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Allegations of unpaid bills hit mysterious City Magazine

Allegations of unpaid employees and overdue bills are piling up at San Diego San Diego (san dea'go), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay.
..... Click the link for more information. County City Magazine, the glossy, celebrity-crammed publication that was quietly launched last year.

"I hear they're dead. They must be dead. They owe me money," said local sportscaster Ted Leitner Ted Leitner is a former KFMB News 8 sportscaster and former longtime radioman of 760 KFMB as sportscaster for the San Diego Chargers. He left KFMB and assumed the San Diego Padres play by play broadcast responsibilities with XX Radio. .

Leitner, who wrote two columns for the earlier City issues, said he was paid an agreed-upon $2,000 for the first article "after a month of begging." But he claims that despite repeated attempts he has been unable to collect $2,000 for the second piece.

A local photographic laboratory has sued City Magazine, its owner and a top editor. The complaint alleges $50,000 is owed for color separation Separating a picture by colors in order to make negatives and plates for color printing. The four-color process requires four separations: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). See OPI and DCS. and film preparation work. In a separate case, a former employee won a $4,455 award from the state labor commissioner for back wages, commissions and penalties from City.

But Bryan Sebeckis, City's senior editor, maintains the publication is far from dead. He said last week that the upcoming issue of City was in production and would be circulating circulate
v. circulated, circulating, circulates

v.intr.
1. To move in or flow through a circle or circuit: blood circulating through the body.

2. by the first week in August.

Sebeckis said that Leitner is "current according to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3. his contract." As for other employee and vendors' claims that they are also owed money, Sebeckis declined to comment.

And he continues to remain tight-lipped tightlipped also tight-lipped
adj.
1. Having the lips pressed together.

2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. on the history, details and personalities surrounding the publication.

When the oversized oversize
n.
1. A size that is larger than usual.

2. An oversize article or object.

adj. oversize also oversized
Larger in size than usual or necessary. , feature-oriented City Magazine was started in San Diego in 1989, rumors flew locally that the publication was linked to high-profile individuals in town. But in interviews several months ago, Sebeckis squelched squelch
v. squelched, squelching, squelches

v.tr.
1. To crush by or as if by trampling; squash.

2. the speculation, claiming City managing editor Karen Steeb was the sole owner and financier.

Sebeckis also said then that Steeb could afford to continue financing City for some time, and the publication would break even by mid-1990.

Sebeckis said City Magazine's press run is 30,000, but he would not disclose what percentage of that figure represents paid circulation.

Jeanine Robert, who worked for the publication's advertising sales department for nearly a year, said employees, too, often wondered who was financially behind the publication.

"I've had an ongoing battle to get back pay," said Robert, who quit the company in March.

Robert said she won a recent complaint with the Labor Commissioner for $3,400 in back wages and commission. A board-imposed penalty of roughly $1,000 was also added, she said.

City appealed the decision and the case is now in Municipal Court, she said.

Spring Color Services Inc., a local photographic service, filed a lawsuit in San Diego County Superior Court last month against the 1-year-old publication, its owner and managing editor Steeb, and senior editor Sebeckis.

"It had reached the point where we had no choice," said Don Fall, president of Spring Color.

The debt is several months old, he said, adding that Spring Color has handled no work for City Magazine recently.

The court has issued a writ of attachment writ of attachment n. a court order directing a sheriff (or other law enforcement officer) to seize property of a defendant which would satisfy a judgment against that defendant. (See: attachment) to the personal bank accounts of Steeb and Sebeckis, along with corporate accounts and accounts receivable accounts receivable n. the amounts of money due or owed to a business or professional by customers or clients. Generally, accounts receivable refers to the total amount due and is considered in calculating the value of a business or the business' problems in paying of City Magazine, for nearly $50,000, according to court records. Steeb and Sebeckis in August 1989 signed contracts personally guaranteeing debts of the publication, court documents said.

"We've not been served," Sebeckis said of the case. "There's no court date we know of. And if there is a court case, we would certainly cross-sue."

Sebeckis added, "The only reason this is the extent of our comment is because the Business Journal has printed other things they've had to print retractions, corrections and letters to the editor for."

Sebeckis referred to an April 2 story in the San Diego Business Journal, which quoted a postal employee as saying City was not bulk-mailed. City Magazine is bulk-mailed, and the Business Journal ran a correction the following week.

Anderson Lithograph Inc. of Los Angeles Los Angeles (ls an'j?l?s, los, an'j?lez'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , which printed City's first seven issues, also is owed money from City Magazine, said one Anderson employee, who requested anonymity. He declined to disclose the amount or further details. No lawsuit has been filed.

Seven issues of City Magazine -- the issues are numbered, not dated -- were printed within the past year. The most recent was Issue Seven, which hit newstands several weeks ago and featured swimsuit-clad San Diego women. In a recent newspaper story highlighting City, Editor Sebeckis said a "Hunks hunks
pl.n. (used with a sing. verb)

A disagreeable and often miserly person.

[Origin unknown.] in Trunks" issue was also planned.

"Hunks in Trunks" is not the edition due out in August, Sebeckis said. But as for the upcoming issue, Sebeckis said the cover was "a surprise."

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