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San Diego city attorney weighs in on limiting public comment at council meetings
Councilmember Sherman's snowflake sensitivity to constituents' criticism across the board raises serious concerns about how fit he is to serve for public office. From [punting on dark money][1] to disaffection for the [democratic function of community planning groups][2] to this four-month-old fracas, *it appears*† he can accept constituent input only so long as it's in private and specie that can fit in a paper bag. †Again, *it appears*. I have no proof; but his disgust with the right to opine is still protected under our Constitution. But while I'm at it, when *will* he stop terrorizing [those poor Smurfs][3]? [1]: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/dec/04/city-council… [2]: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/mar/30/st… [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargamel— May 2, 2017 11 p.m.
Incumbency will favor Summer Stephan over Adam Gordon to succeed Dumanis as D.A.
Ron Roberts should be ashamed, resorting to Trumpesque speculation without evidence and indulging in naked partisanship. It may not be *illegal* for an interim replacement to declare they won't later run as a candidate then change their mind. But it would be electoral suicide, especially in a race for district attorney, as their opponent(s) would run that backtrack soundbite into the ground. No, Roberts wants to spare us that remote and self-correcting possibility. Instead, he thinks someone who's already declared they're a candidate, who will **definitely** weigh every decision on who to investigate or prosecute with an eye to getting elected, is "who we have the utmost confidence that for the next 16 or 17 months following the resignation of the current district attorney will be able to carry out their duties in an exemplary fashion." It's like he's doing everything he can to trash his own legacy. Sad!— May 2, 2017 2 p.m.
Bay Park zoning change could lead to 90-foot tall buildings east of Morena Blvd.
There's no way the developers will let the city settle for density of RM3-7 or 44 dwelling units per acre if they get to lift heights to 90 feet. Same for floor area ratios, which will likely be gutted to allow 200 square foot units, as these will only be rentals and surrounded by highways and train tracks. The main reason for our housing shortage is that new housing is being produced at the expense of existing housing, only to be [consumed by outside investors][1] rather than meet domestic demand. The developers propose the solution of Stalinist Revival shoe-box towers not because maximum density is good for the environment ([it's not][2]), but because in areas already developed that's the easiest way to make a buck. Where it's more profitable building single family homes, it's amazing how quickly they [villanize anyone opposing sprawl][3]. Vancouver stemmed the tide drowning their residents [by taxing foreign buyers and housing left empty][4]. If we don't get serious about making it painfully expensive for people who don't live where they own (especially AirBnBs), there will **never** be an offsetting market force putting a break on our housing crisis. [1]: http://48hills.org/2014/09/29/investigation-new-c… [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_capacity [3]: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/comme… [4]: https://news.vice.com/story/chinese-money-is-pour…— May 2, 2017 12:25 p.m.
City council prepares to throw $40 million subsidy to tourism
"For the most part, it goes to two places: marketing and the arts. The former to get tourists to visit San Diego and the latter *to help make San Diego more attractive to tourists*." There in a nutshell is everything wrong with our civic misleaders. Our city government is nothing more than a mechanism for selling off and selling out those who live here. If you're a developer or a tourist or other outsider, we'll pay you ***to do what you would be doing anyway***, with tax money that is desperately needed for social services and infrastructure. Anyone who looks at support for the arts as a tool for luring rather than an intrinsic good to enhance the quality of life *for residents* is unfit to hold public office.— May 1, 2017 10:15 a.m.
San Diego lifeguards at OB Town Council blast fire department take-over of 911 calls
Wow. Guess I didn't *need* to give anyone any ideas! Sounds like they're already making lifeguards get authorization from fire before acting. Prophecy is a curse, believe me.— April 29, 2017 10:39 a.m.
Poway Unified sued over choosing Marian Kim-Phelps as superintendent
Even **if** they didn't physically meet "in an illegal closed-session meeting" as a group in secret, they're still in violation of the Brown Act, because there is simply **no way** the *collective concurrence* to hire her happened without conducting *serial meetings* away from the public: [54952.2. (b) (1)][1] *A majority of the members of a legislative body shall not, outside a meeting authorized by this chapter, use a series of communications of any kind, directly or through intermediaries, to discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item of business that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body.* That's like trying to tell a judge you're innocent of hiring a hitman because you did it by email not face-to-face. For people responsible for schools, those running Poway Unified sure don't do their homework. [1]: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_dis…— April 28, 2017 10:50 a.m.
San Diego lifeguards at OB Town Council blast fire department take-over of 911 calls
It's the subjugation of the lifeguard corps under the fire department that was politically motivated. It should never have happened and is now threatening lives. The [state][1] and almost all of our neighboring coastal cities still have lifeguards as their own command under either public safety or parks departments: [Del Mar][2], [Solana Beach][3], [Encinitas][4], [Carlsbad][5], [San Clemente][6], [Laguna Beach][7], [Newport Beach][8], etc. The only exception I could find was [Oceanside][9]—which I assume does not have our weird run-around on routing 911 calls or else we would have heard of something by now. I mean, why the hell would water rescue calls go to fire rescue first, let alone ever? And expecting lifeguards to use computer equipment in sand and saltwater? The only thing more ridiculous would be to have lifeguards call in to fire rescue for authorization before jumping in to save someone. Guess I shouldn't give anyone any ideas. [1]: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21214 [2]: http://www.delmar.ca.us/documentcenter/view/2797 [3]: http://www.ci.solana-beach.ca.us/index.asp?SEC=BD… [4]: http://encinitasca.gov/Government/Departments/Pub… [5]: http://www.carlsbadca.gov/news/displaynews.asp?Ne… [6]: http://san-clemente.org/department-services/safet… [7]: http://lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/marine/lifegu… [8]: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departme… [9]: https://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/gov/fire/div/lifeg…— April 27, 2017 4:27 p.m.
No comments, please, we’re SDSU
It's one thing to disable comments going forward, but to delete the whole history of content users provided over the years is outrageous and, frankly, chilling. It smacks of our nation's current Executive Branch deleting open source databases and other information from government websites. On a possibly related issue, I discovered while checking the KPBS.org website how ineffective and/or censored is their internal search engine. For example, looking up "community plan" on their site generates 219 hits—[none in the last year][1]. Using Google directly to search them pulls up about 523, [17 from the past year][2]. I invite others to check for themselves using different topics. This has been a chronic problem with the city's website; but then, they're dedicated to keeping information difficult to find. [1]: http://www.kpbs.org/search/?q=%22community+plan%2… [2]: https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&ictx=2&sa=X&ve…— April 26, 2017 4:27 p.m.
The push for a U-T advisory board that isn’t one-sided
"A diverse group of local people who reflect and care about our community, who believe in civil discourse on critical issues and who help foster a dynamic community dialogue"? What an exercise in Orwellian doublethink. It would be difficult to name a group of locals more lockstep in representing and promoting the exact opposite.— April 26, 2017 10:47 a.m.
City reaches settlement in pedestrian death of 7-month-old girl
It's stories like this that prove the California Public Records Act [needs a complete overhaul][1]. The withholding of information and even total non-responsiveness to requests by government officials and private groups receiving public money, in San Diego above all, is out of control. It's bad enough having a law that lacks enforcement (short of suing in court). But it's worse having one without any penalty when it is broken (as there's no way to recoup the out-of-pocket costs of the effort, let alone awards for punitive damages). Until or unless we decide to tackle this issue with the same urgency as campaign finance reform, we are at the mercy of our "public servants" deciding how much they want to let us to know. Even if—no, *especially when*—it kills us. [1]: http://www.sbsun.com/media/20150314/californias-p…— April 21, 2017 3:59 p.m.