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
Compliantly Uncompliant
Why was it Saturday, June 27? Easy. Allocated funds expired June 30. No time for permits.— July 18, 2009 6:04 a.m.
MAD: Monies Available for Debauchery
How is it that a Reader reporter can clearly understand the devisiveness this MAD has brought to Golden Hill, but the City of San Diego just doesn't get it? The whole concept of taxing people by legal means and turning it over to someone else requires rigorous accountability. The CDC has a contract with the City of San Diego to fulfill the MAD mission. The City has the legal responsibility to be the watchdog over these independent non-profits. The Oversight Committee has no legal position. Once the money goes into private hands, it no longer seems to be a city issue. What purpose does it serve for the City to ignore these issues with the GHCDC, SEDC, CCDC, etc? I just don't get it.— July 12, 2009 10:03 a.m.
MAD Money
The laws regarding Maintenance Assessment Districts was put in place to allow property owners to combine efforts on a common goal. An example: river-side property owners who all contribute toward a levee. Cities have tried to use this as a quasi-tax, resulting in several lawsuits, one pending against the City of San Diego. To use these funds to benefit some and not others is not what the State of California had in mind. It becomes a tax, not an assessment. A hearty "Thank You" to the Reader for following this saga.— March 4, 2009 2:46 p.m.
Vanilla-Flavored Mediation
Thank you to the Reader for following up on this important community issue. The CDC has a million dollars of community money to spend. Only the Oversight Committee watches the details. It gets discourating. But all of the members (including those not there) have devoted countless hours to seeing that this money is well spent. The most recent proposal--to decorate the community with hanging flower baskets, potted plants, and bistro tables--was met with resistance. These items will benefit the business community. A Business Improvement District needs to be put in place for this purpose. In these difficult economic times, we need to be repairing our curbs and sidewalks, getting graffiti out of our neighborhood, and doing everything we can for upkeep. That IS the purpose of Maintenance. Thanks again. Please keep coming to the meetings.— November 21, 2008 9:18 a.m.
MAD Help Wanted
Spark, I believe fire control is the City of San Diego's responsibility. We also pay property taxes to support the Fire Station on 25th Street. Actually, fire control is not one of the benefits promised by the MAD. But I am glad to see a public spirited canyon resident happy.— September 24, 2008 6:58 p.m.
MAD Help Wanted
Please don't forget, we are talking about almost a million dollars here. This could build a new community center on one of the City-owned properties (assuming they don't sell them all first). That is a high cost for brush removal, even picking up trash to boot.— September 22, 2008 2:04 p.m.
From Trashy to Classy
On another note, the CDC has been requested to provide expenditure records to the MAD Oversight Committee, and this has been done once (and with issues) since the very beginning. Enthusiasm is great, but some members of the committee would like to see the numbers.— August 24, 2008 5:25 p.m.
From Trashy to Classy
The Urban Corps is obviously fantastic! But, what part does the CDC play? Maybe the wrong non-profit has got the contract.— August 24, 2008 5:18 p.m.
Two-for-One Special on Mediators
The MAD Oversight Committee has been presented with a policy by the CDC which states that they are not to communicate directly. This is the directive from the CDC: "All communication from the Oversight Committee must be directed to the Oversight Chair and the chair will forward to the CDC/MAD Program Manager." Oddly enough, some things require additional thought. Trash cans require someone to empty them. And please note that Mr. Hilsdorf was nominated to the MAD Committee by a CDC Board member. What a tangled web these CDCs weave.— August 24, 2008 5:15 p.m.
MAD's a No-Show
Well, the Greater Golden Hill MAD committee should have fixed dates and stick to them. Advertised as a management committee, then an oversight committee, and currently an advisory committee, it may soon disappear completely. Because this MAD program is funded directly by property owners, it has generated extensive community interest. The City Council, when it recently approved the budget of almost a million dollars mandated mediation for all parties. How much money stays in the CDC office and how much is spent outdoors? How much goes to special interests? The committee meeting is the only forum for the community to make their issues known. Please try again. Next time: Monday, August 18 at 6:30. Or did I get it wrong?— July 25, 2008 1:44 p.m.