Cut to the Chase
Welcome to this archive of articles by SDET editor and activist, Carolyn Chase. Most of these articles were published in her weekly column in the San Diego Daily Transcript in the Opinion and Comments section - just look for the title "Cut to the Chase."
Click one of the icons below to go to a list of articles on the named topic, or check the list below for all articles.
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| Pub. Date | Title | Subject |
| SDDT 2/04 | Political Litmus Tests |
I've often pondered why anyone would run for public office. There’s a lot of overtime, as well as personal risk and overhead, to put in mildly. So what's it all about? Power, plain and simple.
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| SDDT 4/03 | Choosing a City Attorney |
The City Attorney's Office is low profile but high impact, having the legal authority to affect nearly every decision of the City Council.
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| SDDT 4/03 | Here at Home |
To the extent that wars can be noble, in terms of lofty goals, the Iraq war qualifies. It is also racked up its long list of pain and horrors, following up the initial shock and awe.
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| SDDT 3/3/03 | Operation End Extremism |
… That's what we really need right now: a movement to end extremism. Let's go see what this is about. The moment of hope began to fade when I tuned into the fact that it was a Senate Committee. Environment and Public works – an odd place to go after extremism, I think. But wait. It turns out the extremism they mean are environmental protections. The extremists they mean, it seems, include me.
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| SDDT 2/24/03 | Irrational planning... on rails |
The politics at issue here are the politics of big-money and good-old-boyism involved with so-called “Light Rail Transit” (LRT) planning in our region. There's nothing really “light” about LRT in terms of either the costs or time it takes to deliver.
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| SDDT 2/17/03 | Great cities, great planning... and San Diego |
The following are comments presented to the Land Use and Housing Committee on February 12, 2003, concerning General Plan Update Work program for the Planning Department. The group's purpose is to update the General Plan and Community Plans to become consistent with the Strategic Framework Element, aka “City of Villages.”
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| SDDT 12/02 | A Christmas Story |
Her letter was headlined “A Prayer for Success.” It read, “Christmas is not such a happy time when your rent is scheduled to increase at the beginning of January 1 – and your income has not increased proportionately.” This is a story as old as the story of human habitation… |
| SDDT 11/02 | Balancing Progress With Preservation |
The following is a condensed version of remarks from a speech I made to a San Diego Chamber of Commerce audience, entitled “Balancing Progress With Preservation.”
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| SDDT 10/14/02 | Reinvent planning |
How did they plan great cities before we had fancy computers to draw colorful maps? Are cities planned better since? These questions were brought into focus recently when I attended a meeting where developers were presenting their ground-truthing for the County's General Plan 2020 update. |
| SDDT 9/25/02 | In pursuit of good growth |
What do soccer moms, bored teenagers and weary commuters have in common? They are identified as just a few of the "victims of sprawl" in "Suburban Nation," a book by leading new urbanist designers and implementors: Andres Duany, Elizatbeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck. |
| SDDT 9/1/02 | City of Parks or City of Parking? |
I do not disagree that this "Strategic Framework Element" for the General Plan contains some good language. But good language that is not enforceable and sets no standards is just that: pretty prose and nothing more.
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| SDDT 8/5/02 | Housing Hysteria |
Unprecedented discussions about San Diego’s unaffordable housing have taken place since a July 2001 City Council direction that staff create proposal for a "flexible inclusionary housing program with incentives."
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| SDDT 6/12/02 | Plan before power |
Bills are being pursued in the State legislature ... to give more land-use power to the San Diego Association of Governments by establishing it as the official, state-mandated regional government.
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| SDDT 5/27/02 | Protect What Merits Protection |
On May 1, 2002, Watt Commercial Properties had workers chop down three mature jacaranda trees in downtown San Diego.
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| SDDT 5/6/02 | Traffic Olympics, Part 2: what's the opportunity? |
We’re about to enter the Olympics of traffic congestion folks. You think you’ve got traffic now? You ain’t seen nothing yet!
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| SDDT 4/21/02 | Merge Mash Madness, Part 1: The Mess |
How will the construction of the new "bypass" lanes at the 5/805 merge impact already out-of-control traffic through the merge?
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| SDDT 2/25/02 | Fired Up |
The history of California’s beautiful landscapes has been greatly shaped by the awesome power of fire.
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| SDDT 2/6/02 | Questioning Questions |
You learn about people by the questions that they ask – how they are framed reveals much about the framer. This was brought into great focus recently during a presentation I was asked to give at a recent LEAD event.
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| SDDT 1/31/02 | Who Gives? |
I spent some volunteer hours over the holidays pouring over political campaign donor reports – wondering and learning – who gives?
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| SDDT 1/22/02 | Justice Matters |
District Attorney is up for re-election with a field of three healthy challengers in the March 5 primary.
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| SDDT 12/17/01 | Leadership with Sprawl Vision |
While most people would find solace in some swatches of remaining rolling hills and open space, each of those remaining private undeveloped areas of any size has plans and projects already permitted and/or in the pipeline.
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| SDDT 12/3/01 | 911: Reduce our Risk |
At the beginning of the nuclear age, utility companies wouldn't go near the nuclear power business because no insurance firm would accept responsibility for accidents. Nuclear proponents lobbied and Congress passed the Price-Anderson Act of 1957. It was to be a temporary, ten-year measure to "encourage the private development of nuclear power." |
| SDDT 11/19/01 | Political transition needed |
"For the first time since the oil age began, the world has the technology to wean itself from petroleum coming from the politically volatile Middle East," says Lester R. Brown in his new book, "Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth."
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| SDDT 10/29/01 | Lower costs doesn't equal more affordable |
This is a Cut to the Chase "special edition" in the sense that it's a rebuttal to a commentary by Steve Doyle, President of the San Diego Building Industry Association. For those of you who didn't seen it, I include it, followed by my response.
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| SDDT 10/15/01 | Being in a time of war |
The list of things we think but cannot say is longer than ever. The list of "worry thoughts" that occur to us and must be endured is also rising. Many Americans have never directly experienced how to "be" during a homefront war.
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| SDDT 9/24/01 | Public Education |
Fifty years of lopsided spending [by SANDAG] on transportation has both failed to deliver reasonable traffic conditions and greatly contributed to the region's environmental degradation especially the fragmentation of open space and water pollution. |
| SDDT 9/10/01 | Flat-Earth Thinking in Our Time |
I'm fed up with big-airport boosterism. Study after study after study has piled up on putting a new international airport in the San Diego region. These studies provide easy targets for "Golden Fleece" awards from the San Diego County Taxpayer's Association. |
| SDDT 8/27/01 | It takes a region |
The foreseeable problems identified by RGEC - continued declines in quality of life due to sprawl, loss of open space, funding and infrastructure deficits, pollution and traffic - are unlikely to be solved until some accountable regional decision-making body is established to enhance the current limitations and biases of the SANDAG "agency-by-memo" structure.
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| SDDT 7/16/01 | Santee Folly Square |
Is there anything in this project that makes it oriented toward the trolley - other than the name? I think not. When you look at the site plan, it's dominated by parking, parking, parking. It's basically one-story, big-box, car-oriented retail: a poster child for "infill sprawl."
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| SDDT 6/18/01 | Pollitics |
Higher taxes or higher traffic? Which would you choose? The problem is, we are getting both.
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| SDDT 6/1/01 | Guidelines for Future Development |
The city of San Diego Planning Department is all honked-up in its production of an amendment to the General Plan, something blandly called the Strategic Framework Element.
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| SDDT 5/7/01 | Management Breakdown at SANDAG |
Debate rages over instituting a new form of regional government in San Diego. Why? If a recent San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Board hearing is any indication, our current version of regional government simply isn't up to the complex task of deliberating and resolving the critical issues concerning growth management. |
| SDDT 4/23/01 | Local EARTH Awards on April 26 |
In celebration of Earth Day 2001, San Diego EarthWorks has announced this year's winners of the EARTH (Environmental Action & Restoration That Helps) Awards. The EARTH Awards recognize San Diego businesses, government agencies, community leaders, and non-profit organizations that are making a positive difference for the environment.
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| SDET 4/01 | Sea Whirled |
First, the Chargers, then the Padres. Now, it's Anheuser-Busch/SeaWorld looking for their special treatment from City Council. |
| SDDT 3/23/01 | Building for the future |
Construction has been completed for phase one of the San Diego Jewish Academy, a 22-acre "green" school campus located on a 40-acre site in Carmel Valley.
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| SDDT 3/12/01 | Great Streets |
What are the key issues in dealing with the impacts of growth on our local streets and intersections?
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| SDDT 2/23/01 | Regional questions |
If regionalism is the answer, what's the question? And who's asking it? |
| SDDT 2/12/01 | Regional Reflection |
Carolyn reports on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) annual retreat. |
| SDDT 1/26/01 | In the dark |
The Golden State has lost its glow -- literally. We are now the "Brownout State" and who can you call? Carolyn comments on the energy mess. |
| SDDT 1/12/01 | Pollution Culture |
The State Regional Water Quality Control Board in an attempt to further regulate and change the practices that have led to persistent water pollution has finally issued a new Municipal Stormwater Permit.
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| SDDT 11/17/00 | Sustainable jobs |
Short-sighted business interests persist in fighting environmental limits as overly costly and burdensome. Far from costing jobs, effective environmental policies can stimulate the creation of jobs ...
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| SDDT 10/27/00 | Political sizing |
What's a voter to think if most candidates are saying that they will be the one to actually do something about cleaning up our beaches and bays?
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| SDDT 10/23/00 | Doable Dream |
When you think about public transportation, innovation is not one of the top ten words that will usually come to mind.
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| SDDT 10/16/00 | Open Secrets |
The absolute most excellent site just showed up on the internet.
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| SDDT 10/9/00 | Let the Voting Begin |
Has anyone else noticed that advertisements are getting more and more absurd?
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| SDDT 9/25/00 | Pointless pollution |
Polluted runoff is considered by the state to be the leading cause of receiving water quality impairment.
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| SDDT 9/5/00 | Driving Technology |
Support Cleaner Cars for California (ZEV Program up for review)
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| SDDT 8/25/00 | Taking our temperatures |
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| SDDT 7/16/00 | Who Wants It? |
City of San Diego General Plan and Growth Shell Game
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| SDDT 7/14/00 | Energy Prophets |
Problems and solutions of energy deregulation
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| SDDT 8/7/00 | Biotech vs Biology? |
Sorrento Valley Rd /Torrey Pines State Reserve
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| SDDT 7/28/00 | Exactly what's wrong |
Mission Bay / Jet Ski Politics
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| SDDT 7/21/00 | Process over performance |
Just part of why our transportation systems are uncompetitive.
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| SDDT 7/10/00 | Ask the Mayoral Candidates |
Politics, Environment and The Mayor
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| SDDT 7/3/00 | Market Failure |
Affordable housing
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| SDDT 5/15/00 | Blame Game |
Wetlands vs. Roads
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| SDDT 5/8/00 | Friendly Polluters |
Mission Bay, Sea World and water pollution
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| SDDT 5/1/00 | Penciling Out |
Energy, Politics & SDG&E
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| SDDT 4/24/00 | Rationale for Regionalism |
Smart Growth & regionalism
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| SDDT 4/17/00 | Do Your Part |
Pollution solutions/energy
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| SDDT 4/10/00 | Smart growth showdown |
Assumption of Smart Growth
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| SDDT 4/3/00 | Sprawlitics |
County rezone of agricultural preserves
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| SDDT 3/27/00 | Oil victims -- again |
Energy, transportation
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| SDDT 3/20/00 | Rational choices |
Subsidizing "bad behavior"
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| SDDT 3/13/00 | Putting up |
What would a great transportation system be like?
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| SDDT 3/6/00 | Ambush week |
Election politics
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| SDDT 2/28/00 | Free To Be Stupid |
Election politics
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| SDDT 12/21/00 | Blueprint for Los Angelization |
Transportation planning -- NOT
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| STTD 2/14/00 | Clean Energy Quest |
Energy alternatives
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| SDDT 2/2/00 | Uncommon sense |
Transportation + Politics = Traffic
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| SDDT 1/28/00 | Rhetoric vs. Reality |
Election politics
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| SDDT 1/21/00 | Sprawl schools |
Schools vs. affordable housing
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| SDDT 1/17/00 | Sloppy or Sleazy? |
Election politics
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| SDDT 1/10/00 | Building Green |
Green homes
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| SDDT 12/27/99 | Calendar Coincidence |
Technology/internet
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| SDDT 12/20/99 | From Ho-Ho-Ho to Hot-Hot-Hot |
Global warming -- humor
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| SDDT 12/10/99 | Motions of Compliance |
Congestion mismanagement
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| SDDDT 12/6/99 | Congestion Politics |
Transportation planning -- BAD
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| SDDT 11/26/99 | Influences Past and Future |
Growth/sprawl -- the Top 10 influences in American cities
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| SDDT 11/22/99 | Growth Politics |
Urban planning/sprawl -- Fanita Ranch
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| SDDT 11/12/99 | Road to ruin |
Public weighs in on bad roads
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| SDDT 11/5/99 | Evolving capitalism |
Natural Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution
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| SDDT 10/29/99 | Sign of new times |
BIG signs not needed
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| SDDT 10/20/99 | Solving Sprawl |
How and why about sprawl
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| SDDT 10/18/99 | What Fuels These Mortals Be |
Oil overdependence & fuel economy
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| SDDT 10/11/99 | Sludge Fund |
Mission Bay Park, pollution & $$
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| SDDT 10/1/99 | Ways to Go |
Solutions & the paradox of suto-mobility
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| SDDT 9/24/99 | Remember Bliss |
Designing for people, not cars
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| Cool Companies |
Energy & bottom-line results
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| Green Power Makes Cents |
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| EV Does It |
Electric cars -- the single biggest thing an individual can do
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| Personal cooling |
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| Civic Infrastructure |
Public participation
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| SDDT 7/19/99 | More of the same |
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| SDDT 7/12/99 | Clearing some air |
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| SDDT 7/5/99 | Permitting Pollution |
Jet ski pollution
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| SDDT 6/28/99 | Getting with the program |
Recycled products purchasing co-op
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| SDDT 6/21/99 | Preventing Pointless Pollution |
Stormwater pollution prevention
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| SDDT 6/14/99 | Interesting Times |
Environmental revolution?
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| SDDT 6/7/99 | Political Infrastructure |
Thinking regionally
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| SDDT 5/31/99 | Civic Salad |
Smart growth
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| SDDT 5/24/99 | Building Leadership |
Green building
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| SDDT 5/17/99 | Everyday decisions |
Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices
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| SDDT 5/10/99 | Beyond Sentiment |
Energy victims
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| SDDT 5/3/99 | Still Smarting |
Smart growth
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| SDDT 4/26/99 | Pollution Politics Persist |
Water pollution
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| SDDT 4/19/99 | Make the Connections |
Earth Day
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| SDDT 4/12/99 | Business Matters |
ISO 14001 environmental management
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| SDDT 4/3/99 | Planning to fail |
Fees for smart growth
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| SDDT 3/29/99 | Grow Getters |
Smart growth?
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| SDDT 3/22/99 | Course correction |
Business & Sustainability
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| SDDT 3/15/99 | Better not Bigger |
Myths of growth
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| SDDT 3/8/99 | Driving Evolution |
Green cars & trucks
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| SDDT 3/1/99 | Growtesque |
Dysfunctional growth
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| SDDT 2/22/99 | Global Growth |
Population growth
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| SDDT 2/15/99 | Minds over Matter |
How much stuff do we have?
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| SDDT 2/8/99 | Lanes to nowhere |
Congestion & sprawl
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| SDDT 2/1/99 | Special Studies |
Mission Bay Park
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| SDDT 1/25/99 | Grow Up San Diego |
Population growth
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| SDDT 1/18/99 | Mismatch? |
What kind of growth?
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| SDDT 1/12/99 | Political Species |
MSCP lawsuit
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| SDDT 1/5/99 | Extinction Politics |
Endangered Species Act & MSCP
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| SDDT 12/7/98 | Sustainable Water Future |
State water blueprint
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| SDDT 11/30/98 | Giving Thanks |
Carmel Mountain Preserve
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| SDDT 11/23/98 | Cut taxes, save the world |
Harnessing the market for the environment
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| SDDT 11/16/98 | The Next Industrial Revolution |
Business & environment
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| SDDT 11/9/98 | Ballot Box Reality |
Review of election results
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| SDDT 11/2/98 | The Devil in the Details |
Congress & the environment -- NOT
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| SDDT 10/26/98 | Sprawl Wars |
Responsible growth?
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| SDDT 10/19/98 | Political Truth: Just Say Moo | |
| SDDT 10/12/98 | Politically Confused |
Governor & environment -- NOT
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| SDDT 10/5/98 | Congressional Attachments |
Congress & environment -- NOT
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| SDDT 9/28/98 | Short-Attention-Span Politics |
Who has time for politics?
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| SDDT 9/21/98 | Public Trussed |
"Poor" Bill Clinton
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| SDDT 9/14/98 | Sprawling America |
Suburban sprawl growth
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| SDDT 9/7/98 | Cultural Evolution |
Building vs stopping projects
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| SDDT 8/31/98 | Don't inhale or Keep on Breathin' |
Alternatives to diesel
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| SDDT 8/24/98 | Trickle Down Housing |
Affordable housing
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| SDDT 8/17/98 | Putting a Price on Mom |
Ecology, economics & growth
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| SDDT 8/10/98 | Trip to Tomorrowland |
Disneyland & trarnsportation planning
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| SDDT 8/3/98 | Urban road warriors |
Cars & wealth
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| SDDT 7/27/98 | Car Redux |
Grwoth & traffic
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| SDDT 7/20/98 | 21st Century Infrastructure: Builders Wanted |
Science, environment & growth
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| SDDT 7/13/98 | Driving Taxes |
Vehicle licence fee cuts
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| SDDT 7/6/98 | Planning Happens |
Planning & growth
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| SDDT 6/29/98 | Port Misauthority |
Port of San Diego
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| SDDT 6/22/98 | A Tale of Two Developments |
Growth & development
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| SDDT 6/15/98 | Political education |
Transit connections missing
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| SDDT 6/8/98 | Out of Balance |
Politics & environment
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| SDDT 6/1/98 | Who's Doing What |
Politics & environment
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| SDDT 5/25/98 | The Price Is Not Right |
Price distortions & environment
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| SDDT 5/15/98 | Get out of gridlock |
Sharing the road
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| SDDT 5/8/98 | Quite a vision or Growing Up? |
Urban growth/open space
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| SDDT 5/1/98 | Growth vs. evolution |
Sustainability
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| SDDT 4/27/98 | Time for a New American Dream |
Voluntary Simplicity
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| SDDT 4/20/98 | Act Locally for the Earth |
Earth Week highlights
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| SDDT 4/13/99 | Cut Polluter Pork |
Cut pollution subsidies
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| SDDT 4/3/98 | Smart Taxes |
Tax pollution,reward enterprise
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| SDDT 3/30/98 | Trash tangle |
Where does the trrash go?
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| SDDT 3/23/98 | Water Efficiency |
State water systems
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| SDDT 3/16/98 | A bay in the hand is worth a bunch to Busch, or Givin' away the bay |
Mission Bay Park
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| SDDT 3/9/98 | Support South Bay's natural infrastructure |
Wildlife refugs
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| SDDT 3/2/98 | Going, Going, Gone |
Endangered biodiversity
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| SDDT 2/23/98 | All Wet |
Local flooding issues
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| SDDT 2/16/98 | Meet the Enemy |
Population growth
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| SDDT 2/9/98 | Jolly Trolley Folly |
Transit effectiveness?
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| SDDT 2/2/98 | Phase This, or Dumb or Dumber? |
SR-56 & growth
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| SDDT 1/26/98 | Prescription for Decongestion Needed |
Freeway congestion
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| SDDT 1/12/98 | Fields of Dreams, or People Politics |
The ballot initiative process
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| SDDT 1/12/98 | Growing the Future |
Our addiction to growth
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| SDDT 1/5/98 | New Year, New Hope |
Political justice?
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| SDDT 12/29/97 | In with the new |
Year-end summary
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| SDDT 12/22/97 | Responsibility Relief |
Regulatory relief politics
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| SDDT 12/15/97 | Pipe Dreams |
California's water supply
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| SDDT 12/8/97 | Tyranny of Choice or The Terms of the Deals |
Downtown dealmaking
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| SDDT 11/31/97 | Wanted: Operation Safe Sand |
Beach erosion
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| SDDT 11/24/97 | Back of the Bus |
Multiple Species Conservation Plan
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| SDDT 11/17/97 | Wets up? |
Wetlands protection
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