It’s already shaping up as a strong holiday season for local retailers. The San Diego Chamber of Commerce is forecasting $5.4 billion in retail sales for the fourth quarter, a 6.2 percent improvement from last year. "It will be the highest quarter in San Diego retail history," says Kelly Cunningham, the Chamber economic research manager. Cheaper goods from Asia have caused deflation in the prices of commodities, and factoring that in, Cunningham says, makes the real increase 7.9 percent. At Fashion Valley, g.m. Gene Kemp says sales are up so far, 5 to 15 percent this quarter, although he knows December will be tough since he is up against last year’s splashy grand reopening that celebrated the mall's addition of 80-plus stores and a small city of parking structures. Citywide, Kemp expects retail sales will be up 4 to 7 percent. With the holiday season able to make or break a retailer's year, an increase of 5 percent or more usually foreshadows time to break out the champagne.

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    A report card from a longtime city administrator on Michael Uberuaga's first anniversary as city manager: "He's hardworking, spends an inordinate amount of time at City Hall, a man of principle and unlike Jack (McGrory). He doesn’t have Jack's intellect, but few of us do."

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    More than 6,000 San Diego County employees bought computers for home use under a program believed to be the largest of its kind in the nation. Initiated by Supervisor Pam Slater, the program allowed county workers to buy computers through payroll deductions for 30 months, at no interest. Each employee could spend a maximum of $3,000, and all equipment had to be compatible with hardware and software used in the county workplace. In all, county employees ordered $13.2 million worth of gear during the one-month sign-up period (Oct. 1-30). Able to chose from two suppliers, 4,641 employees spent $9.837 million on Datel equipment, while 1,368 employees spent $3.4 million with Gateway. Other government agencies expressing interest in the program include the city of San Diego, Los Angeles County, counties in Florida, Louisiana and Arizona, and a school district in Toronto.

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    Of the top 37 metropolitan markets in the U.S., San Diego is second only to Orange County in the percentage increase in the value of homes sold. Home values in San Diego were up 18.8 percent in the third quarter when compared to the same quarter of 1997, reports First American Real Estate Solutions. Orange County values rose 23.2 percent in the same 12 months.

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"Jazz for Dummies," by our very own Dirk Sutro, is now available in most San Diego bookstores and online periodical purveyors. Sutro, former jazz writer for the San Diego edition of the Los Angeles Times, says he hopes the familiar-looking yellow-and-black volume will be well-received by neophytes and jazzophiles alike. "You don’t have to be dumb to understand it," he says. The book covers the history of jazz, from Buddy Bolden to Charlie (Bird) Parker to acid jazz, and includes chapters on "Listening to Jazz," "Starting a Collection" and jazz's major instruments. An added bonus is a 10-song CD, licensed from Berkeley's Fantasy Records and including music by Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and other greats. While the book sold 14,000 copies in its first month, Sutro says that if you and 50,000 of your closest friends each buy one ($24.95 list) as a Christmas gift, he should be comfortably retired by summer.

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    San Diego Metropolitan contributing editor Janet Lowe was in Washington, D.C., just before Thanksgiving, where she caught playwright Lillian Garrett-Groag's "The Magic Fire" at the Kennedy Center. Garrett-Groag, both an actress and writer, is an associate artist at the Old Globe where she appeared in "The Way of the World" in 1994 and "Uncommon Players" in 1995. Garrett-Groag's own play, "The White Rose," was produced at the Globe in 1991. The Globe presents "The Magic Fire," a wonderful combination of comedy and tragedy, in its 1999 season.

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    From the results of our 1998 reader poll, we’ve published in the past months your favorite places in Downtown, the Golden Triangle and Mission Valley. For the "Best Of The Rest," you can get the full story at www.sandiegometro.com. For a sneak peek, here are some winners and their categories: Pete Davis, banker; Carol Johnson, insurance broker; Larry Prior, public administrator; Craig Irving and Ron Roberts (tie), future mayor; AirTouch, cell phone service; Ninteman Construction, general contractor; James Robbins, architect; Knox, messenger service; Joan Seifreid, boss; Phillips-Ramsey and DiZinno Thompson (tie), ad agency; and Brian Monagahn, attorney.

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    Bank of Commerce has achieved the No. 1 ranking among all lenders in California for Small Business Administration loans in fiscal 1998, the federal fiscal year ended Sept. 30. The bank also is ranked first in state in loans to Hispanic business owners.
    In California, Bank of Commerce funded a record $139 million in loans during fiscal 1998, $20 million higher than the second largest California lender. "We believe access to capital is an extremely important factor in business success which generates strong growth in our state and contributes to vibrant communities. The opportunity for individuals to own their own business is one of the cornerstones of our economic strength, and we are very pleased to be a contributor to the small business success in this country," says Peter Davis, president and CEO.

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    The Downtown law firm of Klinedinst, Fliehman & McKillop was the only firm primarily based in San Diego to make "America's Greatest Places To Work With A Law Degree," a book published by Harcourt Brace & Co. Specializing in civil litigation with an emphasis in trial work since its inception in 1984, the firm boasts a staff of 51 which is comprised of 23 attorneys, six of whom are partners, and 28 support personnel. The managing partner is John Klinedinst.

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    HMO monthly book premiums of $107.54 in San Diego were $30.76, or 22 percent, less than the national average of $138.30 in 1998, according to a survey of local HMOs by Milliman & Robertson, the national consulting and actuarial firm with a large health care practice. The premium figure, $107.54, reflects the amount San Diego HMOs had to charge per member per month to meet budgeted revenue figures. In the state, the San Diego book premium number was 66 cents less than California as a whole.
    Hospital utilization by San Diego HMOs in 1998 stood at 209 days per 1,000 members, compared with 239 days nationally and 189 statewide. The study consisted of data received from eight San Diego HMOs.

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    When representatives from Pardee Construction presented Mayor Golding last month with the deed to 150 acres of open space atop Carmel Mountain, they were respectful of the site, offering those who attended the ceremony shuttle service from Pardee's Carmel Valley office. Carmel Mountain hosts more rare plants and animals per acre than any other piece of open space in the city.

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Deciding he needed to make his 25 square feet of retail frontage look larger, Joe Jeter, an equity partner in the Hillcrest Ace Hardware at 10th Avenue and University, commissioned muralist Linda Churchill to create "The Loading Dock." The art was unveiled in late November.

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    A local temporary employee firm is forecasting limited job hiring prospects for San Diego County in the first quarter of 1999. Among companies responding to its survey, only 3 percent say they will increase their work force this winter, while 1 percent will reduce personnel and 96 percent will remain stable. These numbers contrast significantly with employers in other communities like Riverside and Orange counties, who expect to increase first quarter hiring by 46 and 22 percent, respectively.
    The best employment prospects this winter will occur in finance, insurance and real estate, and services and public administration. Staff cutbacks are predicted in durable goods manufacturing.
    Not to worry too much. Starting from a base of 978,600 jobs in 1995, the San Diego Chamber predicts the region will add about 180,000 nonfarm jobs by 2002. And that may be low. In the last three years, job growth is averaging 34,000 annually, well above the 25,300 average needed to hit the Chamber's projection.

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    The going price was $4,400 to $17,000 for eight intricately designed and crafted playhouses sold at a charity dinner and live auction held inside the Fashion Valley Neiman Marcus store.
    Radio celeb Jeff Elliott (of Jeff & Jer fame) and his wife Nina purchased the first house, while McMillin's Firehouse 23 was bought by Lora and Brent Heramb and donated to the College Area Lutheran Church Preschool. Robin and Vinod Jessani of Scripps Ranch were the winners of the Fantasy Funhouse, given away through an opportunity drawing that raised $18,000. The event benefits the Building Industry Association Cares for Kids and the nonprofit group Voices for Children.

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    The Grossmont Healthcare District board has voted to name its newest building "The Dr. William C. Herrick Community Medical Library." It is doing so to honor Dr. Herrick, who died in March after serving for 35 years on the hospital's staff and four years on the board.

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    The 2,265-ton Caribbean Mercy docks Dec. 3 at the Broadway Pier for a three-week stay. Public tours are available Dec. 9-20.

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    In terms of building commercial CDMA networks around the world, Motorola is the leader, with a network presence in 16 countries, reports the Cahner In-State Group, a wireless consultancy. Qualcomm is second, with networks in 12 countries followed by Nortel, seven countries; Lucent, six countries; and Samsung, three countries.

    Winners of the Gaslamp Quarter Association's Lamplighter Awards were: Z Gallerie, storefront; Golden Pacific Arts, gallery; Ceramic Café, retail; Dakota Grill & Spirits, dessert; Splash in Fashion, unique retail; Comic-Con, convention; Tupelo, happy hour; The Bitter End, bar; Paper Moon, Italian; Bandar, ethnic; Tupelo, American; La Strada, patio dining; Joseph Webb, food purveyor; Blue Point Coastal Cuisine, continental; Mesa Distributing, beverage purveyor; Croce's, live entertainment; The Field Irish Pub & Restaurant, new restaurant; McFarlane Promotions, professional service provider; Michael Hogue of Michael Hogue & Associates, trailblazer award; Steve Zipfel of Dick's Last Resort, Armond award; KUSI-TV, Special Merit Media; David and Lesley Cohn, Cohn Restaurant Group, Special Merit of Business; and Steve Maciej, Councilman Byron Wear's office, Special Merit Government.

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    The California Western School of Law has embarked on a $10 million capital and endowment campaign under the theme of "Building for Tomorrow's Creative Leaders." Attorney Constance Clapp, a 1974 school graduate, is heading the fund-raising drive. General contractor Taylor Ball is building the school's new law library at Third Avenue and C Street that’s scheduled to open in March.

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    Newly elected directors of the San Diego County Bar Association are Thresa Brehl, J. William Hargreaves, Monty McIntyre, Debra Torres-Reyes and Virginia "Ginny" Johnson.

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    Off The Record, a Hillcrest independent record store, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the launch of a Web site www.otrvinyl.com featuring rare and out of print LPs and 45s.

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    The sales office opens this month for the Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe, a 550-acre private golf course and estate homesite community off Aliso Canyon Road in Rancho Santa Fe. The clubhouse groundbreaking is set for next month and the golf course should open in summer.

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    The efforts of the San Diego Association of Governments to stay on top of the region's transportation issues have earned it the first "Innovative Tools/Special Projects" award presented by the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. "(Sandag) is an example of a Metropolitan Planning Organization at it finest," says G. Alexander Taft, chairman of the awards committee and executive director of the Wilmington Area Planning Council in Delaware. "It is evident from their submission that their local officials, staff, transportation providers and the public have worked hard to achieve an effective transportation partnership."

    When Wes Hinkle completed construction of his new $2.8 million San Diego Volvo facility, he found himself staring at a big, blank wall. To fix that, he hired Downtown San Diego muralist Martha Channer to create a 10 foot by 26 foot mural dubbed "The Tale of Two Cities". The art depicts landmarks from San Diego and Goteborg, Sweden.

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    Set to donate 500 St. Bernard stuffed toys this month to children in area hospitals is St. Bernard Software, a maker of support software for information technology professionals.