The City Council will next take up the issue of how to close San Diego's $43 million budget gap Monday. Mayor Jerry Sanders is proposing to shutter 17 libraries and recreation facilities.
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Setting city budget priorities
would you close the $43 million gap? Would you close libraries and rec centers, or do you have other ideas? Use our interactive budget worksheet to tell us at: uniontrib.com/more/budgetcuts
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The council held its second hearing yesterday on the mayor's proposals but made no decisions. The council chambers were again packed with residents upset with the possibility of losing services.
At the beginning of the meeting, Sanders urged the council to take immediate action. He said delays could cost the city millions of dollars. Sanders did not stay to hear the public's concerns, an absence criticized by Councilwoman Donna Frye.
Monday's meeting will be at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 202 C Street. It will also be broadcast on cable Channel 24, and at sandiego.gov/citycouncil. –H.G.
CCDC to put workers'
raises, bonuses on hold
SAN DIEGO: The downtown redevelopment authority will freeze bonuses and raises for employees through June.
Centre City Development Corp. Chairman Fred Maas said this step is prudent, given the national economic turmoil. Several residents suggested cuts to CCDC at city budget hearings yesterday.
Maas said business travel will probably end and consultant contracts will be scrutinized, as he looks to cut expenses another 5 percent.
This is the first serious belt-tightening in recent years by the downtown authority, which is quasi-independent but runs on downtown property taxes and answers to the City Council.
CCDC has been criticized for giving stellar paychecks and bonuses. At least a handful of top executives at the 55-person organization earn more than $100,000. The former president, Nancy Graham, once got a $65,000 bonus on top of $235,000 base pay.
The agency's staff was poised to get a 3 percent raise and a share of a $120,000 bonus pool. Bonuses were usually given in the summer and at Christmas. –J.S.
Sanders seeks changes
to Mills Act program
SAN DIEGO: A program that provides tax breaks for owners of historic properties could face significant changes under a plan backed by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.
The mayor is trying to limit the Mills Act program's fiscal impact. Under his plan, the city would not be able to approve tax breaks in any given year that subtract more than $100,000 from city revenue.
The city loses more than $1.1 million annually in property taxes under the program, from approved exemptions, according to a city estimate.
The proposal will be considered at a public hearing Monday at the Balboa Park Club in Balboa Park. It begins at 6 p.m.
The city has nearly 900 properties in its Mills Act program, the largest in the state. The owners are expected to use the tax break to maintain the home's historic integrity, but the city doesn't follow up to make sure that happens.
Sanders is proposing that owners be required to make a “substantial investment” in their properties and allow a city inspection every five years. He also wants to increase fees from $400 to $2,267 to cover the costs of administering the program. –C.G.
Cuts to housing benefits
for elderly criticized
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO: Advocates for elderly and disabled people denounced recent state cuts to housing benefits yesterday at a news conference outside the state building.
The state budget crisis should not be shouldered by “its most vulnerable citizens,” said Ann E. Menasche, an attorney for the San Diego office of Disability Rights California.
Speakers at the event, part of a statewide effort to bring attention to the issue, attacked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for using a line-item veto to kill tax rebates for low-income and disabled Californians.
The Senior Citizens Property Tax Program – also known as the “renters'rebate” – allows qualifying people to recoup some of their rent. –M.S.
Groups honor companies
with cross-border ties
SAN DIEGO: Four companies and a foundation with cross-border ties were honored yesterday by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce's Mexico Business Center and Tijuana's Economic Development Corp.
Hunter Industries of San Marcos and Tijuana, which manufactures landscaping-irrigation products, was honored for outstanding community service. Its activities have included organizing three golf tournaments to benefit the Fire Association of Tijuana and supporting the Fundación Castro-Limon for children with cancer.
The environmental stewardship award went to Friends of La Puerta/Fundacion La Puerta of San Diego and Tecate, which has conducted environmental workshops for more than 6,000 public school children in Tecate.
The award for technological innovation went to Solar Turbines/Turbotec of San Diego and Tijuana. The award for regional leadership went to Sempra Energy of San Diego and Tijuana. The award for service provider of the year went to Deloitte San Diego and Tijuana.
The event, the Fourth Annual InterAmerican Business Awards, was held at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina in downtown San Diego. The host was Mayor Jerry Sanders, and Tijuana Mayor Jorge Ramos was his guest of honor.–S.D.
Staff writers Helen Gao, Jeanette Steele, Craig Gustafson, Michael Stetz and Sandra Dibble contributed to this report.
