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If you use a lot less water than you used to, you should pay less than before, right? Not necessarily in San Diego. Big-time conservers may still pay significantly more than they did back when they took less care to save water.
Other places in California offer substantial financial incentives to encourage people to save, and they sock it to residents they consider to be water-wasters. In Irvine, for example, water in the most expensive tier (dubbed “wasteful”) costs 1,000 percent more than the lowest.
But in the last four years San Diego has hiked what water-savers and other residents pay. The average San Diego home has a water bill that’s 67 percent higher than in 2007.
The mayor promised to look into possible changes to the way the city charges for water. That was six months ago, and no study has started.
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Chipping Away at Clemency
Stung by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s controversial last-minute reprieve of a man involved in a San Diego murder, a state Assembly committee unanimously supported changing the rules so governors won’t be able to get away with as much secrecy when they grant clemency to prisoners, the U-T reports.
But the changes, brought forward by local Assemblyman Marty Block, aren’t a done deal and may get vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.
Verdict in Boy’s Death in Bay
There’s been a verdict in the case of the death of a young boy who was killed in a collision between a Coast Guard vessel and a smaller boat, the U-T reports: “A Coast Guard jury Tuesday convicted Paul Ramos of one minor count — dereliction of duty — for a crash that resulted in the death of 8-year-old Anthony DeWeese on San Diego Bay in December 2009.”
Deputies Reach Tentative Accord
The union that represents 2,200 deputy sheriffs has reached a tentative contract agreement with the county, the U-T reports, and deputies will soon vote on whether to approve it.
It’s All Right with Her
Earlier this week, we introduced you to a 91-year-old longtime resident of San Diego’s historically black neighborhoods. In a new post, we check in to get her thoughts about the changing ethnic makeup of her neighbors. And one more thing: check the photo. She looks absolutely fantastic. If she says she’s 91 years old, I demand a recount. (And I’ll have what she’s having.)
Redevelopment Forum Reminder
“Wonks of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your Monday afternoon.” OK, maybe that’s not going to be a slogan for the ages. Still, it’s a good time to remind you that our free public forum on redevelopment is coming up on Monday from 3-5 p.m.
Look! Down from the Sky!
Sam Hodgson spent some time up in the air the other day and is offering aerial shots of San Diego all week. Monday’s image captured a beach in Del Mar (the shadows look bigger than the people casting them) while yesterday’s was a look down at the Coronado bridge with the Coronado Islands (the U-T explored their “myth and mystery” in 2009) lurking in the haze in the background.
‘There’s Nothing We Won’t Do to Help You…’
“Intervention,” the reality TV show most likely to make you misty-eyed, made a visit to San Diego in this week’s episode to profile a middle-aged drug addict. Kobey’s Swap Meet, North Park’s Filter coffeehouse and University Avenue make guest appearances. Spoiler alert: it’s another tearjerker.
Getting All Goggle-y Eyed
The next time you tip back a cold one, give some thanks to flocculation. You can also cast a thought to the miracles of centrifuges and aerobic activity. All these things go into the making of beer, as Claire Trageser discovered during a tour of the Ballast Point brewery offered as part of the San Diego Science Festival.
Claire recaps a few of the things she learned, including details about the boiling of beer, the role of corn and rice in the King of Beers, bitterness scales and carbonation (and even liquid nitrogen) in your sudsy solace.
In her story, she wondered about whether someone could explain the phenomenon of “beer goggles,” a term for how people develop looser standards about the attractiveness of others after they’ve downed a few drinks. It turns out that researchers have actually studied the beer goggle effect, as I wrote in a recent story of my own.
Unlike the beer-guzzling Trageser, I didn’t do any personal research by imbibing for my story. That shows her dedication as a reporter: she’s really going to go places. Let’s just hope it’s not by car, at least until she’s had some coffee.
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Please contact Randy Dotinga directly at randydotinga@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/rdotinga.