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Just as we thought the dust was beginning to settle, it now appears that some San Diegans will be going back to the polls. City Council President Tony Young announced Thursday night that he will be leaving his position to head the San Diego-Imperial County chapter of the Red Cross.
“This is a great opportunity to continue to serve the residents of this region in a really special way and I’m really excited about that,” Young said.
Rumors of Young’s departure have been floating on the political wind for days. The city charter states that his position must be filled within 90 days, meaning voters of District 4 better get excited for a post-election lightning round, just in case they were lamenting the loss of our beloved campaign season.
By all accounts, this race is not going to be cheap and the list of possible candidates is anybody’s guess. See the full report on this major announcement here.
Q-and-A: Nathan Fletcher Says Goodbye to Politics
In what appears to be a popular new trend, former mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher has also decided to step out of the political arena. Fletcher recently announced that he has taken a job as senior director of corporate development for Qualcomm.
Fletcher says he’s not done with public service, just elected office. He plans to continue his commitment to improving San Diego by working for a “company whose innovations make people’s lives better” and getting involved in issues “related to veterans and education, but they’ll all be as a private citizen volunteer.”
Speak City Heights: Learning about Trauma on 44th Street
Reporter Megan Burk’s multi-part coverage of violence on 44th Street in City Heights continues with more details on the trauma endured by Ricky McCoy Sr. during the shooting of his 18-year-old grandson Rickquese McCoy this past summer. Audio and video clips from KBPS Evening Edition and Midday Edition are included in the story, which launched with a short video interview of the grieving grandfather, where he discusses that fateful night and the pain of his loss.
Speak City Heights is a collaborative multimedia project between Voice of San Diego, KPBS, Media Arts Center and The AjA Project.
VIDEO: The Balboa Park Sculpture Saga Continues
Should they stay or should they go? Our readers are pretty divided in their opinions of the aging “Night Visions” sculptures, but the final verdict is still far from clear.
The city will begin the decision process on Nov. 29, when the public art advisers will meet to discuss the “de-installation” of the public art piece commissioned to commemorate the 1988 Super Bowl at then Jack Murphy Stadium. Many of the 12 pieces included in the project have deteriorated significantly, but the artist Roberto Salas wishes for them to remain on display, and has offered to repair the missing elements for $40,000.
NBC 7 San Diego sat down with Salas and interviewed VOSD reporter Kelly Bennett about the future of the 23-year-old artwork. A few readers submitted letters expressing their feelings on both sides of the debate.
Reader Commentaries: City Worker on Management Pay Increases
City worker Brian Henry submitted a letter critiquing Mayor Jerry Sanders and the Civil Service Commission’s decision to give pay raises to four management positions, despite the current municipal pay freeze. The letter is a response to a recent VOSD report detailing the raises given to city managers.
Henry argues that a pay bump without higher-level management responsibilities reveal a hypocritical logic that does not justify the raises. You can find his full letter here.
Quick News Hits
• Democrat Scott Peters showed up for a warm welcome by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, despite the fact that he’s still tangled in the election race that just keeps on racing with Rep. Brian Bilbray. Peters explains, “No one’s treating me like I’ve got leprosy or anything like that. I’m here because I really want to make sure I am ready to hit the ground running.”
VOSD took a look at the details of the ongoing stalemate in the 5nd District race on Tuesday.
• Mayor-elect Bob Filner announced that the days of denigrating public servants in San Diego are over. He pledged to keep Fire Chief Javier Mainar and Police Chief William Lansdowne in their current positions, reports KPBS.
• State Sen. Christine Kehoe will be joining the California Plug-In Vehicle Collaborative as executive director when she leaves office Jan. 1. The group focuses on the development of electric vehicles. (U-T San Diego)
• County Supervisor Steven Danon has officially conceded the race for the 3rd District to Dave Roberts, reports NBC 7 San Diego. The latest reports show Roberts ahead by about 2,800 votes.
• The Sacramento Bee reports that Assemblyman Marty Block will be spending the last few days of the week in Maui as the guest of lobbyist group Pacific Policy Research Foundation at a conference. Who said assemblymen don’t know how to have a special-interest-funded good time?
Colin Weatherby is a freelance writer. You can reach him at colin.weatherby@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @CCWeatherby.