A quick message from VOSD: Hey readers! We know you’re all very busy being the most brilliant people in San Diego. (We say it because it’s true. Not that we’re shameless flatterers or anything.)
So we won’t take up your time. Just let us whisper these four words in your ear: Politifest. Saturday. Be there.
Mayor Bob Filner’s attorney has argued the city should pay his client’s legal bills because the city never got around to teaching Filner client about sexual harassment. But some City Hall insiders stepped up late Wednesday to dispute Team Filner’s version of events.
Jay Goldstone, the former city COO, said the mayor’s office canceled several training sessions earlier this year. Other sources told Liam Dillon those sessions included directives about mandatory sexual harassment training — directly contradicting Filner’s lawyer’s claim that the trainers were the ones who canceled the sessions.
• Filner is now up to date on his training. So are other elected officials except for a newly elected councilwoman.
• Filner will pay back an Iranian-American group for the cost of his travel to Paris for a conference. Local reporters had raised questions about the donation of the trip, which appears to violate rules regarding gifts from groups that aren’t from a certain kind of non-profit. But a local taxpayers advocacy group says that’s not enough and wants Filner to pay city expenses, too.
• There may no longer be two Filner recall organizers racing to gather signatures. 10 News reports that LGBT activist Stampp Corbin and land-use consultant Michael Pallamary got together Wednesday to discuss their options. Neither man was saying much after that meeting but they’re planning a Friday press conference, so it’s looking like they’ll join forces.
• Here’s some actual good news for the mayor: San Diego Fact Check finds that his claim that the city has shrunk its “unfunded employee pension liability by nearly $1 billion” is Mostly True.
• Filner can be a fun guy. That’s one message you haven’t heard. But there it is in a CityBeat commentary by editor Dave Rolland, who fondly recalls a trip through the capitol with Filner in 2008. But, Rolland writes, it is still time for Filner to go: “Don’t stick this out just because you think you can beat the system.”
• Ex-Mayor Jerry Sanders finally spoke out Wednesday about the Filner scandal, calling the situation “reprehensible” but stopping short of directly calling on Filner to resign. “Sanders says he knows other women who could accuse Filner of improprieties, but aren’t ready to face the hardships of coming forward,” NBC 7 San Diego reports.
• The Daily Show is the latest national outlet to mock the mayor.
Fire Official: Race Not a Factor in Late Responses
We uncovered significant delays in emergency response in the poorer parts of the city where many minorities live. Is it a matter of race and class? Nope, says a fire official. Read his response here.
School Trustee Wants La Jolla High Probe
In a letter, San Diego school board member Scott Barnett calls for an investigation of apparent mismanagement of funds at La Jolla High’s associated student body: “the amount of missing funds … is so great and the number of egregious violations of proper practice so numerous, it requires a criminal investigation.”
We reported on the results of an audit earlier this week, and U-T San Diego published a story about the unexpected reassignment of the high school’s principal.
Must Researchers Be Business-Savvy?
We continue our exploration of the innovation world with a look at a hot issue: “When researchers receive grants, to what extent should they be required to envision business plans and commercial applications for their research?”
Another High Tide for Pepper Spray in Juvie
Pepper spray is under fire nationally as a tool to control children in juvenile detention facilities. But it’s still used in 14 states, including California, for that purpose. In San Diego, CityBeat reports, a promised reevaluation seems to have gone nowhere: Pepper spray was used 414 times here in 2012, according to records, just a slight drop from the year before.
Quick News Hits
• Rural/Metro, the ambulance company that serves San Diego, is prepping for bankruptcy, according to The Wall Street Journal. The city has a tangled relationship with its ambulance provider. For more, check out these stories by the U-T and CityBeat.
• Fast Company highlights our investigation of crime that occurred where streetlights were broken or missing.
• VOSD sports blogger John Gennaro has an update on player trading and Padres.
• Amid all the drama at City Hall, the mayor — via his chief operating officer — is telling city employees they can dress down for the summer, the U-T reports.
Anybody got a flak jacket those folks can borrow?
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