The scrutiny commenced after San Diego City Council President Ben Hueso hired three of his or his brother’s former campaign aides to work on his staff during his final month in office.
Hueso’s spokeswoman justified the hires by saying the three would be working on high-priority projects, such as the cross-border airport terminal and Mercado development project. Hueso said his office would accomplish more in November than incoming Councilman David Alvarez — who defeated Hueso’s brother Felipe — would do in the next year.
Hueso now can argue his temporary staffers did something.
Tuesday, at the last regularly scheduled meeting before Alvarez and Councilwoman-elect Lorie Zapf take office, the council moved both the airport and Mercado efforts forward. From the U-T’s story on the terminal:
The San Diego City Council on Tuesday moved closer to establishing a cross-border terminal that would connect Otay Mesa via pedestrian bridge to Tijuana’s A.L. Rodriguez International Airport.
The council voted unanimously to go forward with a study to rezone the land just north of the U.S./Mexico border to house the terminal, hotels, parking lots and retail.
And here’s what the U-T reported on the Mercado, a long-stalled grocery store project:
Barrio Logan is one step closer to getting its first grocery store in decades after the San Diego City Council unanimously approved the development agreement of the Mercado Del Barrio project and its adjoining Estrella del Mercado affordable housing apartments.
Please contact Liam Dillon directly at liam.dillon@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5663 and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/dillonliam.