City Council Not On Board With Filner's Proposed City Attorney Cuts

For far too long the City Attorney's office has been an opaque budget black hole. With the top public salaries in the City (other than the 'financial advisors' in charge of the pension funds), these over-paid public servants are in the wrong business. If they want to make money they need to go work in the private sector.

First, let's openly publish ALL the salaries in the Attorney's office (including ALL benefits), and their budget history. This will show how they have avoided the drastic (6%) cuts that all other departments suffered (like public safety http://bcove.me/nmakn24n ). There are plenty of out of work lawyers around the country who would love to move to San Diego and work for the City, even for a low base salary.

If we want to avoid budget cuts, we need to rase revenue. Ask Jan Goldsmith, Council President Todd Gloria and Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, as an ELECTED officials, where would they raise taxes to pay for his high budget expectations?

May 9, 2013 at 8:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Former Mayors Sanders, Hedgecock, Wilson Reflect On Years In Office

What a waste. KPBS had the three stooges most responsible for the city's problems on live and throws them a bunch of softball questions. Why limit it to 30min. What happened to long-form journalism? Should have grilled them for at least 90min, and they still wouldn't have admired their corrupt alliances with developers, corporate interests, and the rich.

How can you call yourselves journalists? No questions from the citizens? These white, conservative, Republican men are in complete denial. They underfunded our public infrastructure (like sewers), cheated the pension system, sold out our city assets to corporate developers, waisting 'redevelopment' money to line the pockets of their friends.

Required reading for you; "Under the Perfect Sun" by Mike Davis, Kelly Mayhew, and Jim Miller. We need new public media that isn't dependant upon donations from the guilty and corporate advertising (underwriting)

They are out of office for a reason. Honoring them is like building Bush a library to hang his paintings. We can't afford their unsustainable 'leadership', keep them out of our way while we clean up their mess.

May 1, 2013 at 8:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Is Compass Card City’s Bus Ticket To 21st Century?

I love the compass card. Now the government can track all the poor people who have to ride our horrible public transit system in San Diego. As soon as you pay for your card with your credit card they have your data, and a picture of you on the security cameras. Then they can follow your movements remotely using your Radio Frequency Chip, and track you all over the city.

The great thing is you can still sell your day pass for $4 to most people at the trolly stop, as the cards are worth $2 by themselves. Also, if you ask anyone who works for MTS, from Paul Jablonski to the thugs they call Transit Cops (Universal Security), none of them ever use Buses, they drive cars and extort money from poor homeless people.

We shouldn't charge a $5 fair for bus and trolly tickets. It saves the planet when people get out of their cars and stop polluting our atmosphere. The more people who ride public transit, the more efficient and egalitarian our society becomes. If there is a bus every 5 minutes rather than one every half-hour, then it becomes easy to ride.

The bus fee should be $1 (one-way), $2.50 (day-pass), $30 (monthly). Token payments means that we all invest in public transit, and the working poor can get to their slave jobs, homeless can get to service centers, and kids can get to their public parks and beaches.

April 23, 2013 at 8:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Earth Day Puts Spotlight On San Diego's Environment

Thanks for the more comprehensive report on San Diego Sustainability, and the Carbon Pollution Issues. We can't keep building carbon-burning power plants, and it is no longer necessary. Just by retrofitting our buildings, starting with the oldest, for energy efficiency and conservation, we can maintain our way of life without sacrificing lifestyle, while reducing energy waste and thus never have to build another power plant.

San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station has been off-line for over a year and a half, and is an unnecessary risk to our population. Built on a fault, on the coast where it is exposed to tsunami, surf and storms, we can do without it. Solar PV, Wind Generation, and Energy Efficiency Measures can more that meet our growth needs.

See Al Gore's update and call to action :
http://www.sdsustainablefuture.com/vi...

April 22, 2013 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Mayor Filner Talks Vets, Budget And Marijuana

What gives Mayor Bob Filner the courage to face the citizens and to use the public media to communicate so openly and transparently? None of his republican predecessors did this, why so committed to public education?

He must be extremely confident in his leadership ability and willing to risk being asked loaded questions by political opponents. Does that increase his stress level?

His opponents would say that he is 'arrogant' and 'confrontational', that he 'takes unnecessary risks', but to his supporters he's just walking the talk as a Democratic Representative of the people.

He even has a web site with contact info: http://www.bobfilnerformayor.com/

April 8, 2013 at 1:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

The Ultimate Slow Emergency: Sea Level Rise

Why do we keep subsidizing these IDIOT DEVELOPERS who build expensive homes on a sandbar in a flood plane?

Within 50 years we wil have a major storm surge flood that will take out all of Mission Beach, most of Coronado, La Jolla Shores, Imperial Beach, Parts of Ocean Beach, Del Mar, and probably the flood the San Diego Convention Center, just like Qualcom Stadium last year. We need to stop letting these people buy 'investment properties' on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. What happens when the next Tsunami hits?

Are we supposed to bail out these rich real-estate speculators each time they fail?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-pla...

April 3, 2013 at 11:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Roundtable: Power Games, 4th District, Hospice Autopsy, Tourist Taxes

How is it possible to spend $300,000/year on people who are given no medical care and expected to die? I could help someone die for just $10,000/year. Hire me and see.

If they aren't dead in 6 years I'll refund your money.

March 22, 2013 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Roundtable: Hotel Tax Judged; 10 Years In Iraq; Some Homeless Housed; Padres Fans V. Broadcasters.

$38-million center for a 200 bed facility? 38,000,000/200 = $190,000/bed !!!
(I smell PAY OFFS!)

For that price why not just build each homeless person their own house?

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/voice_...

March 15, 2013 at 12:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Roundtable: Hotel Tax Judged; 10 Years In Iraq; Some Homeless Housed; Padres Fans V. Broadcasters.

Films You Should Watch
ZERO
Zeitgeist Movement Orientation Guide
Zeitgeist
Where Soldiers Come From
WACO - The Rules of Engagement
Valley of the Wolves, Iraq
UNTHINKIABLE
Uncovered: The War on Iraq
Unconstutional
The Tillman Story
The Mark of Cain
The Kingdom
The Interrogator: FRONTLINE
The Interrogator
The Ground Truth
The Dark Side
The Corporation
Stop Loss
Soldiers of Conscience
Soldiers Heart
Rendition
Redacted
Recount - HBO
Private Warriors
Pricele$$
Operation Homecoming
No End In Sight
Manufacturing Consent
Loose Change
Iraq for Sale
Invisible War
Inside Job
In the Valley of Elah
Home of the Brave
Haditha: Rules of Engagement
ETHOS
Enron - The Smartest
Endgame
Buying the War
Bush's War
Body of War
Beyond Treason
Battle for Haditha
Bad Voodoo's War
Afganistan Revealed
A Force More Powerful
9500 Liberty
9/11 - Myth and Reality, David Ray Griffin

March 15, 2013 at 12:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Roundtable: Hotel Tax Judged; 10 Years In Iraq; Some Homeless Housed; Padres Fans V. Broadcasters.

Why don't the hotel owners just enter into a binding contractual agreement to add $10 to the price of ever room they rent? No government involvement except to enforce contract law if necessary. Then it doesn't go to the general fund or to the courts for validation.

March 15, 2013 at 12:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )