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Subscribe to San Diego Magazine : Blogging San Diego-San DIego Magazine

September 7, 2009

IN TRIBUTE: As we celebrate this 127th Labor Day, Tom Gable is drawing inspiration from former Governor Pete Wilson who, when asked once how many people were working for the state government, replied: “About half.”

SNIFFED OUT: Norm Stamper served 28 years as a San Diego cop before being tapped as Seattle’s police chief in 1994. He retired in 2000, and turned to writing. These days, Stamper bears a striking resemblance to the late comedian George Carlin. And the resemblance isn’t entirely physical. Like Carlin, Stamper’s developed an affinity for marijuana. More than an affinity, really. Stamper’s practically become a crusader for the weed. He’s an advisory board member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Earlier this year, he wrote the forward to the book Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? And later this month, he’ll keynote the 38th national conference of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). The convention’s pitch: “Norm says, ‘Yes We Cannabis’ — And so should you!”

SO I SEE: Two more upscale San Diego restaurants are in transition: After a rocky three years that hit bottom with the tragic suicide of its former owner, Hawthorn’s in North Park is closed and in the process of reinvention. The current owners reportedly are downsizing the dining room, with plans to concentrate on the bar and entertainment side of the business. The owners of neighboring True North are said to be part of the new team. And California Cuisine, a Hillcrest mainstay for two decades, has been sold. It’s scheduled to reopen around mid-October as an Italian restaurant called Buonissimo 2 ... Lynell Hamilton, the former San Diego State running back and freshman All-American, was effectively wasted at fullback his senior year by ex-coach Chuck Long. But he seems plenty good enough for the New Orleans Saints. In their final preseason game Thursday night, he accounted for 75 percent of the Saints’ offensive yardage in the first half. What’s more, running back Hamilton finished the contest as the game’s leading receiver. In the process, he earned himself a spot on the Saints’ 53-man roster ... Rancho Santa Fe, with a median home asking price of $3,362,493, comes up sixth — just $5,000 short of Beverly Hills — on Forbes’ latest survey of “America’s Most-Expensive ZIP Codes.” That’s down 12 percent from last year. Number one on the list: Alpine, New Jersey, at $4,139,041 — down 23 percent ... Kimberly King, one of several surprising personnel cuts at NBC 7/39 over the past year, has landed at local news rival Channel 8 as the station’s new morning “weather gal.” Her words, not mine.

INCOGNITO: Sarah Palin, who’s avoided the public limelight since resigning as Alaska’s governor six weeks ago, has reportedly been camping out in San Diego. Residents of a local apartment complex say they spotted Palin poolside in recent weeks, wearing T-shirts, sunglasses and visors, and focused on her laptop computer. All of which makes sense. Palin’s said to be working on her memoirs. And her ghostwriter, Lynn Vincent, lives in the neighborhood.

NEAT TRICK: Hoover Comes Alive, the “Page to Stage” rock-music production based on Herbert Hoover’s political legacy, opens tomorrow night at La Jolla Playhouse. And Rushelle Butler is totally intrigued. “If the play lives up to its title, it’ll be a first,” she says. “Hoover wasn’t even alive when he was president.”

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