A month after he took office, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner unveiled his staff at a Monday press conference, delivering on his promise of a diverse executive branch.
Filner also snapped at U-T San Diego reporter Craig Gustafson and his newspaper for making an issue out of Filner’s delay in releasing the names and salaries of his hires. Filner said the paper should apologize to him for suggesting in an editorial he violated the state’s Public Records Act.
Filner was wrong. Under state law, verbal requests for public information, like the one Gustafson made, are just as valid as written requests. (CityBeat did a good takedown of Filner’s position.)
I spoke with our media partners at NBC 7 San Diego about the mayor’s new hires and why this public records flap should blow over.
Liam Dillon is a news reporter for Voice of San Diego. He covers how regular people interact with local government. What should he write about next?
Please contact him directly at liam.dillon@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5663.
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