William F. Buckley Dead at 82; In San Diego, He Complained of the Wine's Quality
William F. Buckley, the elegant, articulate political conservative, is dead at age 82, according to the New York Times. Buckley "marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American discourse," …
Union-Tribune Warns Union of 40 Percent Wage Slash, Healthcare Cuts; Teamsters To Resume Campaign To Cut Paper's Circulation
The Union-Tribune has declared that negotiations with 160 packaging department employees represented by the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are at an impasse. Pat Marrinan, manager of labor relations for the company, told the union in …
Aguirre Says State Regulation of Municipal Pension Plans Almost Non-Existent; Calls for Federal Regulation
City Attorney Michael Aguirre, saying that "California regulation of municipal pension plans is as a practical matter non-existent," is now calling for federal regulation of municipal pensions similar to the Employee Retirement Income Act of 1974 (ERISA), which rides herd …
Jack in the Box Beats Street Forecast; Stock up 3 Percent
Stock of fast food chain Jack in the Box is up more than 3 percent this morning (Wednesday, Feb. 20) in a market that is falling because of bad inflation news. The company announced that in its most recent quarter, …
San Diego's Police State: Blogger Flannery Booted Out of Dumanis Press Conference
Pat Flannery's blog, www.blogofsandiego.com, tells in its Friday edition how he was booted out of the press conference in which District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, flanked by Sheriff Bill Kolender, told how long-time Poway politician Jan Goldsmith would make a wonderful …
Is Ailing Union-Tribune Crossing News/Advertising Line in the Sand?
Union-Tribune staffers who fear that their financially-staggering newspaper will one day resemble a shopper got little encouragement today (Friday). Editor Karin Winner, in meetings with staffers, confirmed what has been rumored for several days: that Chris Lavin a senior editor, …
1,000 Downtown Condos for Sale; Another 1,300 Coming on Line in Two Years; Prices Plunging
Prices of downtown San Diego condos are plummeting even as more product gets ready to come on line, says an excellent story in the Feb. 9 issue of the Arizona Republic. The story urges Zonies to consider getting in at …
U-T To Get Plans for New Structure Feb. 13; Newsroom To Get New Plans Next Day
Karin Winner, editor of the Union-Tribune, has announced to the staff that on Feb. 13, the U-T's president, Gene Bell, will unveil plans for a new company structure. The following day, Winner will tell the newsroom staff about its new …
Brandes Looks for Undervalued Stocks; Today, His Big Positions Are Certainly Valued Low in the Market
San Diego's Brandes Investment Partners, which manages $125 billion of investors' money, looks for undervalued stocks. The stocks in which Charles Brandes's firm has big positions are certainly valued low in today's market, and as of now, Brandes has big …
Government Employees Pull Far Ahead of Private Sector Employees in Pay, Fringes
State and local government workers now rake in an average $39.50 an hour in wages and fringes, compared with a mere $26.09 an hour in the private sector, according to 2007 numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The …
Robert Allen Holding Classes in Getting Rich in Real Estate. Don't Expect Him to Mention His Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
In a half-page in the Union-Tribune Feb. 1, Robert Allen says he will tell people how to get rich buying foreclosed properties cheap. He is holding seminars Feb. 2 in Mission Valley, Feb. 3 in Del Mar, Feb. 4 in …
Liarless in Seattle
Something has gone terribly wrong within the band of professional sports hucksters lobbying for public money. One of them is telling the truth. The Seattle Sonics professional basketball team wants to leave its longtime home -- which is balking at …
2005 Audit Shows Internal Accounting Weaknesses; Despite Some Headway, Many More Improvements Must Be Made, Says Accounting Firm
The city council's audit committee today (January 28) was provided the City audit report of governmental and business-type activities for the year ended June 30, 2005. The auditor, Macias Gini & O'Connell, reported "significant deficiencies" in internal control over financial …
Mingei Raided on Suspicion of Smuggling Pipeline, LA Times Says
According to the Los Angeles Times, federal agents this morning (Jan. 24) raided four Southern California museums in the opening move of a five-year investigation of an alleged smuggling pipeline that may have funneled stolen Southeast Asian and Native American …
Stock of Ballpark Bond Insurer Zooms 72 Percent on Bailout Rumors
Stock of Ambac, the municipal bond insurer that backed the ballpark bonds, soared 72% yesterday after New York insurance regulators asked major banks to pump money into the industry. But the banks themselves need capital. So the rumor then escalated …
Qualcomm 8th Best Company To Work for, Says Fortune Magazine
San Diego's telecom whiz, Qualcomm, comes in 8th in Fortune's new list of the best companies to work for. Says the magazine, "New employees get stock options and 100 percent health insurance coverage. The popular onsite primary health care clinic …
U.S. Market Recovers Most of Loss; Wall Street Expects More Juice from Fed
The Federal Reserve sliced interest rates by 3/4ths of 1% before the opening this morning, but U.S. stocks initially plunged, following two days of mayhem in Asia and Europe. The Dow Jones was down as much as 465 points after …
Federal Reserve Slices Interest Rates Three Quarters of One Percent, but Stock Futures Still Down
As I surmised last night, the Federal Reserve this morning (Tuesday) lowered its target on the federal funds rate by 75 basis points (three-fourths of one percent) before the stock market opening. However, Standard & Poor's 500 futures are stilldown …
Market Bloodbath Overseas; Dow Futures Down 451; Interest Rate Slash Possible Before Tomorrow's Market Opening
Stocks in overseas market plunged today at the greatest rate since 9/11, as investors expressed concern about a U.S. recession and world financial crisis. Major indices in France were down 6.8 percent, Germany 7.2%, UK 5.5%, Toronto 4.7%, Mexico 4.8%, …
People Fleeing California, Says Economist Arthur Laffer, Who Did Just That
"Unfortunately, after a great start to his tenure, Governor Schwarzenegger has turned to the dark side, embracing unions and massive spending and borrowing, to go along with the state's already oppressive tax burden," says supply side economist Arthur Laffer. "Not …