Hillcrest, San Diego, California Politics...Protests...and More.

 

Height limits extended for another two years

The City Council listened to residents and business owners from Uptown on Tuesday evening as they considered an extension of the Interim Height Ordinance (IHO) for Hillcrest and Mission Hills. (The meeting began at 2pm, but the Uptown item wasn’t discussed until after 6pm.) The original IHO was adopted in 2008 with two extensions. The final one expired January 23. The IHO places firm building heights of 65 feet north in Hillcrest and 50 feet in Mission Hills until the outdated community plan is revised.

Staff’s recommendation was to extend the IHO until the city-delayed community plan update is adopted. However, a group calling itself “IH No” lobbied the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA) to change the ordinance to a discretionary process. The HBA and “IH No” recruited several people from the development industry to join them at Tuesday’s council meeting carrying red pennants and wearing lapel stickers promoting “Grow Hillcrest”. Uptown community members from the Hillcrest Town Council, Hillcrest History Guild, Mission Hills Heritage, Neighborhood Historic Preservation Coalition, University Heights CDC and other residents presented their support. The council agreed unanimously.

Councilmember Kevin Faulconer made a motion to extend the original height limit ordinance with an expiration of January 24, 2014. He also asked city staff to provide a written progress report of the community plan update every 180 days. In addition, staff will provide a report at the March 7 Land Use & Housing committee meeting with a “time certain” date for completion. Faulconer hopes the plan update will be complete within the two years, and it will essentially be co-terminus.

Councilmember Gloria seconded the motion, offering that he could not support the HBA position and is committed as the Budget Committee chair to make sure the update process remains funded until its completion. Before a vote could take place, the assistant city attorney expressed concerns over the “substantative change” in the ordinance and its possible violation of the Brown Act. Todd Gloria stood firm that the council needed to take a vote and would not leave the issue unresolved.

It was agreed that the vote would be taken, and the city attorney will work with staff to bring back the modified ordinance for another reading on Tuesday, January 31. Councilmembers expressed concerns that the original ordinance had expired, and they did not want the required process of 45 days to create a “window of opportunity” for taller buildings. The vote was 7-0 with Marti Emerald absent.

 

Hey Idiots, Follow “The Comb Over” Wherever it Leads

(Blog entry by David Harrington Campbell) Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Those of us who have a brain long ago saw proof that President Obama was indeed an American citizen, yes you idiots, Hawaii is a state of the United States, so now we find ourselves staring at the long form of Obama’s birth certificate for further proof. I don’t blame the President for putting it out there but if he thinks it will put an end to the “birthers” and now the “transcripters” he is wrong because the ignorant and short-sighted will continue to divert attention away from the real issues of the day and will continue to focus on de-legitimizing President Obama. So I say go for it you fools, grab your combs and follow “The Comb Over” wherever he may lead you. I can only hope it’s over a cliff.

(here’s an editorial from the Seattle Times)

 

Is Bonnie Dumanis running for Mayor Sanders 3rd term?

DOMA the parody • Lori Saldaña to run for Congress vs Bilbray

San Diego Explained: Redistricting • SD’s tangled web of economic development

How Chapter 9 can solve the pension shortfall crisis — Bauder reflects on SD’s bankruptcy history — SD politicians need ethics commissions

 

 

 

“44 Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.”

— President Barack Obama

 

Did you know our president is Irish?

Mad about Proposition 8??? >>> The musical <<< + Mormon businesses to consider boycotting.

 

Thirty+ years ago (11/27/78), SF Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were killed in City Hall. Here’s a look at the event that rocked the city and the legacies the two men left behind.

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“This is a farewell kiss, you dog.” ...with shoe #1. Reason for shoe #2... “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.”

— Journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi who threw his shoes at George Bush

 

(Bush’s) brilliant exit strategy that maintains his rock solid record of placing personal goals and business interests ahead of those of the country.

JOHN KOWALCZYK
Poway

(from March 27, 2006 San Diego Union-Tribune letters to the editor)

“Where would the Bush administration be without terrorism? Like the Cold War before it, the ‘war on terror’ is a conveniently sweeping rationale for all manner of irrational governance, such as the outrageous $2.77-trillion budget the president proposed to Congress.”

— Robert Scheer

"As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

— former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Why the Bush doctrine put US Policy under fire

GW action figure — oh-so funny