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Split Pulitzer verdict on Union-Tribune's Bill Gore treatment?
All true-ish, Mr. Batterston, but why remain mired in long-past times and small-minded sniping at fellow endangered species when you could just get to the point of the story -- an opportunity to rehash the checkered history of Sheriff Gore as he retires.— February 7, 2022 10:55 a.m.
Split Pulitzer verdict on Union-Tribune's Bill Gore treatment?
Everyone knows there 's been a shift in editorial tone at the Union-Tribune from Ultra-conservative to Modern since the paper's ownership (as well as at the embattled Los Angeles Times) moved a few years ago to the hands of Los Angeles resident billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Everyone also knows that "print is dead" is not news either, but its reality has been delayed by the advent of Soon-Shiong's philanthropic adventure with these two important southern California journalism institutions. The valiant but emaciated weekly Reader, even with its many "green pages"of marijuana advertising, probably should stop gratuitously labeling the newly-configured U-T a "fast-fading print daily" in the first paragraph of a random story when, in fact, the U-T has admirably held its own under new management. Long may both the Union-Tribune and the Reader thrive.— February 6, 2022 1:01 p.m.
Nora Vargas attackers under sex harassment shadows
David Alvarez lobbies for Bird scooters and Kilroy developers? What happened to his goody-two-shoes work as a community "activist" and representative for working-class barrio Latinos? Alvarez has an equally "flexible" opponent in Georgette Gomez who is also running for Assembly, so either one will fit right in with the San Diego County posse up in Sac. I hope Lorena Gonzalez refrains from endorsing in this race to the bottom.— January 26, 2022 8:28 p.m.
Amtrak is flying blind on crumbling Del Mar bluffs, auditor finds
Amtrak's 21st Century Management Handbook Update (see 20th Century Handbook -- no changes.) If we don't go to informational meetings about the status of eroding earth along cliffside Del Mar railroad tracks, we won't have to acknowledge formally that there's a big problem for all passenger train operations on the entire West Coast or that San Diego train connection to the rest of the state is frequently severed at short notice for long periods.— January 16, 2022 1:02 p.m.
Lorena Gonzalez's cancer is only one problem she now faces
Fate will meet its match as intrepid Labor Democrat Lorena Gonzalez battles back from a series of bad breaks in the last annus horribilis. Night before last, someone ignited a blaze in front of Gonzalez's San Diego home, causing her and husband Nathan Fletcher and their kids to evacuate in the dead of night with timely help from City firefighters. I'm hoping neither Gavin Newsom 's quiet retaliation for Lorena's A.B 5, recent redistricting shenanigans, spousal address complications, breast cancer diagnosis and surgery nor arson are going to derail Lorena Gonzalez's glory train. Strong women are hard to find.— January 13, 2022 12:38 p.m.
From the 1918 Ocean Beach rip current to Matt Baker, Ashley Babbitt, Lester Bangs, Nathan Fletcher, the 2020 drum circle
Walter Mencken's amusing sardonic description of OB's own Ashli Babbitt, shot dead by a Capitol police officer at the January 6, 2021 Insurrection when she climbed through a smashed window into the Capitol building itself, doesn't match the strangely solemn nearly respectful tone taken by U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-San Diego.) in describing his personal witness to that unprecedented afternoon. No, last week on national public radio and later in The Los Angeles Times, Peters alone said that day was not particularly memorable. Yet he twice mentioned that lives had been lost in the turmoil and twice named only protestor Ashli Babbitt whom he claimed as "my constituent." An odd response from a Democratic Congressman who was being hunted by the mob. But maybe he was just being "strategic" -- trying to mollify Republicans in his split district -- just as weeks before, he broke with his own political party to vote with the GOP to block Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug prices for all Americans.— January 10, 2022 3:37 p.m.
KPBS’s donations up $3 million
San Diego State's KPBS 89.5 FM Radio is raising more public dollars than last year and spending more on fund-raising, all while cutting high-quality informative programs. Terry Gross' "Fresh Air" hour-long interviews with writers, artists, musicians and public figures has been deep-sixed. Amusing and interesting home-grown "A Way with Words" has been consigned to the broom closet of Sundays at 5 a..m. If KPBS were rated by Charity Navigator, it would be off their charts of starry acceptability. Given this outrageous record, I won't be giving KPBS a dime and I urge others also to boycott KPBS' insulting programming mediocrity. KPBS needs to restore "Fresh Air" and "A Way with Words" to merit public trust and charitable investment.— December 22, 2021 11:21 p.m.
SDG&E workers fear wildfires and violent public
The gibberish provisions from the City calling for scooter providers to describe how they will serve "the underserved," including handicapped individuals and poor people, are indecipherable and a joke. Who is writing this stuff? Is there any expectation of compliance? On the other hand, SDSU's social climate report was clear and concise: rape is down but fondling is up. Given the school's party-hearty history, that sounds pretty good.— December 8, 2021 9:57 p.m.
Back of KPBS line – A Way With Words, Fresh Air, Lawrence Welk
Somehow I missed Ken Leighton's excellent story written last summer, but now, four months later, I know why informative, interesting, amusing "A Way with Words" has disappeared. KPBS-FM moved this excellent home-grown show from Saturday mid-afternoons to five o'clock on Sunday mornings -- when no one in the world is calling-in to radio shows. (This deed was done in the dog-days of summer when all practiced politicians customarily enact the most reprehensible measures. The public is pre-occupied with vacations and out-of-sync with ordinary routines. There wasn't even a single comment here about this Reader story.) Adding insult to injury, KPBS-Radio entirely axed the respected Terry Gross' "Fresh Air" weekly program of brilliant interviews with writers, public figures, artists and musicians. Some years ago KPBS had downgraded "Fresh Air" from weekday afternoons to evenings at 8 p.m, quietly edging this well-regarded show toward the exits. Yesterday KPBS joined the throng of non-profit institutions seeking public donations on "Giving Tuesday.," even though they'd just run an interminable fund-raiser before the Thanksgiving holiday. I personally wouldn't give KPBS a dime after these recent cuts to important programs.. I would also urge others to refrain from throwing good money after bad. Public Radio, which KPBS purports to be even though it is affiliated with San Diego State University, is supposed to offer high-quality educational programming -- which perfectly describes "A Way with Words" and "Fresh Air." Both programs should be restored to the main schedule for San Diego listeners.— December 1, 2021 4:48 p.m.
City’s top planner and a waterfront museum quietly go bye-bye
Thank you for answering my question. There was no original :"vision" for a particular museum, so nothing substantive was lost. Vague solutions like splitting income in perpetuity from the site that was slated for a museum there among Park museums seem desperate rather than serious, even if "fair"-sounding. There are unworthy amateurish clinker museums in the Park and there are others, like the Mingei, whose founding purpose of displaying folk art sadly seems to have been eroded and commercialized since its years-long closure, remodel and recent opening. Maybe give those proceeds to the San Diego River Park Foundation. Tell us what it does, has done or hopes to do? I've lived here a long long time and don't know. What I'm really saying is that "redevelopment " is a developers' game and, as far as I can tell, has never benefitted the public, so there's no point to eleventh-hour rear-guard actions after the closed-door deals have been struck. Let's move on.— November 14, 2021 1:56 p.m.