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
Alliant University's San Diego campus could be sold
Its definitely troubling that Sweetwater and Ed Brand worked so hard to strike a deal with Alliant. We knew this school and its troubled past were not a good fit for our District. Luckily, all but the 20 or so students that were suckered into Alliant knew better. Now, more troubling news on Alliant. I wonder if that knucklehead Ed Brand will continue to work so hard for our district kids to attend Alliant!!— October 16, 2013 7:46 p.m.
Sweetwater school board questions funds for investigators
LaLucha, whatever you do, DO NOT load or use the district email on your personal computer. If you do, this will allow Brands investigators to look at the content of your computer. The MADMAN is on a witch hunt and is trying to bully and intimidate you. You are not legally required to do this, so do not do it!!! Again, this type of action by Ed Brand is an outrage!!— September 26, 2013 8:01 a.m.
National City Planning Commission prodded to decide on making space for Alliant Int'l University
And as the obfuscation of funds continues at the district level, school sites are suffering! Case in point - Eastlake High. The lack of maintenance and overall poor appearance of the school is embarrasing. The grounds and classrooms are dirty, the technology is old and dated, the dirt patches are ugly, etc, etc. ; there are about a dozen roving teachers without classrooms - they borrow a prep period teachers class, then move on to the next; kids have to walk through a parking lot to get to their portable classrooms, and because its so crowded, more portables are on the way; classes with 40-50 kids; confirmation that due to increased charges by the district for transportation, the school wont be able to pay for busses after the first semester; coaches and ultimately kids, may have to pay for using the school facilities when their season is not in session. How does this happen at a school in a community where the ASB fund has over $700,000, and we pay into a mello roos fund that at one point had over $180 million in it? Its because district leadership is taking money from mello roos for things outside the intent and purpose of this fund. The mello roos fund is down to $78 million!! Its because the district taps into the schools' ASB fund for other purposes! Its because Jim Cartmill, Arlie Ricasa, John McCann, Pearl Quinones and Bertha Lopez have allowed Ed Brand to do what and how he pleases with no oversight!!— August 20, 2013 3:57 p.m.
Alliant University leaves Sweetwater school district property in National City…sets up at Southwestern College?
Sjtorres, good question. Many speculate that the district is being kept solvent with the $180 million mello roos fund. See, the district can legally borrow from this fund through an intra fund transfer, as long as they repay it with interest. The problem is that the 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' syndrome this district practices is slowly crumbling. On another note, word is that Eastlake High is in shambles due to overcrowding. There are about 13 teachers without a classroom, and they are scrambling from period to period to set up class. They have to haul their lesson plans around, technology does not work, classes overcrowded, etc. In this teachers words, the quality of his instrruction stinks, and the students are suffering as a result. At Eastlake Middle, they are still scrambling at week 4 to balance class sizes as they had about 400 more students enroll than expected. Keep in mind, these are our Distinguished Schools! Many thanks to the teachers who, in spite of poor leadership and vision by the Superintendent and Trustees, keep the wheels on this poorly run district!!— August 12, 2013 7:35 a.m.
None
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/aug/1…— August 10, 2013 4:58 p.m.
Damned Yankees or damned steroids
David, although I dont disagree with your analysis, the fact is likely that the players will accept deals because they know they used banned substances! They cheated, and they dont want to compound that by lying too (except maybe that bum ARoid!). Although Selig may strategically be trying the rankle the union, they are smart enough as well to recommend the players to accept deals. The facts is, we the public dont like our professional athletes juiced on illegal substances (while they are on the field anyways). Bottom line, professional sports is big money business, and MLB needs to keep the commodity (players) clean and honest because these guys and their union cant do it themselves!!— August 2, 2013 12:09 p.m.
What am I doing in Eastlake?
Wow, I'm not sure if i should be mad at Ms. Salaam or if i should thank her! I have lived in Eastlake since 1997. My wife and i have raised 3 children in this area. Both my wife and i grew up in the South Bay. If you value safe neighborhoods, great schools, affordable and beautiful homes, diversity, city close but quiet country living, the beach 25 minutes away, Jamul 15 minutes, great shopping, 20 minutes away from downtown, and only one homeless man in the entire area, then this is the place for you!! Ms. Salaam, if you prefer North Park (where i lived for 2 years), or other similar areas, I'm sure you would complain of the traffic, noise, homelessness, dirtiness, diversity, high home prices for only 950 square feet, etc., etc. Each neighborhood has its good and bad. Eastlake is no different. But it is a pretty fantastic place to live!!— July 31, 2013 11:35 p.m.
South Bay’s most expensive, most mysterious property
Burwell, but thats the point! Wouldnt be the first in that neighborhood ...— July 29, 2013 10:12 a.m.
Week in review: Sweetwater Union High School District
I also have to agree on the above takes on Mayor Cox. It has been frustrating that our own City of Chula Vista leaders ( city council and mayor) have refused to publicly acknowledge a problem at Sweetwater. Why is that? Because they likely value their political will over that of the Sweetwater community's will. We certainly dont need another superintendent that values their will over that of the populace.— June 30, 2013 11:24 a.m.
Sweetwater runs afoul of state Public Records Act
Thanks. Am open to other suggestions and will pass them along.— June 28, 2013 4:20 p.m.