Ari Bloomekatz
Voice of San Diego
Russian Federation
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Past articles by Ari:
Why a Fiscally Conservative Vote-by-Mail Plan Got No GOP Love
If you want to understand why GOP support was so hard to come by for a bill steeped in fiscally conservative principles and that originated from a conservative San Diego County government, consider these three points. → Read More
Even Pension Board Members Can’t Understand Pension Jargon
Throughout this week's San Diego County Employees Retirement Association board meeting, trustees asked the financial advisers who are investing public money to → Read More
4 Takeaways from the Heated County Pension Meeting
Nothing was really finalized Thursday, but the explosive meeting unearthed some important takeaways about how the pension board operates and what’s next in the discussion over its controversial new investment strategy. → Read More
Fact Check: The County Pension System’s Defense of Its Risky Strategy
News stories earlier this month sparked claims that San Diego County's pension system is embarking on a risky new investment strategy. Brian White, the pension system's CEO, shot back, defending the strategy as “the opposite of gambling.” → Read More
The County Pension’s Wall Street Game
The county's pension fund is betting bigger, but officials deny they’re at the casino. → Read More
‘I Saw an Opportunity to Regain Control of the Desert Line’
MTS CEO Paul Jablonski defended the agency's decision to tap Pacific Imperial Railroad to revive the troubled Desert Line as a simple move to make some money off a dormant asset. He says MTS did plenty to ensure it got a good deal even if efforts to resurrect the line implode. → Read More
The Story Behind That ‘Mr. Lambo’ Reference
Prosecutors refer to the Mexican businessman at the center of the campaign finance scandal as → Read More
How San Diego Wound Up on the Wrong Side of the Tracks
Local leaders are once again buzzing about the possibility of reviving the Desert Line. So you'd be forgiven for thinking the railroad would actually stop in San Diego. It wouldn't, at least according to the plans being developed by Pacific Imperial Railroad. → Read More
Agency Says Business Plan for ‘Impossible Railroad’ Is None of Your Business
MTS refuses to release documents that would answer some of the most basic questions about the Desert Line railroad project, how Pacific Imperial actually intends to rebuild the line and what its business strategy is. → Read More
MTS Almost Got Off Easy on the Desert Line
A company under increasing scrutiny nearly made life easy on county transportation officials this month, when a missed lease payment almost negated its contract to rebuild a cross-border freight line. Now, if public officials want to undo the deal, they'll have to work for it. → Read More
The Desert Line Mirage Lives on — for Now
A group of border-region business interests are eager to see the Desert Line become reality, but the project is now mired in conflicts involving its latest owners and the Metropolitan Transit System – and at least two U.S. congressmen want to know just what the heck is going on. → Read More
SD County Still Crawling Out from ‘Bunker Mentality’ on Transparency
One county supervisor thinks a lack of public participation in the budget process is a good thing – it means the public trusts the county enough to sit on the sidelines. → Read More
How the County Wants to Fix Wildfire Response
When it came to hashing out San Diego County's plans to move forward with its wildfire response improvement efforts, communication and outreach were at the top of the list. → Read More
Where San Diego County Gets Its $5 Billion – and Where it Goes
San Diego County's proposed budget includes lots of attempts to restore funding to programs that had been slashed during the economic downturn, and to expand others. → Read More
The Return of the County’s Controversial Grant Program
Four years ago, under sustained criticism, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors cut in half a program that let each supervisor dole out $2 million a year to nonprofits. Now the supervisors want the other $1 million apiece back. → Read More
Where There’s Fire, There’s a Hazy Set of Prevention Rules
The crew that caused the Bernardo Fire was working in high-risk conditions at a time when residents had been warned that even weed-whackers could ignite a blaze. But limiting the use of outdoor equipment to certain hours is only a recommendation, it's not enforced by anyone and there are no meaningful penalties for failing to comply. → Read More
‘I Feel Like I’m Getting Away With Something’: The View from an Unchallenged Seat
County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who ran for his final term without a challenger, didn't set an alarm Tuesday morning. When he did get up, he told his wife, → Read More
Scenes from Barrio Logan’s Last Day in Limbo
Even in Barrio Logan, turnout seemed modest Tuesday, though most supported propositions that would uphold the community’s new growth outline. → Read More
What a District Attorney Decides
Tough-on-crime rhetoric is especially popular come election time. But a district attorney does a lot more than usher criminals into the prison system. → Read More
Why Republicans Should Feel Good About San Diego’s June Primary
Lower turnout has in recent history always favored more conservative candidates. And there is little reason to believe the trend will end this time around. → Read More