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
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
Any elected Government can fail the Public's trust if those elected start thinking more about themselves and their Friends (those that helped them get elected) than they do about seerving ALL the voters equally, per their sworn duty! San Diego's voters decided to shift to a Strong Mayor to try and rein in their City Council, but that has lead to even greater problems as the Strong Mayor courts the favor of the Ultra Wealthy and the Powerful Unions while promoting for Business over residents quality of life here in what used to be America's Finest City; all in the name of urbanization! *We have seen this happening for years in San Diego and also in Washington, DC.* This is why our Fair City and our Great Country are now in such SAD shape: **One Man One Vote** has now become **One Dollar One Vote**!— April 27, 2012 7:02 a.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
North park just missed getting another MAD, one called an Overlay MAD... Much to the frustration of their BID (NP Main Street)! They do not want to re-ballot the entire MAD because they are getting too much of a sweetheart deal with the original MAD... They pay in about 20% and get about 50% of the benefits...— April 26, 2012 3:34 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
Yes, but first we have to get someone elected to push it!— April 26, 2012 3:30 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
I believe it and think it will be within 4 years!— April 26, 2012 3:29 p.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
I strongly believe that ALL MAD's should have: 1. A LIFETIME of no more than 10 years, that way voters know they will not be held hostage "forever", how many residents live in one spot for 20 to 30 years? 2. A FIXED LIMIT on how much the MAD's Fee is raised in any given year, while it is common to "link" any requested increases to the CPI, what happens if the CPI goes crazy? 3. A MAJORITY of residential Board Seats since the residents are the most often abused by the well funded business who have BID's promoting the Council Office for favors... 4. All meeting should be "run" under the Brown Act, to keep behind Closed Door Decisions from happening! 5. All engineering reports should be prioritized so that the most important projects get funded EVERY MONTH instead of some "favorite" project in one small corner of the MAD.— April 26, 2012 9:25 a.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
TWO other Hidden Problems in all MAD's: 1. The "Engineer's Report" that describes the "allowed" work to be done... This is a document that has many legal interpretations and because different Lawyers have different opinions, this document can be "gamed" to allow projects that the original voters did not even consider when they voted on the issue! Vague wording guarantees future abuse by those then in control of the money collected! 2. The ADMINISTRATION COSTS for these MAD's need to be limited to no more than 10% OF THE WORK DONE, this will prevent huge sums being spent every years when nothing really new gets completed! Socking away money year after year for a big project, actually only benefits the Administrator since they get a percentage of that money for doing NOTHING!— April 26, 2012 9:14 a.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
Remember PLEASE that the Boards that "run" MAD's should be ELECTED by Sub Districts (of the Mad) and not "at large" since the money needs to be spent fairly though out the District instead of "just" in the Business District! Too many times we have seen those friendly to the Council Person placed on Boards by the Friends of the supporters of the Council Person... Another Safe Guard would be to have a different Sub District act as Chairman of the Board every year, to insure that no Dynasties are formed...— April 26, 2012 9:03 a.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
Great points and stellar questions!— April 26, 2012 8:56 a.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
The 30% rule should be a RED FLAG to all voters to SCREAM NO... Any new taxes should Require at least a majority ... OF ALL THOSE AFFECTED .... NOT JUST THOSE THAT REPLY... This is a MAJOR point in how these MAD's are formed...— April 26, 2012 8:54 a.m.
Marco Li Mandri wants to get around Prop 13
Great comment! North Park's MAD has morphed into a benefit mostly for Main Street Fund and it's Board realigned to make sure it stays that way!— April 26, 2012 8:50 a.m.