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Ex-Charger set for $1.35 million city payout in police brutality case
And you say that because? A federal judge decided that the city and cops lacked any sort of defense like that.— April 27, 2021 9:24 a.m.
Ex-Charger set for $1.35 million city payout in police brutality case
While I prefer to see the police as protectors of us all, and the thin blue line, incidents like this one get to me. What they did to him could have been done to anyone for any reason at any time. The whim of a couple cops led to serious injury, and yet the SDPD seldom sees any fallout from these incidents. The cops walk free--and are likely still employed--and the taxpayers pay. That liability fund isn't free money; those are real dollars that could have been spent repairing SD's disgraceful streets and other public amenities. The city simply cannot afford this sort of thing, meaning it cannot afford the sort of policing that it now has. Sumpin's gotta give, but I don't hold out much hope that it will be for the better.— April 27, 2021 9:22 a.m.
The largest residence of Alvarado Estates
A forty foot ceiling is really, really high, folks. And from the outside, even if the place has only one story, has to look as if it is three or four stories tall. KInd of runs against the notion of keeping the houses low slung, doesn't it? I've lived in the county for fifty years, and I have no recollection of this area, or of having heard anything about it before, And yet, it's cheek-to-jowl with the SDSU campus. Surprising that it can remain so inconspicuous in such a central location, but then, the world is full of surprises.— April 23, 2021 4:26 p.m.
Disclosure-shy developers draw hand-slap ethics fine
With little publicity surrounding this action, few SD voters will know that their votes are being influenced by out-of-town interests. Those interests have little concern about the issues, because they hope to profit from the sort of thing that would be built with the funds generated. SD voters would be well advised to vote to reject any and all such tax boosts. Too often they raise funds for wasteful projects that actually harm the locals, rather than helping them. And nobody should ever forget that SD can waste money with the best of 'em, all the while crying poor mouth.— April 20, 2021 3 p.m.
Union-Tribune's new voice from the north is Soon-Shiong's daughter
Don't you wonder about this dude? He comes to the US and soon accumulates wealth beyond the imagination of most of us, enough to overpay for the Times and other papers. (He shelled out a half billion bucks.) And now he complains about racism in the US. If he actually experienced any such unfair treatment, it didn't prevent his becoming a billionaire. "[C]ompletely disenchanted" is he? I'd say it's time for him to leave and find some country that isn't recist. Good luck with that.— April 6, 2021 6:09 a.m.
Exec’s talk fuels more rumors of Union-Tribune's doom
You are probably correct. The product I get in my driveway in the am is a pathetic excuse of a big city paper. Yeah, we still subscribe, but it is like watching a loved one waste away and die. (Not that we ever "loved" the rag.)— April 2, 2021 5:57 p.m.
Valley Farm is the market every neighborhood should have
Since no one else has posted a comment, I will. Yes, stores like that one, family owned and operated, can do great things if they choose that approach. But it is a huge amount of work that is required to make it go, and anyone who runs an operation like that is in danger of burnout. Too often there isn't a smooth handoff from one generation to the next, and good operations just end up folding, in that the owners just cannot find a buyer. Never mind that it is a going concern that a buyer could take over. Valley Farm is a sort of urban legend, and I'm acquainted with some who live in Spring Valley and environs. If/when it becomes necessary to pass the torch, such an operation should survive. I wish them well, and plenty of prosperity.— March 30, 2021 8:48 a.m.
Exec’s talk fuels more rumors of Union-Tribune's doom
All the talk of hiring a new editor for the combined papers is a distraction from the real issues that were also mentioned. Ad revenue for papers in general is in a free fall, with the old and traditional newspaper advertisers abandoning them, and little is coming along to replace them. One big "cash cow" for papers was classified advertising, a feature of publishing that wasn't glamorous or eye-catching, but necessary and most profitable. For most papers, that is just about gone. So, who they hire to edit the shrinking papers isn't going to make much difference at all. He/she won't bring back the readers and subscribers, and won't bring back the advertisers and their revenue. Sort of like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, don't you think?— March 30, 2021 8:37 a.m.
Can Edco get San Diego to cut food waste in half?
It is a recognized fact that there is tremendous waste in the food supply system. Fresh produce is wasted massively between what is grown, and what is actually eaten. At every step along the way much of it is discarded, starting in the field, in the packing shed, in the produce warehouses, in the backrooms of retail stores, and finally in the home. If folks didn't overbuy perishables, there would be far less in the trash system, and a smaller problem of where to put it all. But our ideas of living standards demands that our food be ultra-fresh (or at least look that way) and discarded if not eaten quickly. Leftovers? What's wrong with them? Nuthin'. But not cooking or preparing too much to be eaten is the best way to handle incipient leftovers. Saves money, too. Some thought and some discipline at the store and in the kitchen could render this new way of getting rid of wasted food moot. It simply would not be needed. Ahh, but we are such wonderful producers of food in excess of what is needed that it will never happen.— March 28, 2021 9:25 a.m.
As San Diego county dodged minimum wage, elderly suffered
While I'm not sure I buy into those hourly rates that are in that model, the cost of living isn't low anywhere in the state now, except for a few rural backwater areas. The big cities are expensive, and SD is right up there. Housing is a major factor, but getting around with a car is costly (87 octane regular at $4 a gallon) and medical care or a trip to the dentist can be shockingly high. So, this program isn't really serving those who it is intended to help due to infrequent visits. But if the hourly rates were increased, there would be fewer dollars to spread around, and even fewer hours worked. Sort of a trap isn't it, unless the counties add to the pot. This reminds me of substitute teacher pay some years back. It wasn't something anyone could depend upon for any sort of living wage. Seasonal to the max, around 2000 most districts were paying about $80 a day, and complaining that they couldn't afford any more. Ahh, but the districts were paying their superintendents $200K up--most more than that--and the next layer down wasn't hurting either. School principals were well into six figures. But were they all that smart and capable? Hah! Many of those administrators couldn't have successfully run a hot dog stand. So, the folks in the trenches were on short rations while the clowns who ran the schools were sitting pretty as they went along, and could look forward to a luxurious retirement check. Let's hear it for government bureaucracies.— March 22, 2021 8:30 a.m.