In Friday’s Morning Report, we linked to an interview Joanne Faryon did with U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray on KPBS’ Evening Edition. We wrote that the congressman “announced” that he would not be voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act validated by the Supreme Court in a major decision Thursday.
Faryon lead off the show declaring Bilbray would not be voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It’s not so clear. I called the congressman’s office and got an explanation. He’s still a solid vote in favor of repealing the president’s landmark health care reform law.
It’s just, if that doesn’t happen, he can think of a better way to use the funds it generates.
On to what we learned this week …
Three Words Made Public Employee Pensions Untouchable: For years we’ve been told by people like the mayor that although city employee pensions went up and up, we couldn’t ever dial them back. All we can do is change them for future employees. A long and detailed investigation by a legal student has shown that assumption — the so-called California Rule — originated with words. (Hint: They’re not “deal with it.”)
What Happened to a Sculpture Made by One of San Diego’s Most Famous Artists: Apparently a giant (33-foot) Robert Irwin acrylic obelisk (think giant prism) was at one point in a shopping mall in Northridge, of all places.
The mall could never really make it sing, so it donated the piece to CSU Northridge, which kept it wrapped in a basement for years. Finally, the piece has been liberated from storage, restored and the feds are installing it in their new courthouse in downtown San Diego. It’s there now, under a shroud while construction continues.
Irwin’s also commissioned to make new work in the garden outside the courthouse.
How to Rationalize, a Lot: San Diego’s city attorney, Jan Goldsmith, ran for re-election unopposed and he’s had some setbacks, some contradictions and some interesting things to say. He rationalized it all in a great Q&A with our Liam Dillon Thursday.
How San Diego Elected a ‘Birther:’ Rural areas and, unexpectedly, the South Bay turned out enough for Gary Kreep to win a spot as judge bringing San Diego some national attention because of Kreep’s view that President Obama is lying about where he was born. In a color-coded map, Keegan Kyle showed Kreep’s support wasn’t random.
Where Sherri Lightner Did Well (and Where She Did Not): In another color-coded map, we detailed how folks voted in District 1, the council seat that will determine who controls the City Council. Democrat Sherri Lightner lost almost all of La Jolla to challenger Ray Ellis but dominated in University City.
NFL to Team Owners: We Control L.A. Moves
The commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, sent a memo letting teams know that the league will control how a team is moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to set some ground rules.
“What the league doesn’t want is a team making the unilateral decision to relocate to L.A. intending to play in the Rose Bowl or Coliseum for a few years with the hope of moving over to a new venue once a stadium solution is found,” writes the L.A. Times’ Sam Farmer.
Top Comments of the Week
Dagny Salas has collected five of the top reader comments of the week.
Speak City Heights
Our weekly roundup of stories coming out of the Speak City Heights collaboration is up as well. It includes the post and video of a women-only swim class at the City Heights YMCA that provoked quite a reaction.
Quick News Hits
• The Daily Beast got local journalist Jamie Reno to scour U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa’s district in San Diego and ask residents what they think of Issa.
• The Navy confirmed that two of its jets doing a demonstration for families of sailors on the USS Carl Vinson were responsible for a sonic boom that had people talking in San Diego all afternoon, NBC 7 San Diego reported.
Quote of the Week
“So sitting back passive is not my idea of being a good lawyer.”
— Jan Goldsmith, San Diego City Attorney, in an in-depth Q&A about his uncontested re-election, his struggles and his politics.
I’m Scott Lewis the CEO of Voice of San Diego. You can contact me directly at scott.lewis@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0527 and follow me on Twitter (it’s a blast!): twitter.com/vosdscott.