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12/17/10 |
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Broadway Pier - the
hard facts behind the
soft spin. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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I will assume that each of my readers are familiar with
the ups and downs of the troubled Port District
project on Broadway Pier, so I will confine myself to "the
facts behind the
spin". The basic fact is that cruise
ships and public use of the Broadway Pier are
incompatible. To illustrate this reality I recorded the
following video in early 2010 which clearly shows the
inappropriateness of using the Embarcadero as a cruise
ship terminal.
More>>>
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12/07/10 |
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The TRUE story behind raising the CCDC cap. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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The
California State Legislature created a process whereby
cities can borrow against future property tax revenue
for the primary purpose of expanding the supply of
low-and-moderate-income housing. The process is called
"redevelopment".
More >>>
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11/17/10 |
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A "rogue" CCDC CEO,
Fred Maas aided by a "rogue" Deputy City Attorney,
Kendall Berkey. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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This
video clip shows the craziness of City
Council delegating management of hundreds of
millions of tax dollars to an un-elected body like CCDC,
headed by an unelected private developer like Fred Maas.
When asked a simple question by Carl DeMaio, Maas
arrogantly characterized the
questioner's ethics as "Hale-Bopp". That was one of the
worst displays of disrespect for an elected body I have ever seen.
More>>>
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11/05/10 |
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Who is right? DeMaio
or Aguirre on bankruptcy? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Councilmember Carl DeMaio's "Roadmap
to Recovery", published today, says regarding the
pension problem:
"Until the city reforms its pension liability, no tax
increase will be big enough…no service cut will be deep
enough…to satisfy the skyrocketing debt service on the
city’s pension system. Like a bankruptcy reorganization
plan, the Roadmap to Recovery is committed to
restructuring and reducing our net liabilities in the
pension system through reform of benefits for both
existing and new city employees."
More>>>
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11/03/10 |
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Tony Young
"explains" his position on WalMart. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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"There was a lot of folks who were disingenuous today"
said Tony Young during his own absurdly disingenuous
"explanation" of why he voted for a measure that will
all but guarantee that WalMart will not be coming to a
San Diego site near you anytime soon.
More>>>
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10/28/10 |
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CCDC's hidden power
renders your vote irrelevant. |
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Who is the most powerful person in San Diego today?
Fred Maas.
Few voters even know his name.
More >>>
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10/19/10 |
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Prop D is only the
beginning of the war to preserve city pensions. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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The Mayor sent out this
Notice yesterday:
"Beginning tonight, top city
officials will hold a series of town hall meetings to
discuss proposed impacts to the city’s budget.
Participants will include Chief Operating Officer Jay
Goldstone, Police Chief William Lansdowne, Fire Chief
Javier Mainar, Library Director Deborah Barrow, Park &
Recreation Director Stacey LoMedico, Deputy Chief
Operating Officer of Public Works Dave Jarrell and Chief
Financial Officer Mary Lewis."
More >>>
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10/17/10 |
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Today's U-T Editorial
is a "Wet Dream". |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Today, the U-T editorial staff printed this "We
have a Dream" opinion. If this is the best our only
daily "news" paper can come up with, then, like Apollo
13 said to Houston, "San Diego, we have a problem".
More>>>
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10/15/10 |
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Sanders is summoned
to face the wrath of the City Council. It will be "Homeric". |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Here is the full SB 863
that sparked the outrage.
Section 7 was inserted in the dead of night by Mayor
Sanders and his developer friends without the knowledge
of either the San Diego City Council or the San Diego
City Attorney. It was then voted as part of the State Budget.
More >>>
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09/30/10 |
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Port CEO Charlie Wurster's sudden departure. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Charles D. Wurster, President/CEO of the Port District:
"I served in the Coast Guard 37
years. Also, the 100 yard security zone is the standard
guideline and is most important on the surface of the
water. (This space allows distance and time for security
forces to make shoot/don't shoot decisions--regarding
possibly hostile approaching vessels--during times of
high alert.) Ashore, the practicalities of existing
infrastructure are taken into account by the Coast Guard
"Captain of the Port" who may approve a plan that
provides adequate security with less set-back. That is
the case for us here in San Diego."
More >>
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08/31/10 |
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Is Broadway Pier a
Sanders' dirty deal? If so, with whom? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Here is
a letter from Christine Anderson, the Port's VP of
Operations, dated July 27, 2007. In it she advises the
Port Commissioners that Bill Anderson, the Mayor's
Planning Director, had attended a meeting of the NEVP
Joint Powers Authority (JPA) the day before. Anderson
had advised Port staff that his boss the Mayor was
unhappy with the Port's plans for a temporary cruise
facility on Broadway Pier, that he wanted a permanent
building there.
More >>
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08/30/10 |
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Carnival did not want
Broadway Pier! Is there a hidden agenda? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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On November 27, 2007 Carnival Corp sent
this letter to the Port of San Diego regarding their
shared vision for the future of the cruise ship industry
in San Diego. Carnival warned that changes in the cruise
ship business environment warranted changes in their
joint vision. Carnival worried whether the Port's plan
to spend $164 million in planned improvements to B
Street Pier could be supported through long term cruise
ship usage. Carnival pointed out that it could not "get
close to the passenger figures" that would be required.
More >>>
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08/25/10 |
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The School District budget crisis - an analysis. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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The San Diego School Board will meet in special session
on Tuesday 5:00 P.M. August 31st to discuss
this letter from the County Superintendent of
Schools, Randolph Ward. The letter imposed a September 8, 2010
deadline for the District to adopt a revised budget that
will be acceptable to the County Superintendent. In the
meantime the District is operating at the pleasure of
the Superintendent. He has the power to declare the
District to be "not a going concern" at any time.
More >>>
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08/19/10 |
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The dirty deal
nobody wants to talk about - Carnival Cruise Lines. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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This is the dirty
Agreement that is spawning multiple lies about the
Embarcadero Oval Park. The fact is that a Panamanian
company, the Carnival Corporation, advanced the Port
District $12 million at 4.5% interest to construct two
home ports, one on B. Street Pier and one on Broadway
Pier. The sole source of funds for repayment of this
loan, which must be repaid in full by April 30, 2015,
shall be a Special Facility Fee charged to each
passenger while Carnival branded vessels will receive
preferential berthing rights.
More >>>
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08/17/10 |
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Jeff Greene threatening lawsuits
may not clear his name. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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On August 6, 2010 I called on
the Florida media to investigate the sale and financing
by Jeff Greene of 300 condo units in Ridgecrest, California
that I had investigated and written about back in
April 2009,
long before Greene announced that he was a candidate for
U.S. Senator from Florida. Greene had sold 300 converted
condos in a former military housing project in which he
is still the landlord for a substantial number of rental
units.
More >>>
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08/06/10 |
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The Jeff
Greene - Jim McConville connection |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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What is a colorful Los Angeles real estate mogul/playboy
doing running for the U.S. Senate from Florida? I could
hardly believe my eyes when I saw Jeff Greene's
fast-talking, smiling face on national TV touting his
qualifications to represent the State of Florida in the
U.S.. Senate. Where did this guy get his cojones?
More >>>
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06/07/10 |
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Chula Vista's Prop G -
an analysis. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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The heated arguments over Chula Vista's
Prop G have centered around whether Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) increase
or decrease the cost of public works projects. Both labor and developers accuse
each other of increasing costs through exclusionary labor practices. But I think
there is more to it than that. I think the truth is much deeper. This is not
about cost.
More >>>
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05/24/10 |
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Would Lorie Zapf bring "strategic fraud" to City Council? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Lorie Zapf, a candidate for City Council District 6, is
attempting to turn a bust into a boon. Last week Dave
Maass of CityBeat broke a
story busting her for being in default on her family
home in Clairemont. Responding to CityBeat Ms. Zapf
tried to paint herself as the champion of all families
who are attempting to negotiate a modification of their
mortgage with their lender.
More >>>
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05/06/10 |
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Strong Mayor = Insider Deals. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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I went to a strong-mayor forum (Prop D) last night at
the San Diego County Health Complex sponsored by
Common Cause and
Empower
San Diego, with
guest speakers Donna Frye and Carl DeMaio. It was well
attended, informal, with lots of great comments and
questions. Carl and Donna are a great double act and the
crowd loved it.
More
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05/04/10 |
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The CCDC tax increment
"cap" game. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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As my contribution to the public debate called for by
City Council on April 27, 2010 when it postponed a
decision until June 22, 2010 about whether to extend
downtown redevelopment by raising its tax increment
"cap", I offer the following
suggestion: the City Council should direct CCDC to concentrate on
the area east of 10th Street outlined in red in the
picture below.
More
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04/24/10 |
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Cruise Ship
Terminal Financing and Berthing Agreement |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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This
Agreement is a must read for anybody who wishes to
understand what is happening on the Embarcadero. It
makes the infamous Charger's Ticket Guarantee seem like
a sweet deal for the City. With this Agreement the Port
Commissioners tried to cede control of the Embarcadero to a
Panamanian corporation. They thought that by signing
this Agreement the
NEVP was dead. But it is not. This Agreement is
legally flawed. The Port cannot grant what it does not
have.
More >>>
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04/19/10 |
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Library Lease to
School District - another giveaway. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Today at City Council, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith paid
off a 2008 campaign debt to Ben Hueso. In doing so he
indulged in a type of tortured reasoning I hope he never allowed in his courtroom
when he was a Superior Court Judge.
More >>>
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04/15/10 |
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The Mayor's
Embarcadero Plan sunk by Cruise Ships. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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One of the biggest mistakes Mayor Sanders
made was to fall for whatever
slick sales talk Steve Cushman used to cajole him into
backing this used-car salesman for a third term as Port
Commissioner, despite term limits. It
has now cost him the North
Embarcadero Visionary Plan (NEVP). It lies in ruins
because of Cushman's cruise ships.
More >>>
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04/09/10 |
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The Union-Tribune has slandered Marti Emerald |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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The following sentence appears in
today's
U-T article regarding yesterday's much talked about
ethics hearing involving an alleged Marti Emerald
campaign reporting violation:
"The delay allowed Emerald to
collect contributions to cover a debt that had not been
disclosed."
More >>>
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04/07/10 |
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The Union-Tribune is negotiating for the Port
District |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Read
this
Editorial in today's U-T.
In hiring Ron Powell, a veteran Union-Tribune reporter
as its spokesperson, the Port hired the ability to get
friendly editorials like this to run in the U-T at
critical moments like this.
This is critical moment for the Port District's North
Embarcadero (Cruise Ship Terminal) plan. It needs to
pull off another switcheroo.
More >>>
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04/05/10 |
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Are the Port District and the Convention Center
giving away public money? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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At its monthly meeting tomorrow the Port District will
be asked to consent to the assignment and assumption of
a lease from
Fifth Avenue Landing LLC (FAL) to the San Diego
Convention Center Corporation (SDCCC).
More >>>
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04/03/10 |
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Coastal Commission's "April Fools" Staff Report. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Yielding to intense pressure from Carnival Cruise Lines,
a Panamanian Corporation, and its political allies, the Coastal Commission staff
has issued
this Report,
"Approval with Conditions", in an attempt to provide
political cover for the Commission to grant an illegal
"conditional" permit for the Port's cruise ship terminal
on Broadway Pier.
More
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03/28/10 |
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Is there a McConville-White House connection? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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It is very suspicious that Jim McConville, the notorious
statewide "straw-buyer" mortgage scamster, has not only
escaped jail but has had his enormous debts wiped out by
the U.S. Government using bankruptcy, while all the time
the FBI has enough evidence to arrest him 10 times over.
More
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03/24/10 |
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How the Mayor's staff lied about the $185 million bond. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Have you ever had a sickening feeling that someone is
lying to you but you can't quite put your finger on how they are
doing it? That's how some members of the City Council must
be feeling regarding the Mayor's contentious $185 million
"lease-lease" bond issue - those who are not in on the
lie, that is.
More >>>
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03/22/10 |
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The City's $185 million bond issue would be illegal. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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The City Council has docketed its final approval of the $185
million "lease-lease" bond issue for this Tuesday as
Item 50 on the Consent Agenda. That's right the
"Consent" Agenda. I intend to go down and "pull" this
Item from the Consent Agenda so that Council Members may
reconsider.
More >>>
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03/11/10 |
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Is Municipal bond debt the next Wall Street scam? |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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Last Tuesday, March 9, 2009, San Diego City staff from
the Debt Management Department and from our City
Attorney's office acted as salespeople for J. P. Morgan,
Bank of America Merrill Lynch and other Wall Street
moneylenders, arguing before City Council for a bogus
financial instrument called a municipal "lease-lease"
that would put the worst excesses of the real estate
borrowing bubble to shame.
More >>>
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03/09/10 |
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Voting while under the influence - of money. |
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by Pat
Flannery
top^ |
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A recent land use vote at City Council provides a
fascinating peek into the moral characters of our six
Democratic City Councilmembers. The issue at hand was a
proposed street vacation in front of the La Jolla home
of Democratic Party mega-contributors, Bill and Lisa
Barkett.
More
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