Square Pegs

Posted by Eric Johnson on Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Back when he was mayor, spearheading the renovation of a then-decrepit downtown, Tom McEnery had to fend off charges that his vision of a thriving retail-and-entertainment district was rooted in a desire to enrich himself and his family, which owns a significant chunk of downtown real estate. Twenty years later, those charges have re-emerged, following a 9-1 City Council decision last week to consider a request for $6 million in redevelopment money for the San Pedro Square neighborhood where the McEnerys do business. 

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Fair Question

Posted by Eric Johnson on Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The plan to develop the County Fairgrounds has disappeared around a blind curve in recent months, but that’s about to change. The 150-acre parcel, where 4-H members have showed off their prize pigs while hopeful housewives displayed their pies, is now hosting a more serious competition, and the prize could be a quarter-billion-dollar development project.

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Fighting Words

Posted by Eric Johnson on Thursday, March 13, 2008

Last weekend, the Merc’s Internal Affairs blog pretended to call for compromise in the Little Saigon battle, while in fact bashing both sides of the debate. The piece began by reporting that “hunger-striker Ly Tong flashed the crowd to reveal his bare chest as security guards hustled him away from the speaker’s podium”—a word choice that shows a touch of disdain for the former war hero and internationally respected human rights activist.

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