Last Blog On Earth

More fun and games at City Council tonight.

The issue was contract negotiations between the Mayor’s office and three employee unions: the Municipal Employees Union (MEA, the white collars), Local 127 (the blue collars) and the Deputy City Attorneys Association. There was a dispute between the unions and the Mayor’s office on how the parties would proceed in the case of a negotiations impasse and, it seems, whether there was an impasse in the first place. I’m not completely clear on the ins, the outs and the what-have-yous, but the unions were alleging that Mayor Jerry Sanders changed the rules of the game mid-stream and attempted to impose a different contract than the unions were expecting, although it seems the most recent imposition included concessions on a new employee pension system.

What’s interesting in all this is who sided with whom.

City Attorney Mike Aguirre, who’s been at odds with Sanders and his people for nearly two years now, backed Sanders, going so far as to commend him for doing the right thing for the city of San Diego. Aguirre said it was within Sanders’ authority to impose the contract he was trying to impose. Councilmember Jim Madaffer, who can’t stand Aguirre, made the motion on the mayor’s contract offer, and after the vote, Aguirre approached Madaffer and shook his hand. The council’s three Republicans (Madaffer, Kevin Faulconer and Brian Maienschein) voted for the offer, along with Democrat Donna Frye, who for the last couple of years has taken a hard line on the union pay raises.

Council President Scott Peters, who has won the local Labor Council’s endorsement in his bid for city attorney, voted against the mayor’s offer, agreeing with the unions’ claim that the rules had been changed inappropriately. He was joined by Democrats Ben Hueso (who made some remarks in support of the blue-collar workers), Tony Young and Toni Atkins. As Peters was trying to state his position, Aguirre chimed in that Peters was acting solely on political ground, and Peters turned Aguirre’s microphone off.

So, the vote ended in a 4-4 tie, and so Sanders’ last offer failed to pass. That means, I think, that the parties will head back to the table. Unless Aguirre and Sanders hold hands and refuse to take a seat.

To sum up: Frye and the unions—farther apart. Aguirre and the unions—farther apart. Aguirre and Peters—farther apart. Frye and Sanders—closer together. Aguirre and Sanders—closer together. Aguirre and Madaffer—closer together. Peters and the unions—closer together. Peters and Sanders—trouble in paradise? It’ll be interesting to watch if Peters somehow wins the city attorney race and is faced with having to support or battle the unions in future disputes with Sanders, should he fend off Steve Francis’ bizarre challenge.

This is the funniest thing I’ve heard in maybe 10 years. I’ve listened to it three times now and am still laughing out loud.

Click here and it should load up in about 30 seconds.

If not, try this.  It won’t start automatically. The play button is to the left under the file title

Growing weary of the Bill Horn/NCT thinga-ma-jig, dear readers? I’ll update you nonetheless. Horn has finally correct the information on his website. The dateline says May 7, but it definitely wasn’t posted until late in the day May 8, at the earliest.

(May 7, 2008 — Following the publication of this web posting, we have been informed by the offices of Supervisors Jacob, Slater-Price, Cox, and Roberts that contrary to what we were told by consultant Craig Benedetto; the offices of Supervisors Jacob, Slater-Price, Cox, and Roberts maintain that Mr. Hutcheson did not personally meet with them. Since we were not privy to the office calendars of other Supervisors, we could not confirm the information we received one way or another from Mr. Benedetto. Supervisor Jacob’s office asked we make a note of that and we are happy to do so for her and my fellow Supervisors.)

Darryn Bennett, the North County Times reporter whose stories prompted Horn to create his “The Whole Story” blog, has a follow-up piece in today’s paper. You can check it out here. Here’s an excerpt:

New details about a meeting between county Supervisor Bill Horn and the chief executive of a wireless company with a controversial cell-tower project before the county government have cast doubt on the supervisor’s credibility and raised questions about the legality of the meeting.

Various sources have contradicted Horn’s account of the meeting, as described in an e-mail his spokesman sent to the newspaper last week and on his Fifth District Web site.

The supervisor has not been accused of breaking any laws, but his critics have said the meeting smacks of impropriety and may violate county guidelines.

The San Diego District Attorney just sent out a clarification on how many arrests they made in their big drug bust on Tuesday morning, called “Operation Sudden Fall.” The D.A.’s press release originally said they’d made 96 arrests, including 75 students. An SDSU spokesman later told Voiceofsandiego.org that many of the 75 students were arrested as part of normal campus patrol operations. The D.A.’s new figures have a separate section for students arrested by SDSU police officers “on patrol.”

“That means arrests made by SDSU police while on patrol,” said D.A. spokesperson Steve Walker in an e-mail to CItyBeat. “For example, traffic stops or other arrests made by officers during their patrol shifts.”

An SDSU spokesman told Voice these arrests would have been made with or without “Sudden Fall,” but the D.A. release said they included them in the total number “because as a direct result of ‘Operation Sudden Fall,’ a zero tolerance policy regarding narcotics was enforced by SDSU Police during patrols.”

The numbers sent out today include additional arrests made yesterday, but here they are:

• Total arrests: 125
• SDSU students arrested by the Drug Enforcement Administration: 54
• Non-students arrested by DEA: 30
• Students arrested by SDSU police on patrol: 41
• Total number of arrests (students and non-students) that would have been announced on Tuesday if patrol arrests weren’t included: 55
• Number of student arrests that would have been announced Tuesday if patrol arrests weren’t included: 34

The D.A.’s statement also mentioned that 13 students (of the 54) cooperated to avoid prosecution.

The Whole Story about North County Times Reporter Darryn Bennett

May 6, 2008

When I first informed you of our way to deliver the whole story on news media reports, I had no idea we would have so much material so quickly. Sadly, that has happened with another story written by North County Times reporter, Darryn Bennett.

In her story that first appeared on the North County Times web page on Monday, May 5, 2008, reporter Bennett reported on my trip to Washington, D.C. It included talks with people in our capital about preserving Rancho Guejito. Based upon Ms. Bennett’s inaccurate reporting on recent stories about procedures in my office, I declined to be interviewed by Ms. Bennett for her story on my Washington, D.C. trip.

Ms. Bennett wrote the following in her article: “Horn’s spokesman, John Culea, said Monday that Horn would no longer speak with the North County Times because he believes the newspaper’s coverage is biased against him.”

My complaint is with reporter Bennett and not the entire staff of the North County Times. I have great respect and an excellent open working relationship with such North County Times reporters as Dave Downey and Gig Conaughton.

The whole story is that John made it clear to Ms. Bennett in a phone call on May 5, 2008, that based on her misrepresentation of facts and misstatements, she would no longer be granted the courtesy of interviews. To quote John, he said, “For the time being, he (referring to me) is declining to talk with you.” He did not say the North County Times.

As a County Supervisor, I have generally had open and professional relationships with members of the media. The unfortunate, yet needed decision to decline future interviews with Ms. Bennett has happened only once before with a news reporter in my 13 years in office. If you are not reading this on our District 5 web site, here is our web address where you can see more on “The Whole Story” http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/cnty/bos/sup5/

Voiceofsandiego.org’s Will Carless has this story today about discrepancies in the number of students actually arrested as part of “Operation Sudden Fall”—the joint DEA/DA/SDSU investigation into student drug-dealings on campus. As Carless points out, only 33 students were arrested as part of OSF; the remaining 43 were arrests that happened during normal day-to-day campus patrols. The DA’s sticking with the 76 number, Carless reports, while SDSU officials are saying that the real number should be 33.

Meanwhile, the media’s getting pegged for “sensationalizing” the story, though here’s the headline of the Tuesday morning press-release from the DA’s office: “Undercover operation targets SDSU campus; 96 arrested on drug-related charges.” Later on in the press release is this: “As a result of the investigation, 75 SDSU students and 21 non-students have been arrested for various drug offenses ranging from possession of marijuana and cocaine to sales of cocaine.”

The DA’s Damon Mosler told Carless that many of the 76 students were already arraigned prior to the Tuesday bust—some on minor counts, others not charged at all, though he doesn’t have exact numbers.

In the post below, about Bill Horn’s issues with North County Times reporter Darryn Bennett, I mentioned that the four other supervisors, in addition to Horn, met with the CEO for Cricket Wireless back in August. That information came from Horn himself—and it’s not accurate. This morning I got this e-mail from Erica Holloway, Supervisor Pam Slater-Price’s spokesperson:

Dear Kelly,

I read the following article regarding Supervisor Horn’s Website post as to a meeting between Mr. Hutcheson of Cricket Wireless and “the other four county supervisors.”

We have reviewed Supervisor Pam Slater-Price’s calendar and can find no record of any such meeting.

I have asked John Culea in Supervisor Horn’s office that he correct the information on the District 5 Website.

We would also be grateful for a correction on this matter in CityBeat.

And from Jennifer Stone, Dianne Jacob’s spokesperson:

Hi Kelly,

Thought I should let you know that the information on the District 5 website is not accurate.

I could find no record of Supervisor Jacob Dianne meeting with Cricket representatives.

I’ve asked John Culea to correct his site

11:48 a.m.: As of now, the info on Horn’s website hasn’t been corrected.
2:23 p.m.: Still not corrected…
3:36 p.m.: Corrected? Nope.
May 8, 11:50 a.m.: You’d think that when someone who’s committed to telling “The Whole Story” is asked to correct a factual error, he’d correct it. But Horn’s website still has the same info it had yesterday.

So, apparently, San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn’s launched an attack on Darryn Bennett, former CityBeat intern-turned-North County Times reporter (and all-around awesome person). Horn didn’t much care for a story Darryn co-wrote about the supe’s sparse calendar, nor did he like another piece Darryn did about his meeting with the head of Cricket Communications, the wireless company that wants to put a cellphone tower in an Escondido neighborhood, much to the chagrin of residents who told Darryn that they’re not afforded the same access to Horn. Horn, in response to both articles, created a website called “The Whole Story” that’s evolved into something of an attack on Darryn.

Grab a beer, curl up on your sofa, click on the link above and dig in—media folks will especially love Horn spokesperson John Culea’s “state of the media” analysis.

Horn says that his meeting with Cricket Wireless CEO Doug Hutcheson was a “meet and greet,” during which there was no mention of the cellphone tower (according to Horn, Hutcheson met with the other four county supervisors, too). What’s not in Darryn’s article, but was confirmed by Culea, is that PR consultant and governmental lobbyist Craig Benedetto was at the meeting. Cricket Wireless is one of Benedetto’s clients. And there was no talk of the cellphone tower? Really?

Update: At least two supervisors are saying that they didn’t meet with Hutcheson.

The Board of Commissioners for the Port of San Diego voted unanimously to oppose the initiative to redevelop the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. This is hardly a surprise as the initiative, if passed, would force the commissioners to accept a redevelopment project that could eventually squeeze out the industrial uses currently there. For more details, here’s a story I wrote about the issue a few weeks ago.

San Diego State University police and Federal law enforcement officers arrested 75 students and 21 non-students after a year-long investigation into a drug production and distribution ring. According to the San Diego County District Attorney, authorities seized “four pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 48 hydroponic marijuana plants, 350 ecstasy pills, psilocybin (mushrooms), 30 vials of hash oil, methamphetamine, various illicit prescription drugs, one shotgun, three semi-automatic pistols, three brass knuckles and $60,000 in cash.” The year-long undercover investigation, dubbed “Operation Sudden Fall,” stemmed from the drug-overdose death of an SDSU student in 2007.

The District Attorney identified a member of the Theta Chi fraternity as having a central role in the drug ring, though six other fraternities were searched. CityBeat intern Megan Burks located a 2006 news story in The Daily Aztec about a ground-breaking ceremony for a new, three-story Theta Chi house for 39 frat members at below-market rates (the organization is still doing fund-raising to cover the $4 million cost). The story quotes SDSU student life director Doug Case as saying that Theta Chi has a 61-year “spotless record,” in part because of the fraternity’s alcohol-free policy.

Dan Taylor, the executive director of Theta Chi’s national organization, told Burks that the SDSU chapter had been suspended, which means they’ll be limited in their ability to hold events and promote pledges to full membership. He also said the national organization could take action against individuals involved in drug sales and possibly strip the SDSU chapter of its charter if an investigation finds that members knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it. Any student living on campus who was part of the bust has been evicted from student housing.

The Daily Aztec article also points out that San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox was a member of the fraternity; Cox described his experience there as “formative” (he was fraternity treasurer). A spokesperson for Cox said the supervisor has been in meetings all morning and was unavailable for comment.

The AP just broke a story that 96 people have been arrested at SDSU on drug-related charges following a five-month undercover investigation. Details are limited right now, but the AP blurb says “drugs, cash and guns” were seized and the 96 arrestees, which “include fraternity members,” will appear in state court later this afternoon.

We’ll post an update when more info is available. But, for now, it’s probably safe to say that there will not be a party at the Moon Tower.

Look at you with your little red laser-light pointer-pen thing, shining it at airplanes and helicopters. Just don’t go shining it at a police helicopter because they’ll find you:

MAN ARRESTED FOR LASER VIOLATION

(San Diego) At about 10 p.m. on May 1, 2008 the crew of the San Diego Police Department helicopter ABLE was involved in a laser incident. While on random patrol over the Mission Valley area, ABLE was struck with a red laser light from someone on the ground.

The incident occurred as ABLE was flying westbound, adjacent to Interstate 8 and the Mission Valley Shopping Center. The pilot and tactical flight officer (TFO) both saw the red laser light being directed at the aircraft from the ground. It lasted for about 3-5 seconds. The source of the light was the river valley area to the west of 2500 Hotel Circle Place. It was approximately 1.5 miles away from ABLE’s position. ABLE moved into the general area and began searching with both the forward looking infrared (FLIR) and Nightsun spotlight.

The ABLE crew located a pickup truck parked under a large tree at the dead end of 2500 Hotel Circle Place. The truck was almost completely hidden by the tree. The TFO observed a heat source inside the truck using the FLIR. A patrol unit was directed to that location to contact the occupant of the truck. After a brief investigation, the patrol officers reported they had located a red penlight laser inside the truck. The officers arrested Larry Crober (DOB 1/1/52) for 247.5 PC; cited and released him in the field.