Entries
Psssst! Wanna Make 90 Percent a Month? Those Who Bit on Escondido Ponzi Scheme Got Taken to the Cleaners
Clementine Estrada pleaded guilty in federal court Friday (May 9) to a conspiracy charge related to her operation of two Escondido scams: the Crystal Rose and Sterling Rose Capitalization Programs. She promised investors returns of up to 90 percent a …
Local Media Not Mentioning Transgressions of Their Stars
San Diego news media have not been reporting the sins of their reporters. On April 28, Milan Martinic, 47, of Ramona, pleaded guilty in Jacksonville, Florida, to wire fraud. He was running a Ponzi scheme that fleeced more than 20 …
Purported Ethics Commission Pulls Another Slimy One. This Is So Blatant It Could Backfire
San Diego's alleged Ethics Commission is back to its pre-election dirty tricks. The caper is still another example of how city government and the Union-Tribune collaborate to thwart reform and keep the establishment in power. Today (May 10) the U-T …
Union-Tribune Lays Off Three Who Spearheaded Electronic News, Radio Efforts
The Union-Tribune today axed three executives who played key roles in the Copley Press online news efforts. Suddenly gone as of today, according to very good sources, are Chris Jennewein, who was head of the company's non-newspaper efforts; Ron James, …
Excessive Labor Costs Force Vallejo to Vote for Bankruptcy
The Vallejo city council voted unanimously to file for bankruptcy late Tuesday (May 6). Excessive labor costs are the main factor, although the Bay Area suburb has also been hit by the housing crisis lowering property values and the state …
Famed Business Writer's Book Says Pensions Bankrupted San Diego
The long-awaited book on pensions by top business writer Roger Lowenstein is now out and being reviewed. Its prescient title is "While America Aged: How Pension Debts Ruined General Motors, Stopped the NYC Subways, Bankrupted San Diego, and Loom as …
Celebrities Have Donated Money to Jerry Sanders, Including a New Celebrity: Marie Walsh
Executives in the trash hauling business are known for giving lavishly to political campaigns. Alan Walsh, husband of Susan LeFevre (aka Marie Walsh) has been a significant donor to Mayor Jerry Sanders, among several others, including board of supervisors candidates …
Memo to Fred Sainz: Clean Up Your Language -- But First Learn How To Spell
In the now-infamous email of September 7, 2007, mayoral flack Fred Sainz sent some naughty words to his close associate, Union-Tribune editorial writer Bob Kittle. Here are some of the words that Sainz put in the email to Kittle: "bullst," …
Here's an Example of SEC Nailing the Small Fry, Ignoring the Superrich
In a post today below this one, I describe how San Diego attorney Gary Aguirre is trying to expose the double standard of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency chases wee offenders and utterly ignores the superrich who use …
SEC Lets Superrich Off and Chases Small Fish; Now, Lawsuit May Show How This Regulatory Mischief Works
San Diego attorney Gary Aguirre has won a major battle in a lawsuit against his former employer, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). While working at the agency, Aguirre thought there was good reason to look into John Mack, head …
Chairman of San Diego GOP Co-Founded International Piracy Ring, Says Online News Website
Tony Krvaric, San Diego Republican Party chairman and head of the party's state budget committee, "is the co-founder of Fairlight, a band of software crackers which later evolved into an international video and software piracy group that law enforcement authorities …
San Diego House Price Declines Among Largest in Nation
Today's (April 29) S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which measure the direction of home prices in 20 major U.S. markets, once again show San Diego price declines among the sharpest in the nation. In February, San Diego home prices dropped 3.6 …
U-T, North County Times Lose Circulation, but LA Times, Orange County Register Do Worse
Circulation at the Union-Tribune and North County Times continues to drop, but other Southern California dailies are doing worse, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations data for the first six months of 2008 released this morning (April 28, 2008). The …
Why You Don't Get Accurate Information on San Diego from U-T Editorial Page
In an editorial this morning, the Union-Tribune claims that City Attorney Mike Aguirre wants to "kill" a $103 million bond issue Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed. Actually, Aguirre has said that under state law and the San Diego charter, this …
U-T's Combined Paper and Online Edition Lose Market Share in County, According to Report
In a new report, Scarborough Research has found that most metropolitan daily newspapers, including the Union-Tribune in San Diego, are losing market share in their combined print and online editions. The April 25 issue of Editor & Publisher, media trade …
Ad Hoc Committee Says Auditor Should Be Independent; Says City's Financial Processes Ill-Defined
The Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee to the City's Audit Committee will give its report Monday, April 28. The report definitively states that the city auditor should be appointed by the city council and not appointed by the mayor in …
FDA Calls for Delay in Isis Pharmaceuticals' Anti-Cholesterol Drug; Stock down 28 Percent
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today (Friday, April 25) that it wants more information on Mipomersen, a potential cholesterol-lowering drug being developed by San Diego biotech Isis Pharmaceuticals along with Genzyme. The agency wants more data on two …
Straight-Talking Financial Journalist Herb Greenberg Leaving the Field To Go into Research
Carmel Valley's Herb Greenberg, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones's online MarketWatch, is leaving print journalism May 1 to set up an independent research firm with Debbie Meritz, an analyst/accountant who has been a good source …
Sanders's Flack Bombarded Friendly Media with Anti-Aguirre Hit Pieces
In a relentless hate campaign, Mayor Jerry Sanders's publicist, Fred Sainz, flooded local media with hit pieces on City Attorney Mike Aguirre, a study of Sainz's emails in August, September, and October of last year reveals. Blogger Pat Flannery got …
This Month, Gaylord Called Off One Deal for Lack of Financing, but Still Plans to Go Ahead in Chula Vista
Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment, which still plans on building a subsidized project in Chula Vista, on April 15 called off a $252.5 million deal to buy a resort in San Antonio. The problem was financing. After the economy slumped, Gaylord sought …