflecting an end to the …
UCAN Directors to be Sued for Alleged Coverup
Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) whistleblowers Charles Langley and David Peffer will unveil this afternoon a Superior Court suit that they will file charging the UCAN board with a coverup of gross financial misdeeds within the organization. I will report …
U.S. Adds 227,000 Jobs in February; Unemployment at 8.3%
The U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February, higher than economists' expectations. The economy created 61,000 more jobs in December and January than earlier reported. The unemployment rate remained at 8.3% as more people looked for jobs, boosting the number …
CPUC to Hold Two Sessions on SDGE Proposed Scheme
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold two sessions April 5 to let the San Diego public comment on San Diego Gas & Electric's plan to force customers to pay for uninsured costs from the 2007 fires, in which …
Rumor: Manchester Buying Orange County Register
A plausible rumor from a good source today (March 4) has hotelier Doug (Papa Doug) Manchester, owner of the Union-Tribune, buying the Orange County Register. Following the bankruptcy of the Register's parent, the newspaper has been shopped around. At one …
Were UCAN Books Audited? Cooked?
As the mystery of Utility Consumers' Action Network's dissolution announcement is explicated, as now appears likely, the spotlight is almost certain to turn to accounting. Was it phony? Will UCAN's new forensic accounting firm unravel the puzzle, or obfuscate it? …
How Shames Threatened UCAN Staff with Mass Firings
One of the whistleblowers inside Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN) is attorney David Peffer. Despite his complaints about UCAN wrongdoing, he is (as of now) the lawyer handling the organization's battle against San Diego Gas & Electric's attempt to pass …
Big Money Landed in UCAN Misspelled Accounts
Watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network says it will initiate a court-supervised dissolution. This announcement followed immediately on the organization's receipt of a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney's office, demanding financial records dating back to 2004. One of the key questions …
UCAN to Undergo Court-Supervised Reorganization
Beleaguered Utility Consumers' Action Network, the watchdog nonprofit with myriad legal problems, today (Feb. 28) posted on its website an unsigned notice indicating that it "has initiated a Superior Court-supervised reorganization" that might permit the group to address "persistent legal …
Sempra Still Says It's "Probable" It Will Jab Customers
Sempra Energy came out with its annual report or 10-K statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today (Feb. 28). Although there is a battle going on with ratepayers, Sempra still says that it is probable that its San …
SD Home Values Down 40% from Peak
San Diego home values dropped 0.7% from November to December, according to Case-Shiller/Standard & Poor's data released this morning (Feb. 28). That was less than the 1.1% drop of the top 20 metro areas. For the year, however, San Diego's …
Grand Jury Demands UCAN Financial Records
Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), a prominent watchdog operation, has received a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury. In a document that I have seen, the U.S. Attorney's office wants all records relating to UCAN and a related …
Utilities Commission to Hear from San Diego Public
The California Public Utilities Commission today said that there will be an open meeting April 5 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for San Diegans to state their opinions to commission officials about San Diego Gas & Electric's attempt to …
Carlsbad Broker Nailed for Hyping Biotech Stock
On Jan. 31, a federal court in Illinois entered a default judgment against Daniel J. Burns of Carlsbad. He is to pay $1.1 million in disgorgement and interest. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Burns was paid for manipulating …