The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
In 2016, San Diego leased a downtown high-rise, hoping to house its workers in the towering office space. It’s been a disaster ever since.
Renovating the space blew past cost expectations and eventually forced city workers to evacuate after construction inadvertently disturbed asbestos in the building. The city is now tied up in lawsuits over what officials knew about the state of the building and when they knew it, and the transaction itself is now the subject of a criminal investigation.
Ex-City Real Estate Adviser Expected to Plead Guilty to Misdemeanor Conflict of Interest
The District Attorney’s Office expects former city real estate adviser Jason Hughes, once publicly considered a volunteer, to plead guilty to a misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charge over $9.4 million in previously-secret payments from the city’s ex-landlord for his work on two city leases.
City Likely to Settle with Ex-Real Estate Adviser For $9.4M
The City Council will vote Wednesday on a proposed settlement calling for ex-real estate adviser to pay back the $9.4 million he received from the city’s ex-landlord.
Judge Orders City to Refile Hughes Lawsuits
A Superior Court judge last week ordered the city to file new civil complaints against ex-real estate adviser Jason Hughes, a setback for the city’s high-profile lawsuits.
City Council Backs $175M Borrowing Plan Following Ash Settlement
A City Council majority on Tuesday signed off on plans for the city to issue up to $175 million in bonds in part to backfill money moves tied to the city’s 101 Ash St. and Civic Center Plaza settlement.
Judge’s Order Ensures Continued Slow-Moving 101 Ash Criminal Probe
A Superior Court judge on Monday ordered investigators to hand over records seized on devices during October 2021 raids targeting the city’s ex-101 Ash St. landlord and former real estate adviser.
Ex-Real Estate Adviser Seeks Appeal of Ruling that 101 Ash Trials Should Proceed
Ex-city real estate adviser Jason Hughes is asking the state Court of Appeal to overturn two recent Superior Court rulings allowing the city’s conflict-of-interest cases against him to proceed. City Hall was rocked last year by the public revelation that the city’s 101 Ash and Civic Center Plaza landlord paid Hughes, who in 2013 volunteered…
Tentative Ruling Calls for Continued City Legal Battle Vs. Ex-Real Estate Adviser
San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor has tentatively batted back an attempt by lawyers for ex-city real estate adviser Jason Hughes to halt the city’s conflict-of-interest cases against him via summary judgment.
City IT Director: Ex-COO Didn’t Order IT Staff to Delete Ash Records
The city’s information technology director testified under oath that ex-top city bureaucrat Kris Michell didn’t order his staff to purge 101 Ash St. records. But a request to wipe her cell phone seemed to trigger a bombshell accusation from the City Attorney’s office.
Gloria: Former City COO Implied She Wanted a Job If He Won Mayor’s Race
I reported last week on ex-Chief Operating Officer Kris Michell’s revelation under oath that she handed a copy of a law firm’s purportedly confidential analysis of the 101 Ash St. transaction to then-city attorney candidate Cory Briggs as she mulled whether to blow the whistle on the debacle. Michell also disputed allegations made in a bombshell City Attorney’s Office…
All 101 Ash Legal Battles Didn’t End with Settlement Deal
The city of San Diego last week consummated a controversial settlement partially to avoid a years-long legal battle over its scandal-plagued 101 Ash St. and Civic Center Plaza buildings, but the deal didn’t end all the legal woes surrounding the debacle. The city is still left with a flurry of litigation tied to building renovations…
Ex-COO Denies Ordering Purge of 101 Ash Docs
Two months after the City Attorney’s Office accused her of ordering the deletion of 101 Ash St. related city records, former Chief Operating Officer Kris Michell testified under oath that the letter was “inaccurate” and politically motivated.
City’s Ex-COO Sheds Light on Leak But Testimony Solves None of the Ongoing 101 Ash Mysteries
Kris Michell, the city’s former top bureaucrat, testified under oath that she leaked a confidential analysis of the 101 Ash deal to a candidate for city attorney as she considered blowing the whistle on the debacle.
The City Decided It Wanted Those Two Buildings and Now It’s Got Them and a Historic Challenge
The city’s decision to settle with the company and investors that sold it two buildings downtown, now means it has committed to take on one of the most difficult infrastructure and land-use projects it has ever undertaken.
DA’s Office Files Motion Over Seized Hughes, Cisterra Docs Days Before Settlement Vote
The District Attorney’s Office on Thursday asked a Superior Court judge to review documents it says that the city’s landlord and the adviser it paid millions are deeming privileged – and thus not to be reviewed in its criminal probe.
City Subpoenas Ex-COO Accused of Ordering Deletion of 101 Ash Records
Attorneys for the city and a former city real estate adviser want to question former top city bureaucrat Kris Michell under oath following allegations she ordered the deletion of records about 101 Ash St. and Civic Center Plaza.
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