City Council names panel to develop med pot regs San Diego City Council has appointed an 11-member Medical Marijuana Task Force to develop regulations governing the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries. The group will review guidelines for the operation of dispensaries and rules for police enforcement. The panel has been asked to make its first recommendations by January. Appointees include land use professional Dave Potter; law professor Alex Kreit; attorney Mark-Robert Bluemel; business owner Dave Martin; community planner Craig Balben; physician Thomas Cummings; retired police officer John Minto; medical marijuana collective director Kim Twolan; medical marijuana patient Larry Sweet; social service provider Rev. Wayne Riggs; and community advocate Steve Whitburn. Council voted in September to create the task force amid concern about unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Rock run organizer reimburses payouts The Competitor Group, organizer of the San Diego Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon, has reimbursed taxpayers to the—uh—tune of more than $200,000 for excessive payouts during the past 10 years. Checks for $173,000 and $39,000 went to the county and city respectively on Monday, Oct. 5. The Competitor Group has returned more than $344,000 in public funds since published reports alleged last February that it profited amid police service fees, grants and tourism promotion fees through the Elite Racing Foundation for Children, Education and Medical Research, an affiliated group. The Competitor Group said it was unaware of the arrangements with the foundation when it took over as organizer of the marathon in early 2008. It reportedly will dissolve the foundation as soon as it resolves federal tax issues. The foundation has been awarded $190,500 in county grants since its inception in 1998. The grants are available only to nonprofit organizations. The marathon benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Layoffs almost certain amid budget shortfall Layoffs and service cuts, particularly at libraries and among parks, police and fire personnel, are highly likely in 2010 as the city of San Diego confronts its 2010 deficit of $179 million. Mayor Jerry Sanders’ office released the update Thursday, Oct. 1, adding that falling tax revenues and rising pension costs figure in the imbalance. San Diego is projected to receive $67 million less in sales and property tax revenues for the fiscal year, which begins July 1. It is also required to make an estimated $224 million contribution to the pension fund. The city has filled recent budget gaps by cutting vacant jobs and using reserves. City Hall evacuated amid odor of smoke A strong odor of smoke prompted a Monday, Oct. 5 building-wide evacuation of City Hall at 202 C St. Downtown. Employees were allowed back into the building an hour later. The odor was apparently the result of paper charring on a 12th-floor light fixture whose ballast gave way. Fire department spokesman Maurice Luque reportedly said the evacuation, conducted just before 2:30 p.m., was voluntary at first, becoming mandatory as firefighters intensified their search. Water usage drops amid mandatory cuts Water use in August dropped 11.3 percent citywide compared with that in the same month of 2008, meaning that residents largely complied with mandatory restrictions. Residential customers reportedly cut their water use by 10.7 percent in August compared with a year ago, according to the mayor’s office. Commercial and industrial water use dropped 5.1 percent and the use of water for irrigation fell by 19.5 percent. A series of $100 fine notices have gone out to water customers who failed to heed the restrictions. The citations are the first issued since the restrictions took effect on June 1. Those sanctions limit times for watering lawns and washing cars. They’re considered level 2 restrictions; the city’s highest alert is level 4.