Continued from Slumlord To Evict 20 San Ysidro Children By October

After interviewing occupants of the Gateway Inn at San Ysidro who received 60-day eviction notices that may leave them homeless, I made calls to several city officials this week. Public records show the owner of the dilapidated single room occupancy (SRO) building submitted a request to demolish the hotel — located near the U.S.-Mexico border — although the permit has not yet been approved.

Two messages were left for the Housing Commission regarding this; however, they did not return my calls. One of their documents cite a Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotel Regulations Ordinance (San Diego Municipal Code 143.0510-143.0590) that says (page 3): “Applicants proposing the demolition or conversion of an SRO are required to pay relocation expenses to long-term tenants (residencies of 90 days or more).”

This is further supported by a Voice of San Diego article, which states: “In 2004, a change to a state law called the Ellis Act gave cities the ability to pass regulations to protect SROs from being demolished or turned into market-rate housing. San Diego’s ordinance says property owners can’t convert or tear down an SRO without agreeing to replace the lost units and pay each long-term tenant two months’ rent to cover relocation costs.”

One might then ask if the Ellis Act places the burden of decent affordable housing on the owner of this SRO? Unfortunately, no one has been able to answer my question.   [Read more…]

This week, the shooting of police officers throughout the country became deeply personal in Chula Vista.

Eastlake resident and police officer Jonathan DeGuzman was shot five times at close range by ex-con Michael Gomez, 52. Officer DeGuzman died shortly thereafter.

Governor Jerry Brown will attend a Friday memorial service for Officer DeBuzman, which will be held in Bonita. DeGuzman is survived by his wife and two children.   [Read more…]

… Bonita Vista High School Band Director Arrested on Molestation Charges, and South Bay Hosts Several Outdoor Summertime Events

Breaking News this week in Imperial Beach.

Mayor Serge Dedina, who is also the Executive Director at WildCoast, announced at the City Council meeting he thought Ed Drusina should be fired. Drusina is the head of the International Boundary & Water Commission (IBWC).

His problem: the IBWC has done nothing to solve the sewage problem coming from Mexico. WildCoast estimates that Mexico dumps, both legally and illegally, about 30 to 50 million gallons of sewage into the ocean everyday. Instead of cleaning up the problem, Drusina is focusing on a Presidential Permit to have the Otay Water District get water from the Rosarito Desalination plant.   [Read more…]

… Deported Veterans Refused Re-Entry, and Coronado To Sue Imperial Beach for Sewage

The new pedestrian crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry (POE) opened to great fan-fare last Friday. By Wednesday, according to a comment on a San Diego Reader article, it had to be closed.

Why?

As writer John Kitchen explained in his Reader article, the new facility on the Mexican side has no roads leading to it, preventing buses or taxis to get anywhere close. Sandra Dibble at the San Diego Union Tribune reported similar complaints of the pedestrian crossing, which is located next to the Las Americas Outlet Mall.   [Read more…]

… Pedestrian Crossing In San Ysidro Opens This Month — With Glitches, and Sales Tax Increase for Chula Vista on November Ballot

Doug Porter has been reporting on the attack of homeless men in San Diego. Four people were assaulted in their sleep, two set on fire. Two men later died. Frank Gormlie at the OB Rag also carried the story about the assaults on Angelo De Nardo, 53, Shawn Mitchell Longley, 41, Manual Nunez Mason, 61, and a 23-year-old man (not named).

The suspect was found in Chula Vista.

Anthony Alexander Padgett, 36, has been taken into custody. He was located at Broadway and H Street. He was born in Chula Vista and reports say he has a criminal history.   [Read more…]

With Independence Day just around the corner, I know what you want to hear, South Bay. Where is all the fun this weekend? So first up, here’s what you really need to know.

Plus: Judge Decides On Eastlake III Homeowners Court Case, and “No Trespassing” Signs Upset Residents   [Read more…]

… Three South Bay Mayors Endorse Tax Increase, and Shady History of Otay Mesa Power Plant Exposed

A fire at the U.S.-Mexico border near Portero and Tecate has been raging for five days. Although not near San Diego and Tijuana yet, the fire has South Bay locals worried. Some of the week’s updates included: Animal control officers worked to rescue hundreds of animals; residents were under evacuation orders Monday and hikers were advised to stay off the Pacific Coast Trail. As of Thursday, the border fire had destroyed 17 homes and threatened 200 more. The fire has burned 6,723 acres so far.   [Read more…]

An undercover narcotics investigation took a bad turn on Tuesday, June 14, at about 2 p.m. when a federal agent was threatened and fired on a suspect, who was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead.

After the shooting, two suspects sped away in a car, but crashed the vehicle a short distance away and were apprehended. A fourth suspect was found hiding inside a vehicle trunk. (Imperial Beach Patch)

During the ordeal, residents were told to take shelter-in-place and keep their doors locked. Many took to the Internet to get live coverage and others took to social media.   [Read more…]

… National City’s Triple-Term Mayor Ron Morrison wants to abolish term limits, and Eastlake Has 80 Percent Increase In Car Burglaries

Supervisor Greg Cox secured another term during the primary elections this week. He was unopposed.

You may remember my interview with him when he explained, among other visions regarding Parks and Recreation, that he would like to see a campground created within Border Field State Park. This week, however, a letter was released from U.S. Border Patrol that said it would not be an ideal location for a campsite because the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station apprehended more than 5,300 people during fiscal year 2015 alone.

“Over 3,200 of these apprehensions occurred within the immediate vicinity of the proposed campsites. Twenty-five percent of those apprehended had prior criminal convictions in the United States and some of the illegal crossers were documented gang members,” the letter says. Marty Graham, who termed the area an “active crime scene” has the full report.   [Read more…]

… South Bay Guide for California’s Primaries, and 308-Space Parking Structure Built In County’s Most Walkable City

There is less than a week until the California Primaries, South Bay. How will you vote? See inside for a useful guide on:

– Federal Candidates,

– California State & County Representatives,

– South Bay Local Elections,

– Candidates of Chula Vista’s District 4.   [Read more…]