The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
The county pension fund is trying to fight back against attacks, including those from a county supervisor who questions its trustworthiness. In a website statement, the fund points specifically to supposed myths about itself.
But there’s a funny thing about this statement: as the fund tries to launch its defense, it’s drawing some questionable conclusions of its own.
In Other News:
• If you keep up with local news, you’re probably familiar with Chargers rep Mark Fabiani, the public face of the team and its push for a new football stadium. Turns out that attorney Fabiani, once dubbed the “Master of Disaster” by Newsweek, is a busy man: he’s working with biker Lance Armstrong, who’s trying to rebuild a battered reputation, among other high-profile clients.
In a related story, the NYT takes a look at zombie stadiums: those that have been demolished but still have millions of debt on the books. “In Houston, Kansas City, Mo., Memphis and Pittsburgh, residents are paying for stadiums and arenas that were abandoned by the teams they were built for,” the paper says.
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• In 2008, a county fire protection measure failed at the ballot. A county supervisor points to his support for the measure as an accomplishment; his challenger said the measure’s failure was the incumbent’s failure too.
• In education: We’d like to hear what you think about “transitional kindergarten” — an extra year of schooling that California is starting.
• A lot has been changing around here: The Survival in San Diego blog has a new writer and we’re hiring a new investigative reporter, among other things.
• The TV edition of San Diego Fact Check takes a look at police response times and the cost of remodeling a school district office.
• Our photographer is a Kiwi at heart, and not just because people often mistake him for a flightless bird. He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and has family and friends in the city that was struck by a major quake last week. Check out his photos of Christchurch in a happier time.
Elsewhere:
• KPBS discovers that almost two-thirds of people diagnosed with whooping cough in the county this year were immunized against it. That raises questions about whether the vaccine actually works, and scientists can’t agree on whether it does.
• The owner of a Pacific Beach eatery has a mighty upbeat attitude “for a man facing the possibility of up to 30 years in prison, almost $4 million in fines and the government seizure of his small French restaurant here,” the NYT reports. At issue: the employment of illegal immigrants at restaurants.
• In the U-T: “Two brothers have been charged with fraudulent real estate deals that bilked hundreds of victims across Southern California out of an estimated $1.5 million to finance a lavish lifestyle.”
Among their alleged purchases: gold coins, silver bullion and a Bentley. (That’s a car, not the name of a butler.) More than 40 San Diego County residents are thought to have been caught up in the scam. (KPBS)
• Stogie-gate continues: Rep. Brian Bilbray has been under fire for sponsoring a cigar club for congressional staffers that became popular among lobbyists. (Apparently, they would go have a smoke and buttonhole people. Imagine!) Now, the U-T now reports that Bilbray gave significant support to several bills linked to clients of the lobbyists.
• A few months ago, a legal flap erupted over whether protesters had a right to bike nude through the streets of San Diego as part of the World Naked Bike Ride. They couldn’t, the city said, and they didn’t (although they wore as little as possible).
No so in Philadelphia: More than 1,000 people flocked to its version of the ride last weekend, many wearing nothing more than sneakers. That sure takes some courage (and a handy supply of after-ride Band-aids).
• Finally: The 60-year-old Jerry Sanders is scheduled to give an award to the rock band Iron Butterfly at the San Diego Music Awards next Sunday, the U-T reports.
Just call him In-Na-Gadda-Da-Mayor.