Mountains swoop down
into clouds
Tributaries rain salt into lakes
Feathers of empyrean pink light
falling on water
Flocks of muddied footprints [Read more…]
Excerpt From Sunshine/Noir II: The Civil Disobedient
By Michael Billingsley
The morning of January 15, 1976 started out just like any other in the Skyline neighborhood of southeast San Diego, but there were two special things that set this day apart. For one, it was the day before my 14th birthday. Second, it was the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
There had been a movement to make MLK’s birthday a national holiday—in fact, African Americans all over the country started celebrating before it became a legal holiday. One of the things that appealed to me was that my birthday was on January 16, one day after Dr. King’s and the day before Muhammad Ali’s. [Read more…]
Trump University Lawsuit: Pretrial Conference Set for San Diego
An upcoming class action lawsuit involving allegations of financial fraud by former students of Trump University has San Diego in the news today. The Donald is among witnesses listed by attorneys for both sides leading up to a May 6th final pretrial conference.
Most of the stories mentioning this lawsuit seem to based on reporting by Michael Isikoff at Yahoo News. Senator Marco Rubio–who has his own problems with questionable for-profit colleges–brought up the subject of the lawsuits against Trump University at Thursday night’s GOP Presidential debate on CNN.
While I’m doubtful about suggestions of The Donald taking time off from his campaign to swing through America’s Finest City to testify, it’s telling that the GOP has finally gotten around to challenging his most basic claim to greatness, namely his business acumen. [Read more…]
Women Vs. Men: Prepping For That First Date
Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. We all know this. But there’s a pretty key difference in how women prep for dates — especially first dates — and it’s way bigger than shaving our legs, trying on multiple outfits multiple times or otherwise attempting to look cute.
In a “so sad it’s funny” social commentary, the YouTube channel Unsolicited Project offers up its newest video, How Women Get Ready for First Dates. In it, the woman tells her roommate: “Just remember exactly what I’m wearing right now just in case I go missing.” By contrast, the guy throws on a jacket and heads out the door. [Read more…]
North of the Fence: Chula Vista Pot Shops Face Legal Action …
… Building Homes Next To Truck Traffic In Otay and Migrants Flee to U.S. on Bikes
The Chula Vista Star News reported that a string of medical marijuana dispensaries operating in the city of Chula Vista are facing legal action to permanently cease their operations. Deputy City Attorney Megan McClurg said dispensary owners in Chula Vista do not have a business license to operate and if they applied for one they would be denied. [Read more…]
Vermont Now Ground Zero In Fight to Label Genetically Modified Foods
Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law is set to take place July 1—unless an amendment blocks it.
By Katherine Paul / AlterNet
The late, great political columnist Molly Ivins, who railed relentlessly against money in politics, would be all over the GMO labeling fight. She’d be especially keen to tackle the next battle, set to take place any day now in the U.S. Senate.
On Thursday, February 25, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry will take up a bill introduced last week by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). Roberts’ bill aims to establish a voluntary labeling plan that would block Vermont from enacting its mandatory GMO labeling law on July 1. [Read more…]
Spinning SeaWorld: “Hey Look, We’re No Longer Spying on Activists!”
Forgive me if I don’t seem all that excited about SeaWorld CEO Joe Manby’s admission about SeaWorld employees posing as animal rights activists in order to spy on opponents. And their promise not to do it anymore.
We already knew about Paul T. McCombe, using the alias Thomas Jones, the guy who was fond of inflammatory rhetoric and tried to incite PETA activists to violence. His activities and the high probability that more of his ilk were lurking in the shadows was reported in the Union-Tribune in the summer of 2015.
The company’s statement was given at the end of a conference call to discuss an earnings report. The press has largely taken the bait reporting on this disclosure over the real news, namely that SeaWorld had just posted an adjusted loss of $9.6 million, or 11 cents per share. [Read more…]
Private Encroachments into Public Space: Ocean Beach Grows Wary
From Restaurants to the Beach, Private Interests Are Taking More Public Grounds
The recent uproar among OBceans over the intrusions into public sidewalks by two Ocean Beach restaurants illustrates a broader and growing wariness by the public of the larger issue of encroachment by private interests into public space.
Just several weeks ago, two OB restaurants, The Joint and the yet-to-open OB Brewery – both on Newport Avenue – have installed permanent fixtures outside their establishments that seriously curtail pedestrian traffic and block the public access to the public sidewalk immediately in front of the restaurants.
The Joint put in tables with a metal fence and gate, taking the encroachment trend in OB’s “outdoor cafes” to a new level. The OB Rag ran a poll where 42% of the respondents agreed that what The Joint did was an encroachment into public space and agreed that the fence and tables should be removed. The OB Brewery also installed exterior fencing that significantly narrows the public walkway.
The future of these intrusions into what many feel are the public’s right-of-way has yet to be ultimately decided, but the response by locals reflects a growing wariness among OBceans – and others who live up and down the coast or near parks – to what they perceive as an invasion into public space by people with private interests as their motivation.
[Read more…]
The Price of Beauty: ‘Guards at the Taj’ at the La Jolla Playhouse
By Mukul Khurana
Shah Jahan translates roughly into the English “King of the World.” As such, Shah Jahan was an impressive ruler. In the seventeenth century, that meant that wars of conquest and constant expansionism were the order of the day. That also meant that the spoils of war and all that made the fifth Mughal Emperor of India a very wealthy man.
Having access to beautiful things made Shah Jahan want to replicate that beauty and he did that with great abandon when it came to architectural structures—he wanted to leave legacies behind. Ironically, he isn’t mainly remembered for many of those things. He is remembered for the Taj Mahal, the tomb and resting place for his favorite wife—Mumtaz Mahal.
[Read more…]
TransNet Tax Increase Gives SANDAG Opportunity to Course-correct on Environmental Priorities
Will SANDAG prioritize sustainable projects and protect San Diego’s most vulnerable populations?
By Hutton Marshall / SanDiego350
A region doesn’t become environmentally friendly by accident; it does so through careful, ambitious planning with the good of future generations in mind. In this regard, the San Diego region now finds itself at a crossroads.
Through the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the region’s planning agency, we now have the opportunity to begin realizing an environmentally friendly future in the San Diego region for many years to come. SANDAG recently announced that it will consider putting forth a ballot measure that will increase the TransNet sales tax by half a cent. Pending voter approval, such an increase would mean billions of additional dollars for transportation projects in coming decades. Although SANDAG may do the opposite, this money should be spent on projects that will mitigate climate change and protect San Diego’s most vulnerable populations. [Read more…]
Trouble on the Dream Coast: Housing Policy Challenges
By Debra Varnado / Capital & Main
It’s no secret that California residents pay more for housing than residents in most other states, especially in the metropolitan coastal areas and Silicon Valley cities. Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto and other highly attractive, jobs- and amenities-rich cities are widely documented as being the least-affordable housing markets in California.
Obtaining decent affordable rental housing and earning enough income to sustain a family are increasingly more difficult goals to achieve. The American Dream of homeownership, and of building and maintaining stable communities, is fading in the face of this new socio-economic reality. [Read more…]
Chargers Say They’ll Fund Their Own Stadium Downtown (Sort of)
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at city hall as the local football franchise went public with a ‘no thanks’ to the officially blessed plan of building a stadium in Mission Valley.
In making this move the Chargers have rejected $350 million in city and county support –and the strings that came with it– saying they would get their own financing.
How’d they do that? Well, it’s complicated. [Read more…]
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