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
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
By charter in the City of San Diego, all criminal misdemeanors are handled by the City Attorney's office, while felonies are prosecuted by the County District Attorney. Henderson's complaint mentions cross deputizing with the DA's office to handle City of Poway misdemeanor crimes. I suspect this arrangement was done for convenience and economy of scale. With the growth in San Diego County mainly north of the I-8 it makes perfect sense.— September 6, 2017 1:50 p.m.
State senate bill may dismantle San Diego's bail bond industry
Ahhhhh....the cost of freedom. What the old adage? Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time. Or nothing is free in life, including bail.— September 6, 2017 1:39 p.m.
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
I disagree with some of your supposition. Working in the criminal division of the City Attorney's office is typically a high stress, based upon the number of cases alone you're required to handle. Considering cases are typically first handed to you an hour or so proceeding to court, you have to think on your feet. To have a 10 year tenure, some with Aguirre and the majority with Goldsmith, suggests competent practice of law. The criminal division is known as a mill, where young lawyers gain courtroom experience, mentoring by peers and judges before moving on to more complex jobs in the law. By remaining in the criminal division for ten plus years, with no known negative evaluations by his superiors, reveals plenty of this old white guy's competence and character.— September 6, 2017 9:03 a.m.
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
Hire by Aguirre according to his written complaint. Personally I too was surprised by his tenure in the office, especially as a provisional employee. But that alone speaks positively about his level of competence. The criminal division of the City Attorney's has a reputation of being a mill due the the number of cases, lowest pay leading to high turnover. Typically it's where new attorneys go to get courtroom and trial experience before moving on to more challenging work.— September 6, 2017 8:47 a.m.
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
Was he doing other tasks in the City Attorney's office other than prosecuting misdemeanors? Typically, and from my experience, criminal misdemeanors are handled by inexperienced young attorneys looking to gain courtroom experience, and mentoring by judges along the way. Being an experienced politician, as well as an experienced attorney I would have thought he'd be working on other more complex matters. But I can understand how that might not be the case with the 720 hour limitation for provisional employees.— September 6, 2017 8:35 a.m.
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
As defined by "your dictionary": Double dipping is defined as the act of getting compensation from two divisions of the same employer or putting food into a dip for a second time after it has already been bitten. An example of double dipping is to receive a pension as a retired military officer while working for the government as a civilian. While it may be a misnomer, double dipping, getting a pension and a concurrent salary from the city is frowned upon by many, and a commonly accepted terminology in today's context. The city actually has an Ordinace which limits those who receive a pension from collecting more than 720 hours of pay even when there is more than sufficient money and work available. There also is a carve out exception for politicians, and it was exploited by former Mayor Sanders, who at one point collected his full and substantial pension and Mayoral salary simultaneously.— September 6, 2017 7:50 a.m.
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
After reading Mr. Henderson's complaint (which wasn't done before my first comment above) I understand the situation better. Under state law Mr. Henderson is certainly entitled to unemployment benefits, yet the 2016 City Council has adopted a discriminatory ordinance which prohibits it by precluding future employment by a well qualified person. If Henderson brings a legal suit, rather than the complaint filed here and with the City's Risk Managemnt unit, I suspect he would ultimately prevail and the ordinance would be nullified. It may take the 10 years he wanted to work however. There lies the problem. Do you bite the hand that feeds you? Mr. Henderson says he wants or expects to work for another 10 years. He is also constrained, as a "provisional" employee to no more than 720 hours per year by a separate ordinance. And, he is precluded from the practice of law outside of the City Attorney's office by yet another regulation. His claim of discrimination based on his age, sex and race - old white guy - versus newly hired - young inexperience baby attorneys - has legs in my opinion. Maybe our new elected City Attorney Ms. Eliott should take notice and avoid the unnecessary litigation, negative press and costs to the taxpayers this claim will generate. Probably why he got you to write a story about a claim no one, in the general public, would ever know anything about. As a lawyer and recovering politician Mr. Henderson certainly has the knowledge and experience on how to handle his claim effectively. Sadly all of this seems to be unnecessary, but we haven't heard Ms. Elliott's side. I'm just wondering if she will shed some light on her decisions and actions in this matter? One thing we do know, Mr. Henderson had not received any negative criticism regarding his work product from his superiors. If he is correct, and this is about wage disparity and age discrimination I wish Mr. Henderson, and others affected by these terminations, success in this thoughtful claim against the City of San Diego.— September 6, 2017 7:13 a.m.
Up to 30 deputy city attorneys terminated
According to *TransparentCalifornia.com* Henderson is collecting his City pension and Deputy City Attorney salary simultaneous. He must have only been working a few hours each pay period as his attorney salary over the past several years only crossed the 25K threshold once, and that was in 2011. That equates to about 20 hours a month. His pension is less than $9,500 a year. Heck, Don, maybe Henderson is like you, never wants to stop producing. But I thought you frowned on government double dippers?— September 5, 2017 7:37 p.m.
Car theft the new "normal" in Normal Heights?
I admit it, I've done this too. Just loose change and it's always hidden from view. I leave there as a convenience for parking meters downtown as well as other areas. Typically I only need a few minutes of time and won't risk getting a $50 parking ticket. The sad part is technology used to make our live easier, is also perverted by some who have nothing better to do then to make others miserable.— September 5, 2017 4:24 p.m.
State wants $2615 from Barry Minkow
I hadn't heard or read that the film was or has been rescued. While I know Minkow was ripping off money to finance it, just wondering if he had ownership rights too? If so, AND, if it's ever released, it may (really wishful thinking) become a revenue source for Minkow's victims. I know, pennies on the dollar, if that. Or would be just another con job?— September 4, 2017 7:23 a.m.