Good morning from downtown.
The masses have spoken and the masses like bullet points. I’m happy to oblige with this morning’s San Diego political news.
- Leading off with the state budget impact on redevelopment dollars. Our own Diego Celaya writes from Sacramento that budget cuts will hit San Diego’s three redevelopment agencies to the tune of $55 million next year. New streets, housing in southeastern San Diego and a new fire station downtown are all affected. The California Redevelopment Agency plans to sue to get the money back.
- Yesterday we missed an Associated Press investigation into pay for state legislators and their staffs. Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, awarded $41,000 in pay increases for her staff, the most of anyone in the Legislature, the AP reported. Saldaña’s spokesman said her election to a leadership role and previous pay freezes made the raises necessary. The U-T’s PolBlog reports on Saldaña and other local legislators here.
- Today’s U-T roundup: U.S. Rep Bob Filner, D-San Diego, is asking California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and potentially federal agencies to overturn last week’s California Coastal Commission decision to force the city of San Diego to upgrade its Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Also, more than half of San Diego’s First 5 advisory group have quit due to tighter conflict of interest laws on the $200 million agency that uses tobacco taxes to fund children’s programs through age 5.
- Today’s North County Times roundup: City of Escondido officials increased the city’s water and sewer rates by more than $3 a month for the average family. And six companies and organizations are attempting to block SDG&E plans to shutoff power in rural San Diego County during wildfire threats as soon as next month.