Mayor Jerry Sanders

Artifice at the Theatre: Mayor Sanders’ State of the City Speech

January 17, 2011 by Rocky Neptun

Like a bogus Thespian, Jerry Sanders took to the stage of the Balboa Theater in mid-January, using every ounce of verbal ruse and sleight of mouth he possessed to attempt a bravado performance heralding his dreary and monotonous six years as Mayor of San Diego.

Sander’s speech, like his devious administration of city government as water boy for the corporate state, reflects a continuing tale of two cities.

Mayor Sanders Spins the New Central Library Without City Workers

July 29, 2010 by Anna Daniels

Editor: The City broke ground yesterday on construction of the new Central Library in downtown San Diego. On hand for us as witnesses were Anna Daniels- a former City librarian – and her hubby Rich Kacmar toting a camera. Anna filed the following observations:
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To be honest, I never thought I’d live long enough to see a much needed new central library in this city. The City Council gave the green light last month to its construction but it wasn’t until we were all invited to this morning’s groundbreaking that I felt it was truly going to happen.

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Which San Diego politicians really support water recycling?

July 2, 2010 by Source

By George J. Janczyn / Groksurf / July 1, 2010

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders just yesterday announced a new recycled water hookup with Canyonside Park for landscaping irrigation (see video of announcement).

In his speech, Mayor Sanders proclaimed:

“Finding more uses for recycled water is an important way to maximize resources.”

Councilmember Sherri Lightner also spoke, saying:

“I have always and will continue to support the expansion of recycled water in San Diego as a smart reuse of water and as a water conservation measure.”

Was this really a sign of wholehearted support for water reuse, or was it just lip service?

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News From Sandy Ego

July 1, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

[ALL DETAILS AND LINKS INSIDE]

* Will the City Ban Floatopias?

* Petition puzzle: Pulling back the curtain on Carl DeMaio’s costly signature-gathering campaign

* San Diego City Council Gives Go-ahead to Central Library Construction

* Mayor Sanders Now Wants Half Cent Raise In Sales Tax

* Mayor sued to enforce rope barrier for seals in La Jolla

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You’ve got to be kidding… Mayor Sanders called me at home and left me a personal message! Oh, by the way – No on Prop D!

June 1, 2010 by Anna Daniels

I started listening to the messages on the answer machine and whose voice did I hear but “Mayor Jerry Sanders,” asking me to “Vote yes on Proposition D,” that personable, avuncular voice reminding me that the Strong Mayor form of government in San Diego is the only hope for digging us out of our financial mess and righting all the wrongs of City Hall over the past decades. Really?

Number 1, I hate robo-calls. Number 2, the Strong Mayor from of government sucks, and I say that having lived through a less than perfect City Manager form of government for most of the thirty years that I have resided in San Diego.

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San Diego Fire Rings Saved … for now

May 10, 2010 by Frank Gormlie

In front of a fire pit near the waters of Mission Bay, Mayor Jerry Sanders announced at a press conference today (5/10/10) that the City’s 185 beach fire rings have been saved … at least for now. Due to a hefty donation of $90,000 from the San Diego Foundation, and smaller amounts from other sources, the fire rings’ are safe from removal until June 2011.

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Mayor’s Embarcadero Plans Go Down In Flames

April 17, 2010 by Source

Coastal Commission Nixes Sanders’ Vision for Foot of Broadway – to Delight of Local Activists

By Pat Flannery / Blog of San Diego / April 15, 2010

One of the biggest mistakes Jerry Sanders made in his two mayoral terms was to fall for whatever slick sales talk Steve Cushman used to cajole him into backing this used-car salesman for a third term as Port Commissioner, despite term limits. Sanders’ strange fascination with Cushman raised eyebrows at the time. It may now have cost him his legacy – the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan (NEVP). It lies in ruins because of the cruise ships.

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Reader Rant: Don’t let them take the fire pits out – you’ll really regret it if you do

December 10, 2009 by Source

by bodysurferbob

I’m telling you right now, if you allow the City of San Diego to remove OB’s fire rings and pits, you will live to really regret it. Maybe not this summer, but a summer or two down the pike. Or maybe the next time your kids ask you to take them to the beach for a marshmallow or wiener roast. Or the next time you have guests from out of town, and you want to do a beach party.

I’m telling you right now, if you let the City take the fire pits out, part of beach culture goes with them. Part of our beach culture will die.

You’re saying, hey, they’re closing libraries, they’re talking about cutting out school sports and music, the City is laying cops and lifeguards off. These are really dire economic times. How can we worry about fire rings?

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Poll shows support for local branch libraries but also shows ambivalence

December 7, 2009 by Frank Gormlie

Our recent poll on cut-backs to the City’s libraries shows strong support for the local branches – including, of course, OB’s library. But the poll also demonstrates a certain ambivalence, and a weakened support for a downtown Central Library for San Diego.

58% of respondents gave responses that reflect a strong undercurrent of support for local library branches. Of that, 29% said they were amazed that Mayor Sanders was trying to cut libraries again. 12% want to use monies ear-marked for the Central library to keep the branches (and rec centers) open. 9% claimed they were ready to commit civil disobedience in order to keep the local branches open. 8% stated that reduced hours were a real hardship as they and their family depend on the local branch.

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Coastal Commission has last word on removal of OB’s fire pits

December 3, 2009 by Staff

OCEAN BEACH, CA. There may be a Santa Claus after all – if you like fire pits and rings at the beach. The California Coastal Commission has just informed the City of San Diego that it will need a permit from the state to remove the the fire rings in Ocean Beach, and the other beaches – Mission, PB and La Jolla Shores.

Mayor Jerry Sanders has proposed removing the 186 fire pits in order to save bucks on their maintenance as he grapples with a 179 million dollar deficit.

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Mayor Sanders Changes his Position on Libraries! Seriously?

December 1, 2009 by Anna Daniels

by Anna Daniels

Mayor Sanders is rethinking the draconian cuts he has proposed to our libraries! I attended a Library Commission Meeting on 12/1. Kris Michell, Sander’s Chief of Staff addressed the commission and said the Mayor values and has listened to the feedback he has been receiving on the library issue. Good work everyone! Each of you who took the time to respond through emails and phone calls and postings to the OB Rag made a difference!

Sanders is now proposing a 36 hour schedule throughout the whole system, and no staff layoffs. This new proposal reflects a $1.5 Million change in the Mayor’s current budget according to Michell who left the meeting after deliverings her remarks.

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Open Letter to Mayor Sanders from Friends of the OB Library

November 23, 2009 by Source

The Honorable Mayor Jerry Sanders:

The Friends of the Ocean Beach Library recently met and it was decided to write you about the impending budget situation, particularly as it might apply to our own Ocean Beach Library. We want to be involved in bringing possible ideas forward to you and the City. We wanted to share with you four thoughts that we came up with:

1. Any cuts that might come to the library system, should be shared equally among all libraries and library departments.

2. Closing all libraries one day a week, possibly on a weekend.

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Waiting for the Mayor’s budget … to see what it says about libraries

November 16, 2009 by Anna Daniels

by Anna Daniels

A recent comment stated how difficult it is to figure out the City budget situation. And I agree with that. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the Mayor’s mid year budget adjustment on the 22nd of November. Remember last year? We were fighting for libraries and parks. In reality, it has been an ongoing battle for the activists among us for 4 straight years now.

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Stop another bad GOP appointment – John Davies to Airport Authority

July 13, 2009 by Source

On Tuesday, July 14, the San Diego City Council will be voting on the Mayor’s appointment of John Davies to the San Diego Airport Authority. Currently, the Airport Authority has 8 Republicans and only 1 Democrat.

We need our Democratic Council members to stand up to the mayor and so no.
Who is John Davies?

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City staff outnumber OB residents at Mayor’s Rec Center budget “briefing”

April 20, 2009 by Frank Gormlie

by Frank Gormlie

It was a hot Monday night in the gym of the Ocean Beach Rec Center. It was time for Mayor Jerry Sanders presentation of his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2010. Patty and I had wanted to attend. Not that we’re accountants or really understand the City Budget, but we wanted to witness the event and see OB in action. We walked in just a few minutes late, and it had already started. No “OB Time” here.

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Town Hall Meeting on City Budget in Ocean Beach Monday April 20th

April 19, 2009 by Anna Daniels

There will be Town Hall Meeting in Ocean Beach tomorrow – April 20th – on the FY10 budget. This is your opportunity to get an overview by the Mayor’s staff on his proposed budget and ask questions!

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“It’s great that you heard us about our library, Mayor Sanders, just don’t pit us against the unions.”

April 14, 2009 by Frank Gormlie

As expected, Mayor Jerry Sanders held a press conference this morning in front of the Ocean Beach library. And as expected, Mayor Sanders announced that in his new city budget proposal, no libraries or library services will be cut for this year’s budget.

“We heard you, Ocean Beach,” the Mayor said. “There will be no library cuts.” The crowd applauded.

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Mayor Sanders to announce no cuts for libraries in front of OB branch Tuesday April 14th

April 13, 2009 by Frank Gormlie

by Frank Gormlie

Tomorrow, April 14th, your mayor Jerry Sanders will stand in front of the Ocean Beach branch library and announce to the world that his proposed FY10 City budget will include no Library cuts. The Mayor’s budget will have no reductions in library branches, hours or staff.

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Point Loma college students’ ‘shanty town’ is good first step

April 3, 2009 by Frank Gormlie

The fact that a group of college students from Point Loma Nazarene University has set up their own ‘shanty town’ to learn about Third World poverty – is a good first step. And it would be good for the City if San Diego politicians would follow in their foot steps – to learn about Southern California poverty.

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San Diego really is a police state: SDNN refused press passes by police until they “prove” themselves

March 26, 2009 by Source

by Pat Flannery

I recently got dramatic proof of this shortly after joining a team of young journalists at San Diego News Network, SDNN, a new online news journal. I was supposed to become its political analyst and columnist. I was looking forward to probing the underbelly of San Diego politics with young idealistic journalists.

Unfortunately it was not to be.

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OB Library: Don’t break out the champagne yet!

March 22, 2009 by Anna Daniels

by Anna Daniels

DON’T BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE YET!

The Mayor said he would not propose closing libraries nor reducing hours. What he did NOT say is that he would not cut staff. This is a significant issue, because the City is currently balancing the general fund budget almost entirely on $9.8 million dollars worth of salary savings.

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Mayor Sanders says: no cuts to libraries in staff or hours in next budget

March 20, 2009 by Frank Gormlie

Mayor Jerry Sanders today told the Voice of San Diego that he has no plans to cut libraries in his new budget. And that includes no reduced hours as well.

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“When the people lead the leaders follow”- an Update on the Community Input Meetings on the FY10 Budget

February 22, 2009 by Anna Daniels

by Anna Daniels

The third community input meeting on the upcoming budget was held this Saturday, February 21, at Hoover High School in City Heights. The auditorium was packed to overflowing! Fifty seven citizens provided public testimony about what services they considered essential and non-essential as well as ideas on how to save money and generate more general fund revenue. Fifty of those citizens said libraries and park and recreation services are essential because they provide kids with safe meaningful alternatives to the streets and opportunities for their future.

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City Attorney Goldsmith’s Guillotine

January 29, 2009 by Source

On February 25 of last year, professional skydiver Alan (Buzz) Fink and his wife Kristina, who are not residents of San Diego, gave a total of $640 to Jan Goldsmith in his run for city attorney. On July 23, Fink, president of Jamul’s Skydive San Diego, gave Goldsmith another $320.

Goldsmith won the election, and on January 8 he fired deputy city attorney John Serrano, who worked on real estate property. He is one of nine deputy city attorneys who have been fired by Goldsmith. Serrano is an experienced government lawyer, having served as a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles and assistant city attorney in Escondido, among many things.

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University City Expresses Anger and Distrust of Military Over Crash

December 12, 2008 by Frank Gormlie

Roughly 300 residents of University City packed a standing-room only auditorium Thursday night at University City High School, to listen to military and city representatives discuss Monday’s jet crash which killed four residents, and destroyed or damaged five homes. The crash had occurred just mere hundreds of feet from the high school campus. Many in the crowd supported the military, but also many were concerned that they would never learn the truth about the F-18 jet and why it crashed into their neighborhood. Anger was evident in the crowd, and it was downright hostile at times.

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Mayor and City Council resolve budget dispute

December 5, 2008 by Staff

In a meeting devoid of the drama that led up to it, the San Diego City Council resolved a dispute with the mayor Friday, agreeing to more than $22 million in midyear budget cuts. The council begrudgingly approved the staggered closure of six city customer service centers, but retained three painting jobs the mayor wanted to eliminate.

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Battle Over Library Closures Looms – Over 600 Have Signed Petition to Keep the Ocean Beach Library Open

November 18, 2008 by Frank Gormlie

OCEAN BEACH, CA. Over 600 Ocean Beach residents and supporters of the OB branch library have signed petitions demanding that the City not close the coastal community’s one branch due to Mayor Jerry Sanders’ budget cuts. Battle lines are being drawn – an Ocean Beach strategy meeting for efforts to keep the OB Library and […]

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Branch Closings and Budget Cuts Threaten Libraries Nationwide

November 11, 2008 by Staff

American Libraries / November 7, 2008 – revised Nov. 10 City governments across the United States prepared in early November to slash public library budgets in the wake of revenue shortfalls and dire economic news. Even if the lame-duck Congress passes an additional economic stimulus package when it returns from recess the week leading up […]

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Save the O.B. Library ! – Save ’em all !

November 11, 2008 by Frank Gormlie

Rally In Front of OB Library – Saturday Nov. 15th Being Planned OCEAN BEACH, CA. Opposition to the closure of the Ocean Beach branch of the City of San Diego’s Public Library system is growing. Besides emails to Councilperson Kevin Faulconer, residents are urged to attend the public hearing beginning Wednesday, Nov. 12th, and to […]

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Ocean Beach Library Slated to Be Closed, Says Mayor Sanders

November 6, 2008 by Frank Gormlie

SEE UPDATES – GO HERE AND HERE. OCEAN BEACH, CA. On Wednesday, November 5, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders announced the closure of 7 libraries – including the Ocean Beach branch – and 9 rec centers and a gym, as part of his new budget cuts. These slashes, as well as cuts to the police […]

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Mat Wahlstrom April 24, 2024 at 7:38 pm on City Council Committee Sides With Upstart Planning Group in Uptown and With Existing Group in La JollaTook the words right out of my mouth, kh – literally and figuratively, from almost three years ago: https://obrag.org/2021/11/another-assault-in-the-war-on-san-diegos-community-planning-groups/
Chris April 24, 2024 at 6:15 pm on Students at PLNU Are Angry With Administration For Disrespecting Gay Community and Chilling Free SpeechNot to excuse the administration, but why did these students choose a school with a known anti LGBTQ stance due its religious affiliation?
kh April 24, 2024 at 5:55 pm on ‘Hey You! Get Up! We’ve Outlawed Sleeping in Public!’Not making false pipedream promises would be a start. I wish I could locate that press release from Todd Gloria as a councilmember where he...
kh April 24, 2024 at 5:53 pm on ‘Hey You! Get Up! We’ve Outlawed Sleeping in Public!’Sure. And vary widely based on zoning as well. I just checked two recently sold homes in Mira Mesa, and what they were reassessed at....
kh April 24, 2024 at 5:38 pm on Planning Groups Forced to Pay New $1,000 Fee to Appeal Projects Stifles Community DemocracyI know one of the appeals from 2022(?) was on the Inn at Sunset cliffs, and the appeal prevailed at city council. It was not...
T April 24, 2024 at 5:03 pm on Planning Groups Forced to Pay New $1,000 Fee to Appeal Projects Stifles Community DemocracyThis is great info. Last week at the PBPB meeting their planner was talking about the new $1000 appeal charge and why the city thinks...
gilbert field April 24, 2024 at 4:47 pm on ‘Hey You! Get Up! We’ve Outlawed Sleeping in Public!’Getting back to the original comment, which was what Larry Turner would do to reduce homelessness, I am still not sure what he means or...
kh April 24, 2024 at 3:38 pm on California Leaders Take Sides in ‘Most Important Supreme Court Case on Homelessness in 40 Years’Count me in the last group. Glad to see Governor Newsom has come around to my side and finally figured out that letting people die...
chris schultz April 24, 2024 at 3:34 pm on ‘Hey You! Get Up! We’ve Outlawed Sleeping in Public!’Exactly, land gets more expensive the closer to the coast generally speaking. The same standard doesn't apply everywhere.
CARL M ZANOLLI April 24, 2024 at 3:32 pm on Students at PLNU Are Angry With Administration For Disrespecting Gay Community and Chilling Free SpeechParents spend so much $$$ to send their kids to PLNU because they weren't accepted elsewhere.
Gail April 24, 2024 at 3:10 pm on Planning Groups Forced to Pay New $1,000 Fee to Appeal Projects Stifles Community DemocracyI agree, these are land use issues heard at community planning meetings, by volunteers. There is a $500 stipend offered by the City for the...
kh April 24, 2024 at 3:02 pm on City Council Committee Sides With Upstart Planning Group in Uptown and With Existing Group in La JollaThis whole process is trash. Some goons at the planning dept wasted a whole lot of community members' time on this farce. The city made...
kh April 24, 2024 at 2:22 pm on ‘Hey You! Get Up! We’ve Outlawed Sleeping in Public!’Assessed value can be far from the true value unless you just purchased it. The land value of my property in OB is over 85%...
Dr. Jack Hammer April 24, 2024 at 11:35 am on Students at PLNU Are Angry With Administration For Disrespecting Gay Community and Chilling Free SpeechBut isn't that why the parents pay so much $$$ for this education? So their little darlings can be protected from the 'evils' of the...
Gilbert Field April 24, 2024 at 10:23 am on ‘Hey You! Get Up! We’ve Outlawed Sleeping in Public!’I looked at Zillow for a typical home in Claremont. House is 1200 square feet and the price is $1 million. 1200 time $250 =...