Entries
Dalliances with Hookers Can Get You the Hook from Top Private Sector Job, Too
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to resign as a result of his involvement with a prostitute who charged $5,500 an hour. Since he was moving money around in a possibly illegal way, Spitzer could get some hard time …
Hundreds Trying To Get Money Back from Real Estate Operation
Hundreds of investors are trying to get their money back from Corporate Funding Financial of America, formerly of B Street downtown, now purportedly located on India Street. The company bills itself as a trust deed investment firm, promising investors 10, …
Blackwater Drops Bid for Training Facility in Potrero
Chalk up a victory for the tiny town of Potrero in East County. Blackwater Worldwide, the controversial mercenary firm, wrote a letter to the county today (March 7), saying it is withdrawing its application for the 824-acre facility, which was …
Former Insurance Commissioner, Now a Cop, Under Investigation Again
Chuck Quackenbush, former California insurance commissioner who resigned under fire in 2000, is back in trouble again. As the Reader revealed in August of 2006, Quackenbush is now a deputy sheriff in Lee County, Florida; his salary has plunged from …
Aguirre To Announce Wednesday That He Will Run for Second Term
At noon at the Cabrillo Monument on Wednesday, March 5, City Attorney Mike Aguirre will announce that he is running for a second term. A ten-person committee, "community leaders from around the city," he says, will be working with him …
Municipal Bond Market Chaotic as City Council Looks at 2005 Financial Report
The city council will look at the long-delayed 2005 financial report today (March 3). Mayor Jerry Sanders still insists the City can return to the municipal bond market. But that market is roiling. Friday, hedge funds were forced to dump …
Stadium Subsidies Provide All of Pro Sports' Profits, According to Author
David Cay Johnston, New York Times tax reporter, is out with an eye-opening book, "Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)." The book quotes Neil deMause of Fieldofschemes.com saying that …
San Diego Unemployment Rises to 5.1 Percent in January; County Loses 26,200 Jobs
San Diego County's unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent in January, up from 5 percent in December and 4.4 percent a year ago, the state's Employment Development Department announced today (Fri.) The county lost 26,200 jobs in January, a decline …
Real Estate Developers Lining Pols' Pockets for 2008 Elections
Real estate developers have already plunked $228,345 behind 2008 City candidates -- by far the largest amount among various industries. This is according to a study by the Center on Policy Initiatives. The study is of donations through the end …
William F. Buckley Dead at 82; In San Diego, He Complained of the Wine's Quality
William F. Buckley, the elegant, articulate political conservative, is dead at age 82, according to the New York Times. Buckley "marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American discourse," …
Union-Tribune Warns Union of 40 Percent Wage Slash, Healthcare Cuts; Teamsters To Resume Campaign To Cut Paper's Circulation
The Union-Tribune has declared that negotiations with 160 packaging department employees represented by the Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are at an impasse. Pat Marrinan, manager of labor relations for the company, told the union in …
Aguirre Says State Regulation of Municipal Pension Plans Almost Non-Existent; Calls for Federal Regulation
City Attorney Michael Aguirre, saying that "California regulation of municipal pension plans is as a practical matter non-existent," is now calling for federal regulation of municipal pensions similar to the Employee Retirement Income Act of 1974 (ERISA), which rides herd …
Jack in the Box Beats Street Forecast; Stock up 3 Percent
Stock of fast food chain Jack in the Box is up more than 3 percent this morning (Wednesday, Feb. 20) in a market that is falling because of bad inflation news. The company announced that in its most recent quarter, …
San Diego's Police State: Blogger Flannery Booted Out of Dumanis Press Conference
Pat Flannery's blog, www.blogofsandiego.com, tells in its Friday edition how he was booted out of the press conference in which District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, flanked by Sheriff Bill Kolender, told how long-time Poway politician Jan Goldsmith would make a wonderful …
Is Ailing Union-Tribune Crossing News/Advertising Line in the Sand?
Union-Tribune staffers who fear that their financially-staggering newspaper will one day resemble a shopper got little encouragement today (Friday). Editor Karin Winner, in meetings with staffers, confirmed what has been rumored for several days: that Chris Lavin a senior editor, …
1,000 Downtown Condos for Sale; Another 1,300 Coming on Line in Two Years; Prices Plunging
Prices of downtown San Diego condos are plummeting even as more product gets ready to come on line, says an excellent story in the Feb. 9 issue of the Arizona Republic. The story urges Zonies to consider getting in at …
U-T To Get Plans for New Structure Feb. 13; Newsroom To Get New Plans Next Day
Karin Winner, editor of the Union-Tribune, has announced to the staff that on Feb. 13, the U-T's president, Gene Bell, will unveil plans for a new company structure. The following day, Winner will tell the newsroom staff about its new …
Brandes Looks for Undervalued Stocks; Today, His Big Positions Are Certainly Valued Low in the Market
San Diego's Brandes Investment Partners, which manages $125 billion of investors' money, looks for undervalued stocks. The stocks in which Charles Brandes's firm has big positions are certainly valued low in today's market, and as of now, Brandes has big …
Government Employees Pull Far Ahead of Private Sector Employees in Pay, Fringes
State and local government workers now rake in an average $39.50 an hour in wages and fringes, compared with a mere $26.09 an hour in the private sector, according to 2007 numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The …
Robert Allen Holding Classes in Getting Rich in Real Estate. Don't Expect Him to Mention His Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
In a half-page in the Union-Tribune Feb. 1, Robert Allen says he will tell people how to get rich buying foreclosed properties cheap. He is holding seminars Feb. 2 in Mission Valley, Feb. 3 in Del Mar, Feb. 4 in …