New charges were dismissed in three South Bay school districts' alleged pay-to-play charges--the bulk still hold

Twenty-two charges were dropped for defendants in a South Bay corruption case during hearings held on October 8 and 9. Twenty charges were dropped by the people, as represented by Deputy District Attorney Leon Schorr, in a pre-trial paring of …

Forbes calls Chula Vista "Second Fastest-Growing City Since Recession;" Growth Oversight Commission's report on fire, libraries, police and traffic

The Millenia project in Chula Vista broke ground September 26 only a short time after Forbes magazine called the city the second fastest-growing in the United States. The Forbes article looked at cities with a population of 200,000 or more …

Attention culture buffs, students of language, and seekers of free fun in South County. Que Viva! Cine Latino returns to Otay Ranch Town Center September 4, 11, 18, and 25. In order to drain el ultimo trago — or the …

Sweetwater Authority to consider water rate increase, some increases as high as 50%

The Sweetwater Authority board of directors will consider a water rate increase on August 26. The authority provides water services to National City, Bonita and western and central Chula Vista. The rate structure for Sweetwater Authority is a tiered system …

Will Governor Brown use his veto power? What do local politicians have to say about their vote?

Peter Scheer of the California First Amendment Coalition is calling on people who are concerned about open government to contact Governor Jerry Brown's office about a "trailer bill" that was attached to the senate budget bill (SB 71) and passed …

Panelists present budget possibilities and concerns for the 79th district

Shirley Weber, assembly member for the 79th district, hosted a town hall meeting in Chula Vista June 8. Although the meeting was organized around the question "What are your priorities for San Diego?", the format concentrated on panel presentations rather …

A window into proposition construction expenses for Sweetwater Union High School and Southwestern College

The grand jury's investigation into corruption in the South Bay resulted in 15 indictments of school district administrators, trustees and contractors. Some attorneys argue that the grand jury inquiry is one-sided as clients are not allowed to have counsel present. …

As the wheel turns

Pictured: Bonifacio Garcia, Diane Russo and Lillian Leopold Transcripts of the grand jury's November-December investigation into alleged corruption between some South Bay trustees, administrators, and contractors were released May 28. There are 28 volumes of witness testimony; some of the …

Judge Ana Espana, who is presiding over the corruption investigations begun in December 2010 will release grand jury transcripts May 29/30

In the South County Superior Court on May 25, Judge Ana Espana inclined toward making 99.9 % of the transcripts available from the grand jury investigation into South County corruption in three school districts: Southwestern College, Sweetwater Union High School …

Will the Lorena Gonzalez campaign gain more support with more mailers?

Residents of Chula Vista have received a deluge of mailers from the Lorena Gonzalez campaign. Gonzalez, former CEO of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO, is running against former Chula Vista council member Steve Castaneda for the …

Trust continues to be a major issue on campus

April 29 the Southwestern Board of Trustees selected Nora Vargas to fill the position vacated by former trustee William Stewart. In March, only a few months into his term, Stewart resigned from the board. His resignation alluded to the "alleged …

Trial date set for alleged pay-to-play defendants.

On April 12, in the South Bay courthouse, officials and ex-officials from the South County school districts were arraigned. Despite urgings on the part of the district attorney's office for an earlier trial date, Judge Ana Espana set the trial …

Supervisor Greg Cox endorses Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer/CEO for the San Diego-Imperial County Labor Council

On April 4 San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox endorsed Lorena Gonzalez for the 80th Assembly District Seat. The district includes Chula Vista, National City, San Ysidro, and Barrio Logan. Cox's endorsement, found on Gonzalez's Facebook page states, "I have …

Henry Amigable, program manager for bond construction at Southwestern College and Sweetwater Union High School sentenced with misdemeanor

Henry Amigable was sentenced March 1 with a misdemeanor in a South bay corruption case. The case is related to Southwestern's proposition R and Sweetwater Union's proposition O bond construction monies. Amigable will be on probation for three years, spend …

Frustrated South Bay residents unable to be seated in tiny courtroom

Once again on February 15 the wheels of justice did not roll forward. Arraignments for 14 defendants in alleged pay-to-play schemes were postponed until April 12. (One defendant, Yolanda Hernandez, has already been arraigned.) The South Bay courtroom gallery seats …

Judge Timothy R. Walsh denies district attorney's motion

At the end of January, San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis filed a motion to reconsider the transfer of alleged corruption cases from the San Diego courthouse (central division) to the South County courthouse. On February 5, Judge Timothy R. …

Will the venue be changed again?

Fourteen defendants of alleged corruption in three South Bay school districts — Sweetwater, Southwestern and San Ysidro — appeared in a South Bay court this morning only to be told the trial might be moved back to the San Diego …

San Diego superior court imposes penalty on chain

San Diego County District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis, announced in a January 22 press release that a superior court judge has imposed a penalty of $833,136 on Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, Inc. According to the release, "Prosecutors filed a civil …

How is the alleged smuggling plot of Saadi Gaddafi linked to the recent airplane crash that killed Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera?

A plane that crashed on its way to Toluca Mexico killing Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera and six other people is alleged to be owned by former Coronado resident Christian Eduardo Esquino-Nunez. Esquino-Nunez has been in the public eye lately because …

Chula Vista's newly sworn in council member, Mary Salas, anxious to repeal ordinance

At a December 4 Chula Vista council meeting, incumbent Pamela Bensoussan and Mary Salas were sworn in. A short time later, during council comments, Salas declared that she was not happy with an ordinance passed in November regarding Legislative Council …