Bob Tommaso's view of the San Diego job market is grim. At 56, he is one of San Diego's many victims of the dot-com implosion, out of work since September 2000. "I was working at …
November 15, 2001
Back to profile
Stories by Robert Kumpel
< Newer stories
Older stories >
Dot-Com Survivor
Blame It on the Budget
Crispina Lopez de Galliano sits with her husband, Dean, writing a résumé at the Employment Development Department. Galliano, 37, is angry. She believes she lost her job as a cashier at the 32nd Street Commissary …
October 25, 2001
Middle-Aged and Unemployed
Michael Davis is unemployed, but his motivation is contagious. At 52, he's seen jobs come and go, and he's out of work again. "I was working for the San Diego Unified School District through a …
October 18, 2001
San Diegans talk about the look of their stomachs
The 24 Hour Fitness center on Midway Drive is in a large strip mall with a Vons and a Sport Chalet. It is a two-story club with a weight room; two aerobic studios; two large …
October 11, 2001
Who Will and Won't Fight and Why
Many San Diego stores display the American flag and patriotic slogans, such as "United We Stand." Many draft-age men wandering in and out of those stores, however, don't seem ready to join the fight. Loc …
October 11, 2001
One Percent Innocent
While "innocent until proven guilty" may be the basis of criminal law in America, convicted felons find that it works in reverse when appealing their cases. Appealing a conviction is a long, arduous process, and …
October 4, 2001
Flush Power
The journey begins when the toilet flushes. Whatever is in the bowl heads through a series of pipes and treatments that separate the solids from the water. While the travels of one's wastewater is seldom …
September 27, 2001
Compassion Recipe
On Wednesday, August 15, I went to the St. Vincent de Paul Village as a volunteer to serve dinner to its residents. Serving dinner at "St. Vinny's" has become something of a tradition in San …
September 6, 2001
Asthma Camp
Every Father's Day, over 100 San Diego youths, aged 8 to 13, get on a bus to spend a week at Camp Marston in Julian. While going to summer camp is not unusual, for many …
August 23, 2001
One Hundred Hidden Dangers
'I didn't seek to be a school nurse. I was new to the city and I thought, 'I'll give this a try.' " Since giving it a try, Sandy Wright has been working with San …
August 16, 2001
I Can't Eat Peanuts!
Erin Bushie had no idea that her one-year-old daughter, Aubrey, had a severe food allergy until the call came from day care. "At the day care, they all had a spoonful of peanut butter at …
August 9, 2001
No Cure in Sight
Few San Diegans know as much about allergies as Dr. Diane Marquardt. An associate professor of medicine at medical school, Marquardt lectures medical students, assists resident physicians, maintains a practice as an allergist, and spends …
August 2, 2001
Killer Nuts
Anine-year-old boy is riding with his father south on I-5, headed for a fishing trip in Mexico. A bee flies into the cab of the truck and stings the boy. Within minutes, the boy is …
July 26, 2001
Body at War
Dr. Milan Brandon is San Diego's longest-practicing allergist. Since leaving the Navy in 1959, he has treated more than 30,000 patients. His son, Donald, also a physician with an interest in allergies, practices with him …
July 19, 2001
Deep-Brain Doc
Dr. Kenneth Ott, a neurosurgeon with Scripps, fights to contain a smile while talking. He has good reason to smile: his successes can be measured in human lives transformed. Ott's specialty is performing deep-brain stimulation …
July 5, 2001
M.D. Claims Soy Milk Breeds Violent Teens
Dr. David Goodman cannot understand the media's lack of concern. The Escondido-based research scientist claims to have important in-formation about soy-based baby formulas, and no one, he says, is listening. Goodman revealed his findings in …
June 21, 2001
I Looked at the Baby and Couldn't Believe It
Captain Bob Spangler, 50, has been a San Diego Firefighter for 27 years. He is also licensed as a paramedic and a nurse. A former lifeguard, Spangler's career encompasses lifesaving in one form or another. …
June 7, 2001
We Can't Kidnap Them
Across from Lincoln High School, San Diego Fire Station 12 has three fire trucks and an ambulance. Although all firefighters are trained medical assistants (most are paramedics), the ambulance crew is the most critical life-saving …
May 17, 2001
Ahead of Its Time?
Most San Diegans have medical help available, even the uninsured. Many residents are minutes away from an emergency room; even rural San Diegans can be life-flighted to a trauma center. But what do you do …
May 3, 2001
Roomful of Pain
One of San Diego's busiest emergency rooms is Kaiser Permanente in Grantville. At 7:30 on a Tuesday night, the parking lot is illuminated by an arcade of food vendors under bright neon signs. Inside, there …
April 12, 2001
Eye Doc
“People are very motivated to take care of their eyes. They’ll do whatever you tell them, so there’s a high compliance rate. And nobody dies. I like having a high prognosis for recovery when I operate.”
February 22, 2001
Cures on the Fly
Once known as San Diego's "county hospital," UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest is now a teaching hospital for one of the nation's most prestigious medical schools. As the old county hospital, it was known as …
February 8, 2001
No Room for Whiners
Chet Varns takes a lot of guff from people he doesn't know and likely won't see again. A volunteer at the sign-in desk at Palomar Hospital's emergency room in Escondido, Varns passes new patients a …
January 25, 2001
Necessary Evil
The offices of the County of San Diego Animal Shelter on Gaines Street are currently housed in temporary buildings. The barking is omnipresent -- not like your neighbor's annoying dog, but lots of dogs, as …
December 21, 2000
A night at Mercy Hospital's trauma center
“If you want compelling drama, we’ve got it here every single night,” says Dr. Michael Sise, director of Mercy’s trauma center since 1994. Sise is a walking encyclopedia of trauma medicine. A New York native, …
November 30, 2000
Homeless plans for Thanksgiving in San Diego
“These people protect me, they watch over me -- I'm five foot two --I'll get mugged, I'll get robbed, everything, 'cause I'm short and people take advantage. The homeless steal from the homeless also, and that sucks.”
November 22, 2000
Stadium Compassion
"My major complaint is the elevator. It states at the elevator that it's only for the handicapped or press, but it's always full of other people. The elevator operators say that they have no control over it.”
November 16, 2000
Warrior from Oblivion
When I asked Luis Valdez, the playwright and filmmaker, about his creative process, he said his work is often influenced by the Mexican muralists of the 1920s -- Siquieros, Orozco, Tamayo. "The murals of these …
October 26, 2000
Be Happy You Have a Kidney
Perky, energetic, and alert, Julie Hotz-Siville doesn't look as if her health is in danger. Her cheerful demeanor betrays no sign of worry or fatigue. It's hard to believe that at 45 she has already …
October 19, 2000
I'm Always on the Go
The first thing you notice about Bob Guthrie's appearance is his hands. They're huge -- the hands of a man who's worked hard using them. His physique is unusually hard and lean for a 59-year-old …
October 5, 2000
Complicated Life
Shannon Stewart is a typical Southern California beach girl. At 28, she is blond and tanned. She speaks in “Valley Girl” tones. She smiles a lot, and when she does, her brown eyes sparkle. She …
September 21, 2000
It's Not Like What People Think
Tuesday, August 1, is a busy evening at Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee. People of all races begin filling the lobby at 7:00 to get a window assignment for visitation. Unlike the downtown jail, …
September 7, 2000
Ain't Never Goin' Back
The lobby of the Central Jail on Front Street is like a ticket office. Clerks behind glass windows service visitors, bail bondsmen, and attorneys. The mood is low-key and lazy until the elevator doors open …
August 17, 2000
Back on the Street
Micael Jackson is in a good mood. It's a muggy Saturday afternoon downtown, and he's just been released from jail at Front and C Street after six months inside. "I was in for narcotics. My …
August 10, 2000
Service with a Smile
The car wash at the Yellow Cab Company lot in East Village is like most others. Black Lincoln town cars run through, and the crew wipes them off. Only this crew is different. Expressions of …
July 27, 2000
Mental Advocacy
In 1969, Assemblyman Frank Lanterman, a Republican from La Cañada, introduced a bill known as the Lanterman Mental Retardation Services Act. Finally passed in 1977, the Lanterman Act drives most of the services for the …
June 22, 2000
A Special Kind of Destiny
At the Carl's Jr. on Clairemont and Burgener, Michelle is on top of everything. Conscious of every customer, she double-checks the cleanliness and efficiency of the staff. Although not the manager, the other employees treat …
May 4, 2000
Some Assembly Required
At 8:30 on weekday mornings, several small buses drop off 200 passengers at 9575 Aero Drive. The buses move at a brisk pace even though most of the passengers need some assistance getting off. By …
April 20, 2000