On Thursday our Liam Dillon reported that four senior city employees recently received pay increases, despite a city-imposed salary freeze. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith told VOSD that it was unclear whether the Prop. B pension initiative’s pay freeze applies to nonunionized workers, like the ones who got raises from Sanders.
It’s more clear now: The Mayor’s Office provided VOSD with a legal memo Friday from an outside law firm the city hired to determine whether Prop. B applied to nonunionized workers. Their verdict: It does.
A Photo’s Evolving Meaning
El Cajon Police announced Friday that Kassim Alhimidi, the husband of Shaima Alawadi, has been arrested in connection with her murder. Alawi’s slaying made national headlines • including this New York Times piece co-written by our Will Carless • because residents feared it was a hate crime.
Accompanying the New York Times story was a gripping photo taken by VOSD contributor Sam Hodgson. In it, Alhimidi is clutching his wife’s coffin in despair.
Hodgson reflected in a post on his blog Friday about how the charges alter his interpretation of the photo:
While he certainly remains innocent until a court says otherwise, these photos will never look the same to me, and the memory of shaking hands with a man now accused of such a heinous crime, won’t go away any time soon.
Programming Note
It’s now easier to follow us on Instagram, where we post graphics and photos from our stories and events, thanks to our fancy new web profile.
What We Learned This Week
Filner will lead a changing city: Bob Filner wanted to run for mayor for over a decade. He picked 2012 — betting that an ethnically diverse city would help his cause. He bet right.
Our Liam Dillon identified what could change under Filner, from city leadership to a new focus on development and neighborhoods.
• Filner also gave a hint at what might be a big priority, at least that’s what contributing editor Andrew Donohue hopes: San Diegans “want a livable, bikeable, walkable city. But the political structure has not kept up.”
• The prosecutors who endorsed Filner’s opponent Carl DeMaio may have set themselves up for an awkward situation if they ever have to investigate the incoming mayor, noted our Scott Lewis.
One of those prosecutors took issue with that idea. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith’s communications director Jonathan Heller wrote: “It’s no secret that Goldsmith endorsed another candidate for mayor. But to suggest that might cause problems down the road is speculative and serves no useful purpose.” (Read other reader comments in our Comments of the Week, here.)
Election Wrap: In case you missed any of our coverage from election night, here’s a quick wrap-up: Voters in City Heights, Barrio Logan, La Jolla and University City weighed in on why the election mattered to them. Sherri Lightner won the District 1 race. Prop. 30 and Prop. Z both passed. Marne Foster and John Lee Evans won their school board races. And while it was happening, people celebrated with some great costumes and flair.
• Newly re-elected City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner has no bigger advocate than her husband and he let loose on Twitter last night attacking her rivals on the left and right. He apparently has been reined in.
• Don’t miss this Investigative Newsource profile of both main strategists in the mayor’s race.
Quick News Hits
• Mayor Jerry Sanders’ new gig once he leaves office: CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. (NBC San Diego)
In October, a source told CityBeat that the Chamber CEO job is “a humbling role. When you’ve been mayor, to move to a role like that would be quite jarring.”
It may be humbling, but the job pays. As the U-T reported, Ruben Barrales, who’s leaving as CEO, had a pay package worth $302,000, far higher than the mayor’s salary at City Hall.
• How close is the 52nd Congressional District race? In at least five precincts, Rep. Brian Bilbray and Democrat Scott Peters appear to have tied. KPBS shows the breakdown in this cool interactive graphic.
Quote of the Week
“Are you serious?”
— Carl DeMaio, on whether he’d run for mayor again.
Sara Libby is VOSD’s managing editor. She oversees VOSD’s newsroom and its content. You can reach her at sara.libby@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0526.
Disclosure: Voice of San Diego members and supporters may be mentioned or have a stake in the stories we cover. For a complete list of our contributors, click here.