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Following the Cook

Published: Monday, January 7, 2008 11:58 AM PST



Just to take a quick breather from my daily countdown of the stories to watch this year, I had to take note of this. The Star-News, a South Bay weekly, has really gotten excited about my interview recently with Chula Vista City Councilman John McCann.

The paper has now doggedly picked up the torch trying to find out what McCann meant when he told me that a former city manager had "cooked the books."

You'll remember he told me that and then rushed off to a meeting.

The Star-News wasn't able to get a hold of him two weeks ago to follow up, but wrote this story. The paper tried again last week, speaking to many of his colleagues. But just like when he spoke to me, McCann was too busy to elaborate on his thoughts with the paper because he had to go to meetings.

I especially enjoyed The Star-News' inclusion of a definition of the term "cooking the books" in case some of its readers were confused about its implication.

... a buzzword describing fraudulent activities performed by corporations in order to falsify their financial statements. Typically, cooking the books involves augmenting financial data to yield previously non-existent earnings."

They got that definition from a website, investopedia.com. Separately, in an editorial, the paper wondered whether McCann's remark would have consequences even though it was published in the "dark regions of cyberspace."

Maybe if the story makes it to investopedia it will.

-- SCOTT LEWIS




5 Comments so far on this story...

Vin-Dee-Kay-SHON!! See, now people are trying to get this story, and Golly Jeepers, no one is talking. And Scott, the story coulda been yours.

Posted by D | reply to this comment
January 7, 2008 2:30 pm

.....Maybe if the story makes it to investopedia it will....MAYBE if the story makes it to the CA AG's office and some of these dirtbag politicians are brought up on corruption charges... maybe then we will see some consequences.

Posted by Billy Bob Henry | reply to this comment
January 7, 2008 5:59 pm

I understand that the new special down at Big Daddy's in Chula Vista be the -all the Bar-B-Q books you can swallow. Yum yum-sounds even better than the old special--ribs! I have always wondered-is Big Daddy really just Big Brother all grown up after 1984? Well Chula Vista would sure be the ideal place to settle if he is.

Posted by t | reply to this comment
January 8, 2008 7:30 am

Ah, the travails of my former flag. I must say, Dave Rowlands is probably wondering what he meant, too. Maybe that's a story for me to follow up on and sell to Ye Olde Star-News, hmm? Or maybe an interview with Dave for VOSD? Might be revealing, might get them simply on the record going in opposite directions...

Posted by Frank In SD | reply to this comment
January 8, 2008 9:10 am

I think SLOP broke the story and the Star News is facing the same "stonewall" from the Councilman.

Posted by South of 8 | reply to this comment
January 8, 2008 9:12 am


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Scott Lewis on Politics

The Scott Lewis on Politics blog, abbreviated cleverly as SLOP, is a collection of observations, insights and the occasional scoop on public affairs in San Diego. Please feel free to e-mail Scott at scott.lewis@voiceofsandiego.org.


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