Saturday, January 13, 2007

Ann Smith is getting her wish--SD is selling its children's inheritance to pay for illegal deal

On Jan. 11, 2007, Andrew Donohue reported the following for Voice of San Diego:

City Prepares to Sell First Batch of Land

The city of San Diego has taken preliminary steps to sell 34 properties -- including raw land, a mobile home park and La Jolla homes -- in an offering that provides a glimpse of what the Mayor's Office will be unloading as it begins to evaluate the city's vast real estate portfolio.

Aides said Mayor Jerry Sanders aims to sell $20 million worth of property in each of the next five years as he attempts to manage the city's fiscal crisis and that the posting was the first of what are likely to be many. Although the city charter forbids Sanders from using land-sale proceeds to directly fund such pressing issues as the $1.4 billion pension deficit or to pay raises for police officers, the additional money could go toward another expensive need on the mayor's extensive wish list: infrastructure projects...

An accompanying photo of the San Ysidro border crossing carries this caption:

A 2,800-square-foot U.S. Border Patrol building at the border with Mexico, and the 4.5-acre parcel it sits on, are among the 34 properties that the city of San Diego may sell as part of the mayor's plan to raise $100 million over the next five years. Photo: Vladimir Kogan