Well, we have quite an update on yesterday’s post about Jan Goldsmith’s discomfort with the insinuation that he might be more political than the sober lawyer he says he will be if elected city attorney.
Remember that the Union-Tribune reported yesterday that Goldsmith declared at a debate that if efforts failed in Chula Vista, he would seek to unify local cities in what’s called a “joint powers authority” to find a solution for the Chargers search for a new stadium.
And remember that I noted it would be an odd thing for Goldsmith to say, even if he believed it because, well, he’s said all he’ll be is the city’s passive lawyer. Any decision like that would be made by the policy makers and to proactively try to unify a bunch of cities to build a sports facility is not something a sober passive lawyer does.
It doesn’t look like Goldsmith actually said it at all. The U-T, responding to my post yesterday, put up the full transcript of what Goldsmith actually did say:
As far as the Chargers are concerned, right now they’re talking to Chula Vista. If that doesn’t come to pass, we need to see if there are some options. One thing I think would be a good idea would be to create what’s called a joint powers authority of all cities in the county. That means that everybody has a stake in this. This is not just the city of San Diego or the city of Chula Vista. We’re all in this together and all should participate in some way.
When we sit down with the Chargers and we look at different options, it’s going to have to be a win-win. It’s got to be presented to the voters. And it’s got to make sense fiscally to the city. The city doesn’t have the money to put into a deal like that, and we’ve all got to realize that.
As the attorney I will sit down with them and I will talk with them and seek out options and be creative.
In reporting these comments, the U-T paraphrased Goldsmith, writing (emphasis mine):
Goldsmith, a Superior Court judge challenging Aguirre in the Nov. 4 election, said he would approach it differently. If the team’s pursuit of a stadium in Chula Vista doesn’t work, he would seek to form a joint powers authority with all cities in the county, and hold talks with the team.
Saying something is a good idea is pretty different than saying you’re actually going to be the one to carry it out.
Goldsmith has requested the U-T correct its story. I’ll let you know if I hear anything from the paper about whether editors agree his comments were misinterpreted.