Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Nancy Worlie cleans house at KPBS

Helps to have connection with Fletcher-Gonzalez power couple

On Monday of last week, word began circulating that KPBS had dumped two longtime employees, director of news and editorial strategy Suzanne Marmion and executive producer Nancy Walsh.
On Monday of last week, word began circulating that KPBS had dumped two longtime employees, director of news and editorial strategy Suzanne Marmion and executive producer Nancy Walsh.

Adela’s changing of the guard

When San Diego State president Adela de la Torre took charge back in August of 2018, some questioned her $441,504 salary, while others wondered how much change the campus’s first Latina leader could wring from the hide-bound administration. In 2019, de la Torre’s total pay and benefits had risen to $598,531, according to TransparentCalifornia.org.

Adela de la Torre, tearing up the newsroom at KPBS

Now rumblings from one of the university’s power bases indicate the once-controversial ex-University of California Davis vice-chancellor of student affairs and campus diversity is, for better or worse, shaking things up. On Monday of last week, word began circulating that KPBS, the SDSU-owned and -operated public broadcasting operation, had dumped two longtime employees, director of news and editorial strategy Suzanne Marmion and executive producer Nancy Walsh. “I understand this may come as a surprise, and I acknowledge it’s coming at a tricky time,” wrote KPBS interim general manager Nancy Worlie in a cryptic memo to staff. “Please know we are in the process of developing a plan to address the interim needs and workflow for the department, as well as the long-term need for leadership of the KPBS News team.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The shakeup happened almost seven months to the day after the retirement of KPBS chief Tom Karlo, a longtime fixture at the stations who in 2019 got $351,469 in pay and benefits. His predecessor, Doug Myrland, slipped into retirement on a state pension in 2008 following his cancellation of Full Focus without consulting viewers of the taxpayer-financed stations. “KPBS has been in existence for 46 years, and NEVER has it been a collective, or even a participatory democracy,” Myrland had stormed. “I make decisions in the same way every General Manager before me did. We aren’t elected officials — every budget line item and every personnel decision and every bit of information we collect is not everybody else’s business. Just because you give a contribution or pay taxes doesn’t give you the right to decide — or even influence — what goes on the air and what doesn’t.” According to TransparentCalifornia, Myrland collected $93,600 in state pension payouts last year. Worlie, who got total public compensation of $202,668 in 2019 as associate general manager before taking over as interim KPBS chief, is married to Paul Worlie, politically savvy chief of staff to liberal County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. His spouse is fellow Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, a member of the state Assembly. In 2019, Paul Worlie got $221,694 in pay and benefits from his Fletcher gig. That extensive web of public payroll connections — as well as the longtime KPBS ties to Qualcomm billionaire Irwin Jacobs, the wealthy La Jolla Democrat for whom the newsroom is named — has keen San Diego politics watchers curious about the ideological leanings of Nancy Worlie’s yet-to-be named permanent replacement.

All thanks to Irwin

Irwin Jacobs enriched Iranians who want to nuke Newsom.

A Beverly Hills Republican billionaire who backed establishment Ohio Democratic Shontel Brown’s successful primary bid for Congress last week has turned up among the latest donors to GOP ex-San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer. As reported by The Intercept on July 27, Neil Kadisha came up with $2000 for Brown, a Hillary Clinton favorite, on June 1 and $18,000 for the pro-Brown super PAC Democratic Majority for Israel on June 14. Kadisha, who gave $2500 to Faulconer for Governor 2021 on August 2, supported the reelection bid of Donald Trump in 2019 and gave to then-Vice President Mike Pence’s PAC, the account says. Besides prolific political spending, Kadisha is known for getting a $25 million deal last year on a mansion sprawling beside the green of the Los Angeles Country Club, initially listed for $8.5 million. “Though not exactly a household name, Kadisha has long been one of L.A.’s wealthiest men and remains a prominent member of the Nazarian clan, one of the world’s richest Iranian-Jewish families, whose fortune derives primarily from a lucrative early investment in tech giant Qualcomm,” Variety reported last year. Kadisha was on the Qualcomm board from 1988 until his resignation in May 2002. The L.A. Business Journal estimates Kadisha is worth $2.7 billion. Another Faulconer 2021 giver is Los Altos technology magnate Guy Gecht, who came up with $4800 for the former San Diego mayor’s gubernatorial hopes on July 30. In October 2014, the Associated Press reported that Gecht-run Electronics for Imaging Inc agreed to pay over $43,000 in back wages and penalties for allegedly paying workers brought from India as little as $1.21 per hour. “This is worse than anything that I ever saw in any of those Los Angeles sweatshops,” Michael Eastwood, a Department of Labor assistant district director, told the AP. “Although it is not among Silicon Valley’s high-profile companies, Electronics for Imaging is successful,” per the story. “The company earned $109 million last year and awarded CEO Guy Gecht with a pay package valued at nearly $6 million, including more than $1.2 million in salary and bonuses.”

— Matt Potter (@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

San Diego beaches not that nice to dogs

Bacteria and seawater itself not that great
On Monday of last week, word began circulating that KPBS had dumped two longtime employees, director of news and editorial strategy Suzanne Marmion and executive producer Nancy Walsh.
On Monday of last week, word began circulating that KPBS had dumped two longtime employees, director of news and editorial strategy Suzanne Marmion and executive producer Nancy Walsh.

Adela’s changing of the guard

When San Diego State president Adela de la Torre took charge back in August of 2018, some questioned her $441,504 salary, while others wondered how much change the campus’s first Latina leader could wring from the hide-bound administration. In 2019, de la Torre’s total pay and benefits had risen to $598,531, according to TransparentCalifornia.org.

Adela de la Torre, tearing up the newsroom at KPBS

Now rumblings from one of the university’s power bases indicate the once-controversial ex-University of California Davis vice-chancellor of student affairs and campus diversity is, for better or worse, shaking things up. On Monday of last week, word began circulating that KPBS, the SDSU-owned and -operated public broadcasting operation, had dumped two longtime employees, director of news and editorial strategy Suzanne Marmion and executive producer Nancy Walsh. “I understand this may come as a surprise, and I acknowledge it’s coming at a tricky time,” wrote KPBS interim general manager Nancy Worlie in a cryptic memo to staff. “Please know we are in the process of developing a plan to address the interim needs and workflow for the department, as well as the long-term need for leadership of the KPBS News team.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The shakeup happened almost seven months to the day after the retirement of KPBS chief Tom Karlo, a longtime fixture at the stations who in 2019 got $351,469 in pay and benefits. His predecessor, Doug Myrland, slipped into retirement on a state pension in 2008 following his cancellation of Full Focus without consulting viewers of the taxpayer-financed stations. “KPBS has been in existence for 46 years, and NEVER has it been a collective, or even a participatory democracy,” Myrland had stormed. “I make decisions in the same way every General Manager before me did. We aren’t elected officials — every budget line item and every personnel decision and every bit of information we collect is not everybody else’s business. Just because you give a contribution or pay taxes doesn’t give you the right to decide — or even influence — what goes on the air and what doesn’t.” According to TransparentCalifornia, Myrland collected $93,600 in state pension payouts last year. Worlie, who got total public compensation of $202,668 in 2019 as associate general manager before taking over as interim KPBS chief, is married to Paul Worlie, politically savvy chief of staff to liberal County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. His spouse is fellow Democrat Lorena Gonzalez, a member of the state Assembly. In 2019, Paul Worlie got $221,694 in pay and benefits from his Fletcher gig. That extensive web of public payroll connections — as well as the longtime KPBS ties to Qualcomm billionaire Irwin Jacobs, the wealthy La Jolla Democrat for whom the newsroom is named — has keen San Diego politics watchers curious about the ideological leanings of Nancy Worlie’s yet-to-be named permanent replacement.

All thanks to Irwin

Irwin Jacobs enriched Iranians who want to nuke Newsom.

A Beverly Hills Republican billionaire who backed establishment Ohio Democratic Shontel Brown’s successful primary bid for Congress last week has turned up among the latest donors to GOP ex-San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer. As reported by The Intercept on July 27, Neil Kadisha came up with $2000 for Brown, a Hillary Clinton favorite, on June 1 and $18,000 for the pro-Brown super PAC Democratic Majority for Israel on June 14. Kadisha, who gave $2500 to Faulconer for Governor 2021 on August 2, supported the reelection bid of Donald Trump in 2019 and gave to then-Vice President Mike Pence’s PAC, the account says. Besides prolific political spending, Kadisha is known for getting a $25 million deal last year on a mansion sprawling beside the green of the Los Angeles Country Club, initially listed for $8.5 million. “Though not exactly a household name, Kadisha has long been one of L.A.’s wealthiest men and remains a prominent member of the Nazarian clan, one of the world’s richest Iranian-Jewish families, whose fortune derives primarily from a lucrative early investment in tech giant Qualcomm,” Variety reported last year. Kadisha was on the Qualcomm board from 1988 until his resignation in May 2002. The L.A. Business Journal estimates Kadisha is worth $2.7 billion. Another Faulconer 2021 giver is Los Altos technology magnate Guy Gecht, who came up with $4800 for the former San Diego mayor’s gubernatorial hopes on July 30. In October 2014, the Associated Press reported that Gecht-run Electronics for Imaging Inc agreed to pay over $43,000 in back wages and penalties for allegedly paying workers brought from India as little as $1.21 per hour. “This is worse than anything that I ever saw in any of those Los Angeles sweatshops,” Michael Eastwood, a Department of Labor assistant district director, told the AP. “Although it is not among Silicon Valley’s high-profile companies, Electronics for Imaging is successful,” per the story. “The company earned $109 million last year and awarded CEO Guy Gecht with a pay package valued at nearly $6 million, including more than $1.2 million in salary and bonuses.”

— Matt Potter (@sdmattpotter)

The Reader offers $25 for news tips published in this column. Call our voice mail at 619-235-3000, ext. 440, or sandiegoreader.com/staff/matt-potter/contact/.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Too $hort & DJ Symphony, Peppermint Beach Club, Holidays at the Zoo

Events December 19-December 21, 2024
Next Article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader