Comments by laplayaheritage | San Diego Reader

laplayaheritage

Proposition 47 a culprit in increase of burglaries?

As seen on the Regional Taskforce for the Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count for January 2016, Homelessness went down -0.6% in the County of San Diego overall, and -8.0% within the City of San Diego. http://tinyurl.com/20160502b With Mayor Faulconer's constant Homeless sweeps and harassment, it looks like Homeless citizens that use to live within the City of San Diego limits, have moved to the North County Coastal Areas which includes Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside where Homelessness increased by +38.2% this year. Huge problem of moving the Homeless around the County through Police intimidation instead of solutions. http://tinyurl.com/20160502a
— May 20, 2016 5 p.m.

Who's ready to hit the urban trail?

Great news. The City of San Diego has over $76,332,000 Hoarded in Cash Reserve Fund Balances in SANDAG TransNet funding [=$57,827,000 Budgeted + $18,505,000 Unbudgeted] in SANDAG and City Bank Accounts. See Pages 246-250 of the City's FY-2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the available $76.3 million in SANDAG TransNet Cash Reserves. http://tinyurl.com/20150630a By SANDAG TransNet law the maximum Cash Reserve Fund Balances is 30% of the City of San Diego's annual Revenue from Sales Tax of $28.9 million or $8.67 million maximum in unused Cash Reserves. SANDAG Board Policy 31 TransNet Ordinance and Expenditure Plan. Rule 17 Fiscal and Compliance Audits. Section IV. Local Agency Balance Limitations. See Page 11. http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid… Based on annual audits from the Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee (ITOC), a City that maintains a balance of more than 30 percent of its annual apportionment (after debt service payments) must use the remaining balance to fund projects. ITOC reports do not make it clear that San Diego is in constant violation of Board Policy 31, Rule 17, Section 4, Local Balance Limitations by Hoarding Cash Reserves in Fund Balances. In theory, SANDAG will defer payment until the recipient agency’s Director of Finance, or equivalent, submits to SANDAG a certification that the unused balance has fallen below the 30 percent threshold, and will remain below the threshold until such time that a new threshold is determined. However this law has never been enforced. "IV. Local Agency Balance Limitations Based on the audit, an agency that maintains a balance of more than 30 percent of its annual apportionment (after debt service payments) must use the remaining balance to fund projects. SANDAG will defer payment until the recipient agency’s Director of Finance, or equivalent, submits to SANDAG a certification that the unused balance has fallen below the 30 percent threshold, and will remain below the threshold until such time that a new threshold is determined."
— May 20, 2016 4:24 p.m.

Neil Good Day Center plans to move

Great news for an on-campus SVDP Adult Day Center at the Mosaic Church. More resources are always needed. Hopefully for safety reasons, SVDP can get more money to keep the Day Center open longer, and allow Homeless to camp on the property at night. However, the new SVDP location at 14th and Imperial should be in addition to the existing Neil Good Day Center (NGDC) location on State Caltrans property on 17th Street due to the large Unsheltered Homeless population. In the FY-2017 Budget, Mayor Faulconer has finally put $500,000 into rehabbing the old NGDC using Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for use as a Police Substation and extra offices for the Downtown Partnership's Clean and Safe Program. However, the State Street and Highway Code Section 104.18 requires the Caltrans property to be used exclusively for Homeless Emergency Shelter, Homeless feeding programs, or Child Care. Not for City functions or Non-Profits, not associated with helping Homeless San Diegans or children. Solution: Move current day center operations to the SVDP Campus. Rehab the existing NGDC building with office space for the Police Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and Downtown Partnership's Clean and Safe Program. Then Share the State Caltrans property that exists because of the Homeless, with the Homeless. Win-win-win.
— May 14, 2016 6:20 p.m.

SDG&E undergrounding case goes to court..next year

Solution: Undergrounding is considered a Transmission CIP Infrastructure project. Similar the the expensive, multi-billion, profitable but unnessesary Sunrise Powerlink, the City of San Diego and SDG&E can create Public Utility Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) for Power Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure projects countywide. Allowing complete and safe street by undergrounding all Public and Private Utilities in San Diego. The current PUC Process can be used after approved of new Capital Improvement Program, paid by SDG&E, by increasing electric rates, with guaranteed profits, By State law all CIP projects are required to include Construction Start and Completion dates for each neighborhood improvement. SDG&E was guaranteed more than 11%+ [Not sure the exact Guaranteed] Profit Margin on Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) and Neighborhood infrastructure sustainability, including Replacement of Electric Poles in fire prone areas in the back county, from wood to steel. http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/media-arc… "In contrast to power plants, says Shames, “transmission lines, once they’re up, they’re rate-based, and it’s 40 years’ guaranteed profit. They’re easier to build, easier to maintain, and things can’t go wrong as easily. The profit on them is huge, because the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sets a higher profit margin for them than for power plants."
— May 14, 2016 12:51 a.m.

Show us the numbers, Civic San Diego

Agreed. However City Attorney Jan Goldsmith stated he will sue individuals who file frivolous complaints. And if Goldsmith wins, he goes after individuals for the City's excessive Legal Fees. Therefore, individual citizens should not sue the City, and should try to get non-profits with little assets to sue instead. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Bob-Filner-… For example, in the lawsuit from Park and Recreation Employee Stacy McKenzie against former Mayor Filner which was lost, the City Attorney stated he will go after the Ms. McKenzie for his legal costs. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Bob-Filner-… The easier solution would be for the City Council to do their Fiduciary duty and not approve the annual CAFR without complete financial information. With SB-107 approved in September 2016, the County Auditor Controller (CAC) is tasked with Auditing the City of San Diego Successor Agency/LMIHAF.
— May 12, 2016 10:39 a.m.

Show us the numbers, Civic San Diego

To any elected San Diego Official: Please request a State Audit by the Department of Finance (DOF) for the Successor Agency (SA) and Low Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund (LMIHAF). Both Controlled by the private Civic San Diego. http://tinyurl.com/20160420b http://sandiegofreepress.org/2016/04/is-affordabl… http://sandiegofreepress.org/2016/04/is-affordabl… http://sandiegofreepress.org/2016/05/is-affordabl…
— May 4, 2016 12:19 p.m.

San Diego cops a deal for online espionage

In San Diego as part of Emergency Response. http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Can-You-Mak… San Diego County and San Diego State University (SDSU) recently formed a partnership to research and develop a new social media-based platform for disseminating emergency warnings to citizens. The project aims to allow San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) to spread disaster messages and distress calls quickly and to targeted geographic locations, even when traditional channels such as phone systems and radio stations are overwhelmed.
— April 15, 2016 2:49 p.m.

Old Barrio Logan library not up for grabs

The Barrio Logan Library is located within an Enterprise Zone, and by law should have never been put forth for sale without first giving local non-profits first dibs at lease or sale. http://tinyurl.com/20160210a See Page 5 for Government Code Section 54222(d). Section 54222(d). "A written offer to sell or lease for enterprise zone purposes any surplus property in an area designated as an enterprise zone pursuant to Section 7073 shall be sent to the nonprofit neighborhood enterprise association corporation in that zone."
— March 25, 2016 8:32 a.m.

Wrecking ball to swing past Truax House?

http://sandiegofreepress.org/2016/02/hide-and-see… State law Government Code Section 54220-54233 Surplus Land says the City, County, Schoosl, or local District, should give priority to purchase or lease Surplus Land specifically for Affordable Housing, Open Space, and Parks before selling the public property to the highest bidder. State law allows less than Market value for public benefits. Attached below is the link for SGLU Items 3 and 4, including State law on Surplus Property, and several City Council Policies. The public has 60 days to turn in their objections and plan for use of the 6 properties. http://tinyurl.com/20160210a
— February 10, 2016 11:27 a.m.