John Patrick Ford is a free-lance writer based in San Diego.

Mayor Bob Filner is full of surprises. I often find them to be confrontational and disruptive. Last week he surprised me again by being informative, candid and even entertaining.

Credit rating measurement has been under pressure ever since the three major ratings companies failed to downgrade securities backed by mortgages before the collapse of the real estate market. Then came the disclosure that the universal interest rating system for bank transfers controlled by a group of reputable British banks was rigged.

Back in 1959, the electronic and aerospace industry in San Diego was dominated by giant General Dynamics. That year a small “black box” manufacturer took the leap to go public.