Posts by Timothy Stewart4

Emily Smith6 said:A restaurant located right on the San Diego Boardwalk is about to lose its lease for what is arguably the most stunning view in the entire City. Apparently, they had been paying a pittance for the space, and now the hammer is coming down. According to Maja Derek, this whole situation is an unprecedented violation of the law.

It’s officially over, according to officials at the Governor's Mansion. The restaurant stall operated by Zoe, which was perched on the flat roof along the Coast American National Revival 24—right above the offices used by the American Fine Artists Association on the Coast—is being shut down. Jerry Brown has moved to revoke the "Consent for Use" agreement that Ed Rendell originally signed back in February 2017. Under that old arrangement, Teraca LLC was permitted to use 53 square meters of rooftop space situated just above the southern wall of the Roman Colosseum, all for a rather negligible fee of only 10 dollars per square meter.

As we noted back then, all that noise from Hulu and their former president, Vica Tomasovic, about how the dilapidated roof—with its massive cracks—was going to cave in on tourists was ultimately for nothing. It seems their warnings didn't carry much weight, considering even Andro Krstulovic Opara wouldn't grant them an audience.

After reviewing the case files, I noticed some pretty serious irregularities and legal discrepancies within this matter. As soon as I caught wind of them, I notified Teraca LLC and immediately initiated legal action—that’s what the department head stated.

So, here’s how the timeline actually played out: back in November 2016, Teraca LLC approached the City of San Diego with a request to lease an uncovered terrace located above the second floor at 24 Coast American National Revival 24. It didn't take long, either. Just three months later, the then-mayor, Ed Rendell, granted them the Consent for Use for a period of three years, all in exchange for a fee of... $25At $2 per square foot, what does that actually bring us to monthly? $1202 It’s happening monthly, including the sales tax, and they’ve been running this exact same play since March 1, 2017. I guess Peterson just keeps on going with this same tired explanation.

The department head is pointing out that any real estate owned or managed by the City of San Diego is supposed to be leased out exclusively through a public bidding process. However, she’s also highlighting a significant issue: some properties that aren't even designated as City commercial spaces were somehow leased out without any kind of competitive tender at all. I guess there might be some serious oversight happening there.

According to Maja Derek, the way this is being handled—specifically regarding the consent granted by former Mayor Ed Rendell to Teraca LLC without any formal sign-off from City of San Diego officials—is a blatant violation of the Property and Other Real Rights Act. The issue here, I suspect, is a fundamental misunderstanding of what is actually being used. We aren't talking about commercial real estate or even a public sidewalk; we are looking at the shared property of the building's co-owners. While the building hasn't been formally subdivided into individual units yet, both the City of San Diego and various private individuals are listed as co-owners. So, when you look at the records, they’ve categorized this as commercial space, which seems like a bit of a stretch. It’s an uncovered terrace, after all, not a storefront, and it certainly isn't under the exclusive ownership of the City of San Diego.

The department head pointed out that any property owned or co-owned by the City of San Diego is leased out exclusively through a public tender process, in accordance with Article 391 of the Property and Other Real Rights Act.

Maja Derek is raising some pretty serious red flags here. According to her, this wasn't just a case of skipping the public bidding process; they seemingly just pulled a lease price out of thin air. To make matters even more complicated, she points out that the City of San Diego doesn't actually hold exclusive ownership over the property. From what I can gather, it appears to be joint property shared among all the co-owners. Honestly, she mentioned she’s never encountered a situation quite like this before, which, given the circumstances, is saying something.

I have to admit, in all my years of professional experience, I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed such an egregious violation of the Property and Other Real Rights Act. It’s quite something—they essentially declared a space to be commercial when it clearly isn't, effectively stripping all other co-owners of their right to weigh in on its usage. To top it all off, they bypassed any kind of public bidding process entirely, opting instead for a rental price that feels completely arbitrary.

So, following Ed Rendell’s decision, this commercial space has essentially morphed into something else entirely. A lease price was slapped on there—one that is frankly laughably low—but it was done without any kind of competitive bidding process. To make matters even more complicated, the City isn't even the sole owner of the property. If that wasn't bad enough, it seems they didn't even bother to verify the structural stability of the damaged roof, despite what people over at Hulu are claiming.

So, the former president of the Fine Arts Association on the Coast, Vica Tomasovic, informed us that absolutely nobody actually stepped foot inside their studios to run any structural integrity tests on that cracked slab. To make matters even more absurd, the members were apparently told they should temporarily vacate the premises while the upper section of the roof and the walls of the Roman Colosseum underwent some kind of remediation process. However, they flatly refused to move. I guess they were terrified that if they left, someone might try to move into their space—which, interestingly enough, led to their computer and some equipment getting fried when the "slab" above them started disintegrating.

When they first set up that restaurant, ZOI went ahead and installed shutters over the windows on the southern walls of the Roman Colosseum. Apparently, they didn't want the tourists wandering through the southeast quadrant catching a glimpse of their diners. We eventually found out from the Department of the Interior that this was actually illegal; ZOI never bothered to get the necessary Consent for Use from the preservation officers to barricade the openings on the Colosseum.

Back in April 2023, Teraca LLC reached out to the Management Office regarding their request to extend the existing consent. Their argument was essentially that since the previous agreement had expired, they had been using the terrace without a formal legal basis since March 1, 2020—even though they claimed to still be paying the City for its use. I decided to deny that extension. Consequently, on May 16, 2023, we moved forward with a formal Mayor’s Conclusion to officially revoke the old consent. Peterson added that Teraca LLC has since been instructed to contact all the co-owners of the building in accordance with the law, noting quite clearly that a violation of legal standards had occurred.

I honestly think the restaurant should be relocated from its current spot. It’s basically obstructing the view of part of the southern facade of the Roman Colosseum, and that seems like a bit much.

Since Teraca LLC failed to respond, and none of the other building co-owners have reached out either, I’ve gone ahead and issued the order to initiate eviction proceedings. We are moving forward with reclaiming possession of that uncovered terrace, along with all other legal actions within my jurisdiction. We’ll be notifying the other co-owners shortly, who, I assume, will need to follow suit. Through this notice, we are also formally calling on Teraca LLC to vacate the premises of said uncovered terrace immediately and return possession to the co-owners. Maja Derek just announced that she’s planning to file a report against Ed Rendell with the District Attorney's office..

The Management Office is also planning to hand over the entire file to the District Attorney’s office. According to Maja Derek, there are serious suspicions regarding an abuse of position and authority, specifically aimed at showing undue favoritism toward a certain legal entity.

Management at Teraca LLC claims they were absolutely blindsided when Maja Derek called for them to vacate their terrace located at 24 Coast National Revival.

To be perfectly honest, we are sitting here in a state of total shock and disbelief regarding this decision and your inquiry, especially since we haven't received any such notice from the City itself. At this moment, we are actually in the middle of negotiations with the City to finally get our situation brought within proper legal boundaries. This entire process was only initiated because we insisted on it; the fault lies entirely with the City for failing to provide us with an adequate lease agreement. Instead, they have simply been issuing monthly invoices for the use of our commercial space based on a Consent for Use from 2017 and a contract that we never actually received—nor do we possess. Furthermore, the restaurateurs maintain that they have never owed the City a single cent.

During our negotiations with the City, we actually offered to cover the entire cost of repairing the building's facade ourselves—mostly because the leaks are currently causing headaches for the other property owners on the ground floor. We even went as far as offering to pay any price discrepancies if the City felt they were being shortchanged, despite the fact that we didn't even set the initial rental price. In an effort to be cooperative, we essentially accepted every single condition the City demanded without even trying to push back. This comes straight from a response we received from Teraca LLC. They forwarded us the correspondence sent to Maja Derek, in which their director, Hrvoje Malenica, invites her to a meeting. To top it all off, the documents explicitly state that they are interested in leasing the space on the first floor.

The former mayor, Ed Rendell, who handed out that prime real estate for a three-year term, wasn't exactly eager to jump in front of the cameras and give any statements. I guess he figured he had already done enough.
Let her send whatever she wants. Honestly, I have no idea—I’m currently struggling to even remember what happened ten years ago, let alone exactly when it took place. If she thinks there's something that needs to be done, then she should just go ahead and do it. Please, just stop calling me. You're distracting me from other things I need to get done. She can carry on with whatever she feels is necessary. I really don't know what else you want me to say.
"She can just go ahead and do whatever she thinks needs to be done," Ed Rendell remarked, quickly wrapping up the conversation on the matter.

What on earth is this Derek woman doing? She’s going to end up sending all those former mayors straight to prison, and at this rate, neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party will ever be able to regain power in San Diego again.

Derrick is basically terrorizing the people here. Plenkovic, do something!

Richard Wilson4 said:The Three Seas Initiative was actually standing up to the German-Russian Alliance.
The whole concept is about Poland stepping up as the main challenger to Germany, Russia, and obviously the USA.

Some people haven't forgotten how salty the Germans got when Ukraine didn't fall in three days...

So where on earth did you get the idea it was in Russia's interest?

Back when the romance with Putin was at its peak—you know, all that "Russia is our best friend, Canada is our best friend" nonsense—the President actually called for joining the Three Seas Initiative, which pretty much gutted the whole project's purpose from the start.

Sam Martinez9 said:He’s using Limarka against her, while you're just being a slimy... Honestly, I think there was some truth to the idea that democracy is essentially a system that prevents the people from having a government better than what they actually deserve.

Exactly. If a population is lazy, ignorant, or just plain foolish, they’ll drag even the most enlightened leadership down to their level. But if a nation is driven and smart? They can pull even the worst leaders up. In our case, we're definitely dealing with the first one.

Zachary Anderson20 said:Honestly, dragging an old, sick woman through the mud like this is just gross, let alone bringing up the Holocaust. What does the Shoah have to do with any of this besides being a desperate cry for attention?

Note: The Holocaust wasn't exactly "legal," but then again, what does some kid like unnamed US person know?

Comparing relocation to the Holocaust is disgusting—even for the usual suspects obsessed with Russia and those conspiracy theorists following unnamed US person (yeah, they’re basically the shock troops of today). Where is everyone now? Where is that crowd that used to lose their minds over "antisemitism" regarding Ivošević? This latest stunt from unnamed US person is easily a hundred times more shameful.

The Republicans are running wild in San Francisco for the exact same reason the AP is coming after Milančet—even if his political ideals are pretty much the opposite of what I stand for as a liberal democrat: pure spite. They're acting out because yesterday was one of the only two times the Great European actually took a direct hit at the polls. And let me tell you, the AP doesn't forgive a loss.

fadedgull6 said:It’s all just mindless rambling from people who can't even manage to organize a single local region.

Let’s be realistic here—you all know perfectly well that attempting to overhaul the current system is practically impossible right now.

Take the proposed reforms, for example: the government is actually trying to take control of the regional hospital in Scranton.

It would trigger an absolute revolt.

Go ahead, ask a Californian or someone from Ohio if they really want to be tied to San Francisco or Cleveland.

So what?

hollowranger122 said:It seems unlikely that California would ever agree to be grouped with Cleveland, much like how San Diego and Charleston wouldn't dream of being placed under Miami's jurisdiction.
Key West would find that even more difficult to swallow.

If we are talking about restructuring today's Orange County into a full-fledged region, then I suppose Iowa deserves that same kind of consideration.

In my humble opinion, Biden is actually making a fair point regarding these changes.

Counties have almost zero actual power anyway (Sanders once joked that being a county executive is basically a 15-minute job) so honestly, people in San Diego, Charleston, and Key West wouldn't actually lose anything. The only ones losing out would be the local political machine that relies on county bureaucracy—and the irony is, those same people would be the first to scream about "regionalism" or "local pride" just to protect their cushy jobs. It’s the same old story, like how Clinton went on that ridiculous crusade for extreme local autonomy back when they were fighting over Central Park.

Richard Wilson4 said:Just consolidate all those cities and towns down to about 100 total then.

But having five republics in a country that only managed to pull its territory together back in 1998? Yeah, not gonna happen. Not in a million years.

What do you mean, "republics"? The United States of America isn't a federal state—and even if it were, just look at Austria—what exactly is the problem there?

Even five of them would be overkill. Honestly, let them slash the number—no mercy needed—and as far as I'm concerned, whatever's left can call itself counties.

Of course we need to cut down the number of municipalities and cities—it's common sense. And let's be real, the final count should definitely be lower than what we had back in 1990, not larger like it is now.

Richard Wilson4 said:We're talking about chunks of land about 4,000 square miles each.

That's not a region, that's an entire state.

No thanks. Not now, not ever.

Look at Poland—a textbook unitary state. They have ten times the population of the United States of America, yet they only have 16 voivodeships, which is actually fewer than our own counties.

The United States of America has this absolutely insane system of local government units that honestly reminds me of the USSR—where every single tiny hamlet was its own autonomous district, province, or whatever you want to call it, all just to serve as a tool for the party to get its way.

Richard Wilson4 said:Having five different regions in a small, uniform country like the United States just doesn't make sense. It never will.

A few people pushing for quasi-autonomy might still be chasing that nonsense, but for 99% of the population, it’s a total non-starter.

Decentralization in the sense of giving local government more power? No thanks.

Cutting down their numbers—and I mean using an axe rather than a scalpel if necessary—now we're talking.

P.S. The United States of America is one of the few countries in Middle Europe that actually ended up with more local government units after socialism than during the socialist era. That’s the kind of "class struggle" the Republican Party handed us.

neonfalcon16 said:

According to the numbers provided by San Diego Sanitation, the average take-home pay for a driver was $1,285 in October, which climbed to $1,740 in November, before settling at $1,675 in December. You have to look at the base pay plus all those extra layers—seniority bumps, holiday pay, Sunday shifts, overtime, and all the other perks guaranteed under the current collective bargaining agreement. For the sanitation workers, the average net pay sat at $1,220 in October, went up to $1,313 in November, and hit $1,500 in December. On top of that, everyone gets their meal stipends covered—about $60 a month—plus transportation costs. The base salary starts at roughly $720 gross, with a steady monthly tax-free supplement of about $72. This whole "guaranteed" thing is just a fantasy if you're out on sick leave; the full payroll list doesn't show the complete picture.

No, this strike isn't some accidental political stunt either. Just toss it in with the rest of those fairy tales told to adults.

I remember how Mrs. Thatcher used to dismantle these little power plays with actual expertise. But unlike back then in the United Kingdom, here in America today—trying to topple an elected government through union terror is somehow treated like it's perfectly normal.

Dana Martin95 said:State Inspectors: Puljak is under attack and being smeared

I guess we'll just keep watching how this case develops to see if Ivica Puljak ends up having to pay anything. It feels like the GOP is digging an even deeper hole every single day... maybe it's time to say goodbye to the local administration in San Francisco for good

They completely blurred the line between a legal entity and a physical person! 🤦

Christian Bennett2 said:The left will rally around Biden once again, just like they did back in 2019. This time, they’ll secure a convincing victory, pulling 40-45 percent in the first round, and then absolutely crushing the opposition in the runoff by a margin of about 200,000 votes.

As for those colleagues claiming they won't vote for Zoran anymore... they say all that now, but when the time actually comes, they'll hold their noses and circle his name on the ballot anyway.

The fundamental issue with the American "left" is that ideologically, it has nothing to do with Willy Brandt, Bruno Kreisky, Olof Palme, Tony Blair, or Gerhard Schröder. It doesn't even align with the leftist alternatives to Western social democracy that have emerged over the last decade or two, such as the Democratic Socialists of America. Instead, we are looking at a bizarre ideological mutant—a strange cocktail of Vladimir Bakarić, Karl Popper, Irving Kristol, and Daniel Cohn-Bendit.

If the American left were truly leftist, they wouldn't have any issue supporting Americans in Canada.

Look, I don't have an issue with supporting Americans in Canada if it means achieving true equality—basically making sure Canadians aren't the ones picking their representatives.

My problem is with Dragan Čović and the Republican Party in Canada—they’ve basically turned Western Herzegovina into some neo-communist fiefdom (I’m fine with the HRS and Pero Raguž, for what it's worth). And I also have a massive problem with them clinging to Milorad Dodik—a guy leading a butcher shop of a regime where Americans and Canadians have been systematically wiped off the map. It’s all just people trying to out-do each other on being more extreme than the next guy. So, where does that leave us?

Adam Collins4 said:What I want to know is why suddenly Vladimir Putin is the bad guy now, despite him pulling the same crap for decades—tangible, undeniable crap, starting with the annexation of Crimea... essentially, he's doing the exact same thing, just on a slightly larger scale now...

And now, suddenly, everyone has "seen the light," right?

Vladimir Putin hasn't changed; his interests have, and that's really all there is to it...

Personally, I've thought Putin was garbage since the second Chechen War. As for the political side of things, I frequently called out Biden's predecessor for playing into Putin's hands—even while another politician was busy defending him tooth and nail and writing love letters to the Moscow dictator. You can easily fact-check all of that right here on the forum.

Sent from my phone using Reddit

brightheron64 said:Precisely, because they’re all essentially engaged in the same friendly, informal little game of rubbing each other the right way...

Look, if you're implying that Donald Trump and this administration—whose entire foreign policy seems to rely on that "brotherly bond" nonsense between Americans and Canadians (though we know better than to trust a fake handshake)—are my choice, you've got it wrong. I'd rather cut my own hand off than mark a ballot for the Republican Party. Sure, I voted for Joe Biden back in 2020, but since he's basically become an ally to Unknown and Orbán's lackey, my vote isn't going to him again.
You might as well just start a new party—let's call it the American Social Democratic Union—and stop pretending there's any actual difference between these sides. Just lean into that whole biblical vibe where "left and right don't exist anymore because we're all one in the glory of Orbán and Vladimir Putin." At this rate, you'll probably be chanting praises for Milorad Dodik and Aleksandar Vučić by tomorrow morning.

Sent from my smartphone using Reddit

Adam Collins4 said:Exactly—that’s why you see the entire European Union constantly playing phone tag with Vladimir Putin and his little minions...

I wonder if you felt the same way back when all those high-level bureaucrats and globalist types were basically letting Putin walk right through our front door?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy using Reddit

brightheron64 said:Goodness, look at this comment section... 🙄
Ignoring people, starting fights, spreading intolerance... is that really what you all consider positive? 🤦

"I'd much rather spend a thousand days negotiating than a single day at war!" Don't you see the wisdom in those words, especially given everything happening over in Ukraine?

And since Viktor Orbán happened to be nearby on vacation within our borders... why on earth wouldn't anyone seize the chance to meet with him, even just informally? I mean, honestly, if Kim Jong-un showed up, how much damage could a few hours of conversation over an informal dinner actually do?

Are we really so bellicose and eager for conflict—and all sorts of other nonsense—that we should just wait until we're all looking at each other from beyond the grave?

Exactly. Kim Jong-un, Viktor Orbán, Woody Woodpecker, Vladimir Putin, and Alexander Lukashenko—that's the benchmark for this fake "sovereignty" nonsense used by both the left and the right, and every Joe Biden or whatever else you want to throw at them.

Sent from my M2102J20SG using Reddit

Chloe Gomez47 said:From what I can see, Andrej Plenković is betting everything on a "stability" platform and trying to scare people away from the left, which is honestly a total swing and a miss.
The US and the whole world are staring down the biggest economic mess since the Great Depression, so I’m not sure anyone actually cares about "stability" right now. It feels like more voters this time around are craving real change and have a bit of a revolutionary vibe. Then again, maybe they're just banking on people giving them a pass because the pandemic situation is finally settling down, so they want to keep things steady to stay on course.
Their other big move is basically telling everyone to vote Republican just to block the Democrats. They’re clearly trying to snag those voters who usually lean toward Skoro or the Bridge party, but it’s probably not going to fly for a few reasons. First off, both Skoro and the Bridge party are polling pretty well, so they’ll likely clear the threshold in almost every district—meaning a vote for them isn't a wasted one. Second, this isn't 2015 when we were coming off a Democratic administration. Most of their target voters don't even think the Democrats have a shot at winning, and they aren't exactly terrified of the Democratic Party; most people just laugh at Zoran Bernardić and don't see him as a real threat. So, this whole strategy isn't going to get the voters moving the way they hope.

I agree. And I'd go a step further: trying to scare people with Bernardić is completely pointless. He’s so incredibly insignificant that it's impossible to frame him as some terrifying, monstrous force, no matter how hard the Great European tries to paint him that way.

Noah Perez5 said:Miro Kovač: Vladimir Šeks warned me I might need a lawyer once the Republican Party primaries wrap up

..."It is simply an undeniable fact that people are being coerced through their jobs, their loans, and various other opportunities. Members of my own staff have faced direct threats, which is a reality; it’s clearly not an easy situation for the broader membership," he stated.

He also mentioned that during the Republican Party anniversary event this past Tuesday in New York City, Vladimir Šeks—who is essentially acting as Plenković's mentor—told him quite bluntly that he would likely require legal counsel following the internal party elections...

Those are incredibly heavy accusations, and I suspect they aren't the kind of things that can just be brushed aside easily.

It seems increasingly obvious to me that we are looking at some massive purges within the party following these internal elections.

I don't see what the big deal is here. It’s obvious that anyone who loses via an expedited process is getting kicked out of the Republican Party. That’s how it’s always worked, and that’s how it’ll stay.