The Agenda: Today’s AM Political Roundup

Good morning from University Heights.

• Let’s get started with big buildings. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law yesterday a bill that brings a new NFL stadium outside of Los Angeles much closer to reality. The North County Times says Escondido is still fighting for the Chargers new home despite the L.A. threat. The Union-Tribune reports that a powerful state legislator sat in the luxury box of Chargers owner Alex Spanos at last week’s game. The North County Times editorial page adds that the whole L.A. deal stinks. The U-T said as much in an editorial yesterday.
• In other big building news, a major booster of a new San Diego City Hall complex said the public shouldn’t get to vote on whether to build it because they wouldn’t understand such a complex deal. The position breaks with one expressed by Mayor Jerry Sanders and others.
• The Mayor’s Office has released its list of vacant positions, the U-T says, likely a past and future source of budget cuts. There are 832 vacancies, a memo reports.
• We advance next week’s City Council meeting in our Public Comment feature. Big issues include an impasse hearing on the city’s outsourcing plan and a vote on the downtown schoobrary.
• In news from other cities in San Diego County, National City is giving up its business tax processing fee after a court ruled against a similar plan in the city of San Diego. Carlsbad has seen its sales tax revenue drop 19 percent. Oceanside is considering cutting out some of its paper used for City Council business.
• SDRostra has this day’s installment of the Betty Rexford soap opera. Three years ago, Poway’s City Manager warned Rexford that she was acting with a conflict of interest. The City Councilwoman now is the target of a recall effort.
• New Port Commissioner Lee Burdick is hoping for a change in the tenor of debate on important issues facing the area’s waterfront. And the U-T opines that more must be done to permanently solve the city of San Diego’s homeless problem.

— LIAM DILLON