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
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
What I find puzzling, even problematic, is how the Ed Master Plan and Prop R/Facilities Plan got so far astray from reality. Wonder if there was a scope of work the consultant(s) were to perform, and if so, what were the specifications? Was it an open door to 'dream up' new plans, without any requirement to use data/evidence as a guide? Seems strange to spend so much money and get such 'seat of the pants' results.— March 6, 2013 12:57 p.m.
Sweetwater Union High School District & Realty Co.
Actually, any member of the public may submit a written public records request (CA government Code Section 6250-6270) for any information about public resources and actions taken by a public body, even in closed session. The intro states, "...the Legislature, mindful of the right of individuals to privacy, finds and declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state." It is just more 'convenient' for Brand and co to refuse to answer outright and to force the issue, isn't it? I do not know what the law says about specifically about expenditure of bond funds on such schemes. However, I do believe that the law (Prop 39 passed in 2000 to enable facilities bond passage with a mere 55 % of the vote) does require that the money is actually spent for the purposes outlined in the the proposal the voters acted on. If any of these properties were purchased with bond funds, one would think and hope that any money realized from their sale would revert back to the bond purposes and not into the general fund or any vendor's pocket. At a minimum, the information about the district's action with regard to these properties is public and the public has a right to know.— March 5, 2013 5:02 p.m.
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
Technically, according to the Board's own policy and state law, it is the role of a community college governing board to set policy, hire/fire the CEO, and be a bridge to the community. It is the designated role of the CEO to implement the board's policy and broad directives, and run the joint on a day-to-day basis. When it becomes evident to the board that the CEO is running amok, it is the board's responsbility to set the ship on a better course. The trick for them is to not micromanage with the 'running the joint' part the CEO is supposed to do, but to keep the CEO on a tight enough leash that he/she does not run too far amok.— March 4, 2013 12:53 p.m.
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
EugeneVDebs ...Thanks for clearing that up for us! sjtorres has earned a place on the permanent 'ignore' list.— March 3, 2013 3:35 p.m.
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
OK Sjtorres, I will be more direct. THIS issue does not have one DAMN thing to do with the unions. Why do you think it is constructive to imply that it does, even as much as you dislike some of the union players? THIS issue is about an attempt to mislead the board and others with information that is incomplete or just wrong. That is NOT the union's doing, now is it? I completely agree with cvres above. For the record, I am not enamored with some of the power and protections unions have in the public sector today. However, the current topic is completely unrelated to those issues. Please stay on topic.— March 3, 2013 10:43 a.m.
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
Sjtorres....please do not be lured by the temptation to blame it all on the unions. I believe that is NOT the case here, nor is the case at SUHSD. The SWC unions have been an important part of the rebuilding process at SWC and the interim pres. Whittaker got everyone on the same page, everyone literally 'gave at the office' to help stabilize the budget. Former prez. Hernandez, who now sits on the board, did the same. Southwestern folk believe in their institution, are truly committed to their students, and have been through much together...now is not the time to try to pit them against each other with the tired anti-union rant and bias you propose. It just ain't so.— March 3, 2013 9:57 a.m.
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
Thanks for the link. It seems "Dr. Z" continues to inflate his resume, now claiming to have been 'valdevictorian' of his UCLA doctoral class. Last I heard, his doctorate was from the California School of Professional Psychology (now Alliant), and that he did some post-doc work at UCLA. He also spent a summer at Harvard, and then wanted to wear a Harvard hood at the SWC commencement. His lips move and he makes something new up. Same ole, same ole....— March 3, 2013 9:51 a.m.
Southwestern College trustee resigns in protest
It appears that Ms. Nish is afflicted with what some call the 'first-time president's syndrome' wherein he/she loses sight that they are new at the job and think they rule by fiat. These first-time presidents believe they must control all or be seen as incompetent. However, if they were wiser, they would understand that they should seek wise counsel in order to survive. Another first-time president who failed to understand this was Serafin Zasueta, who came into the job and immediately became King. He trashed any semblance of humility and ordered everyone about. We know what became of him after he authorized spending public (college) funds illegally on a bond campaign. The really telling point is that he lost it all for a mere $6,000, when he might have personally come up with that amount to settle the debt and not put the college at risk. So goes it!!!!! Now Ms. Nish forgets that she does not know everything, and should not expect that of herself. Instead, she should humbly and politely seek assistance from those in her employ who have some useful skills. It is regrettable that she does not 'get it'. Further, the Board of Trustees should insist that she provide ample and verified documentation for actions she proposes. They are ultimatley responsible to the public.— March 2, 2013 6:16 p.m.
Southwestern faculty questions college’s education plan
Nickdanny's point about reviewing the original language on the Prop R bond is important. (Also applies to Prop O at SUHSD issues.) Proposition 39, passed in 2000 to provide for public school facilities bond financing with just 55% of vote, mandates that there be bond oversight by representatives of the community. Such oversight committees are tasked with many things for bond accountability, including reviewing plans to ensure that the bond funds are spent consistently with the language of the original proposition that the voters authorized. With regard to the newly proposed ampitheatre (which I do not recall from the bond language) -- it seems to me that the natural incline of the bank on the west side of the 'dirt lot' would make a perfect ampitheatre without razing existing buildings in the center of campus. It would also be more convenient to members of the public.— February 28, 2013 11:32 a.m.
Sweetwater school board to address campaign spending limits
It is abundantly clear that these crooks will not abandon their self-dealing ways. It is also abundantly clear that we ought to stop expecting them to do so...somewhat akin to expecting sober behavior from a drunk (although that is unfair to the alcoholics). Only when they are out of office, either by being turned out by the electorate or being conviced of one of more felonies, will they be forced to vacate. Our collective outrage has no impact on them. Nevertheless, we should continue our vigilance and reporting to legal authorities to help build the case(s) leading to conviction. Thanks to so many who have kept watch and exposed wrong-doing at every turn. Keep up the heat...do not get discouraged...the taxpayers and our students need your continued vigilance. These are not petty crooks, they continue to commit serious crimes against the public.— February 20, 2013 1:16 p.m.