SD City budget -- what now? (San Diego: how much, neighborhoods, bankruptcy)

[1AngryTaxPayer]

How do you think we get through this? The Council is talking 25% cuts for each Dept. I don't think that's enough even if they come up with an extra trash fee. Is BK an option? How many years of the incredible pension payment can we sustain before something gives?

They claim the pension payment is so huge that there is no tax or fee, nor any cut large enough to dig us out. Thoughts?

[coaster12]

Bankruptcy. But San Diego Inc lives in fantasy land so it may be a while. When worldcom went under it reported Ebbers got on his knees asking God why he sinned.

[Sassberto]

Expect unmaintained parks with ratty lawns and trashed facilities, unmaintained roads, unmaintained public buildings, closed rec centers, closed libraries, closed public schools, cancelled after-school programs, cancelled public events, more litter, more dirty streets, more overflowing trash cans, more cracked sidewalks, more broken street lights, more broken water mains, more unsafe intersections, more unpatrolled neighborhoods, more police calls that don't get responded to, more unenforced municipal and neighborhood codes, and on and on and on.

I hate to agree with the above poster but I think he is right. The San Diego Fantasy is an integral part of this city's identity and no one, including our leaders, is willing to sacrifice that sacred cow, to do so would be political suicide. Bankruptcy is a supreme and inconceivable embarrassment to a city that touts itself as "Americas Finest".

Want to see an example of San Diego's municipal ineptitude? There is a playground structure at Mission Bay park that has been broken and fenced off with yellow caution tape for two years. This city can't get it together to fix a plastic slide at a playground. In the meantime, we're going to spend 650k to find out what it will cost to build a library we can't pay for.

[cruitr]

"Want to see an example of San Diego's municipal ineptitude? There is a playground structure at Mission Bay park that has been broken and fenced off with yellow caution tape for two years. This city can't get it together to fix a plastic slide at a playground."

Where is this playground?

[coaster12]

You know more than ever it seems like SD is a border town. It could have been a real national player but that time has passed. The best it can do is be a regional second so if it goes BK not muc will happen except a brused ego. Of course just the realization SD will only be a small regional city escapes many who think it's a global powerhouse. It could have been but that will not happen now so they simply need to clean hose IMHO and go on to whatever the future holds here.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by cruitr

Where is this playground?

Just north of Fiesta Island Dr. on the East side of Mission Bay.

[sdlife619]

San Diego could of been a world class international city, but the leaders of this town are so narrow minded that they continued to stick with the same old tactics and business model that has failed this city year after year, yet the city is still spending tons of money it doesn't have on crap that no one really cares about..........like a library.

Honestly, who goes to the library anymore? They are not as much of an importance like they once were, the internet has changed the way people read books. E-books is a good example.

But this city wants this damn library so bad, whats the deal? Is it because they don't want to lose the funding that they have raised? Is it to prove a point that they can actually follow through with a project? I mean seriously we don't need another library that will probably sit empty most of the time. What a waste


The city of SD is truly backwards, or else are major lairs in telling the public just how much cash it really has. You can never trust a city that's in bed with developers and special interest groups.

San Diego might be a nice place to live with it's picture perfect weather, but it has a massive corruption problem within it's political system.



SD needs a real leader, someone who is forward thinking, a person that will know how to bring business to SD. I understand the business climate is horrible in California, but something has be done to help this place improve beyond being just a tourist trap for people in LA and out of town Zonies. How are people supposed to survive and support themselves when the majority of jobs in SD are low-middle wage. Every time when I read or hear about a new Wal Mart opening up somewhere, I get angry, because local city leaders praise it saying "it will bring 50 new jobs for people", Wow! whooptie do! It must be great to work for minimum wage in such an expensive city

It's all a bunch of bull, the city leaders are only happy because it benefits there own pockets with increase tax revenue. The more profits for a city, the more leaders can give themselves raises. So it doesn't help the people, we are the ones that getting screwed over with crappy low paying jobs.

[cruitr]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Just north of Fiesta Island Dr. on the East side of Mission Bay.

Thanks. I bike/walk that area at least once a week. Never noticed it. I'll look for it next time I go.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

There is a playground structure at Mission Bay park that has been broken and fenced off with yellow caution tape for two years. This city can't get it together to fix a plastic slide at a playground. In the meantime, we're going to spend 650k to find out what it will cost to build a library we can't pay for.

Topically related, in another part of Mission Bay Park is a metal playground structure that has to date to the early 1970s as I remember in vogue in my elementary school playground.

Reg., the libraries, important for kids, internet access, to borrow books and DVDS (don't you hate when they're damaged), but this doesn't seem to be the right time to build that when other priorities trump.

[Hobgoblin]

Originally Posted by sdlife619

Honestly, who goes to the library anymore? They are not as much of an importance like they once were, the internet has changed the way people read books. E-books is a good example.

Maybe you don't go to the library anymore, but I do. And when I go, I am not alone there by a long shot. Even in the middle of the day there's a fair amount of people and usually you have to reserve a spot to get on one of their 20 odd computers.

These days more than ever, the library is an important resource. When times are hard it may be the only way for people to access the internet or even use a computer at all, and books aren't cheap either.

That said, building one when your city is on the brink of bankruptcy is stupid.