Good morning from Hillcrest.
Lots to see this morning in San Diego political news.
- I’ll lead off today with my primer on San Diego’s proposed $750 million to $1 billion expansion of the Convention Center. If, like me, you didn’t live here a month ago, or, more likely, if you want to get caught up, this story hopefully will help.
In other city news, pension whistleblower Diann Shipione spoke to the Government Accounting Standards Board yesterday, urging the board that sets local and state government accounting rules to require more transparency about pension funding levels. New York Times coverage here.
The U-T blogs about Independent Budget Analyst Andrea Tevlin’s opinion that the city doesn’t need a ballot measure to ensure that the Ethics Commission is funded each year. The San Diego County Grand Jury proposed the measure in June to avoid city council conflicts of interest.
- California’s property values fell statewide for the first time in 76 years, the LA Times reports. The 2.4 percent reduction means more pain for government coffers.
- In development news, the Daily Transcript reports on the latest on the $200 million North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. I blog about U.S. Congressman Bob Filner, D-San Diego, requesting an FBI investigation into the Navy Broadway Complex.
- In this article about voluntary pay cuts for Superior Court judges, we learn the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is not interested in pay cuts of their own.
- An update to yesterday’s news about the district attorney declining to file charges against two women arrested at a political fundraiser. One of the women says she might file a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department.
- The Reader is writing about County Board of Supervisors candidate and state Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña’s fundraising.
- Let’s finish it off with news from around the county. A political consultant has filed a complaint against a former Carlsbad City Council candidate questioning her financial forms. And San Diego Gas & Electric held a roundtable to discuss its potential rural shutoff plan during wildfire threats.