Land of Ponzis, Penny Stock Swindles
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken action against a San Diego penny stock firm and its head, and, in a separate case, against a San Diego stock promoter who appears to have played a major role in a …
Bloomberg Endorsement of San Diego's Fletcher Focuses Spotlight on New York Intrigue
News late today that New York's billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg had endorsed newly-minted independent California Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher for mayor of San Diego caught many by surprise. But whether or not Bloomberg's backing can lift the 35-year-old Fletcher from his …
Liberal Super PAC Attacks Scott Peters In New Ads
The Progressive Kick political action committee wants the most liberal candidate to win the race for the 52nd Congressional District. The Oakland-based political action committee means to do so by shelling out major money on behalf of Lori Saldaña. According …
Four of Five UCAN Board Members Must Resign
The settlement agreement among various parties in the Utility Consumers' Action Network dispute, which should be filed with Superior Court today (May 31) or tomorrow, mandates that four of five current board members should be replaced after six months if …
Inaccuracies Found on Proposition B Website
Proponents of Proposition B, also known as Comprehensive Pension Reform, believe changing the current pension plan for city employees is needed in order to solve San Diego's budget shortfalls. They claim Prop B will save the city hundreds of millions …
Local Firm Files Class Action Against Discount Chain
San Diego based Shareholders Foundation, Inc., which bills itself as “a professional loss-prevention, settlement recovery, portfolio monitoring service,” is pursuing a class action claim against directors and officers at Big Lots, Inc. of Ohio, operator of 11 Big Lots! discount …
Nonprofit News Donor and Qualcomm Founder Irwin Jacobs Backs Prop 29 Tobacco Tax Measure
La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs, who has bankrolled the newsroom at San Diego State University's owned-and-operated public televsion station KPBS and helped finance at least one other San Diego non-profit news operation, has opened his deep pockets for Proposition 29, …
Prop A Could "Adversely Impact" State Funding For San Diego, According to Fitch Ratings
The outlook in San Diego for lease revenue bonds is stable, finds global rating agency Fitch Ratings in a May 30 article. The ratings vary from A+ on a $71 million bond held by the San Diego Public Facilities Financing …
Judge May Sanction Robbins Geller Firm
According to Forbes magazine, a federal judge in Spokane, Washington, said he plans to sanction San Diego class action law firm Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd for submitting expenses in a class action suit "that included excessive air fare and …
Storied Mobster's Associate Gives Big to Prop B and DeMaio Campaigns
A longtime associate of storied Las Vegas mobster Moe Dalitz has become a major backer of the campaign for Proposition B, the so-called pension reform measure that has been a key talking point for San Diego city councilman Carl DeMaio …
Fair Political Practices Commission Finds "Yes on Prop A" Ads Violate State Law
The "Yes on Prop A" folks have a bit of work to do in upcoming days. At the top of the list, stop airing television ads with inadequate disclaimers at the beginning and end. Today, the Fair Political Practices Commission …
Candidates Running Without Opponents Give Campaign Cash to Political Parties
For most local candidates, the June 5 Primary Election will be the end of a year's worth of campaigning. The candidates have spent much of that year looking for donors willing to contribute to their campaigns. But for the three …
Liquor Store Group Run by Outspoken Chaldean Leader Mails Hit Pieces Against Filner
The Neighborhood Market Association, a La Mesa-based trade group of liquor stores and markets run by Mark Arabo, an outspoken Chaldean Christian leader, has mailed at least two separate hit pieces against Democratic Congressman Bob Filner, a candidate for mayor …
Costs Surrounding San Onofre Shutdown Continue to Climb
Costs resulting from the prolonged idling of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in northern San Diego County are all but certain to exceed $100 million, the website InsideClimate News is reporting. These expenses include daily purchases of alternate power …
U.S., San Diego Home Prices Still Struggling
U.S. home prices ended the first quarter of this year at new post-crisis lows, according to today's (May 29) release of Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller numbers. "While there has been improvement in some regions, housing prices have not turned," says David …
SD Firm, Individuals Disciplined
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has hit San Diego penny-stock peddler World Trade Financial Corp. with a disciplinary action for selling a thinly traded penny without a registration statement in effect. Brokers Frank Brickell and Rodney Michel were fined …
Fletcher Campaign Receives Over $56,000 From Donors Outside of San Diego County and State
From March 18 to May 19 Nathan Fletcher raised a total of $302,866 in campaign donations, second only to Carl DeMaio, who raised $373,590. Since Fletcher's announcement that he was jumping ship from the GOP, the two candidates have gone …
Redevelopment Woes: Chula Vista Files Against California Dept of Finance
Chula Vista's Redevelopment/Successor Agency is not going out without a fight--a legal one. In April, a state-mandated oversight board convened to assume the task of dismantling the city's former redevelopment agency and paying out remaining contractual obligations. The oversight board …
Duke Cunningham Can't Have Gun
U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns has told former Congressmember Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now in prison, that he can't have a gun when he gets out. In a letter filed with the court this month, Judge Burns says he has …
Don't Diss "Papa Doug's" Friends in UT Book Section
National media commentators are writing about how "Papa Doug" Manchester, owner of the UT, is using the publication for his personal propaganda purposes. Another example showed up in the May 25-27 weekend edition of Counterpunch. Thomas Larson, a Reader contributor, …
Bilbray and Issa Aides Take Off on Posh Congressional Chiefs of Staff Retreat
In February we reported that two members of Republican congressman Darrell Issa's staff had hit the road, thanks to well-heeled special interests. First, Laurent Morgan Crenshaw, an Issa legislative aide, headed for Las Vegas to attend the gadget-filled Consumer Electronics …
Top Drug Lord Allegedly Captured
One of the most wanted drug lords in the world was possibly captured last night, May 24th, in the Sinaloa mountains. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, the co-leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was rumored to have been captured in the …
Kiss Statue's (Final) Final Weekend
After months of controversial wrangling over its future, “Unconditional Surrender,” the 25 foot recreation of a World War II era sailor kissing a nurse, appears to be finally approaching its final days on the San Diego bay front. Following several …
Some of La Jolla's Richest and an L.A. Casino Operator Kick in Big for Fletcher
The most recent campaign disclosure report for San Diegans for Nathan Fletcher - Mayor 2012, posted online earlier today by the San Diego city clerk's office, reveals a virtual Blue Book of La Jolla contributors to the cause of the …
SDSU Seeks Help Identifying "Mystery" Photos
San Diego State University is seeking help from the community in identifying thousands of photographs that have landed in their archives without proper notes as to their origin. “Basically, they were given to the archives by any department or person …
Booze Merchants Association Gives Big to Fletcher Mayoral Campaign
The La Mesa-based Neighborhood Market Association, a group representing liquor stores and other retail alcohol outlets in San Diego and other cities in the county - and that has been fined by the city's ethics commission for prior campaign disclosure …
Carmel Valley Planning Group to Discuss One Paseo Mixed-Use Project
At the monthly meeting of the Carmel Valley Planning Group set for tonight, residents of Carmel Valley will have a chance to give their thoughts on One Paseo, a mixed-use project proposed for the intersection of Del Mar Heights Road …
More San Diego Homeowners Underwater
New figures from Zillow this morning (May 24) indicate that in the U.S. in the first quarter, 31.4% of American homeowners are underwater (owing more on their mortgage than the home is worth), up from 31.1% in the fourth quarter …
Voter Survey: Smokers' Tax Losing Support, Brown Tax Proposal Remains Strong
The nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California has released its latest survey on the opinions of likely California voters. Covered are a host of issues coming to the ballot, including Proposition 29, a proposed $1.00/pack cigarette tax increase, and a …
San Diego Showing Tourism Growth
Tourism is definitely picking up in San Diego, the state of California and the nation. For the year to date through April, the San Diego hotel occupancy rate rose 4.7%, topping the gain of San Francisco, Anaheim and Los Angeles, …
Rumor: Manchester to Buy Register Thursday or Friday
According to a rumor making the rounds at the UT, "Papa Doug" Manchester, owner of the paper, will as expected buy the Orange County Register, and the announcement will be made Thursday or Friday. The rumor of Manchester's interest in …
County Supervisor Candidate Brant Will — Hanging on to Idealism
Campaign signs for County Supervisor Greg Cox have proliferated in Chula Vista for several months, but there was a rare sighting in the city last week — a Brant Will sign. Cox and Will are facing off June 5 for …
UCAN Likely to Get New Executive Director
Beleaguered Utility Consumers' Action Network will probably get a new executive director, according to the second report of the court-appointed receiver, Richard Kipperman, which has been filed with Superior Court. Kipperman says in the filing that a potential global settlement …
Mexican Peso Weakened, Baja Tourism Rises
The Mexican peso has risen over 14 to the U.S. dollar as of mid-day Wednesday, erasing gains it made through early 2012. Euro-zone anxiety affected the peso in early Wednesday trading, as reported by the Dow Jones Newswire. The peso …
San Diego U-T CEO Suggested Use of Paper's News Clout in Sign Dispute, City Emails Show
John Lynch, chief executive officer of the San Diego U-T, formerly known as the Union-Tribune, thought of ordering the paper to run a story about a threat by the city to fine the U-T for what officials said were illegal …
Foreclosure Rates Continue to Fall
Foreclosure activity was down across the board last month, the tracking website ForeclosureRadar reports, and that could be a bad thing for investors who have been cashing in on the hordes of overextended and/or underemployed borrowers losing their homes. “Foreclosure …
San Diego: Another Day, Another Ponzi
John Clement of Encinitas was sentenced today (May 22) to two years in custody for defrauding investors in his $4.9 million Ponzi scheme named Edgefund Capital. He was also ordered to pay $4.9 million inn restitution, according to the U.S. …
San Diego Unified's Efforts to Secure Administration Building
Faced with a projected $122 million deficit for next fiscal year, spending is not all that San Diego Unified is tightening. The district is also tightening security at the Education Center in Normal Heights. Since September, the district, under the …
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Resigns
Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman Gregory Jaczko yesterday announced his resignation from the body responsible for oversight of 104 nuclear power plants in the United States, including the embattled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in northern San Diego County. The sudden …
Widow of Steve Jobs Gives $25,000 to Tax Measure Also Backed by Wealthy San Diego Donors
According to state political finance records, Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple Computer's Steve Jobs, has come up with $25,000 for the campaign for voter approval of Prop. 29, the June ballot measure that would add a dollar per …
Federal Election Commission Cites "Problems" with Filner 2012 Campaign Committee Disclosures
The U.S. Federal Election Commission, which enforces federal campaign finance laws, has told Democratic congressman and San Diego mayoral candidate Bob Filner that he can't fold his congressional campaign committee until "problems" are resolved regarding information contained in previous filings. …
Bill Demanding CPUC Transparency Dies in Senate
The state senate yesterday (May 21) defeated SB1000, which would have required the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to make public all investigative orders, accident reports, and similar documents. It got 21 votes, two fewer than needed for passage. The …
Facebook Hype Indicate Peak? Year 2000 Worse
The highly-hyped stock of Facebook is trading down today (May 21) in its second day of trading. The first day, it was flat, surprising some analysts, who expected it to leap -- typical for hot new issues of stock, particularly …
South Bay Albertsons Store to Close
Albertsons Grocery Store on Coronado Avenue, the last chain supermarket south of Palm Ave serving the South Bay/Egger Highlands neighborhood, Imperial Beach and Nestor announced they will be closing at the end of June. Store Manager Billy Miles said it …
Rancho Santa Fe's Democratic Soft Money Queen Dating Al Gore, says Washington Post
Over the years, we've reported on the very big money that longtime Rancho Santa Fe denizen Liz Keadle has given to a vast array of Democratic causes. One of few liberal political donors in the traditionally Republican zip code of …
New and Improved Jack In The Box For North Park Moving Forward
A proposal to build a new Jack in the Box restaurant on the corner of Upas and 30th Avenue in North Park is moving forward in the permitting process. Yesterday, the City's Development Services Department released the draft negative declaration …
Good News for SR 125 Toll Road Drivers
Drivers who have avoided the South Bay portion of SR125 because of costly tolls will be pleased to learn that the SANDAG board of directors will be voting on a toll reduction May 25. An attachment to the agenda for …
Lawyer Steigerwalt Suspended a Year
The State Bar of California has suspended attorney Kerry Steigerwalt for one year, according to the Union-Tribune. He will also be on probation for two years. As detailed in my Reader columns of July 21, 2010, and June 22, 2011, …
Our First _______ President
It ain't exactly news, and it ain't exactly local, but it might just be funny... October, 1998: Toni Morrison considers Bill Clinton as "our first black President." May 2012: Andrew Sullivan declares Barack Obama, who is actually black, to be …
Local Unemployment Drops Sharply
The San Diego County unemployment rate dropped to 8.7% in April from a revised 9.6% in March and 9.7% a year ago. The improvement partly reflected a decline in the labor force (those employed and those looking for work) of …
La Jolla Billionaire Linked to Pro-Fletcher Super PAC Intending to Raise "Unlimited" Funds
A newly formed federal super PAC with links to La Jolla billionaire Ted Waitt has launched a website feauring a series of TV commercials on behalf of a group of candidates proclaiming themselves to be independents. At the top of …
50,000 Absentee Ballots Already Cast for June 5 Primary
A report released yesterday from Redistricting Partners and Political Data Inc. provides some insight on absentee voting in California, including data on voters that have already cast their ballots nearly three weeks before the official June 5 primary date. A …
Cameraman Found Guilty of Obstructing Officer
After a two-day misdemeanor trial, a jury found James Charles Playford, 48, guilty of one count of obstructing a peace officer. The jury deliberated about an hour before their verdict, announced the afternoon of May 17. Playford, who calls himself …
Carlsbad Cop Makes a Plea Deal
A Carlsbad police officer charged with stealing heroin from headquarters’ evidence room copped a plea today in the Vista courthouse. Michael Christian Koch, 44, pleaded guilty today to one of two felonies, second degree burglary, and the second charge, possession …
The High Price of a Free Education
The price of a free education has risen in the past few years. As state legislators continue to take from education to balance the budget, the amount of school fees has increased. Often parents are forced to purchase graphing calculators, …
Ex-La Mesa Gas Station Owner Who Hired 9/11 Hijacker Faces Fraud and Money Laundering Charges
Osama Mahmud “Sam” Mustafa--who gained notoriety here after it came to light that one of the September 11, 2001 hijackers worked in a gas station he owned in La Mesa--is back in the news again. Mustafa, 49, who now lives …
Escondido Man Photographed Teen Under Bathroom Door
Walter David Hunt, 44, took photos and video of a teenaged girl while she was in the bathroom by placing his cell phone near the floor and getting the images through the space under the door, according to evidence shown …
Lawrence and Suzanne Hess Gave $294,000 in Political Donations
Super PACs have become the underbelly of American politics, a way that wealthy donors can give unlimited donations on behalf of candidates and political causes. In San Diego, a good deal of soft money, $145,000 in all, has been handed …
Department of Corrections Wants Control of Its Medical Facilities Back
Last week the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation asked a federal judge to return control of prison medical facilities to the state, claiming that sufficient improvements had been made to guarantee inmates health care of a quality in compliance …
Fire Danger, Missing Documents at San Onofre
A new report out yesterday commissioned by the environmental group Friends of the Earth questions the wisdom of resuming operations at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station under reduced load. Meanwhile, former plant workers are alleging that decades-old fire safety protocols …
Group Charges Imperial, SDGE Negotiated in Secret
The 54950 Commission, an Imperial Valley watchdog group, charged today (May 15) that the Imperial Irrigation District, negotiating with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) outside public view, effectively surrendered $14 million of reoccurring revenue and got nothing in return …
Trustees From San Diego Unified Hear Opposition to Selling Barnard Elementary
Last week, San Diego Unified's Advisory Committee for Utilization of Excess School Property voted in favor of selling seven unneeded properties for some much-needed cash. And as we reported yesterday, the estimated $122 million deficit for next year has forced …
City Attorney Says Mayor and Council Can't Censor City Hall Lobby Exhibits
Can San Diego's mayor and city council arbitrarily deny someone exhibit space in the lobby of city hall? No, says City Attorney Jan Goldsmith in a May 4 legal opinion that suggests the city may have opened a Pandora's Box …
UCSD: Smoking Marijuana Offers Benefits to MS Patients
Smoking marijuana may be an effective treatment for pain and spasticity experienced by multiple sclerosis patients, the UC San Diego School of Medicine says in a new report. The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and led by …
San Diego Unified's Real Estate Sale Now One Step Closer
San Diego Unified School District is now one step closer to selling seven properties in order to obtain some much needed cash. On Thursday May 10, San Diego Unified's Advisory Committee on Utilization of Excess School Property recommended to keep …
Bucking National Trend, SD Gas Prices Jump
Gas prices in San Diego jumped almost 13 cents over the weekend to a new average of $4.35 a gallon, according to Charles Langley of Utility Consumers' Action Network, who had predicted the increase Friday. This morning's (May 14) average …
Gov. Brown Calls for Deep Spending Cuts, Tax Hikes
Gov. Jerry Brown today (May 14) put forward his plans to try to reduce the deficit, which has ballooned to $15.7 billion, up from $9.2 billion in January. The deficit is now a stunning 17% of the state budget. Brown …
Email of Retired Government Security Agent in San Diego Hacked by Anonymous, Letter Says
Email accounts of a retired agent for the California Department of Justice who was a member of a high-powered law enforcement computer security team in San Diego have been compromised by Anonymous, the infamous world-wide group of self-styled hactivists. Social …
UC Education Increasingly Out of Reach for Local Students
University of California students potentially face a six percent increase in tuition in the fall, according to a May 12 Huffington Post article. The possibility of another tuition increase worsens the news for local students who hope to transfer to …
Utilities Commission Employees Want Investigation of Simon
Employees of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have submitted a complaint to the Office of the Governor and the Fair Political Practices Commission, complaining of the "illegal and unethical" behavior of CPUC Commissioner Timothy Alan Simon. The complaint attaches …
"60 Minutes" to Air Report on Turkish Charter School Cleric Tied to Bob Filner
Just in time for the final stretch of San Diego's race for mayor, the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes is airing a report this coming Sunday about a controversial Turkish spiritual leader, followers of whom, records show, have contributed money …
Republican Presidential Candidate Fred Karger Runs Ads in San Diego
Move over, Mitt, there's another Republican presidential candidate hoping to swoon San Diego's conservative voters. At least for one week in late April there was. Starting on April 26 ending on May 3, Republican candidate Fred Karger ran ten television …
Arena Pharmaceuticals Shares Soar on Good Obesity News
Stock of biotech Arena Pharmaceuticals is up 62.59% to $5.95 this morning (May 11) on news that a panel of experts recommended approval of the company's obesity pill. However, there is still concern about the side effects of the pill, …
Filner Border Backers Give Big Bucks to Change Term Limits
A firm run by a family that is one of San Diego mayoral candidate Bob Filner's biggest campaign funders has made a $50,000 contribution to proponents of Proposition 28, a measure that would change state legislative term limits in ways …
Poway Woman Forced to Surrender Wild Birds to State Wildlife Officials
You can say that Dr. Lindy O'Leary's seven-year battle with the state's Fish and Game Department was all for the birds. Today, after years of fighting and hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney fees on both sides, O'Leary is …
Utilities, Solar Industry Spar Over "Net Metering"
The California Public Utilities Commission is close to acting on a proposed ruling entered last month which could significantly affect the state’s solar power industry and the number of consumers allowed to participate in a program called “net metering,” a …
UT, Orange County Register Will Join Forces, Says Lynch
John Lynch, chief executive of the UT, told the Downtown Lions in a power point presentation yesterday (May 8) that the UT is in final talks to purchase the Orange County Register, Coast Magazine, and 24 local newspapers in Orange …
Oakland Company to Demolish South Bay Power Plant
Oakland-based Silverado Contractors, Inc. was selected from 11 bids submitted for the task of demolishing the South Bay Power Plant along Chula Vista’s bay front, the Port of San Diego reports. The contractor has previous experience in power plant deconstruction, …
National Park Service Opposes Plaza de Panama Project
The National Park Service has come out against Irwin Jacobs's plan to clear traffic from the Plaza de Panama in Balboa Park by constructing a Cabrillo Bridge bypass road that would lead to a new parking garage behind the Organ …
Edison Reports Increased Damage, Backs Off Restart Proposal at San Onofre
Southern California Edison, operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, has announced that more than 1,300 tubes that carry radioactive water and steam through the plant’s generators are so heavily damaged that they will be taken out of service. …
San Diegans Give Big to Romney Super PAC but Not to Obama's
Residents of San Diego and surrounding cities continue to shell out major cash to Mitt Romney's super PAC, Restore Our Future. According to campaign finance reports, Thomas Sudberry, owner of San Diego-based Sudberry Properties, has decided to support Mitt Romney, …
San Marcos H.S. Rated 11th in Country by Magazine
U.S. News & World Report, working with the American Institute for Research, is out with its list of the top high schools in the U.S. San Marcos High School comes in 11th in the country, and the Preuss School at …
Private Military Facility Plan Dies in the Desert
It appears that plans for Wind Zero, a planned military/law enforcement training site and auto-racing facility near the Imperial Valley community of Ocotillo, have died. Wind Zero plans called for shooting ranges, a live-fire training house, indoor virtual training, helicopter …
Anger and Police at Sweetwater Union HS District Meeting
Before the May 7 board meeting even began, the street in front of the district office was lined with police cars. Stationed inside the board room along the wall were several armed private security officers. An overflow crowd was fenced …
Lobbyists for Irwin Jacobs-Backed Balboa Park Road Project Rack Up $34,000 in Fees
A Denver firm working for a nonprofit corporation backed by billionaire Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs has spent another $34,000 lobbying San Diego city officials on behalf of the Jacobs-favored Plaza de Panama road plan for Balboa Park, says a recently …
NRC Not Receptive to San Onofre Reactivation Proposal
Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman Gregory Jaczko is not ready to consider a timetable for restarting nuclear operations at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, despite an announcement last week from plant operator Southern California Edison that it would soon present plans …
Tijuana Police Officers Arrested for Meth Sale
Two Tijuana municipal police officers were arrested by Mexican state police during a crystal methamphetamine delivery on Sunday. The officers were arrested with 29 grams of the drug, only a block away from a municipal police station. Samuel Tovar Fermín …
San Diego's Inequities in Infrastructure Spending
The Commission on San Diego Regional Infrastructure and Equity, a group of “national and local foundations [which] is comprised of 14 members from the three cities and from local organizations,” including the local progressive think tank Center on Policy Initiatives, …
First Look at Proposed U-T San Diego Video Billboard and News Ticker in Mission Valley
Late Friday we learned from a city development department notice posted on the front lawn of U-T San Diego that the newspaper wants to build 198 residential condominium units, 234,415 square feet of office space, and a 6470-square-foot retail facility …
Maienschein Loans Campaign $60,000
Brian Maienschein's campaign for state assembly is sitting on some serious cash. According to campaign finance reports, Maienschein has an ending balance of $166,218. That's nearly nine times the amount that his closest opponent (Dustin Steiner) has raised. When it …
City Notice Posted on Front Lawn Reveals Union-Tribune Seeking Condo, Office, and Retail Development Permits
San Diego developer Doug Manchester, who bought the San Diego Union-Tribune amid speculation that he was primarily attracted by the venerable but struggling newspaper's Mission Valley real estate, is apparently living up to expectations. According to a "Posted Notification of …
South County Corruption Investigation Widens
Yesterday the Union Tribune reported that the home of Gary Cabello, a South County bond manager, had been raided by the district attorney's office. The Carlsbad office of Alta Vista Financial was also raided. The district attorney has an ongoing …
San Onofre Operator to Present Plan to Resume Operations
Despite a recent finding that radiation detectors had been offline for months at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown without officials noticing, and the manufacturer of malfunctioning steam generators reporting it won’t conclude its analysis of the units until …
April Employment Growth Feeble
The U.S. added only 115,000 jobs in April. Economists had expected 163,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 8.1% from 8.2% in March, but economists said that reflected people leaving the labor force, which is made up of those employed or …
San Diego Radiation Monitor Not Working During Fukushima Crisis, Audit Reveals
An April 19 audit by the Inspector General of the United States Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that major components of the government's radiation monitoring and reporting system, including an air sampling device in San Diego, were not functioning during …
San Diego Unified Looks to Sell Properties
For San Diego Unified, desperate times call for drastic budget measures. Officials at San Diego Unified are searching to bridge next year's projected $120 million budget shortfall and avoid laying off thousands of teachers and employees. On May 29, boardmembers …
State Inmate Transfers - Realignment or "Prisoner Dumping?"
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been actively broadcasting the views of supporters of its campaign to reduce prison populations, sending out at least two emails in recent weeks highlighting positive commentary on its actions. The efforts, mandated …
DMV Staffers Took Bribes and Provided False Licenses, Says U.S. Attorney
The U.S. Attorney's office charged today (May 2) that El Cajon and Rancho San Diego Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employees fraudulently provided drivers licenses to applicants who had failed or not taken the required tests. The employees were bribed …
Seau Apparent Suicide Could be Watershed NFL Event
If it turns out that former Chargers great Junior Seau indeed committed suicide, and that he shot himself in the chest so that his brain could be examined for symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), San Diego will be in …
California Fugitive Nabbed in Tijuana
An alleged drug dealer from California was nabbed in Tijuana today, May 2nd. The Coordinación de Enlace Internacional de la Policía Estatal Preventiva (International Coordination Liaison of the State Preventive Police) apprehended the fugitive, after requests from United States law …
State Controller Weighs in on Prop A
State Controller John Chiang is offering his advice to San Diegans as it concerns Proposition A, the “Fair and Open Competition + City Contracts Online” initiative that seeks to impose a blanket ban on city officials considering the use of …
Wealthy "Patriarch of Broadway" Was Snubbed in Attempt to Buy Padres
In early February of 2009, the kinky installment deal by which Jeff Moorad was to buy the Padres was announced. It has since blown up and the team is back in the hands of John Moores, who has retreated to …
Doug Manchester Lobbyist Also Employed by Las Vegas Developer Backing DeMaio
A high-powered contract lobbyist for the Grand del Mar, the North City mega-resort operated by U-T San Diego publisher Doug Manchester, continued to lobby the office of San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders and city development officials on behalf of the …
Councilmember Sherri Lightner's Campaign Receives Thousands From One Paseo Developer
Representatives from Kilroy Realty have gone out of their way to gain support from Carmel Valley residents for their 1,857,440 square-square foot development project One Paseo, Carmel Valley's largest development to date. But residents have come out against the project, …
Former Charger Running Back Arrested in FBI Fraud Sting
Former San Diego Chargers running back Michael Bennett was arrested in Miami on Monday along with fellow NFL alumni William Joseph and Louis Gachelin, the Miami Herald is reporting. FBI agents working an undercover operation targeting identity-theft and tax-return fraud …
Bomb Scare at Two Imperial Beach Schools
Lt. Marco Garmo of the Imperial Beach Sheriff Station reported that at 2:30 pm Tuesday May, 1st an unknown male called and reported that he had placed bombs on the Mar Vista High School campus on Elm Ave. in Imperial …
Columnist Blames Lobbyists for Expanded Drone Use Authorization
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, is set to greatly expand due to approval of their expanded use in U.S. airspace by both Congress and President Obama, writes New Jersey columnist John Whitehead. Today’s drone use is frequently …
Nephews of Cartel Leader Under Federal Investigation
A Mexican federal judge has ordered that two nephews of a Sinaloa Cartel leader be held for 40 days while a federal investigation is held. The investigation is being held to determine the level of involvement of the two men …
Bridgepoint Reports Poor Earnings, Stock Plummets
San Diego's extremely controversial for-profit college operation, Bridgepoint Education, reported disappointing first quarter sales and earnings; twenty minutes from today's (May 1) close, the stock is down 5.2% to $20.44. First quarter earnings per share of 71 cents failed to …
San Diego Tourism Picks Up
The spring break and five weekends in March helped lift tourism in the first quarter, notes La Jolla hotel expert Jerry Morrison. Revenue per available room in March rose 14.9% from February, topping the other California metro markets. San Francisco …
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith's Campaign Committee Donates $25,000 to Romney Super PAC
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith is one of three San Diegans to have donated to Mitt Romney's super PAC, Restore Our Future. According to a federal Election Commission disclosure report, on March 31, Goldsmith moved $25,000 from his campaign committee to …
Dueling Endorsements in the CA-52 Race
Scott Peters is trumpeting the endorsement of another sitting Democratic politician in the race for the newly-drawn 52nd congressional district: mayoral hopeful Bob Filner. “Congressman Filner’s endorsement was a great surprise, and a tremendous honor,” said Peters in a release …
New Format Permits Dailies to Report Circulation Gains
Changes in the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) format for reporting newspaper circulation permitted dailies to report gains in the most recent statistics published this morning (May 1). The figures are for the six months ended March 31 of this …