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Pelosi rules San Diego campaign cash war
It's always good to read these lists of Big Funders because they alleviate personal guilt for not giving to worthy causes like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and, on the GOP side, they introduce me to names I've never heard before like, well, everyone mentioned.— May 17, 2019 1:59 p.m.
Toni Atkins seeks speechwriter to crank up the volume
If the legislative aide is smart and has a helpful or informative reply, I am fine with that. Try writing to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on any issue. Her (office's) response will apply to your specific question, request or position as well as include her own position, a context for pending legislation, likelihood of a bill's passage and prospects for alternative approaches. It is a mini-education on statecraft. She never uses her franking privilege just to thank you for writing. For this attention to business, I am impressed and grateful.— May 11, 2019 12:01 p.m.
Toni Atkins seeks speechwriter to crank up the volume
An amazing roster of well-paid helper-elves for my State Senator. Presumably we constituents get a reasonable return on this investment (regressive gas tax excluded.) Often Sacramento aides are experts in their particular areas (maybe like Christopher Woods is said to be) and they are often much smarter than their bosses. Whatever works. I sure would like to see a similar rundown on the amount of staff and staff salaries attached to our esteemed City Council members.— May 10, 2019 2:20 p.m.
Donovan prisoners taught manners
A wonderful story about teaching people ways to feel comfortable and confident, to fit in and get along, even if they're in prison. (These same social skills could be taught in junior high schools.) I don't know about the "CEO" or "entrepreneur" labels, but such classes fill a very human need. Kudos to maestra Kymberli Parker for her good work.— May 10, 2019 2:01 p.m.
Georgette Gomez – errand girl for San Diego hotels
Disappointing that Councilmember Georgette Gomez backtracked on what had seemed a principled position on City Council's setting ballot votes for November elections when there is larger voter turnout. Gomez was solid for November when Soccer City folks wanted a springtime vote, but now she's become seasonally flexible for developer friends of the Mayor's ballot on Convention Center expansion. Disgusting that Gomez is taking money for her "personal legal defense fund,"set up to pay off past campaign irregularities, from people who stand to gain from her votes on the Council. Count me turned off and disillusioned.— May 9, 2019 6:46 p.m.
SDSU profs fight cuts to humanities
The same "school-to-career pathway" is also eroding the curriculum at San Diego Unified School District's flagship public college preparatory La Jolla High School, once an academic rival to neighboring private Bishop's School. This March it was quietly noted in a crowded online school bulletin that La Jolla High will entirely drop a longstanding 9th Grade World History elective beginning next Fall. The class was said to be "redundant" and might be taken "later on." But not in 9th Grade anymore. Alternative credit-bearing "electives" for freshmen at La Jolla High will include Associated Student Body (ASB) where young politicians work on "school spirit;" a pathway "Bio-Med" class which is neither biology nor medicine, but ends with brief exposure to related work environments; and other less foundational courses. La Jolla High Principal Chuck Podhorsky, a former principal at rock-bottom-performing Hoover High School, chose to eliminate the classic liberal arts 9th Grade World History course at La Jolla High and follow the fashionable "pathways" drumbeat coming out of the Ed Center at 4100 Normal Street. It's a crime.— April 25, 2019 8:59 p.m.
San Diego pothole repairs failing at record rate, but...
That's an old lament-- the "Los Angelization" of San Diego -- and it doesn't have the resonance it used to have when local mayoral candidate Peter Navarro warned against it before becoming a Trump hack. Personally, I love LA and am always happy when I go there. Even with its problems, LA is a vibrant and interesting place. Its public schools are no worse than San Diego's -- there are just more of them. LA has a better Board of Education and Superintendent than we do. But LA's new sheriff is way worse than ours; ditto its chief of police. Yet no one could be weaker and more ineffective than our own Mayor Sunny. Faulconer is worse than San Diego's predecessor GOP Mayor Jerry Sanders and his ineptitude even makes vain LA Mayor Eric Garcetti look pretty good. The difference may be that LA has a large committed group of civic leaders drawn from industry, higher education and the arts who love their town and are willing to invest in its continuing improvement. LA also has a burgeoning multi-ethnic citizenry with a stake in the future; and a strong daily newspaper. We deeply appreciate the Reader's Matt Potter, but here In "America's Finest City" his own investigative work is lifted without attribution by an establishment-backed rival online journal and no one says a word. Public ennui and ignorance, sharp development deals and governmental neglect have destroyed what's best about San Diego -- the wondrous environmental mix of back country, mountains, beaches and desert -- and we are dying on the vine. Even the local Sierra Club is a shell of its former self and publicly supported SDSU's takeover of Qualcomm. "Los Angelization" is not our problem: we are. I value knowing the bad news; I just want it leavened with a smidge of positivity.— April 17, 2019 2:49 p.m.
San Diego pothole repairs failing at record rate, but...
Jim Miller over in the OB Rag wrote today that we Americans are statistically an increasingly unhappy people. I wonder why that might be. (Apparently only Scandinavians are happy -- minus the Swedes for some reason -- and the only Swede I know is a very happy guy, probably because he's not a U.S. citizen under Trump.) But I just told an environmentalist friend today that I couldn't be counted on to lobby my representatives about disappearing CEQUA protections or enforcing faltering Coastal Act provisions or demand they maintain 30-foot building height limits in the coastal zone because that stuff just doesn't carry the old frisson it used to. With every passing day I feel less and less hopeful about our civic prospects. What do they say on "Game of Thrones?" "Winter is coming." Ditto for stories like this one. I'm no pollyanna, but this Readerwriter is unrelentingly dark and he's making us all feel lousy. Where's the story telling us what footloose Rep. Susan Davis learned from her J Street junket to Israel as well as what she ate and where she stayed? I'm just saying...and no, I don't want to shoot the messnger and I'm not related to this pathetic city employee Richard Eugene Matter who takes graft and can't even tell the truth when he's caught.— April 15, 2019 9:50 p.m.
Modern Muirlands masterpiece titled in investment company controlled by founders of Luna Grill
Never knew that properly maintained pools were mosquito repellants. Good info.— April 12, 2019 9:49 p.m.
Modern Muirlands masterpiece titled in investment company controlled by founders of Luna Grill
The pooled One Percent are grateful for this information.— April 12, 2019 2:10 p.m.