Election Day is less than two weeks away and folks in our comments section have a lot to say about several campaigns. Check out the five comments we highlighted this week and sign up to add your voice to the discussion.
• Brant Will, deputy city attorney, on “$2,500 iPads? Fact Check“:
One thing I’d want to make sure of is that we’re not mischaracterizing the way the financing was used. By this I mean, when we say that the city has issued a thirty year bond, that doesn’t mean that every maturity of that particular bond is outstanding for thirty years and we start amortizing those bonds right away, i.e., paying down both principal and interest. This allows us to match a capital improvement with a shorter useful life, like an HVAC system, to shorter maturity bonds, and a capital improvement with a longer useful life, like a sidewalk, to a longer maturity bond.
The question, then, is what was used to finance the iPads. If they did use a capital appreciation bond to purchase the iPads (which I would view as highly questionable) this would be a remarkably poor use of Prop S funds and raise serious questions about financial stewardship at SDUSD. I can’t tell from this article what documents the author looked at in determining what pool of money was used to pay for the iPads but if they do have documentation I’d appreciate it if they were posted in an online repository for the public to review.
• J. Russell Lemon on “Food Fight: A Guide to Prop. 37“:
Just as some people are allergic to peanuts, I am allergic to foods engineered to contain the Bt-toxin. These foods almost killed me and made my dad, my oldest son and I very sick. By avoiding genetically modified foods my dad & I recovered. My son did not. It turns out that many of us are allergic to this poison. In mild cases the result can be attention deficit disorder. In more severe cases the result can be MS or ALS or even autism. …
When I accidentally eat something that is GMO, I will break out with ulcers on my skin. For me, GMOs are toxic. I need them to be labeled. This should not cost any more than a label that says “May contain peanuts.”
• Olin Hyde on “Arts Report: Decontaminating Artwork“:
I have been a regular patron of SD Opera, Symphony and Orchestra Nova (ON). When I first saw ON 6 years ago, they played like a high school band — unprofessional, missing cues and notes with all the vigor of a sleeping dog.
Jung-Ho Pak brought new life the dying orchestra. He demanded they play with passion and do things differently. As a result, they sold out shows.
Every living thing must either evolve or die. The AFM union is intent on the latter by fighting change — even when offered a handsome pay raise to do so.
Pak might have overreacted by quitting. But then again, he quit because his vision could not be fulfilled by the players he had. So, he stayed true to his values.
It is exceptionally hard to find a visionary. Just ask Apple.
• Nick Hodnett on “Do We Have a Choice for Mayor?“:
The City has done nothing but “shake them up” the past eight years. I certainly agree that neither of these candidates are desirable, but DeMaio is just passing through while Filner has history and relationships in San Diego. Local government should be run by its own people, not a major GOP or Washington influence of career politicians.
• Andy Cohen on “Lightner Stumbles on Pension Initiative’s Fairness“:
I had a very similar experience with Ms. Lightner when I interviewed her just over a week ago and asked her a very similar question about her support for Prop B. When asked about what know the initiative will do, the fact that the switch to 401ks won’t actually save any money, and in fact will COST the city $57 million ($27 million in one-time costs, and $30 million over the long haul), she displayed the same hesitance, the same reluctance to answer the question. She also told me the same thing about either pensions or 401ks working equally well.
My guess? She supported it because she knew it was a popular move. And now she’s stuck and can’t backtrack, even though she knows it won’t accomplish anything close to what it was sold to do, and that it’s horribly unfair to workers.
Statements have been lightly edited to fix spelling errors and typos.
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Dagny Salas is the web editor at Voice of San Diego. You can contact her directly at dagny.salas@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5669.
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