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Is Proposition C Just a Green Light for Developers?
RE "The analysis of Prop C performed by the League of Women Voters says in part, '[Prop C] would provide that development of more than 1,900 dwelling units can proceed once the City Council approves a program to phase development in PHR and revises the Public Facilities Financing Plan for the community. Phased development would restrict building permits from being issued until the completion of community amenities and public facilities consistent with thresholds established in the City’s General Plan.'": I'm not knocking LWV -- they did their job on the analysis as seen above -- but thinking people have to wonder what the purchasers of those 1900 dwelling units are going to do for the rest of us by forcing us to use even less water and electricity for their sake while we get billed at higher rates for being "neighborly." With bond-issuance authority, they better plan on something big for the rest of us. It seems that via passage of Proposition C, PHR is set to become the sugar-daddy neighborhood of San Diego!— October 27, 2010 8:35 a.m.
More SDG&E Energy Rebates Coming?
RE "I think this is bad for our environment": There have been environmental concerns about natural gas storage and improper demolition of the NG storage facility in Lemon Grove that did result in federal criminal guilty verdicts in 2007. According to estimates by the US EPA, we are about half way through a 20-year wait for asbestos-related disease to appear around the old Encanto Gas Holder site. http://www.justice.gov/usao/cas/press/cas70713-SD…— October 27, 2010 7:19 a.m.
SEC: One Touchdown, One Fumble
A funny thought: I wonder how many search engines made a decision to categorize this blog post entitled "SEC: One Touchdown, One Fumble" as something about a college football recap... or maybe you are too cool for school!— October 27, 2010 2:41 a.m.
Public Unions Funding Almost Two-Thirds of Yes on D Campaign, Says Aguirre
RE "Gee, that would mean Kessler would walk off with $100 million in a year. Obviously, you are joking": I must've misplaced a decimal point! On the other hand, $100 million is what's being projected by the people who really, really want Proposition D to pass in the first place. Maybe we should take that with a grain of salt, especially if things are still looking like "no jobs = no sales" in the local retail outlook that we've been looking at for the near term. Still, the joke could be on us if KESSLER V. CITY OF SAN DIEGO makes it to trial, hiz honor loses hiz honor, and there are PUNITIVE damages beyond compensatory. I'm wondering if such additional damages can be awarded on the Court's own motion even if Kessler hasn't asked for it... especially in a whistle-blower matter as the Court has previously referred to it in tentative orders. If the compensatory were something like $1-10 million, then treble punitive would add $3-30 million, and a $40 million biggest bite out of $100 million projected as the first year's Prop. D revenues would not look so pretty for all the effort that public employees seem to be putting into passage. Surfpuppy has a point about suing to recover from hiz honor without honor (assuming no settlement but a loss at trial), but I don't know that this Defendant has what it takes to pay back what his mistakes may be taking from us in the first place. IF our City Attorney can see a $40 million payday for Kessler, THEN maybe a first settlement offer could be in the $20 million range? Some crazy things can happen in court, especially when one leads with a summary judgment motion like the one that just flopped on all points. I wonder if any of this is being bandied about at the community budget forums...— October 27, 2010 2:06 a.m.
SEC: One Touchdown, One Fumble
We await the outcome of the Presto criminal contempt matter, and I a personally glad all of the city job titles list above were prefaced with "former". You'd think that the settlement terms of admitting negligence just might be a bond rating factor. I wonder if the voters realize that the timing of the settlement and the potential impact on the city's general obligations... oh never mind. I'm sure you are already sketching out a future feature on that topic.— October 27, 2010 1:27 a.m.
None
RE #18: Seems like you called this one. It is remarkable that Kevin A. Williams cites so much about the prevailing party in what would be a rough venue to prevail in, yet he still chose to do business with her by approaching her through an intermediary with an offer of service. Partial "smell test" time: Either Williams, sophisticated enough to raise megabucks, was taken in by Campbell's acceptance of his offered services OR Williams has just given us two out-effing-standing examples of the quality of his own due diligence that led to the arbitrator's finding. After this, I wonder how much an attorney would charge him to even consider some sort of appeal. Maybe there's an offer coming of some serious megabucks in it for us to "forget" this comment thread? My Baby needs a new pair of shoes... and a trip to Paris to buy them.— October 26, 2010 8:37 p.m.
Update San Diego, 10/25/2010
To get away from sugar, try something made out of stevia. Doing very little exercise and replacing nearly all of my sugar consumption with liquid stevia extract or powdered stevia, I've lost fifty pounds and am holding at about 205 or less right now. Stevia means I can still enjoy a large ice tea on a warm to hot San Diego afternoon. The only reason I add maybe half a teaspoon of sugar to a cup of stevia-sweetened coffee is because of that distinctive sugar taste... Stevia stops me from worrying about my diabetes. With enlarged major arteries around the heart, 20+ blockages in the nearby arteries less that 2 mm in diameter, and a right coronary artery aneurysm that cardiologists say eliminates open heart surgery as an option, why worry about diabetes after having a first heart attack at 39? Or another one not even worth going to the hospital for only two months ago? I've got no relevant comment on breast cancer except that my youngest sister has had all of her hair back for years now.— October 26, 2010 2:33 p.m.
"T4M"
Never in my wildest toad-lickings could I have imagined that as a young datamason in the early 1970s, the silly computer dating programs we were working on then would one day end up becoming a motivation for you writing "T4M". All we were trying to do was sort stacks of hole-punched computer cards into even more, smaller stacks of computer cards. That's about as un-sexy as one could get, I would think... and the height of computer porn back then was "Sex Life of an Electron." If you've had a Physics course or Basic Electricity: https://www.msu.edu/user/dynicrai/physics/esex.htm And now? I agree with the Surf Pup. Where's the Clorox eyewash? The fact that people are still reading and commenting here speaks to the powerful nature of the topic you wrote of.— October 26, 2010 2:13 p.m.
Public Unions Funding Almost Two-Thirds of Yes on D Campaign, Says Aguirre
I'm pretty much convinced that all Proposition D revenue, IF it passes, will just visit the general fund briefly before leaving in the form of a check for Superior Court sanctions and/or damages in KESSLER V. CITY OF SAN DIEGO. Sorry, police officers, firefighters, and other municipal employees. All you are doing is fighting the rear guard action as the Mayor's Office marches off the field under its extended-discovery white flag while some of our city council members ponder the real meaning of "debt servicing", "public willingness to repay general obligations" and "negative rating factors" on the sidelines... You should have all been undisclosed consultants for SEDC instead. There are no complaints from any of them about what they've been getting paid, and some of them got some serious discounts on gently-used low-income housing.— October 26, 2010 12:58 p.m.
San Diego Home Prices Drop in August
RE "Home values in San Diego County dropped 0.6% in August from July.... San Diego values are down 34.5% from their November 2005 peak" and "Jobs make the economic cycle go round, w/o them there is nothing": More negative bond rating factors for the City of San Diego's AA- general obligation rating. It is not unreasonable to see the cost of San Diego debt servicing creep up with higher interest rates on potentially lower-rated bonds. Hopefully that October 11 Fitch Ratings training for San Diego city council members didn't go in one ear and out another.— October 26, 2010 9:58 a.m.