San Diego Today
Unfiltered News  based on  Source Documents
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The Friends of Jerry Sanders got a $1 million windfall. 03/28/08

Union-Tribune: prime-time lies, buried retraction. 03/13/08

In his eagerness to boost the reelection of establishment-compliant mayoral incumbent, Jerry Sanders, Bob Kittle wrote the following highly inaccurate statement about the City's finances:

"Under the changes sought by Sanders, taxpayers would save $25 million the first year, with the savings mounting in subsequent years. (The taxpayers' contribution to the pension plan this year is $162 million.) The first-year savings of $25 million is equal to the entire operating budget of San Diego's central library and its 35 branches."

Those were Kittle's own words, not just a direct quote from Sanders' so-called "Fact Sheet". Kittle's editorials are blatant political "boosting" to an extraordinary degree, more reminiscent of 19th Century yellow journalism than today's enlightened age. Kittle is too familiar with this City's finances not to have known that Sanders' claims were bunkum.

As for the origin of the name "yellow", “We called them Yellow because they are Yellow,” wrote the Press, a New York City newspaper, in1898. I think the name is still apt for Kittle's column today.

Falling over himself to "boost" Mayor Sanders' reelection chances against challenger Steve Francis, Kittle ends his "yellow" editorial with:

"Mayor Sanders deserves credit for tackling the retirement system crisis head-on. His plan is not only sensible, but absolutely essential to San Diego's financial future."

If that's how the U-T and the downtown establishment intend to get Sanders reelected, by putting out lies about the City's finances, then they will fail. A campaign built on lies will fail, even in San Diego.

As for Alex Roth's latest of many hit pieces on Aguirre (Roth's "reporting" seems to have become a mere extension of Kittle's "yellow" editorials),  Aguirre himself refuted Roth's "misstatements" on the Aguirre Campaign web site. Here is Aguirre's detailed response.

Roth wrote in his piece:

"And a Superior Court judge is to hear arguments this month on whether the city charter gives Aguirre the power to file certain types of suits without council permission.

That made me wonder if the real purpose of this particular U-T article was not to influence Superior Court Judge William Nevitt in his pending decision regarding the role of the City Attorney, due to be heard on March 21, 2008. Roth's piece went far beyond merely "reporting". It read more like something written by Scott Peters and Bob Kittle sitting on Peters' well-watered lawn in La Jolla, than by a beat reporter.

The U-T and the ruling establishment of this town want a favorable court ruling that will curb the powers of the City Attorney's Office once and for all. They want the City Attorney to be their City Attorney, locked into defending any wrongdoing they may choose to get involved in. That is how it worked until Aguirre came along and that is how it will work again if they succeed in getting rid of him.

In the meantime, I think you can see, I've got my courage back. My sainted Irish mother did not raise a quitter. Let the U-T and Mayor Sanders print their lies. Let them retract in small print. The truth will prevail in the end. I'm sure of it. Why? Because my mother told me so.
 

A look at Jerry Sanders new "Pension Plan" - Watch your wallets. 03/05/08

The truth is out: Peters lied. 02/28/08

Who will Wall Street listen to - Sanders or Francis? 02/27/08

Should the Mayor appoint the City Auditor? 02/23/08

The truth about that August 2005 closed Council session. 02/19/08

Peters will represent the unions if elected City Attorney. 02/18/08

San Diego is fast becoming a police state. 02/15/08

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Even the real "mucaca" was treated with respect, albeit sarcastic respect, by George Allen and his campaign handlers. Senator Allen did not have his goons eject the guy. But San Diego is not Virginia.

Here is Kolender not looking too pleased at my presence. Was he thinking of me as that "mucaca-by-the-sea" person. Did he then signal somebody to have me ejected?

He is right. I am San Diego's "mucaca". At least I am now. And I am just as mad as the original "mucaca" was in Virginia in 2006. I am not going away either.

How ironic that at the very moment I was being forcibly ejected from her published press conference, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis was pontificating about "thorough investigations and fair prosecutions".

Here she is preaching about legal fairness while her goons are giving me the boot, without even asking my name. So much for open-government and freedom of the press - because I am not one of THEM!

Here is Dumanis in self-righteous political rage against our elected City Attorney: “The city attorney has been destructive, divisive and disruptive, making this a public safety issue” . A public safety issue? The City Attorney is a "public safety" issue? Yes Bonnie, this IS a public issue - a "public exclusion" issue.

Take a good look at this closed door. It is what San Diego will look like for all of us if Goldsmith becomes City Attorney.

I stared at that closed door long and hard on Thursday afternoon. I heard the door being locked from the inside.

I listened to the strident voice of Dumanis inside. Is this our future? Have these people really taken over? Is Goldsmith their latest stooge? Is it now: "them against us"?

As an ex-Judge he will fit in perfectly with this lineup of Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, Judges and District Attorney's who regularly lock arms to defend their own. Below is a picture of when they circled the wagons to protect Sunroad's Tom Story from City Attorney Mike Aguirre.

Goldsmith is clearly one of them, which is why they have chosen him.

The locked room at the Westgate Hotel says it all. It was not a pleasant experience for me, and it will not be a pleasant experience for San Diego if Goldsmith gains the City Attorney's office.

Like the current Mayor's office it will be locked to all but the rich and powerful. Sanders and Dumanis are turning this city into a police state.
 

How "Public" is our "Public" TV station, KPBS? 02/08/08

An ongoing battle about who appoints the Internal Auditor. 02/06/08

Steve Francis speaks before City Council on Mayoral veto. 02/04/08

The Strong Mayor and Labor Negotiations Reform. 02/04/08

Hiding pension data may prevent City access to markets. 02/01/08

I am now a Franciscan - a Steve Franciscan that is. 01/25/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

Robert “Robbie” Robinson gave me the heads-up that Mayoral Candidate Steve Francis would attend last night's meeting of the Broadway Heights Neighborhood Council, of which Mr. Robinson has been chair for the past 15 years - since 1992. That is Mr. Robinson, with his trademark cap, seated at the red-covered table.

Mega-rich white guy Steve Francis seemed as much at home among this largely African-American neighborhood group, in the familyroom of our very gracious host, who also  happened to be African-American, as he would be in mega-rich Rancho Santa Fe rich guy's mansion.

He bonded with these ordinary working folk in this mixed ethnic neighborhood in a way you would not expect from a person who has wrung the bell in the New York Stock Exchange. Neither money nor color had any place in that room last night.

Whether Mr. Francis realizes it or not, and I suspect he does, this is exactly what San Diego needs right now. We need to bridge the various "divides". Francis spoke of more than just the North of 8 - South of 8 physical divide. He has ideas about how to bridge the economic divide and bring about a true urban renaissance. He wants to attract investment into disadvantaged areas. He used the word "underserved" several times last night.

He spoke of more than just economic enterprise zones, he spoke of simple things like encouraging people to open bank accounts instead of going to check cashing places on Friday evening. He spoke of the outreach work the big banks should be doing. He spoke of using the City's franchising power to enable start-up wireless Internet service providers.

According to Francis we all have a moral responsibility to bridge both racial and economic divides. I suspect a Francis administration would have the best and the brightest from all colors and races. He said talent is not the prerogative of any ethnic or social background.

He wants to "put meat on the bone" in the form of real things like a Quality of Life Fund. What a concept. Actual money for "quality of life".

I was told privately that this was not his first foray South of 8. Apparently some weeks ago he walked a crime-ridden neighborhood with a certain local man, just the two of them.

He was asked searching questions last night and seemed prepared to stay until midnight if they wanted him to. He just walked around and spoke to each one as if they were the only one in the room. He gave very direct answers, never evasive, actually seemed to be enjoying the most challenging questions, like their concerns were his concerns.

One of those concerns was the need for more living wage jobs. He agreed that bridging the economic divide is not going to happen by creating thousands of low-paying jobs. Health care is a right not a privilege he said. He supports the living wage ordinance! Only a political candidate who does not have to go cap in hand to business interests could say that. It convinced me that Francis is his own man.

His answer to the final question of the night was the most telling. A lady asked if this was not all an act to get into office and that when he attained power he would be just like the others. He thought for a moment, then said:

"But this is the way I am". You'd have to be there, to feel the body-language in the room, his sincerity got to me and others. I am now a Franciscan. The guy is for real.
 

Marti Emerald: herald of change. Here comes the Troubleshooter. 01/25/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

"Marti Emerald begins the campaign for the 7^th District City Council seat with an overwhelming lead, demonstrating initial support and favorable ratings that exceed anything we have seen in an open-seat race." 

So says this Poll released this morning. It was commissioned by her campaign.

It suggests that Marti may be able to win outright in the June primary.

But it could also work against her. It could trigger a massive inflow of money into

the Boling campaign. April is the long-time darling of the downtown "old guard". They are not going to give up Jim Madaffer's conservative stronghold without a fight.

Even if only half of this polling data is true (campaign-commissioned polls are not necessarily push-polls, it's just that candidates tend to release only the favorable ones) it is still a powerful indicator of the mood of District 7, if not the whole city. It is clear that San Diegans, both Republican and Democrat, want change. "Troubleshooter" Marti Emerald has impeccable "change" credentials, while Boling is an establishment figure.

This "herald of change" may be good news for Stephen Whitburn in D3 and Sherri Lightner in D1. Both are perceived as the "change" candidates in their Districts. Carl DeMaio is struggling to portray himself as an agent of change while remaining embedded in the old conservative establishment.

Steve Francis on the other hand has caught the mood of the people by refusing all donations in order to demonstrate that he is beholden to nobody, not even Doug Manchester. Maybe DeMaio, who has substantial means of his own, should have done the same. His proudly displayed contributor list is fast becoming his biggest negative. 

Most San Diegans now realize that for decades they have been governed by powerful insiders, not just unions and developers, but a cadre of diverse special interests, who by banding together to control the politicians, succeeded in putting their pensions and corporate profits above the welfare of the city.

This disempowerment of the old power elite will be the story of the next few years. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. There is a wind of change blowing across this country and both parties need to trim their political sails accordingly.

According to this particular survey: "Republican voters overwhelmingly support Emerald 54 percent to 22 percent, while she carries 63 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of Decline-to-State voters." When 54% of Republicans support a "change" Democrat, anywhere, something big is in the air. Insiders are out and outsiders are in.
 

An Independent City Actuary is anathema to Scott Peters. 01/22/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

Scott Peters told the City Council today that "it would be a cold day in Hades" before he would support funding an Independent City Actuary.

Here is page 19 from his Kroll testimony where he seems to have no problem with it. Was he being coy with the Kroll investigators or has he since changed his mind? My guess is the former. He is and always was a shill for the City unions and their pension benefits.

Stymied by Peters and his union-appointed friends at SDCERS, the City Attorney's office has essentially taken over the role of the Independent City Actuary. Using nothing more than the powerful Public Records Act the City Attorney has uncovered most of the embarrassing data that Peters and his union backers would prefer stay hidden. That information was supposed to be provided by an Independent City Actuary.

Peters and his friends would love to de-fund not only the Independent Actuary but the Independent City Attorney and the Independent City Auditor. Insider union control has ruled San Diego City Hall for decades. Now that they have seen what an Independent City Attorney can do they are desperate to put the "Independent" genie back in the bottle.

It is a bit lame for Peters to dress up his opposition to an Independent Actuary in righteous indignation about "incredible overruns". If he is genuinely concerned about "incredible overruns" at City Hall, I can provide him with a long list, many of which he supported. Methinks the Council President doth protest too much.
 

Resolving our wildlands-urban interface problem together. 01/20/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

This map was received by the City on or about September 17, 2007. Mayor Sanders was then supposed to hold a public review within 30 days. But the first we heard about it was last week when City Attorney Michael Aguirre revealed it at a press conference.



Mr. Aguirre explained to me that a new State law requires that the City of San Diego, like all other jurisdictions in California, must have an Ordinance in place before July 1, 2008, taking full responsibility for fire protection in the wildland-urban interface.

In addition to the Ordinance deadline of July 1, 2008, he pointed out that the City had a legal responsibility to involve the public in a full and open review and that the Ordinance itself was a "Process 5", i.e. it requires a lengthy legislative process that cannot be left to the last minute. He referred me to the following section in the State Government Code:

"51178.5.  Within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the director that identifies very high fire hazard severity zones, a local agency shall make the information available for public review. The information shall be presented in a format that is understandable and accessible to the general public, including, but not limited to, maps."

I went to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection web site, read up on the whole thing and retrieved this map, which constituted the "transmittal from the director that identifies very high fire hazard severity zones" referred to in Code Section 51178.5.

I noticed that the map contains this note in the legend: "The version dated September 17, 2007 of the map shown here represents draft VHFHSZs within LRA, for review and comment by local government."

Why did Mayor Sanders and Bill Anderson sit on it since September? Planning Chief Bill Anderson would have known about such a map as it will become part of the General Plan. Why was it not made available to the forty-two Community Planning Groups?

I think we need to have that public debate now. This important discussion should not be confined to a few. We all have a stake in how we resolve our wildlands-urban interface problem. A quick look at the above map shows we have plenty to worry about. We need to work together on this. Next time we may not be so lucky.
 

Donna Frye discloses her ambitions at Whitburn fundraiser. 01/19/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

I went to a fundraiser for Stephen Whitburn at Ian Trowbridge's home in Mission Hills last night. Whitburn is running for District 3. It was a feast of scuttlebutt for us policy wonks.

It was an opportunity to talk politics with a surprisingly large group of political savants. I spoke to as many as possible and picked up as much scuttlebutt as I could.

Donna Frye was the featured speaker. She and Bob Filner are among Whitburn's impressive list of backers.

That is Jane Filner, Bob's wife, bottom left in the picture opposite. Jane is probably the best fundraiser in San Diego County, but she has drawn criticism largely because she possesses that very ability.

For many years she was her husband's main fundraiser. But starting this year Members of Congress can no longer employ members of their own family as paid staff. That is probably a good thing, but fundraising is more than a staff job. The message seems to be "if you know the best fundraiser around, don't marry her". Bob's loss is Steve's gain.

Donna Frye has been keeping her cards close to her chest for some time but now seems to have made the tough decisions and is willing to openly share her political ambitions with anybody who asks. Last night we asked. She shared with us that what she really wants is to be Council President after Peters and then County Supervisor.

She is an experienced legislator and would be excellent in both jobs. She takes her work very seriously and does her homework, literally. She is to be found most weekends pouring over backup material for the various items on the following week's Council Docket. I am constantly amazed at the depth of her knowledge of even the most mundane items.

Her eagle eye would be invaluable in managing the Council's business, which is the role of the Council President. Under her Presidency, City staff would know that they must provided complete and timely information for the Council to make informed decisions. There has been much game-playing with information in the past. It became an art.

So it looks like Ms. Frye will be a political force in San Diego County well into the future. It is a great compliment to Stephen Whitburn that she sees in him the kind of personal honesty and political steadfastness she craves for in a new-look City Council. 2008 will be a watershed year for San Diego. Let's hope personal qualities will prevail over corporate greed. Let's hope honesty will replace the dollar as our political currency.
 

Close encounters of the scary kind. 01/17/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

The People won a timely victory at City Hall on Monday night. But it was a close call. John Davies and his "San Diegans for City Hall Reform" came within one vote of making our City Council irrelevant for decades to come.

This "Reform" organization raised $1,008,225 between Jan. and Dec. 2006 and $68,349 between January and June 2007, to finance its power grab.

"The Committee" has not yet filed its Form 460 for July to December 2007.

Here is how John Davies pointedly warned the City Council that his Committee colleagues "had reached the end of their threshold of pain" . He actually used that intimidating language on the City Council. That is the language of "coups d'état", not democracy. You don't threaten the legislative body in a free republic. This is very close to fascism.

Who are these people? Here is the list of subscribers for that $1,008,225 raised between January and December 2006 and for that $68,349 between January and June 2007. It is the same special interests that are behind Sanders and DeMaio.

They are mostly small service providers seeking sweetheart contracts with the City and a few powerful insiders willing to pay big bucks to have their big "entitlements" expedited through the City permitting processes, like Doug Manchester at the Navy Broadway Complex and Aaron Feldman at Sunroad.

It is Chicago-style corruption with Madison Avenue glitz.

Here is how "The Committee" spent its $1 million in 2006. Fundraiser Jean Freelove raked in $168,132 while political consultant Tom Shepard received $71,567. Freelove and Shepard fulfill the same role for Sanders. Hmmm.

"The Committee" was first formed as a "Controlled, Primarily Formed Ballot Measure Recipient Committee" in 2006 and morphed into a "General Purpose Recipient Committee" after the 2006 November election. Unlike a "Candidate Controlled Recipient Committee" these General Purpose Committees can raise unlimited corporate funds. They have become the ultimate "special interest" tool.

This aggressive group uses "Reform" as its flag of convenience. It really is the "Committee to take over San Diego" - a power grab pure and simple.

Its ambitious scheme comports perfectly with Council President Peters' scorched earth policy as he maneuvers to cover his exit from City Hall. He is by far the most likely elected official to be singled out by the the SEC as its municipal Ken Lay. Like Lay he had the brains and privilege but he put it to the wrong use. Enron-by-the-Sea may soon have its own Ken Lay - from La Jolla.

Here is Peters using his Council President's bully pulpit to co-opt Councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Jim Madaffer into coming to the aid of "San Diegans for City Hall Reform". Together they tried to get the rest of the City Council to hand "The Committee" a 75% mayoral veto starting January 1, 2009, two months after Peters, Madaffer, Atkins and Maeinschein leave office.

These four are terrified of Aguirre remaining as City Attorney after they have gone. They should be. They also have much to fear from the SEC because they hid the huge City's pension liability from bond investors. But most of all they should fear The People. Because of their consistent lies while in office, this city has the worst infrastructure of any major city in America - it has practically no firefighting capability, one hundred year old water mains and severely potholed streets.

They should not be allowed anywhere near elected office ever again. At the very least, they should follow their colleague Dick Murphy into disgraced obscurity.

Perhaps that's why Maeinschein announced this week that he is going to run for City Attorney, to protect himself and his colleagues. It may be their only chance.

Aguirre calls this behavior "adverse domination". While these people remain in office they will seek to "adversely dominate" the City Council. Now Maeinschein hopes to "adversely dominate" the City Attorney's office.

Tony Young is not buying any of it . He told "The Committee" what it could do with its money. Before the vote was taken, Davies fired off one last salvo at the Council .

Frye reacted magnificently. "Bring it on" she said! In telling Davies what she thought about his unelected Committee, she made it official: she is not running for Mayor and will be free to fight "The Committee's" power grab "all day long".

I was greatly encouraged by the appearance of one Council hopeful, Stephen Whitburn, who is running in District 3. He was the only Council candidate to speak. It shows that he understood what was at stake . If the voters elect "people" candidates, Republican or Democrat, not "corporate" candidates like DeMaio, whose campaign list is a carbon copy of "The Committee", we may yet preserve our democracy.

On that note here is my own contribution . There were far better speakers than I, so please forgive the vanity, but it was out of genuine concern for our democracy.

Then came the moment of truth. Peters began to realize that he did not have the five votes. Atkins was wavering. What would have happened if Ben Hueso had been present, only Hueso knows. Peters reported that he really was "very sick" and "unable to speak", which makes me very suspicious about how Hueso would have voted. If Peters tried so hard to have him there .. draw your own conclusions.

Here is the final vote . "The Committee" got four - a close call. We came within one vote of losing our democracy. Peters, Madaffer, Maeinschein and unbelievably Faulconer, voted to disenfranchise the voters who elected them!

Davies has actually gone on record as saying that the Council should be reduced to seven, not enlarged to nine. Democracy and these people does not mix.

The veto override question will now have to wait until what is known as the "sunset package" in 2010. The people will be asked whether to make the strong mayor permanent, whether to expand the City Council from eight to nine and at THAT TIME, whether the Mayor should have a veto at all and if so, what should be required to override it. The whole thing will be put forward as a package in 2010.

It is a victory for those of us who feared what Sanders would do with a 75% override veto, with no guarantee that the Council will ever be expanded to nine. Sanders is only interested in serving the special interests on this list.
 

High Noon - Monday at 6:00 PM - City Hall.  01/13/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

Tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM, Mayor Sanders at the head of a strange union/developer coalition of special interests, will march into San Diego's City Chamber to strip the Legislature of all meaningful authority. What is planned is nothing short of a "coups d'état" under the guise of "City Hall Reform".

Heading the union part of this "reform" coalition, police chief Bill Lansdowne may turn up in dress uniform, complete with braided cap and side arm. Police and fire personnel expect to be the biggest beneficiaries of Sanders' enhanced mayoral powers. For their support, the police and fire unions hope to get huge salary increases in 2008 and have their retroactive pension "rights" validated. That should be easy for Sanders as he was one of the chief beneficiaries of pension benefit retroactivity. His "multiplier" was backdated over 20 years from 2.5 to 3.

It is not hyperbole to call the recommendations of this Strong Mayor Charter Review Committee a "putsch", when you consider what it is they are "pushing". Here are their main proposals, most of which have already been found "acceptable" by Council President Peters, some Councilmembers and IBA Tevlin:

1. Allow the City Auditor to be appointed by the Mayor.

2. Require a two-thirds Council majority to override a mayoral veto.

3. Change the Audit Committee to consist of only 2 members of the City Council (currently 3), one of whom shall serve as Chair, and 3 "members of the public".

4. Define the "civil client" of the City Attorney as the "municipal corporation".

5. Allow any City entity to retain outside legal counsel.

6. Remove the need for Council confirmation of the City Treasurer.

Allowing a City Mayor to appoint a City Auditor is unheard of in local government circles. The five largest cities in America elect their auditor.

The San Diego proposals turn the concept of "best practice" on its head. They make Enron's internal controls look positively exemplary in comparison.

Requiring a two-thirds vote to override a mayoral veto in an eight-seat City Council means six Council votes. That is 75%. An impossible legislative hurdle.

Expanding the City Council in 2010 to nine would bring the "six" requirement down to 66.66%. But Sanders wants his 75% override now. If he gets it, he and his backers would undoubtedly campaign against any City Council expansion in 2010. Why would they give up their their 75% veto stranglehold? Additionally, it is unlikely that voters would approve money to expand an unpopular City Council. 

If this Sanders/union/developer coalition achieve that 75% veto override, they need only control three votes on the City Council to rule San Diego with an iron fist. The most likely three votes are: Kevin Faulkoner, already seated in District 2, Carl DeMaio, running in District 5 and April Boling, running in District 7. All three are solid Sanders supporters because they share his campaign contributors.

Even if this coalition fails to take District 7, it still owns Tony Young in District 4. Tony knows that those who will "do it with you" can "do it to you". He knows that the BIA will do to him what they did to George Stevens, pick a fresh guy and get a Council seat on the cheap - if he forgets who put him on the City Council.

This special interest money is flowing into the campaigns of DeMaio and Boling. Scott Peters' current seat in District 1 is also attracting its share. Both the developers and city unions want to stop the very independent-minded Democrat, Sherri Lightner, from taking that seat. Centrist Sherri suits the free-wheeling voters of La Jolla, University City and Penasquitos, who are not likely to be swayed by outside money. District 3 is largely Democrat but its main constituency, the gay and lesbian community, has warmed to Sanders since his gay marriage flip-flop.

Not only does this Sanders/union/developer coalition want to appoint the City Auditor, they want to hire and fire his/her staff. Then they want to appoint the Audit Committee to which the Auditor will report!!! They would do that by appointing three "members of the public". I wonder who they might be - all three will no doubt be numbered among those marching into City Chambers tomorrow evening.

The Charter Review Committee recommended that the City Charter specify the "municipal corporation of the City of San Diego" as the City Attorney's "civil client". Any future City Attorney would then be bound by strict attorney-client privilege rules. In the unlikely event that such a mayoral puppet would dare give "wrong" advice, they further recommended that "any City entity" be able to retain an "outside counsel".

The Committee wanted to thus emasculate the Office of City Attorney and ensure that there could never be another Aguirre. But the Mayor and City Council appear to be baulking on that item for now. Sanders' priorities seem to be the 75% veto override, control of the City Auditor and control of the Audit Committee. He wants to secure those before Peters, Maddafer, Atkins and Maeinschein depart.

So there you have it. This may be your last chance to attend a Council meeting with any meaning. It is bad enough now, but imagine next year sitting there week after week watching Carl DeMaio, Kevin Faulconer and April Boling play bobble-heads for Sanders. That's where we're headed if Sanders gets his "Reforms".

If "We the People" allow it to happen, we will enter a dark age in San Diego history. Let's hope enough people care. If you care, turn up on Monday evening.

If you wish to fully understand what is at stake, read the supporting documents for tomorrow's meeting. Here is the Agenda and back-up material, Part 1 and Part 2. This "putsch" has to be defeated. Four City Councilors, who will be gone within a year, stand ready to sell out to Sanders tomorrow night. This four, who have sold out before, should not be making critical decisions for future generations.
 

Democracy San Diego style. 01/09/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

Why we must have an elected City Auditor. 01/06/08

                                  by Pat Flannery                               top^

Read this newly-released "2008 Annual Report on Internal Controls". John Torrell, the previous City Auditor, quit last year infuriated when Fred Sainz, the Mayor's media guy, rewrote vital parts of his 2007 Annual Audit Report. Our new Mayor-appointed City Auditor, Eduardo Luna, seems more amenable to such political management.

I read the entire Report and Exhibits. It is full of empty rhetoric, lots of praise for the Mayor but little real information, like it was written by a press officer not by an accountant. Perhaps Sainz wrote the whole thing himself this year. Why not?

Watch Sanders present Luna's Audit Report to the people of San Diego Friday. Luna stands dutifully on the Mayor's right while his $250,000 per year Chief Operating Officer boss, Jay Goldstone, stands eager to serve on his left. The whole thing as usual was stage-managed by Fred Sainz. He politely thanked everybody for their attention.

Sanders has thus surrounded himself with well-chosen staff who are willing to take the money and do the bidding of the man who hired them.

His current Chief of Ethics and Integrity, Jo Ann Sawyer-Knoll, is a perfect example. She knows all about serving men in high places. She was Alan Bersin's dutiful lawyer for the School District from 1998 to 2003.

She now earns $150,000 working for Sanders. But does anybody know what she actually does? Perhaps she gives ethics lessons to senior staffers like Janice Weinrick? Or perhaps she helps Jill Olen "investigate" how staff trainer Jill Olen could have handed out "cheat sheets" to the 8,000 City employees required to pass an emergency-management exam so that the City could receive a Homeland Security grant? That's right, Sanders appointed Olen to investigate Olen. But Sawyer-Knoll knows exactly how to handle such delicate tasks. She did the Sunroad "investigation".

Speaking of Sunroad, remember this picture?

This lineup of judges, San Diego Sheriff, Bill Kollendar, DA, Bonnie Dumanis and Police Chief Bill Lansdowne, as they stood with the Mayor to block Aguirre's case against Tom Story, the ex-City planner and ex-Mayoral Chief of Staff turned developer as a Vice President of Sunroad, for allegedly breaching §27.3501 of the San Diego Municipal Code. Here is what that Section says:

"It is unlawful for any former City Official who received compensation from the City to work on a particular project during his or her City service to engage in direct communication with the City, for compensation, with regard to any pending application for discretionary funding or discretionary entitlements before the City relating to that particular project on behalf of any person other than a Public Agency for a one year period immediately following termination of service with the City."

According to emails widely circulated at the time, Tom Story was in flagrant breach of that law, yet the above lineup of judges and law enforcement officers conspired to defeat the law. When you disagree with such people you have a "conflict of interest", which is what they accused Aguirre of having. It's a conflict of interest alright, between those who put up the money to elect judges and DAs and us lowly taxpayers.

This old power elite will fight like demons against a charter change to an elected City Auditor. They will even try to abolish an elected City Attorney. They aim to regain ownership of the Attorney's Office and put a "place-man" in the Auditor's office.

It is easy to see why. Can you imagine what would happen if somebody like Aguirre became City Auditor? How many financial skeletons would come tumbling out of the financial closet? Aguirre put a stop to the giveaways and has been rummaging in the legal closet ever since getting elected three years ago. He is still discovering skeletons.

Getting back to the sham Audit Report, the East Coast rating agencies and financial markets will not buy the self-serving platitudes Sanders feeds to the people of San Diego. This is what the Wall Street Journal had to say about San Diego last week in a major year-end editorial. Our laid-back City has an abysmal reputation in the financial world and Sanders' laid-back bonhomie will not impress the gnomes of Wall Street.

He wants to borrow billions of dollars this year to placate the unions by paying down their (union-created) pension debt and to repair our aging infrastructure. But he comes across as an ex-cop who is in over his managerial head.

Wall Street does not believe that this City is serious about its finances. It believes right. We lost an excellent City Auditor in Torrell. I remember how reassuring it felt having John on the other end of the telephone, being just as curious as I was to find out what was going on with Dennis Kahlie's strange $152 million private bond placement with the "Banc" of America. I still don't know the truth about that deal, but I haven't forgotten. The moment Sanders was elected everything shut down.

The Golding/Gwinn years were the good old days of secret giveaways. Control of the City's finances must be wrested from those shady insiders who have been keeping two sets of books for decades. We got a brief glimpse behind the curtain under John Torres. We now need to make it permanent. We need a free spirit like Aguirre as City Auditor.
 

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