Wednesday - Quick Hits

Social Justice groups to march on May Day for immigration reform. UT

Political opportunist council member Kevin Faulconer leads group in protest to proposed garage at Lindbergh Field. UT

The GJ's investigation in Sunroad controversy recommends better land use policy and employee training for city. UT

As drug gang war continues in Tijuana, Mexican officials vow combat the violence. UT

In Riverside County foreclosures during Q1 tripled from the number same period last year. UT

Scripps Encinitas is trying to break the nurses union. NCTimes

Wednesday - Quick Hits

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan to speak at CSUSM on Thursday. NCTimes

District-3 candidate John Hartley explains his arrest in campaign mailer. UT

With pay raise vote, council also increased their pensions. UT

Council decides not to hire special prosecutor to look into Sunroad Building, instead kicks the can over the the ethics commission. UT

Witnesses testified for the prosecution in the Castaneda perjury trial. UT

Sign of worsening budget crisis, school districts considering closing schools in an attempt to save money. UT

Monday - Quick Hits

I think the word is called zoning. Groups seek to created a buffer zone between residents and waterfront. UT

Extension of Route 52 to connect with Route 67 is underway. Don't expect to drive on it until 2010. UT

Firefighters use controversial Sunroad building as part of training exercise. UT

NCTD ironing out last of the problems before the Sprinter rail service starts. UT

Questions continue to pile up regarding the desal project in Carlsbad. NCTimes

Wednesday - Quick Hits

City Council approves an emergency plan to demolish three Mt. Soledad homes in order to repair the road. UT

Should have built it right in the first place. FAA notified Sunroad that their building in no longer a flight hazzard. UT

Credit crunch, caused by housing meltdown may hinder the sale of the La Valencia Hotel. UT

City Council affirms Alcohol Beach Ban. Set to take a effect by December 20. UT

Get your legal briefs ready. City to seek third waiver for Pt. Loma treatment plant. UT

From the area of the ridiculous. Court says county doesn't have to pay for hospital costs of detainees that have been arrested but not booked or arrained. NCTimes

Quick to Recommend: An Overview of the Mayor's Charter Review Committee

Somehow, in a six month period a committee put together by the Mayor has been able to go through the San Diego city charter, while not only actively listening to the public for their input, but hearing from all experts on the subject, and being completely objective without any allegiance to their clients (a couple of the committee members are lobbyists that have corporate clients, including Sunroad). It is quite an accomplishment. Well, that is at least what they want the people to believe. Instead, the process illustrates that the agenda was carved out from the get-go by the Mayor's staff before the committee even sat down for the first meeting.

The committee did not stray from the path. The Mayor's Charter Review Committee's finalized recommendations will be discussed at the October 24th meeting of the San Diego City Council Rules Committee. The draft report of their recommendations can be found here. The Mayor's committee plan is to put these initiatives on the June 2008 ballot. The issues include: the creation of three additional city council seats, making the strong-mayor form of government permanent, increasing the mayor's veto power with a two-thirds majority of 8 council members in order to override a veto, making the Mayor executive director of the Redevelopment Agency and the ability to make nominations to the Port District.

It is pretty obvious that this is just a power grab by our city's Mayor. The committee has done its part, so it will be up to the "spin doctors" to market these changes as "necessary" and "vital" for our city. I am sure that they will be warming up in the bullpen in the next month or so and given the Mayor's special fund of over $111,000 that Voice of San Diego (VOSD) exposed in this article, they will not be hurt by a salary cap. Hopefully, the public is able to figure out the real motives behind these changes, and realize that the veto issue for example, has not been such a major problem for the Mayor, let alone the residents of San Diego.

In addition, here are a couple of recent articles that give an overview of the committee's decisions and go into detail about the backroom style of this committee:

San Diego's backroom 'reform'L.A. Times Op-ed by Steve Erie and Norma Damasheka
What a Super-Size City Council Would Look Like VOSD's Evan McLaughlin
Charter Suggestions Move Forward VOSD's quick overview

Connecting the dots to the People’s Ordinance

I was reading the Cafe on Voice of San Diego and Craig Benedetto was posting about the cost the City of San Diego incurs from the People’s Ordinance to collect the City's trash without charging them a dime up front. He was saying it should no longer be free.

So, I started doing some research -

Not on topic: I thought it was interesting Craig represents Sunroad as their lobbyist before the City of San Diego and another 10 other lobbyists either have or do represent Sunroad in addition to Craig before the City of San Diego. Amazing how many of those lobbyist have given Sanders money too.

Back to topic. It would seem Mayor Jerry Sanders wants to bid this service out to the same people that dumped major money into his election. I don't know that for a fact he has a deal with them, but it should be no different then the selling city property deal he gave away to his contributors. Also, at this point no trash hauler has registered yet with the City of San Diego. They have only wrtten Sanders campaign checks. Isn't it stranged they dumped money into his election and the City doesn't affect their company? Why would a business use its money for something so wastefeul. No pun was intended about the trash haulers. Also, it is funny I can't find the contribution reports from San Diegans for City Hall Reform and who the "people" that supported the contracting out proposition last year, only the opposing side filed. Oh, Craig dumped money into the Mayor and the San Diegans for City Hall Reform, which is controlled by the Mayor too.

So, this is probably the test balloon by Sanders to see if he can outsource the trash haulers. Here is a phrase the Mayor is use to hearing, you've been caught, busted!

Lastly, a friend warned me about outsourcing trash and told me to look at the City of Imperial Beach. They have outsourced some of their city services, include trash and that portion of the city budget increases higher then the in-houses service costs every year when the companies "re-bid" the service. You can call it holding the city hostage, because the city can't afford to bring the service back in house. The re-start up cost is too much after it is gone.