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Total war
The next two years look grim to outgoing House veterans committee leader Bob Filner The Russia houses
A Dagestani politician isn’t telling the truth about his Wikileak-ed connections to Carlsbad Donna's done
Iconic City Councilmember Frye reflects on a wild decade in San Diego politics Injustice served
How one strip joint and the federal government destroyed Mike Zucchet's political career Dash-cam clash
City Attorney’s Office seeks to restrict access to CHP videos Hush-hush archaeology
How scientists and Native Americans pulled off a major dig before the feds triple border fence destroyed everything PAC the bowl
California Cannabis Coalition plans to preemptively strike against city pot ordinance Issa issues
Congressional bloodhound should get a whiff of himself Wikileaks cable: A Caucasus Wedding
Circumspection
The foreskin is only the tip of the controversy

Wednesday, May 23,2012
News

Hotel Metro: ‘Very, very depressing’

Downtown low-income housing project needs fixing—and fast

By Kelly Davis

Melissa Harris’ room at Hotel Metro is big enough for her wheelchair, a twin bed, a simple kitchenette (mini-fridge, sink and microwave) and not much else. Still, she describes it as “huge,” just fine for her and Peter David, a sand-colored poodle-terrier mix and her constant companion.

Wednesday, May 23,2012
News

San Diego County’s new propaganda machine

While news organizations practice austerity, county communications team splurges on its own news website

By Dave Maass

CountyNewsCenter.com was launched in September as a separate website from the county’s main hub, sdcounty.ca.gov and costs more than what KPBS, Voice of San Diego and CityBeat paid for their sites combined.

Wednesday, May 9,2012
News

Whatever happened to San Diego’s lovers’ lanes?

People just aren’t doin’ it in cars like they used to

By Peter Holslin

In San Diego, lovers’ lanes have long been treasured destinations for couples looking for a little privacy. In recent years, though, many of the city’s most popular locales have lost their spark.

Wednesday, May 2,2012
News

461 pepper spray incidents documented in juvenile detention last year

Juvenile-justice experts question whether San Diego County Probation relies too heavily on OC spray to manage youth behavior

By Dave Maass

Juvenile detention records obtained by CityBeat reveal some of the highest levels of pepper-spray usage in the country. In 2011, the East Mesa facility averaged more than five sprayings per week.

Wednesday, April 25,2012
News

Carl DeMaio A to Z

Our case against San Diego's most objectionable politician

By Kelly Davis, David Rolland, Dave Maass

Coherent presentation of all the problems we have with Carl DeMaio’s candidacy for mayor of San Diego cries out for an organizational theme. We’ve chosen the alphabet.

Wednesday, April 18,2012
News

City Attorney threatens to squeeze legal fees out of citizen watchdog

Civic activist Mel Shapiro still says the city must turn over fraud hotline reports

By Dave Maass

The City Attorney says an octogenarian citizen activist is playing us.

Wednesday, April 18,2012
News

Her skin, brown like mine

A writer’s chance encounter with the daughter of Shaima Alawadi hits an El Cajon murder case and international incident from a previously unseen angle

By Enrique Cervantes

On March 21, Shaima Alawadi, a 32-year-old mother of five—a Muslim, an Iraqi refugee—was found severely beaten in her suburban El Cajon home next to a note that, according to her family, read, “This is my country. Go back to yours, terrorist.”

Wednesday, April 11,2012
News

Please, release me

Changes to prison system could spur much-needed bail reform

By Kelly Davis

Clayton Carr makes his way through the maze-like system of San Diego’s Downtown jail—up nine floors, through two security gates, back down seven floors— to a corner desk in the jail’s inmate-processing office.

Wednesday, April 4,2012
News

The 10 worst health-inspection grades earned by San Diego County restaurants

Some owners said they learned a lot after failing their inspections, others just hung up on us

It’s not like you ever see anything but an A in a restaurant’s window, anyway.

Wednesday, March 28,2012
News

Scott Peters' pension-reform files dumped by ex-staffer

Binders containing confidential City Council documents found in a North Park alley

By Dave Maass

The binders, each about 4 inches thick, contained thousands of pages of pension-crisis material dating back to the late 1990s and as current as 2007.