Has the Lincoln Club Lost Sway in the South Bay?
Though the San Diego County Registrar of Voters has until July 3 to certify election results, the votes are counted and some results merit more analysis. Why did the campaign efforts of the influential, pro-business Lincoln Club fare so poorly …
Another Step Forward for the South Bay Power Plant
The California Coastal Commission's June 14 vote granting a permit to demolish the South Bay power plant is something to celebrate. However, it will be a while until residents dance on the power plant site. Chula Vista deputy mayor Steve …
Will Reduced Tolls Increase South Bay Expressway Riders?
San Diego Association of Government, SANDAG, announced today that beginning June 30 tolls will be reduced for State Route 125/South Bay Expressway. According to the press release, "New tolls will range from 50 cents to $2.75 for FasTrak users and …
Hewlett Packard's Contract with San Diego County
Election night, June 5, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters website was going to report tallied votes online. However, the service was down between 8:00 and 10:00. The U-T reported that "San Diego County and Hewlett Packard are investigating …
Redevelopment Woes: Chula Vista Files Against California Dept of Finance
Chula Vista's Redevelopment/Successor Agency is not going out without a fight--a legal one. In April, a state-mandated oversight board convened to assume the task of dismantling the city's former redevelopment agency and paying out remaining contractual obligations. The oversight board …
County Supervisor Candidate Brant Will — Hanging on to Idealism
Campaign signs for County Supervisor Greg Cox have proliferated in Chula Vista for several months, but there was a rare sighting in the city last week — a Brant Will sign. Cox and Will are facing off June 5 for …
Good News for SR 125 Toll Road Drivers
Drivers who have avoided the South Bay portion of SR125 because of costly tolls will be pleased to learn that the SANDAG board of directors will be voting on a toll reduction May 25. An attachment to the agenda for …
UC Education Increasingly Out of Reach for Local Students
University of California students potentially face a six percent increase in tuition in the fall, according to a May 12 Huffington Post article. The possibility of another tuition increase worsens the news for local students who hope to transfer to …
Anger and Police at Sweetwater Union HS District Meeting
Before the May 7 board meeting even began, the street in front of the district office was lined with police cars. Stationed inside the board room along the wall were several armed private security officers. An overflow crowd was fenced …
South County Corruption Investigation Widens
Yesterday the Union Tribune reported that the home of Gary Cabello, a South County bond manager, had been raided by the district attorney's office. The Carlsbad office of Alta Vista Financial was also raided. The district attorney has an ongoing …
Appointment Trend Continues In Chula Vista Elementary
On Tuesday night the Chula Vista Elementary School District swore in new trustee Glendora Tremper. According to the Union-Tribune article that first published the news, Tremper currently works as a bilingual language, speech, and hearing specialist for the South Bay …
Southwestern College Seeks Redress from Contractors
In a closed session meeting April 11, Southwestern College trustees voted unanimously to begin litigation against BCA (Bunton Clifford Associates) Architects, Inc., Seville Construction Services and Echo Pacific Construction for recovery of payments. The three companies were contracted under Proposition …
Is Sweetwater Climbing Out of the Muck and Mire?
At last night's board meeting, Fran Brinkman, one of the five community activists who took the Sweetwater corruption concerns to the District Attorney, asked the Sweetwater trustees to "try to climb out of the muck and mire of the ongoing …
From San Diego to the White House Lawn: Alleged Gaddafi Smuggling Plot
In an April 2 press conference on the White House lawn in Washington, Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon, praised the co-operation between Mexico, Canada and the United States in foiling an alleged plot to smuggle the son of Muammar Gaddafi out …
Lincoln Club Wades into Chula Vista City Council Fray
The San Diego Lincoln Club announced this afternoon that it is going to support Pamela Bensoussan and London Meservy in the Chula Vista city council race. Incumbent Bensoussan, a Democrat, is endorsed by the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor …
Are Too Many Chula Vista Elementary School Board Members Handpicked?
Jill Galvez, a Chula Vista resident and former city council candidate, believes if you want to be a trustee for the elementary school district "you should have to get out there and knock on doors, shake hands, and make your …
More Corruption Charges in South Bay
Two more people were charged today in the district attorney's widening investigation into South Bay corruption. Nicholas Alioto, former Southwestern College vice president of business, pleaded not guilty to two felony counts and one misdemeanor. According to a story posted …
Sweetwater Contractor Plea Bargains in Corruption Case
At 1:30 this afternoon Henry Amigable, a defendant in the Sweetwater corruption case who pleaded innocent in Janauary to 18 counts of felony and misdemeanor charges, changed his plea to guilty of one misdemeanor. Amigable was a program manager in …
Homes of Former Southwestern Trustees Searched
The homes of two former Southwestern College trustees, Yolanda Salcido and Jorge Dominguez, were searched early March 20 by agents of the district attorney's office. Salcido and Dominguez were voted off the board in November 2010. In 2008 Southwestern passed …
Sweetwater Union to Send Pink Slips
On a motion put forward by vice president Jim Cartmill on March 12, the Sweetwater Union High School district voted to send out pink slips to 211 employees. The RIF, or reduction in force, was supported by trustees John McCann …