Posts by Kate Jackson2

Terry Howard said:Is it actually possible for these advocacy groups to be this clueless—like, they don't even bother fact-checking before they start barking?

There are certain people out there who are just pathetic and corrupt—people driven entirely by self-interest,
so they manipulate and screw over anyone naive enough to be well-meaning... they don't give a damn about anything except themselves.

Charles Fox10 said:Just a quick correction: it isn't the local government, it's the Housing Authority.

Honestly, I think he wrote it that way on purpose... kind of like how people talk about California being occupied.😁

Emily Smith6 said:The Mayor’s main Democratic Party partner is running out of patience: ‘We gave them a chance, but we aren't going to just sit here talking about street pillars. Nothing has actually started.’

- The most critical thing regarding this partnership is that our goal is to revitalize specific neighborhoods, yet halfway through this term, we have absolutely nothing to show for it. We want more affordable housing and long-term rental options, but there’s zero progress there. We want a new Planning Department master plan, and likewise, nothing. We want to ensure every child is enrolled in preschool this year, but I suspect that won't happen either. These are the actual issues we need to address. We have stated clearly that we will support anything that serves the best interests of the city of San Diego.

So far, we have supported certain initiatives out of respect for the current administration's electoral mandate, even though we don't fundamentally agree with their approach—specifically regarding how they handle staffing and appointments. However, it’s unreasonable to expect us to simply stay quiet and vote "yes" on everything, as some other council members seem content to do.

That is a right no one can take away from us, especially not through labeling or insults. Besides, San Diego doesn't need new elections every single year, and we certainly don't want election cycles to serve as an excuse for inaction or failure. They were given a chance, they have our support, and now we are just waiting for them to actually break ground on these projects.

- We all welcome the fact that some order is finally being introduced. However, if we spend the next two years merely discussing decorative street pillars, that's simply not enough. San Diego is struggling with skyrocketing rental prices, which creates massive instability for young people or those unable to qualify for loans. The real cancer in this city is its housing policy.

San Diego is stagnating. If you look back at campaign platforms from twenty years ago, the debates are always about the exact same things, yet nothing ever gets finished. Renovating the stadium, the Old Square, the eastern waterfront, various urban revitalization projects... the current administration talks about all of these things too. But as of now, nothing has truly begun...

The Republican Party is at it again—trying to muscle their way into controlling the city property registry just to screw over anyone who isn't part of their inner circle. It’s honestly pathetic. They’re pushing this move through the city committee to basically gatekeep the social housing waiting list, making sure their buddies get priority while everyone else stays stuck in limbo. The Planning Department is already breathing down everyone's necks about zoning, and now they want to meddle with how the Housing Authority manages everything? Give me a break. This whole thing feels like a blatant power grab designed to tighten their grip on Downtown resources. They talk about "transparency," but we all know it's just a smokescreen for more cronyism... typical stuff from these guys. Just another day of watching the local government try to rig the game.

Comments below the article 🤣

Mena Irki
Maybe it's just because you're all corrupt bureaucrats...

I can't even deal with this guy... just total nonsense.
So this guy—who basically just stumbled from the street right into the Mayor’s office and then straight into the party leadership—is calling someone else a corrupt bureaucrat? Please. This guy is the definition of a political hack. He runs his party, he runs his neighborhood where he doesn't even live, and he works alongside a crew that uses local government to screw over residents through housing management. It's all a racket. You only have to look at his own neighborhood to see the mess they've made... it's dangerous. They turned a perfectly good road into a one-way street just to squeeze out more parking, and now you've got traffic jams stretching from one end of the block to the other every single morning. Honestly, it's a miracle a kid isn't getting hit walking to preschool because of this absolute chaos...
Just to add—there’s nothing better for the Left or worse for the Republican Party than the Democratic Party falling apart. They were never actually the solution... just the lesser of two evils.
Just look at Grbin—a total parasite who actually had the nerve to stay party president. And then you’ve got this guy claiming he isn't just some political appointee, even though he somehow stumbled into a leadership role at both the Housing Authority and the Democratic Party overnight. Unbelievable...

Ugugv Tcvzcjv
You wanted to be the Republican Party instead of just part of it. Get over yourself...

Those creeps are nothing but predators...
Here he goes—the absolute kamikaze, driving his car straight into a local diner like some kind of wannabe gangster. What is with this weird grudge San Diego has against the local Democratic Party? Seriously, the kid is getting as many votes as I have hairs on my head... which isn't much. He’s acting all tough, but the peacock act is over. Now he's just a clown.

Supervisory Station
It feels like there’s just a lot of pure animosity toward thieves...

Sean Palmer67 said:Are you guys actually reading the reports, or are we all just blindly swallowing Puljak’s smoke and mirrors? Seriously, look at the fine print in the 2022 reports—revenue went up because salaries increased, which naturally bumped up the local tax revenue, plus there was more real estate turnover. Meanwhile, expenses dropped simply because they skipped out on full municipal maintenance—not to mention there wasn't any major investment made at all. So, yeah, money just sits in the account. Can anyone actually name a single major city investment this administration has actually kicked off?

Printer ink—dropping from $65k to $15k

Give it a rest...

velvetmason14 said:I'm telling you, the article says only two department heads have been hired through an actual competitive process so far.

The other six were just appointed, which means Ivica Puljak can let them go whenever he wants. He could clear them out, open up official job postings, and bring in new people who aren't tangled up in all the old political mess. This has been dragging on for two years now. Tomašević is running out of time to get this done...

Puljak has only replaced two people, and those are his cabinet members—the key players needed to drive change. 🤦
Why doesn't he just pull the trigger? If he did, his PR team could actually market it as progress. Nobody would complain.

I honestly can't find any info on how many people Opara brought in via official applications.
Because if Opara actually hired people through a formal process, Puljak can't just kick them out on a whim.

velvetmason14 said:Actually, I think you've got it wrong. Ivica Puljak has mentioned on several occasions that while they aren't strictly required to run public searches for department heads, he intends to hold those competitions every single time moving forward. From what I can see, he's only held two in the last two years.🤦

The other cabinet members were appointed without a public search, which basically means they can be let go whenever the Mayor feels like it. It makes me wonder why he's still keeping them around.🤔

And then there's the lower-level staff that the news outlets never bother to report on...

How are you supposed to make any real progress in such a short timeframe? These people will just stall everything, forcing him to deal with their nonsense—nonsense that's eventually going to come back to haunt him. Every time they turn around, they're surfacing issues that the previous administration's mess was hiding.

Here, let's look at how things work in Washington, D.C. instead

Individuals holding official status who are placed via appointment following a public competition are not required to resign their positions upon the assumption of duties by a municipal manager, mayor, governor, or the Mayor of Washington, D.C.

Based on this, you're right that he can fire people who were appointed without a formal process... it's just a question of how many actually got there that way...

velvetmason14 said:Let's not compare apples to oranges here. The situation with Šute is a whole different animal. I’m talking about the city cabinet members that Ivica Puljak chooses to keep, even though he doesn't have to.

How do I know they aren't trying to replace them? I see it and I read it. It's been two years, and from what I can tell, he's only brought in two department heads through the formal hiring process: Erceg and Đerek. Everyone else is a relic from the Kerum-Baldasar-Opar era. 🤦Isn't two years plenty of time to bring in some fresh blood and uncompromised people for those critical roles? How many terms does it take to handle something that basic?

Just imagine when someone like that arrives at their desk and finds a pile of garbage left over from the previous administration... How are they going to react? They won't, and pretty soon, Puljko and Ivošević are going to have to answer for all this mess.
And don't even get me started on the lower levels of government in the States 🤔 Only to then appoint some Republican Party member who graduated from cosmetology school and became a trainer just to run a major city cultural institution.

It's a disgrace, man...

I don't think it's the same thing... A Cabinet Secretary is appointed without a public search, so you can pick whoever you want.
But Department Heads are hired through public competitions.

velvetmason14 said:Let's not compare apples to oranges here. The situation with Šute is a whole different animal. I’m talking about the city cabinet members that Ivica Puljak chooses to keep, even though he doesn't have to.

How do I know they aren't trying to replace them? I see it and I read it. It's been two years, and from what I can tell, he's only brought in two department heads through the formal hiring process: Erceg and Đerek. Everyone else is a relic from the Kerum-Baldasar-Opar era. 🤦Isn't two years plenty of time to bring in some fresh blood and uncompromised people for those critical roles? How many terms does it take to handle something that basic?

Just imagine when someone like that arrives at their desk and finds a pile of garbage left over from the previous administration... How are they going to react? They won't, and pretty soon, Puljko and Ivošević are going to have to answer for all this mess.
And don't even get me started on the lower levels of government in the States 🤔 Only to then appoint some Republican Party member who graduated from cosmetology school and became a trainer just to run a major city cultural institution.

It's a disgrace, man...

Based on what you wrote, I'm with you. They shouldn't have done that.

Olivia Roberts7 said:Nobody is questioning their legitimacy; it’s just a matter of ethics. You can't run America from your bedroom.☕
Sure, they aren't holding the exact same offices—he's the mayor and she's in Congress—but if they want to stay separate, they shouldn't be acting like a package deal. Her acting like they're in total lockstep is just ridiculous.

I remember reading somewhere that while families elsewhere might go into business together, here in the US, they dive into politics and turn it into a family enterprise. There is a massive difference between a couple starting a small business and a couple aiming for the taxpayer-funded trough. We don't pay the first group, but we definitely pay the second.

Personally, I think Ivica Puljak is fine, but he needs to focus on his job and stop blurring the lines between his private life and his career. Americans have certainly had enough of that already.

Look, people voted for them and their party knowing they were married, and they were elected legally. That's where the argument ends for me.

They didn't hide the fact that they were a married couple before the election even happened.

velvetmason14 said:You made some good points. But now explain this: how is it that after two years, Hickenlooper still has department heads in place from the Trump-Opar crowd, and what’s stopping him from moving them out of those key roles?

And then tell me why, just a few days ago, they picked a notorious Republican Woman—who happens to be a coach, by the way—to run a cultural institution, even though they were tearing her apart just a few years ago...

How does that work?

I don't have an answer for the first one... They're trying to get rid of Vik from ViK too, but they can't. Should they just go on the attack if they can't shake them? They're probably trying to move on from others as well, but it won't all play out in the news. How do you know they aren't already trying to replace some department heads?

As for the director, it seems stupid to me that they trashed her if they didn't know who she was—but it makes sense that if they saw she was actually competent and honest, they'd keep her (though the question remains if "competent" and "honest" can exist in the same sentence as "political appointee").

velvetmason14 said:We can’t afford to get bogged down by petty grievances or the constant fear of someone losing their job. It’s time to buckle down and actually deliver tangible results. We need to steer clear of empty populism and flashy PR stunts—we already have the Republican Party for that kind of theater.

It only takes two years to overhaul an entire management system, but you have to be decisive and stop playing games with people who don't get it. You shouldn't find yourself halfway through a term with more than half of your department heads—not to mention other key roles—being hand-picked cronies from the old guard🤦 And then, to top it all off, you appoint a notorious Republican loyalist to run a major municipal agency...

Look, firing people isn't easy even in the private sector, let alone in government.
Even if you do fire someone at a private company, there are laws preventing you from hiring a replacement for a certain period.

Do you honestly think these people wouldn't quit if they wanted to? Who do they think they're dealing with? They think they're untouchable.
Half the municipal enforcement officers are basically trolling the new administration and working against them... plus, they're constantly "out on sick leave."

If they tried to hire anyone new, the media would scream about over-hiring, even though their whole slogan was supposed to be cutting staff numbers.

Edit: Two years is nothing... Just look at Liverpool FC and how long it took them to even get somewhat stabilized... Who knows how much longer it'll take to become what we actually want.

And Liverpool FC is just one organization. Running a city is a massive undertaking by comparison, so in that context, two years is a blink of an eye.

says: As far as I'm concerned—moving the ATMs, fixing what’s broken, finally seeing the east side of City Hall, and actually publishing the list of people who owe the city money (which affects all of us)—those little things matter for our daily lives. That should be enough. But hey, just build a garage and call it a win for the first term.

I think they're just trying to signal which direction they want to head in...
I hope there's a bigger goal behind it, but we'll have to wait and see.

The worst part is inheriting a total mess. Getting back to zero takes massive effort, and honestly, nobody even notices because you're just paying off old debts—you aren't actually building anything new or visible.

I just hope whoever gets elected next doesn't undo all these small improvements. It would be a damn shame if people like those local cronies lose their jobs just because they won't play ball against the public interest.

amberjackal68 said:I guess there isn't much to say here, really. Just a Quote.

Is he really any different from that whole circus of self-proclaimed saviors like Elizabeth Warren, George Santos, Bernie Sanders, Clarence Thomas, and John Boehner? Seriously. The guy is a mayor, yet 90% of his responses basically scream, "Please, oh please, throw me into high-stakes national politics! Just let me and my lovely wife join the big leagues!" I mean, you don't have to worry about Bo, but the two of them? They’re practically begging for it.🙄

Yeah, he's different... Because even after getting elected as mayor, he's actually showing he wants to take down the frauds who line their pockets with public funds.

Of course he's gonna want to move up—any sane person wants to move forward. Plus, you need federal power to actually make progress at the local level, since so much of what happens in a city is tied to Washington... you can't do much without that support.

Edit of the previous post: "I can show up at the local district court and tell them you owe me money..."

Zachary Anderson20 said:And have you seen how many disputes and messy transactions are listed on the title report?

That’s completely irrelevant... I can walk into a local district court and claim money from you—requesting a lien on your property—even if we aren't even related.
The lien stays put until the court rules in my favor.

If you were a corporation, you could still manage the assets normally even with a lien on them.
If you sold the property, whatever cash you got would have to be split with me based on the percentage I requested through the courts—assuming the judge actually sides with me. If they side with you, I just eat the legal fees and get nothing.

George Diaz said:My bad, let me rephrase that...
I’m just so incredibly proud that I cast my vote just to give him the chance to
cram his girlfriend into that head of public works position?

Happy now?

Well said!

And honestly, even if they appointed her without any qualifications, it’d still be better than that ADZ-ESDP-RUMKE coalition
that crammed thousands of incompetent hacks into office!

Sean Palmer67 said:They said today that the real issue is what property law dictates—basically, the owner, which in this case is the City, can demand the termination of building rights after 20 years. And yeah, I just double-checked, so that has nothing to do with the actual construction timeline.
It honestly baffles me why these people are handing such a huge win to these frauds instead of actually protecting the City's interests. The whole thing smells fishy—maybe Puljak is just waiting for some bulldozers to show up since he can't get anything moving through official channels.

Nobody’s arguing that you *can* request it.

The real question is whether you'll actually win once you file the claim—especially since you already signed and accepted the contract
that specifically states there is no construction deadline. You agreed to those terms, and now you're just changing your mind.

Property law only kicks in if the contract doesn't specify otherwise—and in this case, it does.

Zachary Anderson20 said:Honestly, this guy clearly doesn't have a clue. Or maybe he does and he's just being lazy? First off, the Manus district is actually named after that well. So, all those massive parking garages they're dreaming about digging up could easily backfire on them. Second, I’ve already vented about this, so I really don't feel like repeating myself. Up until now, the City should have just shut down construction because the 20-year term expired and returned everything to public property. Instead, they're handing out favors left and right to any random developer looking to wash their hands of things. Who even cares who did what twenty years ago?! The current administration could have easily turned this around to benefit the public interest and the City, rather than catering to a bunch of corporate suits who want to "develop the market" or whatever other bullshit they're peddling.

Gamorrice, that whole 20-year expiration thing you're talking about only matters if the contract didn't say otherwise!

The article clearly states they signed a contract without a construction deadline—there were plenty of other pieces mentioning there was no set timeframe in the agreement.
That's how the Coalition thought it would all go...
There's basically no difference between those two parties—they're just looking out for each other.

Eric Lopez79 said:Honestly, anyone's better than those Republican Party hacks—not even gonna go there, it's obvious enough.
Feels like their best move is actually working with Đerek—I’d probably give them my vote next time just because of her.
Bojan's been looking a bit rough lately too, needs to tighten up.

Don't know the guy, but I don't see him actually "making moves"—not anytime soon, anyway.

There's a mountain of paperwork involved—stuff that has to be filed through all sorts of other agencies.
Half the time, they can't even do anything—their hands are tied by higher authorities like federal departments or inspectors... basically any agency under the national government.

And then there's the whole mess with public spaces and areas controlled by the "state" where random "entrepreneurs" just use the space without paying a dime in rent.
In some spots, you've got these ridiculous setups, but the city doesn't have the authority to touch them because they fall under federal jurisdiction.
The government just passes the buck to everyone else instead of taking responsibility—they won't lift a finger.

Our laws are written so poorly it drives you insane (probably on purpose)—the administration and those "independent" judges can interpret them however they feel like it.

So, the city sends a formal request to a federal agency for an opinion, the agency sends back its response citing some specific Law that says the city is responsible for the action. The city does what it's told, then some "businessman" sues them, and the court rules that the city shouldn't have done it—that it was the federal government's job—all while citing that exact same Law. You'd think that kind of nonsense only happened in movies.

There's a massive amount of work here... you wouldn't believe half the stuff going on behind the scenes.

Emily Smith6 said:TEARS IN SAN FRANCISCO: Local mother of a disabled daughter lashes out at City Hall: "It's shameful that this is happening, and make no mistake, we will take to the streets!"

'My daughter is 37 years old. I've cooperated with all the authorities here in San Francisco, and this is the first time I’m stepping into the spotlight. I never asked for cameras or microphones. The administration tried to claim we were only here for political reasons, but please, give me a break—I don't belong to any party! My child wasn't given to me by a political group; she was given to me by fate, and I don't even own a voter registration card,' said a local woman through tears. She explained how she had reached out to both the forest park director and the Mayor regarding issues at the local coastal parks, but they simply passed the buck back and forth, leaving her completely ignored. "I have never called the press just to ask for help. But now, we've hit a brick wall because the current administration clearly lacks any social empathy. We've had all our paperwork ready for two years, trying to resolve the issues regarding the local community centers, the public pools, and the beaches," she stated breathlessly. She further alleged that when the Deputy Mayor heard she might address the council session, he reportedly just asked, "Who is this woman?!" "I wasn't invited, but I decided to show up at City Hall for today's meeting on my own accord. The days of us hiding our children away are over; we aren't going to hide anymore, and I am a proud mother. It is shameful that this is happening, and we will be out in the streets. In fact, I even stopped a protest last night!" the mother added, visibly frustrated.

I suppose credit goes to the Mayor and his team for their policies, but I guess their public communication is just terrible.

I totally agree that people with disabilities need support to live a normal life.

But I have to wonder about this lady... she claims she’s had great cooperation with the city government until now. Is it really possible that everything was just perfect for people with disabilities before—nothing missing, everything accessible—and then the second this administration takes over, suddenly everything goes south and she has to go to the media? Highly unlikely.

Honestly, I don't think it's a communication issue—because let's face it, no matter what these guys say, certain people are always going to stir up tension.

Also, the Patriot Party is hitting the city hall hard, claiming they aren't respecting the disabled community—but what are they actually doing at the county level? They hold power there too, and I highly doubt conditions are any better in the smaller towns, rural areas, or suburbs...
It’s easy to sit back and say "this is wrong" or "that's bad," but what are they actually *doing*?

Let's be real here—these guys haven't even been in office for two years, even if elections were held early. In my opinion, they're doing a solid job preventing city funds from being wasted. They're focusing on revenue generation through land use, and once that money starts flowing back into our city, everyone wins—including people with disabilities.

For way too long, certain individuals were just lining their own pockets at the city's expense, which meant we missed out on vital investments.

amberjackal68 said:Is he going to take the same kind of stance he took regarding the recycling center over in Špinut, or is he just going to go on strike against the garbage collectors? 😁

You're a real piece of work, 😉

He stood his ground on the Downtown issue, but he didn't have the numbers—the Democratic Party and the rest of the City Council voted against it.

And honestly, that’s actually a good sign. It shows the Democratic Party isn't out there "buying" votes, unlike that other party that would somehow scrape together five extra votes if they had to...

As for his stance on the Sanitation Department workers... if what they're asking for fits within the City's budget (just a different way of slicing the pie), I don't see why anyone needs to take a side.
It's like arguing over whether you're paying someone $100 using twenty-dollar bills or ten-dollar bills...