Cross posted at Calitics

The City of San Diego has decided against issuing a certificate of occupancy to Blackwater (pdf):

Dear Mr. Bonfiglio,

The City will not issue a certificate of occupancy for the above referenced project pursuant to Section 129.0114 of the San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC). The portions of the building identified for use as a shooting range and vocational/trade school shall not be occupied until a certificate of occupancy has been issued for this change of use or occupancy pursuant to SDMC Section 129.0113.

Which basically means that Blackwater can't open up shop until going through a full public review process as ordered by the Mayor (replacing the previously planned stop-work order). In the meantime though, San Diego's development services director Kelly Broughton continues to play dumb, telling KPBS "I don't see that I would have had any other choice but to approve it because it complied with our municipal code and the California Building Code." Of course, it doesn't comply at all, which is why Rep. Bob Filner, several members of the City Council, the City Attorney and Mayor have all now stepped in to correct the flawed process.

For his part, Blackwater spokesman Mike Neil is grasping almost laughably at straws in response:

Neil said Blackwater's own analysis shows that the company is entitled to occupy the Otay Mesa facility and a delay could jeopardize Blackwater's long-standing contract with the Navy to train sailors in anti-terrorism tactics. A delay could damage the company's business reputation and "cause harm to national security."

I'm really not impressed that Blackwater has decided that Blackwater is right. And if Blackwater is so concerned about hanging onto this contract, they might have wanted to engage in this process honestly. But at least they continue to blow off even the pretense that this would be a vocational school. Not even lip service to the notion. Finally, for all the lame bluster about the threat to national security if Blackwater loses this contract, let's not lose sight of the fact that, even if this were true (obviously it's not true and is in fact absurd), it's not a good thing. Blackwater's contention is that San Diego should break its local government because the military can't handle its own training.

Well that's exactly what Donald Rumsfeld had in mind back in 2001 when he decided it was time to save the Pentagon from itself by privatizing everything in sight. As I remember it, the ensuing years have demonstrated that Donald Rumsfeld is not right about very much, and this is one example. So even if Blackwater were right that its vital to military readiness- that would just be all the more reason to put the training back in the hands of the military. Blackwater has been nothing but trouble, and cementing any "necessity" for them would be wrong on so many levels. Good for their bottom line- which is what they care about- but not good for San Diego, the U.S. military, the country overall or the world at large. Less Blackwater is the goal.

Cross posted at Calitics

Local leaders gathered today outside the office of Mayor Jerry Sanders to present him with more than 2,500 signatures to the letter from San Diego Democratic Party Chair Jess Durfee calling for an investigation into Blackwater's permit process. There was a somewhat unexpected air of celebration to the event as it was announced yesterday that Mayor Sanders is calling for the city's Chief Executive Officer to conduct a full review of the Blackwater permit process (of course now we'll see what comes of it).

The stage was shared by Jess Durfee (who noted he knows a few things about vocational schools courtesy of a Master's degree in vocational education), Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs, Humberto Peraza- district Chief of Staff for Rep. Filner, Francine Busby and Ray Lutz from Citizens' Oversight Projects.

All the parties involved have been instrumental in the rapid and effective response to this new Blackwater situation. Remember it's been barely two weeks since the news originally broke of this new facility, yet here everyone was gathered to mark and celebrate a significant people-powered success story.



Today was a great opportunity to cement in no uncertain terms the coalition to Block Blackwater which has formed rapidly and forced action from the Mayor. And we're just getting warmed up. There have been recent revelations that Blackwater is looking to expand operations at current facilities and open a new training facility in Idaho. Why? Because they see the writing on the wall. They know that Iraq isn't going to last much longer, partly because they've behaved so criminally and partly because the war is such a debacle. They know that their survival depends on diversifying and establishing new roles in a post-Bush/Iraq system. It's why they're looking for a few good hundred million in new investment capital. It's because there's no natural place for them to exist once they can't get anymore handouts from the Bush Administration and their cronies.

Today was a victory. Tomorrow we'll likely need another. But we're developing the methods that win.

When nobody was paying attention, Blackwater found another way into San Diego. After watching every friendly politician in Potrero get recalled handily in February, Blackwater West quietly started pursuing permits to open a facility in the City of San Diego just three blocks from the U.S/Mexico border. 61,600 square feet, zoned for a vocational school but which Blackwater plans to use for training Navy personnel in terrorism response. To echo recent comments by Councilmember Ben Hueso to local news, Blackwater has no business in the City of San Diego unless and until someone can say definitively what laws they are bound by. And certainly, setting up shop *on* the border raises all sorts of extra red flags.

The local response has been fast and furious this week. And thanks to leadership from Congressman Bob Filner, there will be a rally at the proposed site of the new Blackwater facility tomorrow (Friday) morning. Rep. Filner will be joined by Councilmember Ben Hueso, San Diego City Council President Scott Peters, Carol Jahnkow of the Peace Resource Center, Raymond Lutz of Citizens' Oversight Projects, and Sierra Club's Jeanette Hartman at 10:45am at 7685 Siempre Viva Road in Otay Mesa in opposition to Blackwater's latest shady dealings.

Among other organizations, the Courage Campaign is encouraging all local San Diegans to attend if they're able. Rick Jacobs' message to folks in San Diego follows:   Read More »