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Cars end up on Pacific and Mission Beach boardwalk
So, there are no physical barriers that prevent full-size cars and trucks from accessing the boardwalk? They should be mandatory. Sounds like the slobberin' city just can't make things work right. As far as Zonie drivers, they do seem to be scofflaws much of the time. The fastest car out on I-8 usually has Arizona plates, and they come across as ultra-aggressive in town, which is saying a lot, compared to local drivers. I guess if you are from Arizona, San Diego is the place where anything goes.— March 2, 2019 9:37 a.m.
Linda Vista's Skate World, you're fine, now go away
Adding more big box retailing is so foolish. Around the nation there is a massive oversupply of retail space and that explains all the vacant space in centers and along the streets. The trend is in the opposite direction. Another story today describes a push to remodel Clairemont Square and put in housing. That at least fits in with reality of present and future retailing. Leave the rink right where it is!— March 2, 2019 8:56 a.m.
Secrecy cloaks SDSU's Mission Valley land deal
The reasoning behind excluding the city council from the negotiations is a direct result of this "strong mayor" form of government that was voted in not-so-long ago. One of the justifications for adopting it was that it enables quicker action and bolder solutions. All true if the mayor is really strong and looking out for the city and the taxpayers and gets the best deals possible. Mr. Empty Suit is incapable of any such vision, and now has his eye on the exit door when he terms out. So, if he can strike a deal it will be the best deal he can get for himself, residents be damned. I am surprised that the CSU system seems so eager to pull this off, if indeed it is. Tearing down a perfectly good existing stadium to build a new, small one is an egregious waste of resources. We know that the SDSU administration was all for this, and that was predictable. The system, with its twenty-plus campuses, has plenty of other demands for growth, and has a balancing act to perform. Personally, I'd much rather see CSU put the funds into getting a new campus going in So County.— March 2, 2019 8:44 a.m.
Clairemont still waits for Trader Joe's
Self-checkout makes me crazy. The equipment has so many "safeguards" built in to it that it is almost impossible to avoid doing something that locks the process. Then the attendant has to come over and enter a 12-digit code into the unit to unlock it. At Home Depot, that huge store will usually have only one staffed checkout open. The justification for it is that the store can operate more efficiently if it can put its payroll elsewhere. But clever rip-off artists can steal them blind with all the tricks that Ponzi lists above. It is a sad commentary that such a corporation finds it cheaper--or so they think--to absorb shoplifting rather than to have a tighter method of checkout. There was a reason that supermarkets and those with supermarket-style checkout did it the way they did. It worked and was the only way to avoid just letting the "customers" walk out the door unchallenged. I do find it surprising the Costco is doing it, even with their exit security checks. Maybe it doesn't represent a decision to adopt self-checkout, but rather a test.— March 2, 2019 7:37 a.m.
San Diego County prepping radical vote counting change
Good comments all. I've never understood the big thrill about mail balloting. It should be available for those who need it, but for those who do not the way to vote should be at the neighborhood polling place. Some states, and I think Oregon is one of those, want to do it and get rid of polling places altogether. But as soon as that is done, there is an authentication problem, with ridiculous signature verifications. (As though voter signatures cannot be forged or otherwise falsified.) Now on election night the counts that come in are woefully incomplete due to all the mail ballots and others that cannot be tallied at the precinct polling place and quickly reported. I'd advise some caution about adopting monahan's suggestion; just because that seems to "work" for Mexico doesn't mean it is secure or honest. The PRI rigged the vote in that country for decades, and it was only in the election that put Vicente Fox in the president's chair that the vote wasn't massively doctored. We should know better than to emulate anything done south-of-the-border.— February 28, 2019 4:22 p.m.
Clairemont still waits for Trader Joe's
While I don't know details, I doubt that the unionized supers, which are now Von's, Ralphs, Albertson's, Stater Brothers and Food for Less, pay that much to a full time worker on the floor. Then we can only speculate what the non-union supers such as Sprouts, Grocery Outlet, Smart & Final, etc. pay. It's surely going to be less than the unionized operations.— February 27, 2019 11:05 a.m.
Poway loves its old people
Does anyone else have a problem with the idea of highly-affluent Poway not having the funds to provide its seniors with a decent center and place to have a meal? Is it that most of the elders in that city are so well off that they don't need or want such a spot? I doubt that. No, the situation is a matter of priorities, although I cannot imagine what has a claim on the city resources. Poway should be ashamed if itself.— February 25, 2019 8:29 p.m.
Clairemont still waits for Trader Joe's
I love it! "Vonbertson's" Maybe they'll call themselves that, and you can claim to have coined the name and get a big payoff. (Or more likely, not.)— February 24, 2019 6:23 p.m.
Clairemont still waits for Trader Joe's
Odd you should mention that, because a very long time ago I was in a Price Club store trying to buy a single item, a heavy-duty 3/8 inch Skil electric drill. I had to wait for two customers with full carts (and $100-plus totals) ahead of me. So, I asked the cashier why they didn't have an express or quick check out lane. Her (non)answer was that it was a warehouse, not a store (?) and that warehouses didn't have such things. IOW she had no idea why. But making it easy to run in and grab a few items and scoot out the door isn't what they want. No, once you are in there, you might as well cruise the aisles and pick up several this's and that's that you had no intention to look at, much less buy. Oh yeah, they are very clever operators, and that's the reason for their success.— February 24, 2019 5:52 p.m.
Clairemont still waits for Trader Joe's
Very interesting stats, Ponz. That's a measurement of efficiency of the building itself. The parking is another matter entirely, and more space and easier access would make the experience more inviting. Do ya' think that might bring in more customers and with more frequency? I do. I forgot that the worst of their parking lots that I've ever experienced is at the Scripps Ranch TJ's, just off Mira Mesa Blvd. Driving in there can be scary. And scary isn't encouraging trade. Well, we cannot argue with success, can we?— February 24, 2019 9:52 a.m.