VOSD Investigation

A Staggering Swindle

Despite the efforts to clamp down on the easy-money excesses of the housing boom, the story of 81 bogus condo sales in North County shows the real estate financing system -- all the way up to giant government-run mortgage companies -- remained vulnerable to greed and deception in the last year.

» BY KELLY BENNETT and WILL CARLESS | April 13

Part I -- Rented Identities, Extravagant Prices and Foreclosure: A Post-Boom Real Estate Scam (April 10)

Part II -- How It Could Happen in 2008

Who Uses the Most Water

Asked to cut their usage 10 percent, nearly half of San Diego's largest users -- including UCSD, the school district and SeaWorld -- consumed more during the first year of voluntary cutbacks.

» By ROB DAVIS

» Part One: Who Uses The Most Water

» Part Two: With Water Cuts Near, Freeways Still Get Showered

The School Guru Who Promised Rescue and Brought Ruin

Mike Hazelton steered three Southern California charter schools in four years. One closed unable to pay its teachers. One said he gave himself an unauthorized raise. And the last was shut down over allegations of self-dealing.

» By EMILY ALPERT

» Part Two: With Freedoms, Charter Schools Face Financial Risks

The Evolving Story of Nancy Graham

Former Centre City Development Corp. President Nancy Graham resigned in July. But her past business dealings and connections to a developer doing business with CCDC, the city's downtown redevelopment agency, have remained under scrutiny.

» By ROB DAVIS

Redevelopment Gone Wrong: The SEDC Investigations

Starting in fall 2006, voiceofsandiego.org began running a series of investigations into the Southeastern Economic Development Corp., a redevelopment arm of the city of San Diego tasked with revitalizing one of its most blighted neighborhoods.

» By ANDREW DONOHUE and WILL CARLESS

From San Diego to Moscow: George Gorton's Strange and Wild Assignments

San Diego son George Gorton has had a front-row seat for history, from Nixon to Wilson to Yeltsin. But his bout with Parkinson's, and how he thinks he might have gotten it, could just be his most interesting tale of all.

» By KELLY BENNETT and ANDREW DONOHUE

Suicide Magnet

A two-part series chronicles the history of suicides from the Coronado Bridge and what is, or is not, being done to stop them.

» By RANDY DOTINGA

» Part II: No Barrier to Despair

The Thinning of the Gray Whales

As gray whales adapt to the Arctic's changing climate, the effects are felt in San Diego and in a remote fishing village on the shores of a lagoon in Baja California Sur.

» By ROB DAVIS

» Part Two: Balancing Conservation with Opportunity in the 'Abandoned Zone'

In Water Conservation, City Officials Ignore Their Own Advice

With the threat of water shortages looming, San Diego officials have called for reducing water use. But they haven't always done so themselves.

» By ROB DAVIS

Always Running: Luis Acle

With runs for Congress and bi-national business efforts, school board President Luis Acle has long sought power and success. But when he finally reached a position of influence, he has both tried to escape from the role and abdicated much of its authority.

» By SCOTT LEWIS and VLADIMIR KOGAN

A Towering Figure: The Life and Business of Aaron Feldman

In the three decades since he immigrated to the United States, the intensely private president of Sunroad Enterprises has built a wide-ranging business empire that spans two nations. Now, at the height of his success, he faces unprecedented challenges.

» By WILL CARLESS and ANDREW DONOHUE

Police Chief Has History of Inaccuracies

A two-part special report finds San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne has been misstating key statistics on television and in front of the City Council for several years.

» By WILL CARLESS

» Part One: Getting the Numbers Wrong

» Part Two: Police Chief has History of Inaccuracies

The Forbidden City

Oblivious to the immigration debate that spins out of control around them, the migrant workers of Carmel Valley continue to live how they have for decades: In a trash-strewn canyon with candles for light, a stream to bathe in, and each other's companionship to keep themselves warm.

» By WILL CARLESS

Ghostwriting the Airport's Story

If you support replacing Lindbergh Field and your name carries credibility, the airport authority will spend thousands to have professionals clandestinely write an op-ed under your name for the local newspaper. It's all part of a multi-million dollar public-relations campaign that critics are complaining about, but that appears to be working.

» By ROB DAVIS

Mission Valley: The Unplanned Neighborhood

It's gone from being the home of the exotic crops of Spanish missionaries to the enormous chains of American merchandising. Now, as a burgeoning residential community, Mission Valley is becoming just plain home. But its sordid history leaves its residents contemplating the future in a flood plain without a school, park land and a permanent fire station.

» By WILL CARLESS

No Ex-Councilman Left Behind

Internal e-mails show that City Councilman Jim Madaffer worked diligently behind the scenes to secure a significant pension boost for an ex-official who had long since left city service. At the same time, Madaffer lobbied the ex-official for millions of dollars in land grants.

» By ANDREW DONOHUE

Another Pension Fund in the Red

In the shadow of the fiscal scandal that has left San Diego's City Hall in a legal and political quagmire is another billion-dollar pension problem.

» By SCOTT LEWIS

The History of V&E: A Special Report

Hired to be a narrator of San Diego's problems, the Vinson & Elkins law firm instead became a primary character in the tale of a city mired in a financial crisis, myriad investigations and mounting legal and consulting bills. The firm's failures were initially hidden from the public and carry real consequences.

» By ANDREW DONOHUE