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Goodrich Bought Out After Chula Vista Redevelopment Agency Relocates Company
This Chula Vista bayfront business began life as Rohr Corporation and in 1989 employed over 12,000 people - not all in Chula Vista, but at one time the CV plant had three shifts as the company was the world's largest subcontractor to the aerospace industry. They later made railcars for San Francisco's BART and for cars for the Washington DC subway. It's been said that Chula Vista grew with and because of Rohr and there was a time when three Rohr employees served on the CV city council at the same time. Judging by the city subsidies, one wonders if that's not still the case? :) Rohr was sold to BF Goodrich after the usual rounds of mismanagement by Rohr's execs. And that was after Rohr has sought rent concessions from the Port District. San Diego can certainly use the presumably well-paying industrial jobs at the plant: 2,000 jobs there probably pay as much as 6,000 hotel jobs on the waterfront, so perhaps those subsidies need to be put into perspective.— September 26, 2011 1:57 p.m.
Conventions, Football Don’t Mix
Why would anyone want to go to LA for a convention, or Anaheim, for that matter, is beyond me. I attended the music industry's NAMM show in Anaheim and was struck by what a hideous concrete wasteland they have around the Anaheim convention center. There's Disneyland nearby, but that doesn't make up for complete lack of ambiance outside its gates. I did a non-ticketed visit to Comic Con this year to try to get a feel for what that was all about and I have to say even though I have spent a fair amount of time in downtown SD, it was impressive to do a walk around of the convention center, from bayside to Gaslamp. From the waterfront and weather to the wealth of eateries and the vintage character of the Gaslamp, it is one of heck of a great place when you need a respite from the convention halls (I actually never made into the Comic Con halls, but there is so much going on outside that you can have a great experience without a ticket). If we have to make a choice, let's take the conventions and give LA the Chargers. For better or worse San Diego has become the Miami Beach of the West Coast and we might as well make it easy for everyone living east of Yuma to come spend money here at least once every year or two. From what I picked up during my Comic Con walkabout, the inside of the convention center was bursting at the scenes. Perhaps there is a need for some more elbow room there or perhaps the Comic Con folks need to plan more wisely. They've talked about moving to Anaheim, but I think they underestimate how big a role San Diego plays in the overall Comic Con experience. The LA movie and TV production people who now flock to Comic Con have to be motivated in part by the fact they get to expense a stay in San Diego - doubt they'll get that worked up over a drive to Anaheim. I met a lot of Arizonans who make this event their annual vacation: a great event in a great location. If you're a Zonie, you don't want to spend your summer vacation walking around streets of Anaheim (average July high of 84 versus 76 for downtown SD). This city does have an allure that is just not there for so many of the other convention cities listed in the article, and I think we might be able to justify some type of gamble on more convention space, but it's proven that city wagers on the Chargers don't pay off.— September 15, 2011 7:14 p.m.
The Water Man check-in center in East Village
So, let's break this down: $100,000 to administer a (rent-free) building full of large trash cans for less than a year; $40,000 for the lawyers; $20,000 minus expenses to be divided amongst some apparently unknown victims who have now have to file claims... Well, at least the lawyers did well.— August 10, 2011 6:20 p.m.
Florida Keys: Dry Tortugas National Park
November is a great time to visit Key West and a Cheeseburger in Paradise makes a great Thanksgiving dinner! The trip to Fort Jefferson is well worth it: week took the fast catamaran. While at the Fort, do take some time to go snorkeling.— August 2, 2011 6:39 p.m.
Who Watches the UCAN Watchdog?
I too have worked closely with Michael and often admired his advocacy, but I must say I was shocked to learn he is not a practicing attorney. If you do a Google search for "attorney Michael Shames" (in quotes) it is clear he has been portrayed as an active attorney and certainly is making lawyer wages as we see in PUC documents stating such things as "UCAN seeks an hourly rate of $310 for attorney Michael Shames, for work performed in 2005 and 2006. For 2005 work, we previously approved a rate of $300 for Shames and adopt that rate here. For 2006 work, the $310 rate for Shames is consistent with the guidelines in D.07-01-009, and adopted here." UCAN has been Michael's baby since about 1985 and we often see in non-profits thatjust as with for-profits, the board is selected by and beholden to the founder/chief executive and rubber stamps proposals and passes budgets with little detail. I worked for a chamber of commerce where a top official had his car allowance cut by the board, but just buried it into another budget category and they never knew it (under his "leadership" the chamber almost went broke). Incidents like these led me to long ago conclude that "non-profits" can be very profitable for the people who work there although the public (and donors) still have the notion that employees of non-profits are making a sacrifice for the public good. At the executive director level, that is frequently not the case, although I will say that there is often a big contrast between executive compensation and the regular worker bees at non-profits. I am sure some of those who've toiled for little or nothing on behalf of UCAN have been as shocked as the rest of us. At this point the board needs to take control, set up clear compensation policies and report itself to the PUC and others who have been led to believe that Shames was an active attorney. There my be no penalties for that, but UCAN was certainly remiss in not correcting the PUC, journalists and others who for so many years have used the phrase "attorney Michael Shames." Michael, you've done good work, now it's time to be as honest and forthcoming as you expect the PUC and utilities to be.— July 27, 2011 10:10 a.m.
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
The Oceanside City Council continues to demonstrate that Oceanside is not ready for self-government, but the firefighters union guy and councilor Sanchez are either fibbing or ignorant if they believe that two council members meeting with someone is illegal, immoral, indecent, fattening or a violation of the Brown Act. Maybe now that Sanchez has been reelected she can find time for civics lessons so that her time on the dais becomes more grounded in reality and less in grandstanding rhetoric. In case she can't find time for school, under the Brown Act a "meeting" is "any gathering of a majority of the members of a covered board." Oceanside has five council members and two is less than half of five, last time I checked.— November 17, 2008 9:35 p.m.
Sempra spins Sunrise Powerlink in the Union-Tribune
Let's not forget that Michael Peevey was big in Democratic circles back when he was a henchman at Southern California Edison. I went up against him many times when I was Executive Director of the San Diego coalition that successfully fought the takeover of SDG&E by Edison (and no matter what you think of SDG&E, things would have been worse under Edison). Peevey is a well-connected pitbull and he plays the insider game so well I have no doubt the politicos in Sacramento think he's great guy and hope they can get someone just like him to replace him. That's why we need the Michael Shames of the world (and really in California he is pretty unique) who really do represent the ratepayers: the staff at the PUC can't do it, especially with the likes of Peevey at the helm. Sadly a community that once stood up to Peevey, Edison and SDG&E now sees its "leaders" swallowing the SDG&E line without thinking. They now have their own version of the famed "What's good for General Motors is good for the country". Of course Chula Vista's Cheryl Cox has her own motives: spoil the desert with a new powerline system and the Chargers may let her city assume massive debt so the Chargers get free use of a new bayfront stadium: but the rest - well they're just doing what their lunch buddies from SDG&E want.— July 30, 2008 11:38 p.m.