Here's something you might be interested in.
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
Turo car sharing, under fire elsewhere, greases Toni Atkins machine
Auditors fight for honesty in City of San Diego and SDSU
Turo, Inc., a controversial peer-to-peer car-sharing company based in San Francisco, gave $7500 on January 31 to the ballot measure committee run by termed-out state Senator Toni Atkins.
Rent-a-pol
Turo, Inc., a controversial peer-to-peer car-sharing company based in San Francisco, gave $7500 on January 31 to the ballot measure committee run by termed-out state Senator Toni Atkins, who is seeking to become the state’s next lieutenant governor. Last summer, Turo went on a Hawaiian political spending spree, “donating thousands of dollars to Hawaii candidates ranging from Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters to gubernatorial front-runner Lt. Gov. Josh Green,” according to an August 22, 2022, account by Honolulu Civil Beat.
Toni Atkins, targeted by Turo.
“Both the city and the Legislature have recently been considering bills that would clarify regulations covering companies like Turo.” On the island of Maui, airport goers complained of losing their parking spots to Turo-owned vehicles, per a December 29, 2022, account by Maui Now. “’Yes, parking is a hassle and, yes, I got a $40 ticket’ for parking outside of a stall,” Maui pilot Kim Anderson is quoted as saying. “Turo renters shouldn’t be able to park cars in the lot.” Maui Now adds, “State Department of Transportation Maui District Airports Manager Marvin Moniz said state officials met Wednesday to discuss language for new legislation that would crack down on businesses operating without a permit or license in state airport public parking lots.”
Turo has also drawn fire in Texas, where the Dallas Morning News reported August 8, 2022, that the big international airport there sued the company to block its expansion. “San Francisco-based Turo, which filed for an IPO in January, has moved from a service where people share their own cars to a network of ‘hosts’ that own several cars, sometimes dozens, and can make a profit of more than $1000 a month per new vehicle, the company said. Turo’s net revenue nearly tripled last year to $330 million, although it’s still operating at a steep loss, common for tech startups.”
The paper quoted Dallas-Fort Worth Airport lawyer Paul Tomme as saying, “We have a problem with illegal commercial activities, specifically, professional car renters who own fleets of vehicles and rent cars online and have them delivered here to the airport. They don’t have a permit with the airport to do so even though the code requires them to have one, they don’t pay airport fees, they don’t collect state rental car taxes or local rental car taxes and remit them to the state.”
Back in California, Turo has done better, inking a deal with the San Jose Mineta Airport to make “Turo vehicle exchanges available in designated areas at SJC,” according to a February 2 report by SFGate.com. In a June 4, 2022, op-ed piece for The Hill, Jarrett Skorup, senior director of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, argues that state legislatures should take a generally hands-off approach to the problem.
“Requiring insurance and ensuring that insurance companies know what their coverage is being used for is fair. Some minimal disclosure rules for companies make sense. But taxes should be low and fair for the whole industry. And there is little reason for state lawmakers to try to get involved when it comes to airports or other places where cars are dropped off or picked up — the hosts and guests can work that out themselves.” Last year. Turo paid Sacramento-based lobbying outfit Miller Cespedes & Associates LLC $230,000, according to state disclosure filings....San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, reelected to a four-year term in 2022, continues to collect major money for his 2024 bid for state Senate. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, operator of a big casino, gave $5500 on January 30, according to state disclosure filings.
Crash and burn
A host of auditors continue their never-ending quest to keep local government honest. A January 18 report by San Diego City Auditor Andy Hanau says that “an allegation of a City employee concealing damage caused to a City vehicle was investigated and determined to be substantiated. The department took the appropriate corrective action with respect to the identified employee.” Hanau also reports that “an allegation of abuse of discretion regarding data reporting was investigated and closed based on the proactive corrective actions taken by the department to ensure that data will be collected and reported accurately.”
Andy Hanau: plaudits for the audits.
Meanwhile, the United States Government Accountability Office in a February 2 report to Congress, calls out a critical lack of childcare for military families here. “Officials said that the [Department of Defense] childcare program has encountered challenges in supplying sufficient childcare spaces to meet demand — particularly in certain geographic areas,” per the February 2 audit. “Officials identified the following areas as having DOD’s greatest childcare need: Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; Hawaii; and the Washington, D.C. area. These challenges include capacity shortfalls, staffing shortages, and a lack of eligible childcare providers for DOD’s fee assistance program.”
San Diego State University was also an auditing target. “In general, we found that the campus had an appropriate framework for the administration of recognized student organizations. However, we found that student organization banking training materials lacked appropriate levels of cash-handling procedures, and student officers who were required to complete this training did not always do so,” says a January 19 report by Vlad Marinescu, Vice Chancellor, and Chief Audit Officer of the California State University System. “We also found that general release waivers were not collected in one instance when required for student organization events that involved travel.” Adds the auditor, “At San Diego State University, there are more than 300 recognized student organizations representing various categories, including academic or professional specialties, cultural and identity, leadership, recreation, and service.”
— Matt Potter
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/.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Turo car sharing, under fire elsewhere, greases Toni Atkins machine
Auditors fight for honesty in City of San Diego and SDSU
Turo car sharing, under fire elsewhere, greases Toni Atkins machine
Auditors fight for honesty in City of San Diego and SDSU
Turo, Inc., a controversial peer-to-peer car-sharing company based in San Francisco, gave $7500 on January 31 to the ballot measure committee run by termed-out state Senator Toni Atkins.
Rent-a-pol
Turo, Inc., a controversial peer-to-peer car-sharing company based in San Francisco, gave $7500 on January 31 to the ballot measure committee run by termed-out state Senator Toni Atkins, who is seeking to become the state’s next lieutenant governor. Last summer, Turo went on a Hawaiian political spending spree, “donating thousands of dollars to Hawaii candidates ranging from Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters to gubernatorial front-runner Lt. Gov. Josh Green,” according to an August 22, 2022, account by Honolulu Civil Beat.
Toni Atkins, targeted by Turo.
“Both the city and the Legislature have recently been considering bills that would clarify regulations covering companies like Turo.” On the island of Maui, airport goers complained of losing their parking spots to Turo-owned vehicles, per a December 29, 2022, account by Maui Now. “’Yes, parking is a hassle and, yes, I got a $40 ticket’ for parking outside of a stall,” Maui pilot Kim Anderson is quoted as saying. “Turo renters shouldn’t be able to park cars in the lot.” Maui Now adds, “State Department of Transportation Maui District Airports Manager Marvin Moniz said state officials met Wednesday to discuss language for new legislation that would crack down on businesses operating without a permit or license in state airport public parking lots.”
Turo has also drawn fire in Texas, where the Dallas Morning News reported August 8, 2022, that the big international airport there sued the company to block its expansion. “San Francisco-based Turo, which filed for an IPO in January, has moved from a service where people share their own cars to a network of ‘hosts’ that own several cars, sometimes dozens, and can make a profit of more than $1000 a month per new vehicle, the company said. Turo’s net revenue nearly tripled last year to $330 million, although it’s still operating at a steep loss, common for tech startups.”
The paper quoted Dallas-Fort Worth Airport lawyer Paul Tomme as saying, “We have a problem with illegal commercial activities, specifically, professional car renters who own fleets of vehicles and rent cars online and have them delivered here to the airport. They don’t have a permit with the airport to do so even though the code requires them to have one, they don’t pay airport fees, they don’t collect state rental car taxes or local rental car taxes and remit them to the state.”
Back in California, Turo has done better, inking a deal with the San Jose Mineta Airport to make “Turo vehicle exchanges available in designated areas at SJC,” according to a February 2 report by SFGate.com. In a June 4, 2022, op-ed piece for The Hill, Jarrett Skorup, senior director of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, argues that state legislatures should take a generally hands-off approach to the problem.
“Requiring insurance and ensuring that insurance companies know what their coverage is being used for is fair. Some minimal disclosure rules for companies make sense. But taxes should be low and fair for the whole industry. And there is little reason for state lawmakers to try to get involved when it comes to airports or other places where cars are dropped off or picked up — the hosts and guests can work that out themselves.” Last year. Turo paid Sacramento-based lobbying outfit Miller Cespedes & Associates LLC $230,000, according to state disclosure filings....San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, reelected to a four-year term in 2022, continues to collect major money for his 2024 bid for state Senate. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, operator of a big casino, gave $5500 on January 30, according to state disclosure filings.
Crash and burn
A host of auditors continue their never-ending quest to keep local government honest. A January 18 report by San Diego City Auditor Andy Hanau says that “an allegation of a City employee concealing damage caused to a City vehicle was investigated and determined to be substantiated. The department took the appropriate corrective action with respect to the identified employee.” Hanau also reports that “an allegation of abuse of discretion regarding data reporting was investigated and closed based on the proactive corrective actions taken by the department to ensure that data will be collected and reported accurately.”
Andy Hanau: plaudits for the audits.
Meanwhile, the United States Government Accountability Office in a February 2 report to Congress, calls out a critical lack of childcare for military families here. “Officials said that the [Department of Defense] childcare program has encountered challenges in supplying sufficient childcare spaces to meet demand — particularly in certain geographic areas,” per the February 2 audit. “Officials identified the following areas as having DOD’s greatest childcare need: Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; San Antonio, Texas; Hawaii; and the Washington, D.C. area. These challenges include capacity shortfalls, staffing shortages, and a lack of eligible childcare providers for DOD’s fee assistance program.”
San Diego State University was also an auditing target. “In general, we found that the campus had an appropriate framework for the administration of recognized student organizations. However, we found that student organization banking training materials lacked appropriate levels of cash-handling procedures, and student officers who were required to complete this training did not always do so,” says a January 19 report by Vlad Marinescu, Vice Chancellor, and Chief Audit Officer of the California State University System. “We also found that general release waivers were not collected in one instance when required for student organization events that involved travel.” Adds the auditor, “At San Diego State University, there are more than 300 recognized student organizations representing various categories, including academic or professional specialties, cultural and identity, leadership, recreation, and service.”
— Matt Potter
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