AltWeeklies Wire
San Diego Pot-Raid Search-Warrant Affidavits Reveal Dubious Undercover Opsnew
California's medical-pot organizations operate in a largely untested gray area of law. Yet, the only clear crime throughout a four-month sting in San Diego was perpetrated by the police.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dave Maass |
10-29-2009 |
Crime & Justice
San Diego Sues Navy, Shipbuilders and Port District to Pay for Bay Cleanupnew
For nearly 30 years after the end of World War II, Naval personnel hosed down trucks and heavy machinery with diesel fuel, then dunked them in a tributary of San Diego Bay. It was all done in the name of "decontamination" -- ironic, because a new suit alleges this is one of dozens of practices cited as primary causes of sediment contamination in the bay.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dave Maass |
10-21-2009 |
Environment
Lauded Prison Drug-Treatment Services are the Latest Victim of California's Budget Cutsnew
The Amity Foundation's highly regarded Right Turn program, held up as a national model for effective prisoner rehabilitation, is being closed down at Donovan State Prison, making Donovan one of eight prisons statewide that won't provide any sort of professional in-custody substance-abuse treatment.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
10-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How Today's Pot Debate is Like the Fall of Prohibitionnew
Law-enforcement maverick Norm Stamper noted "striking" parallels between Prohibition of a bygone era and today's drug debate. "Major difference? It took us only 13 years to end the former" over "essentially identical" reasons: violence, overdose deaths on bad "bathtub gin," public health and revenue.
San Diego CityBeat |
John R. Lamb |
10-07-2009 |
Drugs
Border Agent Who Shot Immigrant Sues Gov't Over Invasion of Privacynew
Border Patrol agent Arturo Lorenzo and his wife are suing the U.S. government, saying that releasing the video of him shooting 20-year-old Ramiro Gamez Acosta invaded Lorenzo's privacy and destroyed his reputation, exposing him and his family to death threats.
San Diego CityBeat |
Justin McLachlan |
09-16-2009 |
Immigration
Some San Diego TV Stations Sell Content to Advertisersnew
As the numbers at the bottom of financial statements go from black to red, there's been increasing pressure on editorial departments in print, television and radio to blur the line between journalism and advertising. The key to remaining on the right side of ethics and the law is identifying the type of content.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
09-16-2009 |
Media
New Report from Human-Rights Group Yields Another Reason to Stop Smokingnew
The Plan International report interviewed 44 Malawian teens about their experiences working full-time on tobacco farms. The kids described work that's too difficult for people their size, 12-hour days (at the least) with few breaks and average pay of 18 cents a day. They also reported being hit, tormented and raped by supervisors.
San Diego CityBeat |
Editorial |
08-26-2009 |
Science
Is Economic Recovery Money Helping San Diego Businesses?new
The combination of tax cuts and direct government spending is supposed make consumers spend and businesses invest, creating a multiplier effect that would boost the economy. Using a database of stimulus spending compiled by the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica, we called businesses receiving stimulus dollars and asked them what they were doing with their money.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
08-12-2009 |
Economy
Funding Blocks to Expedient Supportive Housingnew
The idea of turning older hotels into supportive housing isn’t a new idea: It’s how nonprofits like L.A.’s Skid Row Housing Trust and SRO Housing Corp.—both of which have converted hundreds of units into supportive housing—got their start.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
08-05-2009 |
Housing & Development
California Budget Cuts Squeeze Inmates Out of Prisonsnew
The budget upon which the governor and the Legislature recently agreed included a $1.2-billion cut in prison funding, and in order to save that much money, thousands of inmates would likely have to be released early.
San Diego CityBeat |
David Rolland |
08-05-2009 |
Crime & Justice
A San Diego Case Sheds Light on the Messy World of DUI Prosecutionnew
In April, San Diego's city attorney declined to file drunk-driving charges against local TV sportscaster Kyle Kraska, despite a police-station breathalyzer test that put Kraska's blood-alcohol content just above California's legal limit. Kraska's attorney said the case was dismissed because of police error, though city officials would say only that prosecutors felt they couldn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
07-15-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Homeless Outreach Team Benefits from Long-Awaited Fundingnew
It's been three years since the city of San Diego gave the United Way the thumbs up to implement a project to address chronic homelessness, And local homelessness services agencies are finally starting to receive funds.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
06-10-2009 |
Policy Issues
Attorney Finds It Difficult to Investigate Treatment of Mentally Ill Detaineesnew
All that disability-rights attorney Ann Menasche needs to investigate allegations of neglect and abuse is probable cause. Except, it seems, when the allegations involve patients held by the federal government for allegedly violating immigration laws.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
05-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The Chickens of Law-and-Order Hysteria Have Come Home to Roost in San Diegonew
California's prison system has been a colossal waste of taxpayer money, and few lawmakers (other than Gov. Schwarzenegger) have been brave enough to talk about it. During the past 20 or so years, the easiest thing for politicians to do has been to promise to lock up as many criminals as possible for as long as possible.
San Diego CityBeat |
San Diego CityBeat |
05-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: California, prison reform
Will a Food-Stamp Program Overhaul Bring a Change In Attitudes?new
Some worry that inadequate staffing, combined with a fixation on fraud and a fundamental misunderstanding of clients' needs, will continue to undermine how the federally funded program is run locally.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
04-29-2009 |
Policy Issues
