Earlier this week, we reported that the San Diego school district would have to start from the beginning to figure out how to gauge the quality of local schools. Turns out we didn’t have the full picture.
“The district already has a draft list of detailed measurement tools, or rubrics, designed to assess how well schools and teachers are performing according to the 12 indicators,” our Will Carless reports. A source gave us a copy of the draft, which you can read here.
City Lawyer: We Can’t Track Every Sidewalk
Whose fault is it when someone is hurt by a broken sidewalk, a pothole-ridden street or a falling tree? A 2011 court filing by a deputy city attorney suggests that it’s certainly not the city’s. Why? Because of you, the taxpayers.
“The bottom line is that citizens have a responsibility to report problems to the city because they are unwilling to pay for the services to perform the impossible task of monitoring the daily condition, among other things, of every sidewalk,” the lawyer wrote.
We’ve been covering the sorry state of San Diego’s sidewalks and found this statement in court papers. Read our story about it here.
Reactions to Mayor’s Budget
We’ve compiled reactions from several wonky types across the political spectrum to the mayor’s proposed budget.
• City Council members this week indicated at least some support for a plan to strike five-year deals with the city’s six labor unions, KPBS reports.
We reported earlier that certain kinds of five-year labor contracts could save the city $25.2 million next year.
• In an editorial, CityBeat claims the city attorney office’s performance has been poor. What’s the solution? More money for better attorneys? Nope, says CityBeat, which is with the mayor: Cut away, it says.
Surgeries at Scripps Mercy on Hold
Scripps Mercy Hospital told us Wednesday night that it’s canceled elective surgeries today following a review of the operating rooms at the Hillcrest facility. Other kinds of surgeries, including emergency procedures, will continue. Elective surgeries have been rescheduled and will be performed on Friday or Saturday after staff training.
Trouble in Bond City
A small California school district claims its financial adviser duped it into paying too much to borrow money, Bond Buyer reports. This marks a ramping up in the scrutiny of financial advisers, which we’ve been following as part of our coverage of the Poway school district’s unusual and potentially risky borrowing scheme.
The two advisers to Poway’s bond deal, Dolinka Group and California Financial Services, both appear in a chart in the Bond Buyer story showing the highest-paid financial advisers in the state on questionable deals.
Quick News Hits
• We have more details on the mayor’s proposed budget, specifically how it affects his promises regarding a skate park and other projects in City Heights.
• CityBeat, which has uncovered a disturbing number of deaths in recent years at county jails, continues its investigation with a look at drug-related deaths behind bars. “Lack of close monitoring is a thread that runs through the jail system’s addiction-related deaths,” the newspaper reports.
• City Council candidate Dwayne Crenshaw has endorsements from five of his eight rivals in the March primary, KPBS reports.
• Ship tours during Fleet Week are expected to be canceled due to the budget limits brought by the sequestration controversy, U-T San Diego reports.
• “A former San Diego County pension fund officer claims in court that a publicity-hungry attorney defrauded him and cost him his job by persuading him to leak documents about pension fund investments to the San Diego Union Tribune,” Courthouse News Service reports. The targeted lawyer is Michael Aguirre, the former city attorney.
• Al fresco dining is a great idea, right? People get to enjoy meals outside when the weather is good, boosting restaurant profits and creating good feelings all around.
Well, not always. As the city considers removing some of the red tape surrounding outdoor dining, some neighbors of existing establishments say they’re too noisy and disruptive. The Reader has details.
Sadly, none of this debate touches on the really important question about outdoor dining: Do I look good in this natural light?
Randy Dotinga is a freelance contributor to Voice of San Diego. Please contact him directly at randydotinga@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/rdotinga.
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit that depends on you, our readers. Please donate to keep the service strong. Click here to find out more about our supporters and how we operate independently.