By Jamie Edmonds, El CerritoThursday, July 3, 2008 | I went searching for this site today--actually any alternative news media site--after reading yet another blinkered, philistine, pig-ignorant editorial in today's Union Tribune. Yes, it's sad to see the decline and fall of PBS as they take still more blood money from corporations, clog their airtime with advertisements and yet still bleat out pleas for more donations from the public. It's got to be frustrating for the overworked, underpaid staff there at KPBS as well. But the ratio of actual information I want and need to other fluff and corporate-sponsored ads has gotten way out of proportion since the Neocons started their campaign to kill any true PUBLIC broadcasting. If there's one thing I look forward to with the end of George II's reign, it’s the faint ray of hope that a sympathetic Congress will save PBS from the abyss.
By Susan Watry, Chula VistaThursday, July 3, 2008 | When Lani Lutar, President/CEO of San Diego County Taxpayers Association, recently meddled in Chula Vista's Proposition E campaign in a flier titled "Take Our Word For It," she stated: "Proposition E bypasses the processes of representative government, imposes a costly election process, and delays proposals that do not occur in election years. And, Proposition E encourages developers to bypass public hearings and environmental reports. Going directly to the ballot where they can buy approval with slick, expensive political campaigns. This measure serves as a prime example of ballot box planning, a poor form of public policy."
Most of this rhetoric was pure poppycock but at the time, and realizing we were in the silly season, I opted to ignore it.
But now that she is piously chastising the Port District for spending public money for political purposes by running an open letter in the Union Tribune, I must ask, did she not know that Mayor Cheryl Cox spent an unauthorized $30,000 of public money on a bogus study to "educate" people about Proposition E? If she didn't know, she should have. And if she did know she should have protested as loudly then as she is now.
I don't know who lured her into our local politics but she was ill-informed and ill-advised. In the future when I see a SDCTA position, I will be reminded of this experience and I will not be "taking her word for it."
By Chris Hall, San DiegoWednesday, July 02, 2008 | You keep an eye on Keyser Marston! I worked for four years on the Downtown Community Plan Update (2002-2006) and saw how Keyser Marston worked with CCDC and the myriad "friends of CCDC" to do their bidding regarding land use and feasibility studies on development potential. The presumption with Keyser Marston is that they are magicians of sorts, that they have very sophisticated lenses through which to see the world, and that their studies and assessments are derived from the greatest depths from the well of all truth.
Keyser Marston's shtick is that they have seers who have this extraordinary ability to glean the one truth, when in fact, we all know that the truth is a moving target and relative from the position of the believer -- not all studies and assessments done by Keyser Marston have only one magical answer, but that is how they portray their product on behalf of their client. It is in their interest to be perceived as the truth sayers about land use, that they are the only ones with the capacity to get to the truth. And they sell their "truth" to CCDC, SEDC and elsewhere for top dollar, so you better believe it’s true!
I could not believe how strongly I felt that Keyser Marston fixed the facts around what CCDC and the development community wanted to see. Keyser Marston is in the business of facilitating their clients' needs, and if the client wants such and such, then Keyser Marston grinds out the truth that such IS such.
So I would be very suspect of anything Gerald Trimble says, of his assessments, of his studies that say a change in land use is necessary, that the land is worth so much as commercial versus industrial, etc. Keyser Marston built a business on portraying themselves as the buck stops here for the truth about land use, but really it’s always only the truth their clients are paying to hear. I am appalled they would paint themselves as objective when everything I ever saw them do was for the benefit of their client. By Jerry Davee, Del CerroTuesday, July 1, 2008 | This is a non-story and embarrassing that voiceofsandiego.org even chose to run it. The woman is the CEO of CCDC. She was asked to sign a document on behalf of CCDC extending the time for negotiations with a developer. She did not participate in ANY negotiations with that developer and did not negotiate the extension. That was done by John Collum, a senior project manager with CCDC who is negotiating with the developer. No one has said she had anything to do with any negotiation with this developer, as confirmed by the chairman of the board of directors of CCDC.
Nancy Graham had previously recused herself from all negotiations. Signing this document was not a negotiation. A CEO signs hundreds of documents negotiated by others on the staff because many documents require the CEO's signature. What she may have profited from in Florida with some other development has nothing to do with this transaction and you know it.
This is not Pulitzer Prize winning journalism. It's not even Booby- prize reporting. By Ian Trowbridge, Mission HillsSunday, June 29, 2008 | With regard to Will Carless' piece describing the real or apparent conflict of interest the councilman from District 8 has with the possible creation of a redevelopment district centered on Barrio Logan.
How is it that the few residents of District 8 who bother to vote seem to select individuals whose families have substantial real estate interests in the District? First, there was Ralph Inzunza, now a convicted felon, whose brother (a fellow politician) was a slum lord, followed by Ben Hueso whose family, according to Carless, owns 15 properties in or near Barrio Logan.
Hueso seems to be a favorite of developers including the Baldwin family-- eight of whom donated $2,500 in campaign contributions in 2006 alone and who have business interests in Otay. Six Sunroad executives were good for $2,375 and members the land use law firm, Selzer Caplan, were also generous kicking in $1,850.
Hueso's often silent votes on land use issues that come before the city council are unpredictable, raising questions about whether his votes may be influenced by campaign contributions. But to be fair, that question could be asked of the majority of the current City Council. By Elaine Wilson, MiddletownMonday, June 30, 2008 | George Gorton, San Diego's very own homegrown Karl Rove. The guy that helped give San Diego one of it's worse mayors in the form of Susan Golding. Do you love the Charger ticket deal? And how about the jimmying of the city's budget to fund the national Republican campaign?
The guy the helped elect Pete Wilson governor and a mean spirited, small minded leader he turned out to be. Frankly this is the kind of journalism I expect from the Reader not my voiceofsandiego. By Bill Bradshaw, Mission BeachFriday, June 27, 2008 | I'm saddened by this news, as a regular but part time listener and viewer. The commercials have become so frequent on commercial channels that, regardless of how you view their politics, and I consider them quite political despite their protestations to the contrary, they are a welcome respite from the ceaseless selling on
commercial stations.
I have to say their wounds are largely self-inflicted. They've done a lousy job of keeping their regular subscriber base. Whenever they have these pledge drives, and they've become more frequent, they offer inducements for new pledges but the same goodies aren't made available to continuing subscribers. What kind of sense does that make?
They have another resource, archives of old local programs viewers might want to buy, but they have not promoted it. A few years ago I wrote them a letter suggesting this and offering an additional gift of a hundred bucks if they'd run me a copy of a reunion concert of the old Bob Crosby orchestra, held at the organ pavilion. They promised to look into it but nothing happened. Someone could go through that old stuff and offer returning subscribers, who tend to be seniors like me, a choice from among several archived programs for renewal and perhaps a 10 percent increase in their pledge amount.
It's a real shame, because their local public affairs programs are top notch, but I'm afraid they're the next to go. What the whole public broadcasting network nationally needs is some top notch marketing talent, but I'm afraid their "public" orientation won't allow them to see that. I've felt in recent years that the best thing that could happen to them would be to lose their remaining government funding, so they could tell their regulars it's time to put up or they'll close down. Their no-commercials format is the strongest thing they have to offer, and they aren't really exploiting it.
By Jo Kiernan, La JollaFriday, June 27, 2008 | As the public's options for objective news coverage diminish, I shudder to think what will happen if NPR, KPBS and other public stations die. I don't know Mr. Myrland, but KPBS [and any other other NPR affiliate] is one of the few last bastions of "reliable" information from which we can determine the truth.
They help us to critically think about the 'other stuff' the media hands us. I thank you --Doug Myrland, and the rest of the staff at KPBS. I hope the listeners of the station can keep it going and they find leaders like you, who can continue the excellent public service the station provides.
By Nadine L. Scott, OceansideFriday, June 27, 2008 | You put together an amazing story about George Gorton. Even though I could never agree with his politics, the history of his work and the intrigues of it were amazing. The photos were terrific too.
You simply have the best paper in town (Someday you'll even staff North County). By Charles Pratt, University CityThursday, June 26, 2008 | The Mayor Jerry Sanders- Council President Scott Peters pension reform compromise is reminiscent of Orwell's Animal Farm where all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. New workers in the Fire and Police departments are more equal than new hires working in other City jobs who would be relegated to the bottom tier of a 2-tier system.
If you want to find out more about how two-tiers affect workers simply chat up airline employees or the even handier cashiers in unionized supermarkets. The new hires are likely to be resentful and de-motivated by wages and benefits that are substantially inferior to their more senior upper tier co-workers. Union solidarity is grievously weakened. The rationale for a two-tier system in San Diego may be offered as financial but a major result will be a weakening of the unions.
I disagreed with the Labor Council's support for Scott Peters at least partly because of his vote against the living wage ordinance in San Diego. In my mind labor applies to all people who work not just public employees. I thought the Labor Council view emphasized the public employee unions, creating its own version of a 2-tier system that left out the many workers who were not organized. I still think this way.
But I do hope and anticipate that the Labor Council will oppose the "compromise" that would divide City workers in San Diego. I also expect that they now regret their support of Mr. Peters who has been again unmasked as no friend of labor. By Wayne Rounsavell, PowayThursday, June 26, 2008 | Regarding the vanishing owl issue:
What is the remaining population of 100 of these tiny creatures doing for the world that we'll miss if they all go bye-bye?
Please do your readers the favor of answering that for the curious; and for the citizens who may have to fork over their resources to prevent the calamity. By Alice G. Marquis, La JollaThursday, June 26, 2008 | Regarding your story about KPBS cutbacks:
I hope you have better luck than I in getting a balance sheet from this shy organization that comes to life only to rattle the tin cup. Nowhere does KPBS share its budget. Try it yourself, and see if you can get it. By Ralph N. Galascione, La JollaWednesday, June 25, 2008 | "Outsourcing" or "privatizing" local government functions as a means to reduce the cost of delivering that service or diminishing the liability for certain services on the city's books ranks as one of the most horrendous cons in this city's history!
What is so virtuous about the way private companies manage their business affairs? How many businesses go bankrupt each year or are up to their ears in debt notwithstanding the pretty and obtuse given to those arcane ruses? In a time when executive compensation is so excessive what lame-brain mayor or city official could conclude that "privatizing" will cost the city less?
My hope is that you keep pursuing this issue, in particular Mayor Sanders' ineptness as the custodian of our city's resources. By Robert Davis, Point LomaWednesday, June 25, 2008 | Although this may be a little premature, our local polls seem to indicate we will have a new City Attorney come December, and Mr. Aguirre resumes his role as a private citizen and attorney. If past performance is an indicator of future performance, this worries me.
Prior to becoming San Diego's city attorney, Mr. Aguirre had a penchant for inserting himself into the public affairs not only of the city of San Diego but also public and private entities too. While I will not call him a litigant with vexation tendencies, the potential for him to become an inexhaustible source of litigation seems likely to me. Why you might ask? Why to keep his name, his fight, his quest in the public's mind. Remember, he's repeatedly claimed to everyone who would listen that he is the people's attorney not just the city's attorney.
During the last four years Mr. Aguirre has gained the privileged knowledge of the city's inner workings. In simple plain English, he knows the city's secrets. As a private attorney will he be able to exploit this knowledge and file claims? Will he claim he's still their advocate? Or, as in the Sunroad debacle, will the courts forever disallow the city's former attorney from using knowledge gained as its attorney against it. Will the courts forever prohibit a breech of the attorney-client privilege and clarifying the city attorney's role, not this fantasy of the people's champion? By Terry E. Abrams, North ParkWednesday, June 25, 2008 | Coates is really terrific to bring this up. As a resident of North Park since 1974, I have seen no less that 5 mishaps on Pershing Avenue per month on average ... so something is really wrong here!
The solution? First of all: a cement bike barrier needs to separate the foot traffic and riders from the drivers. Drivers speed down the hill and can't see what is in front of them as Pershing curves, so joggers and bikers are at risk.
Second: That idiotic configuration where Redwood Street, meets Pershing has to be reworked again. It is dangerous and visibility is next to none.
And finally: A traffic light needs to be installed to midway between Upas and the I-5 Entrance. This will force drivers to slow down and stop the motor cross racing that goes on at night. Yes, it won't be fun to tear down Pershing Avenue any more, but that's just too bad! By Christopher Dunne, North ParkTuesday, June 24, 2008 | Thank you for your informative article about the Pershing onramp. Folks need to know about bad places to cross on their bikes.
I would gather from the way this exit is marked that the accidents in the morning would most likely happen when a cyclist is prompted to dismount from their bicycle then walks their bike to the South exit of Interstate 5, mounts their bicycle, then proceeds to cross I-5 south back onto Perishing Drive to the intersection of B Street.
Have you had the opportunity to ride down Fairmont Ave? At that intersection, Cal Trans put in a pedestrian bridge. Signs are posted to ensure bikes and pedestrians are spared from the entrances onto San Diego's freeways.
I'm very sorry for the loss of life. Maybe this will have a silver lining and drivers, cyclist, reporters, activists and city planners will stop this happening in our city. |
One of his first initiatives is going forth -- but on a smaller scale.
Thursday, July 3 -- 3:43 pm
What would a new bond do? Check it out.
Thursday, July 3 -- 3:00 pm
Bond advocates are trying to clear up the confusion -- and the controversy.
Thursday, July 3 -- 2:18 pm
SURVIVAL IN SAN DIEGO
My dad caught some salmon, my sister's getting hitched and the Great White North beckons.
Friday, June 27 -- 5:42 pm
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Despite troubled recent past, there is still hope for public broadcasting.
Sunday, July 6 -- 3:25 pm
CAFÉ SAN DIEGO
And how did you get Susan Golding to talk? More reader questions on the George Gorton profile.
Wednesday, June 25 -- 1:28 pm
COMMENTARY: SLOP
The agency joins a long list of San Diego governments willing to spend the public's money telling them how to vote.
Sunday, July 6 -- 6:57 pm
COMMENTARY: RICH TOSCANO
The spring selling season has come and gone with no hint of the the typical seasonal rally in home prices.
Friday, July 4 -- 1:35 pm
|
|
Letters may be edited for length -- we prefer they not be longer than 350 words. And they may be edited for style and libelous content.