New Sewage Plant Would Be a Big Waste, Former Project Backer Says

Coming attractions.

* Water and money.

There’s been a serious defection in the city of San Diego’s fight to persuade the public and federal Judge Rudi Brewster that taxpayers should pony up $500 million to upgrade the Point Loma sewage plant.

Coronado attorney Miles Harvey has written Brewster to tell him that the half-billion-dollar project is a “tragic waste of taxpayers’ dollars” and unneeded to help the city meet clean water laws.

Until recently, Harvey was chairman of the Metropolitan Sewer Task Force. That’s the blue-ribbon group that has spent three years trying to design the project and sell it to the public.

The next hearing in Brewster’s court is Feb. 5.

* Look for tiny Alpine to be the next spot for a divisive public debate over the presence of illegal aliens.

A strongly worded flyer is being distributed to discourage the hiring of street-corner laborers who are not in this country legally:

“If you want to help clean up Alpine, help reduce crime, help to protect the children. . . .”

Signed by the publishers of two community newspapers, the commander of the Alpine sheriff’s station, president of the Chamber of Commerce, superintendent of the Alpine school district, a top aide to Supervisor George Bailey, and various homeowners.

A town meeting is set for next Wednesday.

* The committee seeking to recall San Diego Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt expects today to turn in more than enough signatures to force an election.

On the same ballot, if voters dump Bernhardt, they will pick a successor.

Possible candidates: employment agency owner Mel Katz, lawyer Tom Behr, Mira Mesa activist Lucy Gonzalez, former Councilman Floyd Morrow, lawyer/unsuccessful candidate Mike Eckmann, and, yes, even Ed Struiksma, the two-termer deposed by Bernhardt a year ago.

The election may be held as early as late February.

Oil the News That’s Fit to Print

Top of the news.

* Black and white. And red, white and blue, too.

The (Fallbrook) Enterprise just ran a half-page ad to announce that it has switched to ink from all-American soybean oil. No more of that petroleum stuff pumped from abroad.

To drive home the point, the ad has two pictures.

One of a clean-cut guy wearing a Support American Agriculture hat. One of a shifty guy wearing dark sunglasses and Arab headdress.

The Enterprise is printed at the (Escondido) Times-Advocate, which may soon run a similar ad.

* Conservative Catholics, dissatisfied with the diocese-run newspaper, Southern Cross, are putting out their own newsletter called San Diego Catholic News Notes.

The first edition (lead story: “Diocese Flirts With School-Based Clinics”) is now being distributed.

* Joe Gandelman has resigned as a reporter for the San Diego Union to make his way as a ventriloquist.

That explains why a public relations firm issued an announcement: “Longtime journalist gives up 17-year career to work with dummies.”

An Appeal to a Higher Judge

Coming and going.

* The power of prayer.

Orned (Chicken) Gabriel, awarded $40,000 in his jail brutality case against the Sheriff’s Department, says he’ll donate some of it to the building fund at his church.

One night he prayed at the church and the next morning lawyer Melvin Belli agreed to take his case. He sees a connection.

* Rocketry, yes. Politics, no.

Former astronaut Sally Ride, director of the Space Institute at UC San Diego, says she’s not interested in being considered for appointment to the U.S. Senate.

Michael Schaefer, former San Diego City Councilman, had written to Gov.-elect Pete Wilson suggesting that he appoint Ride to the seat he’s vacating.

* Marines assigned to Camp Pendleton are not being allowed to leave the Corps until the Persian Gulf crisis is over. Tough luck if their enlistments are up.

* Acronym of the month: USDRIP. That’s the Upper San Diego River Improvement Project.