By Doug Porter

The grapevine was humming yesterday as word seeped out that San Diego Unified would make an early evening ‘major announcement’ following news of current Superintendent Bill Kowba’s resignation on Tuesday. Many folks, including KPBS news, thought the Board of Trustees would simply be announcing their selection process. Or naming the high priced consulting firm to sort through resumes and vet the next candidate for the job.

The announcement that Principal Cindy Marten had already been unanimously nominated by the school board as the next leader for SD Unified was indeed a shocker. A figurative “gasp” went up from many members the news media, who’ve spent the last few years crafting a narrative about the dysfunctionality of the elected Board of Trustees.

This is simply a brilliant decision. I speak from personal knowledge, having worked with Ms. Marten on education issues through my association with the parent-centric Educate for the Future. Her personal mantra (and the slogan for her school): “Work Hard. Be Kind. Dream Big. No Excuses.”

The story of her success with Central Elementary, an under-achieving school in a dirt poor, language-challenged neighborhood (New York Times story here), where caring for the whole child and not just their test scores is just the tip of the iceberg.  Cindy has also gone through simply incredible personal struggles and sacrifice even as she’s gained eminence as an educator.

I’ll respect her privacy and spare the details for now. But I bring this up to make a point. Cindy Marten is tough. Unlike some ‘reformers’, she didn’t make it up the ladder of success in the field of education by disparaging others. She’s played the hand that was dealt her using determination, high standards and an inspiring work ethic to turn challenges into accomplishments.

The nay-sayers have already started. (“How could the trustees make such a rapid decision?…What about candidates from out of town?..”) Yada-yada. The UT-San Diego’s from page today has a subhead on the story about Marten that says “Superintendent selected without community input”, along with an editorial reminding the public about how irresponsible the school board is.

I’ll venture to say that they’re in for a surprise.

Somebody from the community that understands the district’s problems, who has succeed in raising the bar for both students and parents despite those problems, has been selected to lead our schools. What a great move.

Balboa Park Traffic, Homeless Issues on Mayor’s Radar

With a newly minted mid-year budget report predicting an additional $3.6 million in available revenues, Mayor Filner wasted no time yesterday in announcing where he thought the funds should be spent.

Foremost among his ideas will be spending $500,000 to re-configure traffic patterns in Balboa Park. From KPBS:

“Because it’s not a permanent thing like the bridge {a reference to an earlier plan to construct a by-pass & parking garage} we can have an experiment, does it work or doesn’t it work?” Filner told reporters. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll change it.”

 The mayor said parking would be eliminated in the Plaza de Panama, including parking for the disabled and valet parking. He has asked the City Council for $500,000 to implement the plan, which would come from a budget surplus projected for the current fiscal year. City Council President Todd Gloria, who represents the park, said before Filner made his remarks that no one has briefed him on the plan and suggested that area residents would react negatively if left out of the loop. The mayor subsequently said the City Council and residents will have the opportunity to vet his proposal.

 From SD City Beat:

 For the first time in, well, ever, San Diego‘s winter homeless shelter could be open through the spring.

 The city’s mid-year budget-monitoring report, presented at today’s meeting of the City Council’s Budget Committee, projects a $5.5-million surplus for the fiscal year ending in June. Of that money, $3.6 million’s available for spending and Mayor Bob Filner set out how he’d like to spend it:

 * $1.1 million to replace police equipment

* $500,000 for fire / rescue vehicle replacement

* $400,000 for two Portland Loos (see below)

* $500,000 for Balboa Park‘s traffic-management plan

* $300,000 toward planning for the Balboa Park centennial

* $300,000 to keep the winter shelter open for three months past its April 2 closing date

* $200,000 for maintenance and upgrades to the Kumeyaay campground and visitor center

 Insurance Company Bites Dog(s)

Fed up with ever increasing claims for compensation arising from dog bites in California, one insurance company has decided to fight back.  The Farmers Group, Inc., has notified policyholders statewide that bites by pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids will no longer be covered by homeowners insurance as policies come up for renewal. From NBCLosAngeles:

…insurers say that bites from pit bulls and the other breeds have gone up dramatically in recent years – along with the cost of settling damage claims.

 “We reviewed our liability claim history and we determined that three breeds accounted for more than 25% of dog bite claims,” said spokeswoman Erin Freeman. “In addition, these three breeds caused more harm when they attacked than any other breed.”

 The move by Farmers, which will go into effect for California homeowners as their policies come up for renewal, is one of several efforts nationwide by insurance companies to limit an ever-increasing level of liability for dog bites.

 Across the U.S., insurance companies paid out $480 million to people who were attacked by dogs in 2011 – a 50% rise in just eight years, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute. In California that year, insurers paid more than $20 million to settle just 527 claims.

San Onofre Cyber Security: Nothing to See Here

Southern California Edison has announced that a site specific training program in cyber security measures is no longer necessary, following disclosure of an employee whistle-blower’s complaints about on going failures in implementing the program.  From KBPS:

Just before sunrise on April 18 of last year, a San Onofre worker sent an anonymous message to the nuclear plant’s majority ownerSouthern California Edison. The worker said more than half of San Onofre’s employees were not up to date or had not completed the plant’s cyber security training. The training is designed to teach workers how to protect against cyber threats from hackers and hostile foreign governments.

…

The anonymous warning prompted a San Onofre manager to take a closer look, according to documents leaked to KPBS. The manager found that the company’s cyber security training was overdue for 1,200 workers. He also discovered 15 senior managers, including Edison’s Chief Nuclear Officer Peter Dietrich and the staffer responsible for cyber security training — Doug Bauder –were not up to date on the company’s training program, according to the documents. The manager wrote that four members of the nuclear plant’s emergency response organization were lagging in the training as well.

…

 Edison spokeswoman Jennifer Manfre called the allegation that workers were out of compliance “categorically false.” She said the plant’s personnel are in compliance with a set of cyber security guidelines that are put out by the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade group and lobbying arm of the nuclear industry. Manfre said San Onofre did have a “site-specific training requirement” but that Edisonlater concluded it was unnecessary.

The Sequester is a Conspiracy. Seriously. Part One:

It’s a good thing demographic forces in Texas will eventually turn that state from Red to Blue. Because then Texas won’t have to be embarrassed by the likes of this guy (from Raw Story):

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) suggested Wednesday the sequester was a conspiracy by President Barack Obama to cut defense spending and raise money for community organizing groups.

 Speaking on the House floor, Gohmert said the timing of Obama’s meeting with congressional leaders over the sequester was evidence the President really wanted the across-the-board budget cuts to happen. He claimed the sequester was actually a plot by Obama to cut defense spending and transfer money to “ACORN-like” groups that would help elect Democratic candidates.

 The Sequester is a Conspiracy. Seriously. Part Two:

 Last week star reporter Bob Woodward published an article in the Washington Post asserting President Obama was “wrong” to blame the budget sequester on Republicans.

Let’s say he’s right. Meh. Who cares? More Republicans than Democrats in Congress voted for the damn thing. So I think playing the blame game here is kind of irrelevant.

Well, a lot of conservative types are hoping, indeed praying, that this ‘revelation’ will turn the tide of public opinion, which currently holds that the GOP is mostly to blame for the present situation, regardless of what you call it.

When Woodward went on TV yesterday and claimed that a White House aide had ‘threatened’ him over his reporting on sequestration, the conservative media went wild. Here, at last, was proof of the evil Obamalord’s misuse of power…

Eh, not so fast guys. Woodward’s got a book to sell. And you might want to read the actual email exchange as published in Politico today.  Here’s the threatening money quote, contained in an email from White House staffer Gene Sperling apologizing for yelling at Woodward in an earlier phone conversation:

I apologize for raising my voice in our conversation today. My bad. I do understand your problems with a couple of our statements in the fall — but feel on the other hand that you focus on a few specific trees that gives a very wrong perception of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here.

But I do truly believe you should rethink your comment about saying saying that Potus asking for revenues is moving the goal post. I know you may not believe this, but as a friend, I think you will regret staking out that claim. 

Baconfest: Because We Can

thedailybacon.com

 It looks like San Diego is getting yet another reason for companies to rethink moving to Texas.  Point Loma’s Liberty Station will be the locale for the first San Diego Bacon Fest next August 31^st. Organizers are promising a kid-free (the entire event is considered a ‘beer garden’) day of fun featuring local restaurants and craft brewers celebrating bacon.

Those with special dietary considerations (liking turkey bacon, for instance) are being asked not to attend. From their FAQ page:

Will Bacon Fest have a vegetarian option?

No. No. No. This is a day to celebrate bacon, which is made out of pork. Veggie Fest will have vegetarian options. The problem is, there isn’t a Veggie Fest. By the way, we suggest not going outside today because the bacon gods (there’s a group of them) are going to strike you down for just thinking about a vegetarian option.

 Is this a great city or what?

Belching Beavers, Oh My!

From San Diego Eater:

It looks like the 30th Street Craft Beer Corridor is getting another member; Belching Beaver Brewery is planning on going into the old motor scooter shop at 4225 30th Street (near El Cajon Avenue). A tipster told Eater that this North Park space will only house a tasting room for Belching Beaver, which currently operates a production brewery up in Vista. 

On This Day: 1854 – The Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI. About 50 slavery opponents began the new political group. 1970 – Led Zeppelin performed as the Nobs in Denmark after the family of Ferdinand von Zeppelin threatened a lawsuit.  1993 – Federal agents raided the compound of an armed religious cult in Waco, TX. The ATF had planned to arrest the leader of the Branch Davidians, David Koresh, on federal firearms charges. Four agents and six Davidians were killed and a 51-day standoff followed.

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Doug Porter

Doug Porter was active in the early days of the alternative press in San Diego, contributing to the OB Liberator, the print version of the OB Rag, the San Diego Door, and the San Diego Street Journal. He went on to have a 35-year career in the Hospitality business and decided to go back into raising hell when he retired. He won numerous awards for his columns from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Doug is a cancer survivor (sans vocal chords) and lives in North Park.

Latest posts by Doug Porter (see all)

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