Aguirre's Nod and the Vox Populi

Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 11:50 AM PDT

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OK, couple of points:

• In case you hadn't noticed, Will Carless and his editor Andrew Donohue are hosting Café San Diego today to talk about Carless' investigative piece yesterday about the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation, or SEDC. If you haven't read it yet, it was a blockbuster that prompted an immediate and terse memo from the mayor to SEDC's chairman demanding a response to a list of questions Carless' article raised.

  It also prompted a slew of letters to us. Check them out. Carless and Donohue have investigated SEDC for a long time, and many of the points they raised in previous stories were as alarming as the story Tuesday. But controversies about the salaries and personal compensation of public officials resonate with people. And, as the mayor noted, these are very serious questions. Everyone is going to be waiting to see how they respond.

  So stop by Café and get some of your own questions in about the story and redevelopment in San Diego.




• I saw that City Attorney Mike Aguirre received the endorsement of the San Diego County Democratic Party last night. That took him longer than he would have preferred. Both the county party and the San Diego Democratic Club rather surprisingly rebuffed the incumbent in the primary election. But they did that under considerable pressure from Aguirre's liberal critics, who seem just as irate about him as his conservative opponents.
  
  But those left-leaning detractors from the city attorney are backing off now with the absence of any Democratic alternative in the race. Republican Jan Goldsmith's couldn't have hoped for, or even wanted, the endorsement of the local party or its biggest club. But he certainly didn't mind watching them sneer at Aguirre.

  So what does it mean? Two things really. Aguirre's only chance to overcome the significant drubbing he received in the primary is to consolidate support among what many believe will be an impressive Democratic turnout in the November. As young people and others flock to the polls in support of Barack Obama, the theory goes, Aguirre will benefit from people who recognize him as a Democrat and are less familiar with his less flattering reputation locally among forces on the left.
  
  He'll get to put the endorsement on his materials and on his website.
  
  But, on the other hand, the Dem nod won't have nearly the power of the Republican's support of Goldsmith. Not only because the local Democratic Party is pathetic, but also because it will be through the Republican Party that big GOP donors will launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of Goldsmith. There are wealthy liberals and left-of-center San Diegans. But they do not give to the Democratic Party like that and they won't in support of Aguirre.
  
  So, Aguirre will need to advertise his new endorsements. That will take money. And that has always been the biggest question in the race: How much money does Aguirre have and how much will he spend on the race?

  Without a significant personal investment, he won't be able to get the message to less informed voters that he's somehow the left's choice for this election -- which, like I said, is key to his success. And Goldsmith will not make it easy. If he keeps racking up endorsements from liberal Latinos, it's going to get more difficult and confusing for voters.



Anyway, there's lots to ponder today.

Update (11:48 a.m.): Our news partner, NBC 7/39, did a pretty good follow up about the SEDC story last night. Check it out below (you might have to click a couple of times):



It will be fascinating to see how the agency responds.

-- SCOTT LEWIS








11 Comments so far on this story...


Columnist Scott Lewis is free and easy attaching labels "liberal" and "Left-leaning" to Labor, gay Democrats and the County Democratic Party. Honestly, there's precious little "Left" left in San Diego and, any cells of lefties would not be found in those precincts anyway. To further cavil with columnist Lewis' unpleasant bias: It is common for the County Democratic Party to withhold endorsement in any Primary with many candidates; County Democrats are lately reinvigorated -- not "pathetic"-- under the chairmanship of Jess Durfee; the Democratic Party and San Diego Democratic Club did not "sneer" at Democratic incumbent City Attorney Mike Aguirre; there was no "drubbing" in a (second) Primary election where record-low voter turnout favored any GOP challenger. Finally, your "wealthy liberals" and "left-of-center San Diegans" are DINOs, Democrats In Name Only, always ready to make a deal, including with City Attorney Aguirre.

Posted by Fed Up | reply to this comment
July 9, 2008 12:00 pm

What forces of the left have rejected Aguirre-the MEA? the Police union? the Republican Firefighters? Ben Hueso? the Labor Council? Really that is a funny proposition and if Lorena is going to move up the Democratic ladder she better begin showing some signs of leadership that have been sorely lacking since her elevation to head the Labor Council. Aguirre is a pain in the rear end too often but he has contributed to changing the cosy cronyism that masquerades as city government in San Diego more than any other individual in the 30 years I have lived here......

Posted by Ian Trowbridge | reply to this comment
July 9, 2008 5:22 pm

...He has two outstanding senior attorneys working for him, Don McGrath and Huston Carlyle who will probably leave or be asked to leave if Aguirre is not re-elected, That would be a huge loss to the city. I don't feel like a leftist but if supporting a living wage, supporting community rights, and supporting ethical and open government defines me as a lefty so be it. Mike Aquirre should be re-elected based on his achievements.

Posted by Ian Trowbridge | reply to this comment
July 9, 2008 5:59 pm

Ian, please! Where is your common sense? What exactly has Aguirre accomplished according to his charter-mandaded duties of the City Attorney? How has Aguirre been open when it comes to his own office? On balance, Aguirre's deeds while in office are grossly stacked against him. He's spent millions of our tax dollars on totally fruitless litigation. He's been thrown of criminal prosecution for his unethical behavior. He makes Nifong-like criminal accusations of others where no charges are filed. And he's caused a huge loss of institutional knowledge from the City Attorney's office that could take another decade to replenish. Whatever his social policies may be, they cannot overcome his actual performance while in office.

Posted by Rock On | reply to this comment
July 10, 2008 9:44 am

Saying "He's spent millions of our tax dollars on totally fruitless litigation" suggests that Rock On is spending too much time reading Bob Kittle's editorials. In reality, Mike's many successes included voiding a $150 million judgment against the City in the Rocque de la Fuente case; in the federal fraud case against the City he settled the case with taxpayers paying no fine; in the pension cases he recovered over over $10 million; in the De Anza Mobile Home park case Mike avoided a $40 million loss; and in the cross case the US Supreme Court ruled in the City's favor.

Posted by Bob | reply to this comment
July 10, 2008 12:28 pm

The pension litigation was brought by the City Unions against the taxpaying citizens of San Diego to solidify Multi-Billions of debt that the taxpayer never voted on. The pension litigation is not the fault of the City Attorney. The litigation was not fruitless, but very fruitfull for the City Unions. Mr. Aguirre saved the 30 foot Coastal Height Limit and Environmentally Sensitive Lands from the original Density Bonus Municipal Code Changes. See Pages 2 and 4 link Mr. Aguirre has gone against the advice of the prior City Attorney Casey Gwinn who said the City of San Diego does not own the City due to a missed filing date on a historic map in the 1800's. link Mr. Aguirre has stood up for preservation of Coastal Access and the taking of Multi-Millions of Dollars in publically-owned Paper Street land from rich thieves in Point Loma and La Jolla.

Posted by La Playa Heritage | reply to this comment
July 10, 2008 2:55 pm

It isn't the left leaning who didn't want to support Mike Aguirre, it was some of the union folks! There are many very liberal Dems who are supporting Mike's re-election! I know because Mike has been endorsed unanimously at many other Democratic Clubs.

Posted by Dead Wrong | reply to this comment
July 11, 2008 9:09 am

Thank you, Dead Wrong, for distinguishing between "left-leaning"and "union folks." Sometimes the two groups intersect, but not lately in San Diego. Lots of all kinds of people support City Attorney Mike Aguirre, as we will see in November when he is re-elected, despite Scott Lewis' plain bias against him. For contrasts in who's actually looking out for citizens' interests, note the latest revelations about salary-padding at the Southeast Economic Development Corporation -- thanks to chronic lack of oversight from Mayor or City Council. This week Cal Fire reportedly found SDGE power lines responsible for three of last fall's wildfires; fortunately, City Attorney Aguirre already has initiated a lawsuit against SDGE to recover damages for the city's immense fire costs. Aguirre, unique among people in and on the fringes of local government and commerce, is a public servant, and that's what will get him re-elected.

Posted by Fed Up | reply to this comment
July 11, 2008 11:00 am

Bob, just so you know, Aguirre had NOTHING to do with the de la Fuente case. You can thank the fine lawyers at Latham and Watkins who handled the matter since before Aguirre even took office for that one. The success in the De Anza case was IN SPITE of Aguirre, and attributable to an attorney who took a different approach than what Aguirre wanted. The Federal Fraud Case? Here's the NY Times: "the city escaped a fine, mainly because “if there were a fine, it would end up being the taxpayers who would pay,” said Randall R. Lee, director of the S.E.C.’s regional office." I will give Aguirre some of the credit for disclosure reforms, however. But don't forget the $1million Aguirre spent to become pension board attorney, and the $2+million spent by the board to beat him. That's just for starters, and wasn't authorized by council.

Posted by Rock On | reply to this comment
July 11, 2008 1:57 pm

Bob, just so you know, Aguirre had NOTHING to do with the de la Fuente case. You can thank the fine lawyers at Latham and Watkins who handled the matter since before Aguirre even took office for that one. The success in the De Anza case was IN SPITE of Aguirre, and attributable to an attorney who took a different approach than what Aguirre wanted. The Federal Fraud Case? Here's the NY Times: "the city escaped a fine, mainly because “if there were a fine, it would end up being the taxpayers who would pay,” said Randall R. Lee, director of the S.E.C.’s regional office." I will give Aguirre some of the credit for disclosure reforms, however. But don't forget the $1million Aguirre spent to become pension board attorney, and the $2+million spent by the board to beat him. That's just for starters, and wasn't authorized by council.

Posted by Rock On | reply to this comment
July 11, 2008 1:57 pm

"Left-leaning” and "union folks." Now that is funny; the most powerful Republican in the city, our Strong Mayor, is bending over backwards and forwards to keep the two most powerful unions in San Diego on his side. Which two unions are those, Fire and Law Enforcement. Moreover, guess which two unions have the highest paid retired employees and highest paid employees on the city payroll. (On average) Guess keeping the people who go around 24 hours a day with loaded weapons on them “not mad at you” is not a bad idea the way things are going in San Diego.

Posted by Gregory | reply to this comment
August 1, 2008 9:31 am


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