Sewage

From the Union Tribune-

"...1.5 million gallons of sewage...

The Tecolote spill was called in to the city's sewage-leak hotline but a city employee accidentally erased the message. Sewage continued to overflow a manhole for 10 days until the original caller phoned a second time.

...34 million gallons of sewage overflowed ...

The Adobe Falls spill went on for a week until a city employee in the wastewater department's billing division noticed a huge drop in a flow report."

City Governement at its best.

environment

From the Washington Post Editorial Page

by Hal Harvey

"California's landmark legislation to cut greenhouse gases is now law, and I will work to implement it and to win the expected challenges in court along the way.

"The expected legal challenges will likely come from General Motors Corp. and -- here's the rub -- from the federal government. Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson has already filed briefs trying to overturn California's stringent tailpipe standards, and even sued the Los Angeles air quality authority when it tried to clean up exhaust from dirty buses. "

It is a shame that a states right to cleaner air is fought against the Federal Government. So your state tax dollars are being wasted by fighting your Federal tax dollars.

Fog of War

"He volunteered to go to Vietnam."

-- Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot, yesterday, on National Public Radio

"No, I didn't."

-- President Bush, Feb. 8, responding to a question on NBC's "Meet the Press" about whether he volunteered to go to Vietnam

Watch for the slow slide in “truth”. Politics is all about the impression. If you say things over and over again ever if they are not true the message gets across. People begin to believe.

Local Politics are great

From the Union Tribune today

"Federal authorities have served grand-jury subpoenas to prominent political consultant Larry Remer and a former client, Southwestern College, seeking records to determine whether public money was illegally used to promote a school-bond campaign."

"Remer is a strategist for San Diego mayoral candidate Ron Roberts' campaign, and is the consultant handling Councilman Jim Madaffer's re-election effort. He is an adviser to Councilman Ralph Inzunza and was the consultant who represented Inzunza and Councilman Charles Lewis in their 2002 election campaigns."

Note that Inzunza and Lewis are both in trouble from illegally taking money from strip club owners, by the by they both claim that they where LEGALLY taking money from strip club owners. I wonder if they consulted their consultant Remer on that one.

Mayor Race

Campaign finance

Do you know where your campaign contributions are going? Check out THIS article in the union tribute about the use of campaign money for the legal defense of the San Diego City council member that are in trouble for that whole strip club thing.

“Forming a re-election campaign committee was the only way the three councilmen could pay their attorney fees because city campaign laws don't allow for the creation of a legal defense fund.”

I don’t know but that seems a little weird to me. If you start accepting money for a re-election campaign, I thought it was implied that you use the money for getting re-elected not to keep yourself out of jail. But I guess that is the first step in getting re-elected, since it would indisputably be more difficult to run from jail.

The Mayor

More on Prop A

From local prez Sierra Club, Eric Bowlby:

Dear "YES on Prop A" volunteers and citizens of San Diego County,

Have you seen the "NO on A" mailer with a wolf on the front? The "NO on A" people are a pack of wolves spreading a pack of lies. Help spread the word.

One of the signers of the ballot argument against Prop. A calls themselves "The Alliance for Habitat Conservation". THIS IS VOTER DECEPTION AT IT WORST.
This is a group of land speculators that collectively own more land in San Diego County than any other land-owner group. They are lobbying politicians for as much suburban sprawl development of the remaining open-spaces as they can get.

All major REAL environmental groups,including The American Lung Association are urging you to VOTE YES on PROP A. See below for the long list of CREDIBLE, NON-PROFIT endorsers.

So I tryed to find more about the "The Alliance for Habitat Conservation"

Here is something -

"Landowners are very pleased to see a plan come out which promises both the regulatory streamlining and planning certainty that business needed to make this monumental effort worth the trouble," said Jim Whalen of the Alliance for Habitat Conservation, a major landowner group. "Now we look forward to the implementation of the MSCP, which will represent a true partnership between government, the community, and the private sector. For too long, builders have been forced to shoulder an unfair share of the burden of protecting San Diego's unique natural environment, and we appreciate the MSCP plan's explicit recognition of the role of public funding in making this ambitious program work."

Prop A.

I am in favor of it. Prop A, that is. But really I don't like urban sprawl. A couple of thing to think about though, this will limit development of new suburban areas. By limiting the housing market will continue to push the cost of housing up, which is good if you have a house but bad if are thinking about buying one. It will also put downward pressure on the population grow in the area. Which should slow increases in traffic, but you never know.

Below is a description by the COUNTY COUNSEL’S office, it is worth reading.

COUNTY COUNSEL’S IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS
You are asked to vote on the Rural Lands Initiative, which has been proposed by petition pursuant to the provisions of California law governing initiative measures. This measure would make amendments to the San Diego County general plan. One amendment would add a cornerstone goal” to the Regional Land Use Element of the general plan to ensure that urban development does not occur outside of country towns in rural areas in northern and eastern San Diego County unless approved by the voters.

This measure also would establish minimum parcel sizes for new parcels within an overlay area covering certain land in northern and eastern San Diego County. The minimum parcel size within Estate Development Areas and within Environmentally Constrained Areas Inside the County Water Authority Boundary would be 1 parcel per 40 acres (in other words, the property owner would generally be limited to building one residence per 40 acres). The minimum parcel size within Rural Development Areas would be 1 parcel per 80 acres. The minimum parcel size within Environmentally Constrained Areas Outside the County Water Authority Boundary would be 1 parcel per 160 acres.

Certain exceptions to the minimum parcel sizes are allowed as set forth below:
1) to avoid an unconstitutional taking of property; or
2) to comply with state housing law if no alternative site could be used; or
3) where it is found that by a 4/5 vote of the Board of Supervisors upon a request of a landowner that:
a) there are no significant environmental effects;
b) there are no adverse impacts to land use patterns; and
c) there is access to existing public roads without the necessity of significant grading.

San Diego's Budget

This is from the San Diego City Budget

Police

The Police Department will have a reduction of $6,688,618, including: $1,938,618 for the elimination of 36.75 administrative, civilian staff positions; a reduction of $1,000,000 in the Resource Management, Neighborhood Policing and Investigations Programs, limiting the ability to purchase safety supplies, procure service contracts, equipment repairs and meet Peace Officer Standards and Training requirements. In addition, 80.00 civilian positions will remain vacant to avoid the related $3,750,000 cost, and will result in continued support limitations for officers and civilians, increased backlog, and the need for officers to perform administrative tasks. Fewer officers in the field may result in increased response times and delays in closing cases.