Prop 30 opponents rally downtown
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/31/34748/ Opponents of Proposition 30, led by Richard Rider of San Diego Tax Fighters and Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, gathered this afternoon at Tuna Harbor Park near the USS Midway museum to make their case against …
Baja state police officer wounded in strip club shootout
A shootout occurred Tuesday evening, October 30th, in a popular Tijuana strip club parking lot which left a state police officer injured. The shootout occurred just outside of the Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club around 9pm, which is in the Zona …
Chula Vista chamber of commerce PAC gets money from supervisor Cox
The Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee has entered the local election with big league support. According to a recent filing, county supervisor Greg Cox through Friends of Greg Cox for Supervisor 2012 gave the chamber PAC $7,500. …
Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform runs new anti-Peters ad
Grover Norquist, the anti-tax hero of the Tea Party, continues to pour money into the hotly contested race for the 52nd congressional district race between Scott Peters and Brian Bilbray. Today, Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform foundation announced …
One-time Democrat and ex-Padres owner Moores gives $20,000 to anti union political withholding measure
Rancho Santa Fe mega-millionaire John Moores is one of the most infamous switch-hitters of San Diego politics. When he arrived in San Diego from Texas after buying the Padres in 1994, Moores was a Democrat, and so friendly with President …
Irwin Jacobs finishes fourth, not second, on Obama's top-five donor list. AP revises earlier rankings
The Associated Press has moved Irwin Jacobs from President Obama's second-most giving donor to fourth, in an October 31 article. As we reported on October 22, the AP initially had placed Jacobs higher on the top-five donor list but has …
$300,000 in federal funds for Sheriff's anti-DUI campaign
The San Diego Sheriff’s Department has been awarded a $300,000 grant via the California Office of Traffic Safety and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in order to continue administering the countywide “Avoid the 15” campaign against drunk driving, which has …
Who's Mr. Clean? Larry Remer? Voice of San Diego?
Larry Remer, the publicist and local progressive, is slamming the Voice of San Diego, the online publication. The subject is ethics. The tale is hilarious, and I thank Matt Potter for alerting me to it. Some history is in order. …
Woman rescued after falling from OB cliff
Police say alcohol involved in incident
A small crowd of Ocean Beach residents gathered at the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue around 7:30 Tuesday evening, attracted by a plethora of emergency vehicles, including police cruisers, fire trucks, an ambulance, city lifeguards, and a police helicopter focusing …
Deputy District Attorneys walking: campaign cash for death penalty, GOP's Danon, and Amador
The San Diego county Deputy District Attorney's Association has been piling up some major cash for its push against Proposition 34, the anti-death penalty measure on November's ballot, as well as in favor of Republican Steve Danon, the Brian Bilbray …
David Copley gives more than $45,000 to Romney and Republicans
David Copley, the heir to the Copley fortune who retired from the newspaper publishing business in 2009 when he sold his flagship paper the Union Tribune to Beverly Hills–based Platinum Equity, has not retired from giving money to politicians. Late …
Group caught after taking Citibank for over $1 million
Scam exploited bank's software glitch.
Local FBI officials, in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney, have indicted 14 individuals in San Diego in charges related to a scheme investigators have dubbed “Gone in 60 Seconds,” which allowed them to defraud Citibank of more than $1 million …
SD home values rise in line with nation's large metro areas
San Diego County home values rose 0.9% in August from July, according to data released this morning by Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller. That's the same as the composite 0.9% gain of the 20 largest metro areas. Year-over-year, local home values rose …
El Cajon Police confirm responsibility for brush fire
Smoke canister used in SWAT team training set blaze
A brush fire that burned four acres in El Cajon on Saturday has officially been linked to training exercises conducted by the city’s Special Weapons and Tactics team, El Cajon Police Chief Jim Redman announced yesterday. Several homes on Hacienda …
Most U-T circulation numbers decline, according to ABC
According to Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) data released this morning (Oct. 30), U-T circulation declined for all but its Saturday edition between Sept. 30, 2011 and Sept. 30, 2012. Sunday circulation dropped from 368,723 in fall of last year …
The San Diego County Prosperity Institute raises $316,000 for slate mailers targeting Bob Filner
In a little over a week, residents of San Diego will no longer have to sift through political slate mailers to retrieve a bill or letter. But until then avoiding that task will be virtually impossible. Slate mailers have become …
Burglar admits three new felonies
A young multi-felon admitted three new felonies in a plea deal this morning in the Vista courthouse. Chase Evans Jenkins, 25, today admitted car theft and first degree burglary of an inhabited home and possession of hypodermic needle while in …
Charge against Fallbrook handyman is dismissed
A charge filed against a Fallbrook handyman was dismissed today, after a prosecutor said there were witness “credibility” problems. Forty-year-old Paul Singh is known as a handyman around the neighborhood of North Pico Avenue, where he used to live, according …
Chicago-based Realtors give $20,000 to kill San Diego's Prop Z school bond measure
Real estate agents usually tout the quality of neighborhood schools in their come-ons to would-be homebuyers, but this year at least, the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors is sending another message. According to a Friday filing posted online by the …
Accountant Klingensmith loses license
The California Board of Accountancy officially announced today (Oct. 29) that Escondido accountant Ronald Klingensmith has admitted the accuracy of charges filed by the board and has lost his license. The accounting firm of Ron Klingensmith & Associates will cease …
UCSD's Geisel Library begins round-the-clock weekday hours
The UC San Diego campus this morning launched its “24/5 Study Commons” area within the iconic Geisel Library that will remain open throughout the school year, with round-the-clock hours beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday and continuing through 6 p.m. …
Pro-DeMaio political committee speaks out against accusations of fraud
Juan Boyce, chair of the Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio has refuted claims that his committee is a shadow committee with ties to the Medical Marijuana industry. In an October 27 email, Boyce had some harsh words for …
Illinois teachers fund axes two SD money managers
The severely ailing Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois has dropped two San Diego money managers. According to an announcement last Friday, the fund dropped Brandes Investment Partners, which was managing $655 million in international stocks, and Denali …
Juvenile burglary crew arrested in El Cajon
El Cajon Police arrested 18 year-old Mohammed Muhsin Albatat and three juveniles on burglary charges Saturday night after being called to a residence on the 1200 block of Yerba Verde Drive in the Fletcher Hills neighborhood. Shortly before 8 p.m., …
U-T sells North County Times Escondido site
U-T San Diego has revealed on its North County website that it has entered escrow to sell its 4-acre Escondido site -- former home of the North County Times -- to Classical Academy charter school. U-T got $7 million in …
Casino-owning tribe and builders give big to fund backing La Jolla GOP city council hopeful
The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation has given $17,000 to a group backing Ray Ellis, the La Jolla Republican city council candidate who is hoping to unseat first district Democratic incumbent Sherri Lightner. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/27/34441/ According to an October 25 …
Los Angeles man accused of hammering Mom to death is due in court
A man accused of hammering his mother to death and cutting her body into pieces is set to be in court Tuesday, October 30. At this hearing, attorneys are expected to set a date for a preliminary hearing, in mid-November. …
Is the political committee, Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio, a front for an anti-DeMaio group?
It's safe to assume that the primary goal for the Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio in 2012 is to see DeMaio become San Diego's next Mayor. But there's always an element of risk in assuming anything, especially in …
Air gun standoff briefly closes Ramona road
California Highway Patrol officers and San Diego Sheriff Department deputies closed off a section of San Vicente Road in Ramona early yesterday morning after receiving reports of a man walking through the rural residential community openly displaying a gun. Shortly …
Faith, labor groups call for passage of Prop 39
A group comprised of various faith-based and labor-backed organizations led by Rabbi Laurie Coskey of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice gathered this afternoon to speak out in favor of Proposition 39, which would eliminate an option for businesses that …
French operator of spill-plagued border sewage plant gives $5,000 to GOP Lincoln Club
Veolia Water North American Operating Services, Inc., a Chicago-based based subsidiary of the French corporate giant Veolia Environment, has given $5,000 to the San Diego's GOP Lincoln Club, according to a filing posted online Tuesday by the California Secretary of …
Chairman of Cognex Corporation Robert Shillman shells out $25,000 to Tea Party Congressman Allen West
The Super PAC supporting Tea Party hero, Representative Allen West of Florida, has received a hefty donation from one wealthy resident of San Diego. Robert Shillman, founder and chairman of Cognex Corporation gave the Treasure Coast Jobs Coalition, the pro-West …
Pub owners' PAC backing pro-DeMaio Lincoln Club gets $10,000 from Sempra Energy
As the race for San Diego mayor heads for the wire, it's getting harder to keep track of which big money players are giving to what causes. Take for example, the case of the San Diego Restaurant & Beverage Political …
District Attorney takes down another medical marijuana dispensary
The District Attorney's office has shut down yet another medical marijuana dispensary in the City of San Diego. Yesterday agents and police officers raided the Next Generation Cannabis Club on San Ysidro Boulevard. The raid comes one day after a …
Medical marijuana co-op manager's conviction overturned
Ruling may set protective precedent for controversial storefront medical marijuana dispensaries.
A California appeals court yesterday reversed the 2010 conviction of medical marijuana dispensary manager Jovan Jackson, who was sentenced to six months in jail in 2010 for possessing and selling cannabis for profit. The Reader first reported on Jackson’s intent …
Feds take over Chubby Bandit case
A man arrested on suspicion of a series of bank robberies in San Diego County will be prosecuted through the federal court system, an informed source said yesterday. A person can be charged with robbery-of-a-bank-teller and that case will go …
Chula Vista council votes with hoteliers to scrap Tourism Marketing District
Chula Vista city council voted October 23 to disband the Tourism Marketing District. A grand jury report released on the subject in June suggests funds were mismanaged.
The Chula Vista city council voted October 24 to disestablish the Tourism Marketing District. The action was prompted by a petition of 53% of the city's hoteliers requesting the district be dissolved. In December 2008 Supervisor Greg Cox gave the …
Picking up the tab: assessment districts to pay for Downtown San Diego Partnership's new website
The Downtown San Diego Partnership, the non-profit corporate booster that administers downtown assessment districts, will soon have a new and improved website. The Partnership plans to spend $38,500 to $41,500 on the new site. The vast majority of the cost, …
Card data stolen from Barnes & Noble stores; 4 SD stores affected
Book retailer Barnes & Noble said today (Oct. 24) that customers shopping at 63 of its stores as recently as last month may have had credit or debit card information stolen, according to Reuters. Barnes & Noble said it had …
Two-thirds of "short sellers" experience difficulties
But the number of San Diego home sales considered "distressed" is the lowest in the state
Consumers attempting to dispose of “underwater” real estate by conducting a short sale, in which lenders accept a payoff of less than the full amount due, are having an easier time than in recent years, though the transactions are still …
Record $234,595 spent on broadcast ads in just one day in city races
After months of fundraising by those having a special financial interest in what happens at San Diego's city hall, the cash has begun to fly in record amounts during the final run-up to next month's mayoral election. Major television advertising …
Prolific burglar caught in Del Mar
A single San Diego man appears to have been responsible for a string of residential burglaries spanning the 100 through 400 blocks of Stratford Court in Del Mar, all on the night of October 22. As Sheriff’s deputies were investigating …
Former Jefferson staffer testifies she was told to falsify job numbers
Karen Grant, a former assistant career services dean at Thomas Jefferson School of Law has filed a declaration stating that she was told by her supervisor to pad employment numbers. Publications such as Law School Transparency and the National Law …
State audit cites San Diego Community College District for faulty crime reports
According to a report released October 16 by the California State Auditor, the San Diego Community College district, along with five other California schools, failed to adequately comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime …
U-T San Diego's claim that a computer glitch caused Mitt Romney to submit late payments not supported by City documents
Was a computer glitch really to blame for Mitt Romney's failure to pay more than $18,500 in city fees on time? The U-T San Diego claimed that was the case. Public records, however, seem to show otherwise. The records show …
Drunk inmates attack guards at El Centro area prison
Three guards at Centinela State Prison in the Imperial Valley east of San Diego are recovering after being attacked by inmates last Friday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is reporting. Shortly after 6 p.m., two correctional officers conducting …
SD housing outperforms most metro areas in third quarter
San Diego home values rise faster than most other metro areas in Zillow report, but SD is not in top ten turnaround markets.
National home values rose 1.3% in the third quarter, according to a Zillow report released this morning (Oct 23), and year-over-year values rose 3.2%. Among the 30 largest markets, San Diego did better than the nation, rising 3.2% in the …
San Bernardino not paying Calpers
San Bernardino, which went into Chapter 9 bankruptcy in August, is not making its regular contribution to the California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) according to a story in today's (Oct. 22) Wall Street Journal. An official told the Journal …
Questions raised over the accuracy of U-T San Diego's recent mayoral poll
Bob Filner's camp continues to cast doubt on the results from a recent U-T San Diego and University of San Diego poll that showed Councilmember Carl DeMaio with a ten-point advantage in the mayoral race. The results have raised concerns …
Jury declares woman guilty of three DUI manslaughters
A jury declared Debbie Pacheco Sumi guilty of three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, today, after a two week trial. Three persons were killed on the side of highway 78 two years ago, in August 2010, when a …
Demanding a public vote on development
Groups say proposed residential project in Carmel Valley is subject to 1985 law that requires voter approval to re-zone land
A group of about two dozen activists gathered outside city hall this afternoon to protest approval granted by the San Diego Planning Commission to a proposed large-scale seniors’ residential development in the Carmel Valley area named Rancho Del Mar. The …
Qualcomm billionaire Jacobs is Obama's second biggest donor, says Associated Press
The Associated Press is out with a dispatch ranking controversial La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs as second in the nation among contributors to the re-election cause of President Barack Obama. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/22/34100/ With total Obama-related donations of $2.122 million, Jacobs is …
$1.5M cafeteria overhaul for idled nuclear plant?
The Califorina Public Utilities Commission late last week issued a proposed ruling on funding Southern California Edison, operator of the idled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, hopes to recover from ratepayers. One of the items on the list asks electricity …
Local former NBA star endorses Peters
Staffers for Scott Peters, the Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Brian Bilbray in the 52nd congressional district, along with a handful of media, gathered this morning at the candidate's headquarters for the latest news conference held to announce an endorsement …
Murdoch mulls buying LA Times, Chicago Tribune
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is looking to acquire the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, according to a story today (Oct. 20) in the Los Angeles Times. Chicago-based Tribune Company, which is expected to emerge from bankruptcy soon, owns both …
Money Talks
Union members get paid to walk precincts in support of Bob Filner
Recent campaign disclosures show employee unions continue to toss thousands of dollars into San Diego's mayoral race. As of October 17 the political committee, San Diegans for Retirement Security which is comprised of union powerhouses, American Federation of State, County, …
Disbarred attorney back in jail again
Jail records show that Michael Theodore Pines was arrested about 8 p.m. yesterday, and is currently held in San Diego’s downtown jail. The Sheriff’s website states that Pines was captured by U.S. Marshals and booked Friday evening, October 19, 2012. …
Sponsor of Pro-DeMaio political committee is a former Filner supporter
A new pro-DeMaio political committee, Conservatives for Gay Rights In Support of Carl DeMaio for San Diego Mayor 2012, might not be all that "pro" DeMaio after all. Some DeMaio supporters continue to question the intentions of the political committee, …
Lawsuit delays start date for Plaza de Panama project
Construction crews waiting to get to work on building a bypass road from the Cabrillo Bridge to a new parking garage behind the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park will have to wait until mid- February 2013 to break ground. According …
SD unemployment drops, but job gains are slight
The county's unemployment rate dropped to 8.4% in September from 9% in August, according to the state Employment Development Department. However, the county gained only 200 jobs in the month. The big gainer was local government, up 4,100 jobs, but …
Man arrested for child porn linked to NY bomb plot
The New York Times has reported that Howard Willie Carter II, arrested for child porn in San Diego Wednesday, has been linked to a Bangladeshi man who is accused of plotting to blow up the New York Federal Reserve in …
UCAN head quits after 10 days; Langley out, too
Pat Zaharopoulos, who became temporary executive director of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network on Oct. 8, resigned today (Oct. 18), explaining that her knowledge of non-profits was too limited. She succeeded Kim Malcolm, who lasted only a few months, and …
Favor for Favor(s)
On heels of FBI deal, DeMaio catches a break from the Feds.
GOP hotel mogul Doug Manchester's U-T San Diego reported this afternoon that U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy has jumped into San Diego's mayoral fray with both feet, calling Democratic congressman Bob Filner's behavior at a weekend forum "uncivil." “Our apologies that …
City Council Democrats spend special interest cash for party's cause
Two Democratic members of the San Diego city council, already safely re-elected, have been giving their surplus campaign funds - gathered in large part from an array of special interests with business at city hall - to the county Democratic …
Man accused of $3 million fraud admits 48 felonies
A man accused of using the identities of his mom and dad to run up more than $3 million in debt admitted all 48 felony counts in court yesterday. He could get up to 41 years in prison, according to …
Experts dispute each other in DUI manslaughter trial
Forensic experts for both prosecution and defense gave conflicting testimony this week, in the triple-manslaughter trial of a woman accused of being the driver in a fatal highway crash. Thirty-six-year-old Debbie Pacheco Sumi denies that she was behind the wheel …
GOP Congressman Hunter pays wife from campaign fund
The matter of a politician paying his spouse from a campaign committee has long served as political attack fodder in San Diego. The most recent example came earlier this month when a U-T San Diego editorial blasted Democratic congressman Bob …
Cymer sells out for big premium
Tech equipment maker Cymer has agreed to be purchased by ASML Holding NV, Europe's largest semiconductor maker, for $2.6 billion. Cymer shareholders will receive $20 in cash and 1.1502 ASML ordinary shares, according to Bloomberg News. That's 72% higher than …
Controversy continues over Chula Vista's EyeCandy
Pictured: Linda Wagner speaking to the media about EyeCandy Residents have been in an uproar since the nude dancing club, EyeCandy, took up residence on Chula Vista's Bayfront Boulevard. On October 15, a council candidate, Linda Wagner, marched on city …
Realtors and restaurateurs are San Diego GOP's latest big money players
As the day of the November election draws ever nearer, campaign cash continues to pile up at a record pace. The latest big money players include the San Diego Association of Realtors IMPAC, which, according to a disclosure filing posted …
Local law school has one of worst employment records
The publication Business Insider has published a list of American law schools with the worst employment records -- that is, percent of 2011 grads that were unemployed or seeking employment nine months after graduation. The data are from the Wall …
Trial continues for woman accused of DUI manslaughter
Defense is expected to begin their case today, in a two-week trial for 34-year-old Debbie Pacheco Sumi. The petite woman is charged with killing three persons on the side of highway 78 more than two years ago. An “accident reconstruction …
Department of Justice investigating Bridgepoint
Bridgepoint Education announced in a filing Monday (Oct 15) that it is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department. Bridgepoint stock plummeted almost 9% in after-hours trading. Bridgepoint said investigators are looking into compensation of its admission personnel. The Department …
Split decision on SDGE's attempt to get ratepayers to ante up
California Public Utilities Commission Administrative Law Judge Maribeth A. Bushey today (Oct. 15) issued a decision rejecting the attempt by San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Co., units of Sempra Energy, to get ratepayers to pick up …
Journalist Killed in Tijuana
A journalist was found dead early Monday morning, October 15th, after suffering a bullet wound to the head. Ramón Abel López Aguilar, a 53 year old journalist and photographer, was found dead around 6:00am shortly after being reported missing. Local …
Yet another big-money campaign fund, this one run by environmentalist, joins San Diego mayoral fray
There's San Diegans for Reform in Opposition to Bob Filner - Mayor 2012, and there's San Diegans in Support of Bob Filner for Mayor - 2012. There's Too Extreme for San Diego - a committee to oppose Carl DeMaio for …
Foreclosures up but inventory down as investors snap up property
September’s foreclosure numbers are out, and according to ForeclosureRadar the trend of decreasing foreclosure activity continues, despite speculation that the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, which takes effect January 1, would encourage lenders to push as many delinquent loans through …
Police canine demonstration in Carlsbad
Police canine Tyson and partner Corporal Alonso De Velasco demonstrated their work yesterday, at the Carlsbad safety center. Officer DeVelasco first drove up in his patrol car before a roped-off crowd, then got out of his car and spoke to …
Firefighters demonstrate a rescue
A team of rescuers swarmed a crushed car during a demonstration at the Carlsbad safety center yesterday. Three different power tools were used on a sample traffic-collision-casualty, and the car was taken apart in surprisingly few minutes. The child-mannequin inside …
Overbuilt Convention Centers Cutting Prices
The weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 13-14) shows how the convention center industry keeps expanding into a glut. Although leisure travel has recovered from the deep recession, convention business has not made similar gains, says the Journal. …
Now the Attorney General Is Investigating UCAN
Recently, the board of watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network wrote a letter to its co-founder, Michael Shames, demanding that he return $474,000 that he took as bonuses on intervenor fees the organization was awarded for participation in matters of the …
Oceanside Police announce special investigation
Oceanside Police finished a special operation in which they arrested 11 persons associated with drug and gang activity, they announced in a press conference this week. The special investigation began four months ago, police said, when they put a wire-tap …
Legitimacy of new pro-DeMaio LGBT political committee questioned
Two pro-DeMaio LGBT political committees -- Gay Friends Supporting Carl DeMaio for Mayor 2012, and Conservatives for Gay Rights Supporting Carl DeMaio for Mayor 2012 -- have popped up in the past week. That appears to be good news for …
Sempra Energy gave out more than $1.2 million in California political cash through June
Gov. Jerry Brown is in the latest fight of his political life this fall with Molly Munger, the wealthy lawyer who is backing Proposition 38 against Brown's Prop 30 tax hike measure on November's ballot. But the governor is apparently …
Former cop back in court, the good and the bad
A disgraced cop got words of approval yesterday afternoon, from the same judge who took his guilty plea five months ago. Judge Kimberlee Lagotta read from a doctor’s report affirming that former-cop Michael Christian Koch has been attending group therapy …
What? A Nevada Tarkanian Getting Drained?
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) made a move yesterday (Oct. 10) to register a $17 million judgment against Danny Tarkanian, who is running for Congress in a new district in Nevada, according to political observer Jon Ralston, Las Vegas …
Faith leaders rally in support of ballot measures
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/11/33382/ The Interfaith Community for Worker Justice, which describes itself as representing “clergy, synagogues, churches, mosques, faith and justice organizations . . . who feel called by their respective religious traditions to work for justice and stand up for the …
Calderon visiting Tijuana as president for last time
Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderon, is visiting Tijuana and Baja California for likely the last time as president Thursday, October 11th. Calderon will attend the inaugural day of the Tijuana Innovadora (Innovative Tijuana) expo, as well as other events in the …
Big Swiss biotech multinational with San Diego history gives $1 million to beat Prop 37
World biotech giant Syngenta AG, which once ran the Torrey Mesa Research Institute just north of La Jolla, has come up with $1 million for the campaign against California's Proposition 37, a measure to impose labeling requirements on so-called genetically …
Council expected to approve new contract for magazines and newspapers in public libraries
Ever wonder just how much the City of San Diego spends to stock the shelves at its 36 libraries with magazines and newspapers? The answer: $346,000 each year. On Tuesday, city councilmembers are expected to approve a two-year extension with …
Gamblers Grab Low-Priced SD Homes
Speculators are buying bottom tier San Diego homes at one of the fastest paces in the nation, according to Zillow.com. First-time homebuyers are being squeezed out as speculators buy low-price homes with the idea of renting them out to people …
Vulture capitalist who flipped San Diego U-T to Doug Manchester is unloading another bauble
Just a little over one year ago Don Bauder broke the story that Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills was dumping the San Diego Union-Tribune. The buyer: hotelier and GOP stalwart Doug Manchester. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/11/33344/ Now comes word via Forbes magazine that …
San Diego inches closer to abolishing bicycle licensing law
The San Diego City Council’s Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee voted unanimously last week to recommend an end to the city’s bicycle licensing program, BikeSD.org reports. “We were really required to have a license to ride a bike?” asked …
New details in case of man "dating" 12-yr-old girl
New details in the case of a 24-year-old man convicted of sex with a 12-year-old girl are alleged in a probation officer’s report. According to the report, five different “sexually explicit” photographs were found on Christopher Bradley Nutt’s cell phone, …
Downtown San Diego Partnership's new business model; paid for by residents and business owners
The new business model for non-profit business booster Downtown San Diego Partnership is now complete and property and business owners in downtown San Diego can now see where $19,000 worth of assessments went. While primarily focusing on strategies aimed at …
Irwin Jacobs bankrolls $2.8 billion San Diego Unified school bond campaign; Buzz Woolley opposes
The campaign to pass Proposition Z, a $2.8 billion bond measure put on the ballot by the San Diego Unified school district, has collected $266,075 through September 30. A good chunk of the money has come from firms with a …
Mother-Son Scamsters Get Prison Sentences
Orange County attorney Stephen Kenneth Chrysler was sentenced today (Oct. 9) to 37 months in prison and his mother, Aida Agusti Castro of Carlsbad, got a 33-month sentence. The two pulled an $8 million mortgage fraud involving homes in Oceanside, …
Wealthy charter school advocate gives cash to interest group opposing San Diego school bond measure
CAC Advisory Services, LLC, a firm run by charter school advocate Rod Dammeyer, has kicked in $3,350 to the San Diego County Taxpayers Association PAC, a group of business and lobbying interests currently warring against the San Diego Unified School …
City council rejects a settlement offer to resume dredging projects in the Tijuana River Valley
The City of San Diego isn't ready to give up in their fight against San Diegans for Open Government over dredging projects in the Tijuana River Valley. Today, more than five months after Judge Timothy Taylor halted work in the …
Lawsuit filed to block construction of new stadium for Padres' AAA team
Ray Salazar, the former mayor of El Paso, Texas has filed a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to stop it from demolishing the local City Hall in order to clear land for a new $50 million stadium that …
City to change payment structure for a new parking garage in Balboa Park
As the attorney for San Diegans for Open Government put it earlier this week, issuing $17.4 million worth of bonds to pay for a new parking garage in Balboa Park is a "total scam." In his October 2 letter to …
Anti-Filner campaign fund picks up $403,900 from apartment owners, contractors, lobbyists
A group calling itself "San Diegans for Reform in Opposition to Bob Filner - Mayor 2012," sponsored by the Lincoln Club of San Diego, a Republican organization of regional business and lobbying interests, has raised $403,900 through September 30, according …
Council faced with decision on dredging in Tijuana River Valley
Five months after a Superior Court Judge ruled that the City of San Diego failed to conduct proper environmental review for dredging in the Tijuana River Valley, the City continues to drag its feet to settle the case. Meanwhile ranchers, …
Washington, D.C.-based public employee union backs Filner with $400,000
An independent expenditure committee calling itself "San Diegans in Support of Bob Filner for Mayor - 2012" has collected a total of $607,500 from labor unions, a wealthy local Democrat, and a corporation sharing an address with La Jolla's premier …
Man accused of fatal stabbing due in court next week
“She told dispatchers that her ex-boyfriend, later identified as Christopher James Selena, had just stabbed her current boyfriend while inside her home.” Police issued a statement later the same day. “The woman said she had been in her townhome with …
SD Gas Prices Soar Past 94-Year Record
San Diego gas prices are now $4.69 a gallon for regular, higher than Los Angeles's $4.66 and Orange County's $4.65, according to Charles Langley of Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN). The current price is now the highest in California history. …
"G-U-I-L-T-Y": Filner camp accuses DeMaio of secret meetings with U-T brass on Facebook
The blowback from councilmember Carl DeMaio's recent admission that he met with U-T San Diego's publisher and CEO, despite saying otherwise at a recent mayoral debate, has now ended up on the pages of Facebook. The page was created by …
Meeting Tonight on SDGE's Huge Profits
Officials of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will hold a meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Al Bahr Shriners Hall, 5440 Kearny Mesa Road, for a discussion of SDGE's profits. The public is invited. According to the Utility Consumers' …
Man sentenced for sex with 12-year-old-girl
Christopher Bradley Nutt, 24, admitted sexual intercourse and possession of pornographic photos of a 12-year-old girl in a plea deal, and was sentenced to 270 days in local jail. The plea deal was signed in August, he was sentenced yesterday …
Happy 40th, San Diego Reader: whither Rodney Wanker?
So the Reader is 40 today, and to celebrate, they've put their first issue online. As the promo notes, "Among the early writers for the paper were Kathleen Woodward (ex-wife of Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward); Jonathan Saville, literature professor …
Admitted fraudster's medical website still operating
More than six months after Idriss Maher, owner of the Solana Beach-based Oberlin Medical Supply and Service Corporation, pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for his role in distributing over $7 million worth of prescription medications not approved for use …
Wealthy La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe denizens pouring big cash into Southeast school board race
Three wealthy San Diegans are doubling down on their support of William Ponder against teachers union-endorsed Marne Foster in their race for San Diego school board. The two candidates, vying for the sub-district E seat being vacated by Shelia Jackson, …
Good News for Obama: Unemployment Drops Below 8%
The unemployment rate was 7.8% in September, the lowest since President Obama took office, according to the Labor Department. The economy created 114,000 jobs, slightly above the 110,000 economists expected. August job creation was revised up to 142,000 from the …
While tax hike vote looms, UCSD's "Travel and Entertainment Team" seeks $72,000 assistant
University of California president Mark Yudof has been out on the stump for Jerry Brown's Proposition 30, talking down the university’s financial future if voters reject the governor's massive tax hike measure in November. "I see Prop. 30 as, perhaps, …
"Go ahead and do something," thief tells store clerk
Authorities are seeking to apprehend two suspects who robbed the 7-Eleven convenience store on the 100 block of Worthington Avenue in Spring Valley on Tuesday night. According to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, the suspects, described as “a Hispanic male, …
U-T CEO John Lynch's apparent willingness to shape media coverage and public policy
Last week, Don Bauder broke the news that U-T honcho John Lynch had defaulted on his Rancho Santa Fe mortgage. In a series of emails with Lynch, we asked the CEO for details on the foreclosure proceedings. He responded: "I …
Peters, Bilbray spar over taking of public pensions
The mudslinging in the race for California’s newly mapped 52nd Congressional District continues, with the campaign of Democratic challenger Scott Peters bristling at an attack from Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray (currently serving in the 50th District) criticizing Peters for receiving …
Former police chief executed in Mexicali casino
A state prosecutor was executed in a Mexicali casino last night, October 2nd, as he sat at a slot machine. Juan Cristóbal Aguilar Aispuro, who is a former chief of the state police, was shot by a gunman about 11:00pm …
UCAN Demands Shames Return $474,000 in Bonuses
Michael Shames, former head of financially ailing watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), has been told to return $474,019 to UCAN as a result of consultation with the Attorney General's office. As reported by the Reader in July of 2011, …
Attorney calls council's decision to issue $17.4 million in bonds for Balboa Park Parking Garage a "total scam"
Yesterday, San Diego city councilmembers approved issuing $17.4 million in bonds to pay for a four-story parking garage behind the Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Councilmembers issued the bonds through a joint use agreement between the City of San Diego …
Donors walking: Democratic billionaire Irwin Jacobs and wife Joan kick in $80,000 to defeat death penalty
Politically speaking, it's been quite a week for Qualcomm founder and La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs. Fresh from his endorsement of Republican city councilman Carl DeMaio's mayoral candidacy last Thursday, the interview-shy cell phone magnate quickly tacked back to the …
Genetically modified crops result in 527 million pound spike in herbicide used on crops
Backers of Proposition 37, which would require food producers who knowingly use genetically modified crops to disclose such use, is for the second time in recent weeks touting the release of a new study to drum up support for the …
Lawyer, Telemarketer Charged with Loan Modification Scam
Oceanside attorney Dan Chandler and telemarketer Shelveen Singh were arraigned today (Oct. 2) in federal court on charges of defrauding thousands of homeowners in an $11 million loan modification scam. Chandler's Oceanside office, 1st American Law Center, was home base. …
Las Vegas developer linked to late mobster puts yet more campaign cash into San Diego GOP
The Molasky Group of Companies, controlled by Irwin Molasky, a one-time partner with late Las Vegas mobster Moe Dalitz in the storied La Costa resort and Mafia hangout, has made yet another round of sizable campaign contributions to San Diego …
Washington-Based Think Tank Suggests Prop 37 Labeling Goes Too Far
The Washington Legal Foundation, a D.C. nonprofit group organized around pro-business and free market principles, has released two recent op-ed pieces questioning the wisdom of California’s Proposition 37, which would require the labeling of food products whose manufacturers knowingly use …
Local conservative groups turn to internship programs for help on campaigns
Republicans in San Diego County aren't waisting any time trying to create new jobs, even if some of those positions offer little to no pay. In an advertisement on Internships.com, the "world's largest internships marketplace," the Republican Party of San …
San Diego Superior Court judges blasted by state auditor for waiving domestic violence payments
The California State Auditor has issued a blast at the San Diego Superior Court, saying that judges here have been waiving legally required payments due from those convicted of crimes of domestic violence. According to the state auditor's report, issued …
Shames's Divorce, Computer Seizing Further Roil UCAN
Richard Ravreby, attorney for Katherine Wolf, cannot get financial records from Michael Shames, former head of financially drained watchdog Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN). Wolf was Shames's second wife. The marriage lasted from November 2006 to December 2008. The breakup …
City Council to authorize funding for Balboa Park Parking Garage
The controversial Plaza de Panama project appears to moving along according to plan, Mayor Jerry Sanders and billionaire philanthropist Irwin Jacobs' plan, that is. On September 19, the City put out a request for bids from outside companies capable of …
PETA asks Dept. of Agriculture to investigate orca injury at SeaWorld San Diego
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/01/32613/ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct an investigation regarding the injury suffered by SeaWorld San Diego’s 11 year-old orca Nakai last month, when a portion of the whale’s …