Simply being a longtime lawman doesn’t guarantee affection from the rank and file in the Sheriff’s Department. Just ask the man in charge, Bill Gore.
The sheriff has a federal law enforcement background thanks to his time in the FBI, but some cops and deputies think he’s not one of them.
As our story shows, Sheriff Gore is trying to change that perception as he runs to keep his job. Even though, as he puts it, “it’s just not my nature to say, ‘Hey guys, I’ve done this, I’ve kicked doors in.’ I point out the job of the sheriff is not to kick down doors and get in shootouts.”
He actually has some amazing stories, including one that involves a bank robber, a fatal gunshot and his fiancée.
So maybe he is an insider after all, a member of the same team as his troops. Well, it’s more complicated than that: opponents say he’s more lackey than team player, a tool of the power structure.
Ultimately, voters will get to decide which Gore they see. And it’s almost certain to help that they’ve seen a lot of him lately.
In other news:
• Hold onto your hats, politicians: “A federal court ruling Tuesday afternoon could dramatically reshape how this June’s San Diego City Council races will be funded, potentially allowing unlimited donations to council candidates for the June 8 primary election.”
The city could try to hurry a $1,000 limit into place, appeal the decision or do nothing. For now, Republicans are happy and Democrats are not, since the ruling appears to help a GOP challenger.
• Any list of the most famous cops from San Diego’s recent history has to include Norm Stamper. Outspoken and critical, the SDPD officer-turned-Seattle police chief has made lots of blood boil.
In a Q&A interview, we hear from Stamper about marijuana (he thinks it should be legal), Jerry Sanders and Stamper’s own legacy.
• Now here’s a bold statement for a candidate to make about a foe: “Student achievement has dropped (in) the time he’s been on the school board, the past 20 years.”
That came from San Diego school board candidate Scott Barnett about his opponent, incumbent John De Beck. You may recall that this race is especially interesting because Barnett is a Republican but still got an endorsement from the teachers union over De Beck, who used to be friendly with labor.
It’s a bold statement, and a baseless one: we’ve found no evidence that it’s true, and Barnett himself has apologized.
• We’ve got another Fact Check: Was the Environmental Health Coalition telling the truth when it headlined a May 12 press release with this: “South Bay Power Plant will shutdown in December”? Well, the statement doesn’t exactly jibe with reality.
• Take a look at the man in this portrait from the early 20th century. Does he look familiar?
A local resident picked up this painting a few years ago and was told this bushy-bearded guy was an early settler of San Diego. He’d like to know who this guy was, and so would we.
I’d also like to know if that gargantuan beard held remnants of multiple spaghetti dinners. But I digress, as does one our commenters, who offered this theory: “Founder of San Diego? No, I think he’s the founder of ZZ Top.”
Seriously, now. Only I get to make jokes around here, people.
• The Photo of the Day really likes striking-looking women. Go figure.
Elsewhere:
• Notorious murderer John Albert Gardner III has a new home: a state prison near Bakersfield. He’s in a single-person cell in what the U-T calls “an administrative segregation unit.”
• Estimates suggest that the implementation of the proposed Chelsea’s Law, which would impose new restrictions on sex offenders, will eventually cost tens of millions a year. Do it, says a local assemblyman who’s leading the charge. (U-T)
• Earthquake. (If it was bigger, I’d have given it an exclamation point.) It shook folks up at about 5:40 p.m. and had a preliminary estimate of magnitude 5.1. Er, make that 4.5.
• The Ultrastar cinema at the Hazard Center mall near Fashion Valley can be a relief from the mobbed multiplexes nearby: the parking isn’t a huge hassle, and the crowds usually aren’t overwhelming. Well, so much for that: the City Council yesterday approved a plan to build residential units and tear down the theater.
Operators of film festivals housed at the theater will have to find a new home. And we can all look forward to even more traffic on Friars Road. If you don’t hear from me for a few days, it’s because I’m still waiting to get on the 163. (SDBJ)
• Finally, the new TV network schedules for the fall are out, and there are two San Diego-related shows in the mix.
CBS has “@#$! My Dad Says,” starring William Shatner and based on the Twitter feed of a young San Diego man whose father says lots of amusingly rude things.
The Gawker blog got a hold of what it thinks is a script of the sitcom. Its verdict: Stink-o.
Meanwhile, the ABC comedy “Mr. Sunshine” is cleared for takeoff. It stars Matthew Perry as the 40-year-old chief of a San Diego sports arena. (There’s a clip here, and it doesn’t look awful. Ooo, Allison Janney too!)
No word on the fate of another show that I just made up. It’s about a guy who runs an old football stadium in San Diego, wants to build a brand-new one, and might sock taxpayers with part of the bill.
It’s called “Mr. Mayor.” Only time will tell if viewers reject the plot.