by Richard J. Riehl on February 15, 2009
How much does it cost to buy a seat on Carlsbad’s city council? If you’re Keith Blackburn, it comes to $100,932 in donations from supporters, plus another $11,875 in loans he gave his own campaign, according to the city clerk’s office. That’s a record for city council campaigns, coming to about six dollars a vote.
It pays to be an incumbent. Anne Kulchin spent only $32,411, or $1.58 per vote, to retain her seat on the council.
Farrah Douglas missed capturing a seat by coming in third. She spent $83,787, or $4.38 a vote. She left another $1,462 remaining in her campaign chest, vowing to keep her options open for future elections. She lost to Blackburn by only 1,321 votes. Makes you wonder if she’d be on the council now if she’d spent the money she saved.
What this all means is that Carlsbad has entered the big leagues in campaign spending. Mayor Bud Lewis’s $65,000 campaign in 2006 set a record. That seems a paltry sum compared with the 2008 big spenders. And history shows political corruption grows when it’s generously irrigated by big money. Illinois’ impeached ex-governor Rod Blagojevich’s attempt to sell President Obama’s senate seat is the latest example.
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by The Editors on February 13, 2009
Poseidon Resources seems to be moving ahead like the Frankenstein monster over everything that gets in the way of it’s plans for a desalination plant in our lagoon. Most recently the San Diego Regional Water Quality board gave the company two months to “wrap up conditions of its permit” according to as story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The board’s executive director, John Robertus, said developer Poseidon Resources had addressed some of the agency’s concerns before Wednesday’s meeting, and the two sides would resolve a list of outstanding issues by the board’s meeting on April 8. . . . The board gave Poseidon a permit in 2006 to discharge effluent from its plant into the ocean, but required a plan to offset fish and other marine life deaths caused by the desalination process. . . . Under a “Marine Life Mitigation Plan,” Poseidon would restore 55 acres of wetlands as nurseries for marine organisms and plants.
We still don’t like it.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune via Watertech Online]
by The Editors on January 27, 2009
The Surfrider Foundation, fresh off defeating the Trestles Toll Road, continues to battle the proposed Poseidon Resources Inc. desalination plant on our Agua Hedionda Lagoon, according to a post on their blog.
The contentious plan to build a massive ocean desalination on the Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad, California has been challenged in court. Surfrider Foundation, as lead plaintiff, claims approval by the Coastal Commission to build the largest ocean desalination facility in the western hemisphere violates California law because it was not designed or located to avoid the unnecessary destruction of marine life.
We fully support and back the Surfrider Foundation in this mission.
[Link: Surfrider Foundation]
by The Editors on December 22, 2008
Last March we mentioned that Robert Hoehn, the co-owner of Carlsbad’s Hoehn Motors donated $25,000 in support of banning gay marriage (Prop. 8). Recently, his business has been picketed and he’s not happy about it, according to a story in USA Today.
I just hate being pigeonholed as a hate monger or bigot,” says Robert Hoehn, who contributed $25,000 to the campaign for Prop 8, which amended California’s Constitution to exclude same-sex marriage. “I have friends in the gay community, and I don’t think any of them would say that. . . . Hoehn has seen protesters outside his Carlsbad, Calif., car dealerships, his name and business have appeared on websites publicizing donors, and he has received “the most vitriolic kinds of e-mails, letters and phone calls.”
Guess Mr. Hoehn is experiencing some of the costs associated with supporting legislation that denies the personal rights of others.
[Link: USA Today]
by The Editors on December 17, 2008
It’s nice to know that no matter what projects the City of Carlsbad considers in future years (Swim complex, skateboard parks) they will always be trumped by sinking more money into the Lossings-At-Carlsbad.
Last night the Carlsbad City Council agreed unanimously to spend $1.6 million on the course next year, in addition to the losses already budgeted for, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Councilman Mark Packard said the council expected the course to break even after five to seven years, and then turn a profit. He said that may take longer with the recession. “I think it would be way premature to walk away from it at this point,” Packard said.
Mark Tanner, the former CFO for the 2002 Winter Olympics and Pepsico International spoke some sense at the meeting. “Sometimes when you make a wrong decision . . . you have to go back and change the decision,” Tanner said.
Exactly.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on November 26, 2008
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Carlsbadistan’s Dave Carothers, 51, to the Fair Employment and Housing Commission, according to a story in the Imperial Valley News. Carothers has been a managing partner at Carlton, DiSante & Freudenberger since 2000.
From 1997 to 2000, Carothers was a partner at Chapin, Shea & Carter. He was a partner at McInnis, Fitzgerald, Rees, Sharkey & McIntyre from 1985 to 1997. Carothers is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Southern California School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills. This position requires Senate confirmation and the salary is $100 per diem. Carothers is a Republican.
Carothers still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, but we’re going to go out on a limb and congratulate him anyway.
[Link: Imperial Valley News]
by The Editors on November 10, 2008
A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit that the City of Encinitas brought against the City of Carlsbad regarding the costs of upgrading La Costa Avenue, according to a story in the North County Times.
Originally, the City of Carlsbad said they would pay nothing and that the developer of the Ponto Vision Plan would pay for 27 percent of the estimated $5.34 million the upgrades would cost.
Now the costs have been raised to $7 million and the two cities have agreed to split the costs evenly.
Encinitas Councilman James Bond said this week that he is pleased a deal was reached. . . .”Hopefully it is in fact settled and we have all signed off and walking away with a good agreement,” said Bond, who was elected Tuesday to his fifth term on the council. “For sure, it was a compromise agreement, but it was a lot better than they (Carlsbad) initially offered. I think it is more equitable.”
We are constantly reminded that lawsuits are the way organizations negotiate.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on November 6, 2008
[Editors’ Note: Evan just posted this comment to another story on our site and we thought it deserved to be front and center. Evan worked hard for Carlsbad during this campaign and she did it in a pure way that made the political system look old, tired and corrupt. We are extremely proud of her efforts and of the nearly 4,000 people in Carlsbadistan who were wise enough to vote for her. She is exactly the kind of community worker that Carlsbadistan needs more of. Please follow the jump to read the entire post.]
Thanks, everyone, for your support and votes and especially to Snyder Art, our very cool campaign HQ in the Village, to CarlsbadCrawl.com and Carlsbadistan.com for spreading the word online!
Together we offered another point of view to the election and got some momentum going in a new direction. A good thing about a lot of the ideas that we developed is that they don’t depend on the City or tax dollars to implement: we can get Phantom Gallery and other projects going on our own toward making Carlsbad clean, lean, and green. It’s never been more important for our city and citizens to be fiscally and physically fit. Please join me in keeping Alga Norte Park at the top of the Council’s priority list.
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by The Editors on November 5, 2008
On Thursday November 6, 2008 the City of Carlsbad is hosting an open house and presentation regarding the proposed power plant that NRG wants to put in on the shores of the Aqua Hedionda lagoon.
Since decisions made about this important coastal property will affect Carlsbad for the next 50-plus years, the City of Carlsbad want to ensure its citizen have ample opportunities to provide input to the California Energy Commission.
That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to attend the meeting at 5:30 PM Thursday, November 6, in the Faraday Center, 1635 Faraday Ave. We’ve found that these forums can often be enjoyed (worst case) as the theatre of the absurd. So join, us. Please.
[Link: Carlsbad Connected]
by The Editors on November 5, 2008
We’ll be honest. We’re happy with the results of the 2008 presidential election. We like the idea that we helped move the first African American into the highest office in the nation. We have hope. And we know we can. But we still just don’t really understand all the emotional, crying-in-the-aisle hoopla. America voted him in. What is all the surprise about?
To check out the front pages of newspapers around the world, click the link.
[Link: Guardian UK]
How much does it cost to buy a seat on Carlsbad’s city council? If you’re Keith Blackburn, it comes to $100,932 in donations from supporters, plus another $11,875 in loans he gave his own campaign, according to the city clerk’s office. That’s a record for city council campaigns, coming to about six dollars a vote.
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