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SD homebuilding still in the dumps
Back in the day, when we moved to Vista, my job was in Encinitas. Many or most of the locals work closer than central San Diego. There is a huge amount of land devoted to commercial/industrial activity in Carlsbad and Vista; San Marcos has plenty of such activity, as does Escondido. So it all depends upon where you work.— August 15, 2018 6:48 a.m.
SD homebuilding still in the dumps
Don't forget that many of the condo complexes started out as apartments. The big deal in the 80's and 90's was "condo conversion" where they took apartments off the rental market, did some minimal fix up, and sold them. The whole process was messy and often unsatisfactory. Yes, many of the units were sold to those who didn't want to live in them, but who put them back on the rental market. It happened with a good-looking complex close-by the stadium that had been built in the late 60's. But having lived there for a short time, I knew that buyers would be disappointed.— August 15, 2018 6:45 a.m.
SD homebuilding still in the dumps
This is all probably true, but it's also history. My observations are that there is a real housing building boom going on here in No County. It isn't houses that are being built; it is apartments or townhouses or whatever you want to call them. In Carlsbad, along 78, we see a huge development going in just west of College Blvd. They're packing them in with a vengeance. I see similar developments starting all around Vista, and in Oceanside, too. In Carlsbad, I doubt that if Mayor-for-Life "Big Bad Bud" Lewis were still around you would see those high-density projects going up. He didn't like big-box retailing, and after the Price Club/Costco was built about 1990, there wasn't another one anywhere in the growing city until Kim-il-Bud was out of office. I digress. In addition to the units being built in those cities I mentioned, San Marcos is on a tear with many, many more, and Escondido isn't far behind. At least in this part of the county, there is plenty of housing under construction--maybe even more than is needed.— August 14, 2018 7:39 p.m.
Accused of hurting dogs, $1 million bail
There is one utterly bizarre aspect to this case. He wrote a check for $1 million to cover the full amount of his bail. And it was written, apparently, on his own account at a credit union. Even the richest folks will use bail bondsmen to make bail, or will encumber a costly piece of real estate (supposedly worth far more than the bail amount) to cover the bond. Somehow this mystery man has a cool mil in cash laying around at the credit union? Hey, strange stuff goes down, but this one has me scratching my head for sure.— August 13, 2018 5:27 p.m.
So much for the McDonald's double drive-thru
Over the past two years, all these burger joints, taco joints, etc. are getting much busier, especially around lunch time. We're told the economy is booming, and folks just don't wanna pack a cold lunch like they did when they didn't feel so flush. And so these drive-thru lanes are packed and backed up. In this case, if Mickey's wanted to make it work right, there would be a traffic monitor out there making sure that the flow was going as designed. In-n-Out, with a business volume that most other operations can only dream of, has space to stack the cars--usually--and they put the order-taker out in the line. That makes it move, if not rapidly, at least steadily. Chick-fil-A is getting highly popular, and their stores are now becoming hard-to-access by drive-thru due to long lines. Prosperity can have its drawbacks, and long waits at popular spots is one of them. If you hope for shorter lines and shorter waits, the next time the economy tanks you will get your wish.— August 13, 2018 5:16 p.m.
7-Eleven store in North Park shuts down suddenly
I don't doubt that franchisors tend to stack the deck in favor of themselves. There have even been rebellions, one of them locally a couple decades ago, by McDonald's franchisees. (No, they are not all licenses to print money.) My take would be that 7-Elevens tend to do best in more affluent areas. University Avenue in North Park isn't affluent at all. Where people are mostly interested in quick gratification and are not price conscious they will dart into a 7-Eleven. Add in the shoplifting and the grab-and-run larcenies, and you have a problem. Maybe a large and nasty-looking bouncer type of of security guard could stop much or most of the rip-offs, but then you have to pay him or her a decent wage, and there goes more of the profit margin. With no support or backup from he SDPD, and I'm sure that is the case, the easiest way out was to just quit, close it up, and leave.— August 10, 2018 8:49 p.m.
Accused of hurting dogs, $1 million bail
So this case is FINALLY going to trial. Or will it be delayed once again? So many of the scheduled trials are put off and put off again and again. We'll see.— August 10, 2018 6 p.m.
What it takes to fill a pothole
While I haven't driven on them recently, there were two streets in the northern part of the city that were very bad. One was Poway Road between I-15 and the Poway city limits--that's Sabre Springs and I suppose Rancho Bernardo. The other one is Pomerado Road north of Rancho Bernardo Road up to the connection with I-15 at Lake Hodges. Both were rough and badly broken and in dire need of resurfacing. The real disgrace, one that was mentioned, was San Pasqual Road leading from I-15 out to near the Safari Park. It is the route that most tourists (and locals too) take to access the Park. It was horribly broken up which adds insult to injury in that it is also too narrow and far too curvy for a key thoroughfare. Driving on it a week ago, I was pleased to see how smooth it was. But that's all that was done; still very narrow and a few of the curves are real hazards, especially with all the tourists using it. Santacroce comes off like a typical SD city bureaucrat; his claim that he's unaffected by political considerations and pressure is a real hoot. Of course the city council has influence! Kev-boy, the weak "strong" mayor, has to do some wheeling and dealing to get votes from the council.— August 10, 2018 8:45 a.m.
Filner's name defaced on Ingraham St. bridge
Plaques like that are an ego trip for those who have their names on them, and a way to keep name recognition in further elections. If you think about them, they should be offensive, and are utterly unnecessary.— August 10, 2018 7:29 a.m.
Smog checks come to San Diego
The story is missing some details. If this is all voluntary, what is the point of doing it? Not all vehicles in the state are subject to Smog Check, depending on where they are registered, for those that are, no further checking should be necessary. I thought the Bureau of Auto Repair was established to keep crooked repair shops from victimizing the public. But it is now gathering data for some vague purpose. Know what I think? It's just another state bureaucracy that exists to provide jobs, and probably overpaid jobs at that. IOW, a waste of tax dollars.— August 10, 2018 7:25 a.m.