SAN DIEGO SAN DIEGO —The downtown San Diego hotel project that became a controversial case of eminent domain is now flirting with default.
Developers who proposed a four-star Marriott Renaissance hotel at Fifth Avenue and J Street say they can’t start because of the economy, even though it has been five years since the city condemned Ahmad Mesdaq’s Gran Havana cigar lounge to make way for the hotel.
The Centre City Development Corp. yesterday gave the developers 30 days to negotiate another extension or be found in default of their city contract.
The terms: a new timeline for completing construction milestones, a plan to compensate the public agency for more than $650,000 in staff time, and assurances that a broken sidewalk along the property will be fixed.
Developer’s agent Perry Dealy said his clients will try to achieve those goals.
Mesdaq, of Scripps Ranch, who attended the public meeting, said he thinks the city should cut the developers loose.
— J.S.
Elder-care resident gets $1.3 million for 2006 fall
NORTH COUNTY COURTS: A jury has determined that a woman suffered abuse and neglect in 2006 at an elder-care facility in Fallbrook and awarded her more than $1.3 million for medical bills and damages.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed in January 2008 on behalf of Elaine Stinson against Leisure Palms, where Stinson had been a resident. The two-week trial ended Monday in Vista Superior Court.
In October 2006, Stinson — then 82 — was placed at the six-bed facility by her husband, Alvin. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and was recovering from hip surgery.
According to the lawsuit, Stinson was injured in a fall at Leisure Palms on Dec. 31, 2006. Caregivers put her in bed but didn’t immediately call her doctor or family.
The next morning, her husband found her nonresponsive. He called 911, and Stinson was taken to a hospital, where she underwent surgery.
Stinson recovered over the next 10 months. She now lives at a facility in Murrieta. Her husband died in 2007.
Attorney Robert Hamparyan, one of Stinson’s lawyers, said staff members at Leisure Palms weren’t properly trained and that some couldn’t speak, read or write English.
Laurence Haines, who represented Leisure Palms, said the staff was trained and that Stinson’s injuries were because of an accident, not neglect. He said his client plans to appeal the verdict.
— D.L.
Supervisors raise vehicle emission fee from $2 to $4
SAN DIEGO: Supervisors voted to double the clean-air fee Tuesday for owners of registered vehicles in the county.
Beginning in October, the emissions-reduction fee will jump from $2 to $4, generating an extra $5 million a year in revenue for the county’s Air Pollution Control District.
District officials said they need the extra money to offset rising costs and to pay for matching funds that are required by state and federal grants.
The measure passed 4-1. Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob opposed an increase because of the recession.
— J.M.
‘Unassigned teachers’ need new credentials
SAN DIEGO: After eliminating positions, raising class sizes and offering early retirement to veteran educators to help close its budget gap, the San Diego Unified School District has about 185 teachers who are without classroom assignments for fall.
Although the district has openings for 100 middle school and 60 special-education teachers, the “unassigned teachers” are credentialed only for elementary grades.
To fill the vacancies without having to hire additional teachers, the district is working with the teachers union on an agreement that would help train the elementary teachers for the open jobs.
The district could send teachers back to college and pay the tuition to get them credentialed for special education or middle school. As an incentive, the district may pay for teachers to earn a master’s degree, something that would increase their wages. Under the arrangement still being negotiated, the teachers could receive an emergency credential that would allow them to teach while they are earning their degrees.
— M.M.
25-year veteran hired as city’s comptroller
SAN DIEGO: Ken Whitfield, who has 25 years of experience in financial management, has been hired as San Diego’s city comptroller.
Whitfield starts today and will earn $150,000 a year. His responsibilities include putting in place the city’s new financial business technology system, managing the development of the city’s annual financial reports, overseeing payroll and accounts payable, and documenting and instituting internal controls.
Whitfield was previously vice president and chief financial officer at California State University Stanislaus. He has a business finance degree from SDSU and an MBA from California State University Fullerton.
— H.G.
Staff writers Jeanette Steele, Dana Littlefield, Jeff McDonald, Maureen Magee and Helen Gao contributed to this report.
