Bill Lansdowne, the low-profile police chief of the nation’s eighth-largest city, could quit his job later this month and take home a full pension. But he says he’s sticking around during a mighty challenging time.
“I’m very comfortable right now and this a time where I think you need some seniority and experience to manage the city in some trying times,” he tells reporter Lisa Halverstadt. The chief, who’s 69 and has spent 45 years in law enforcement, has said he’ll give six months’ notice before resigning.
Things may get more dicey for Lansdowne as various investigations of Mayor Bob Filner continue. His officers provide security for the mayor, and he says they’ll step in if they see a crime being committed.
Have they said anything to the chief? He wouldn’t say.
The Day in Filner
• A third complaint against Filner has been filed with a state agency that oversees employment, 10News reports. However, it is not a sexual harassment complaint.
• Recall proponents say they’ve raised $100,000. (Via U-T San Diego)
• There’s lots of talk that Filner will make a deal with various agencies that are investigating him and leave office to make everyone happy and keep him out of paying huge legal bills (or worse).
But all the make-a-deal chatter masks an inconvenient truth for everyone who might be involved: There are a variety of challenges facing any bid for a way out. VOSD reporter Liam Dillon explains the obstacles.
• VOSD’s Scott Lewis finds an actual reason for San Diego to be proud right now: “We live among citizens who won’t tolerate this kind of behavior from their civic leader, regardless of how inconvenient it is politically. We live in a place that stood up for its women who want to be involved in public affairs and said they should not be made to feel like these women did.”
• Donna Frye, the former councilwoman and almost-mayor who’s standing up for the women who accuse Filner of harassment, takes aim in a commentary at the bizarre policy that forbids the mayor from meeting alone with women on city property.
• Former mayor (and just about everything else) Pete Wilson thinks Filner should fold, the U-T reports.
• The Atlantic examines who knew what and when, shedding more light on how the local Democratic Party did (and didn’t) deal with allegations.
National columnists are still fascinated by Filner, and the coverage he’s inspired. Here’s the L.A. Times’ James Rainey on UT-TV’s music video parody; and the New York Times’ Gail Collins on how Filner makes even disgraced New York pols look good.
• Former Councilman and losing mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio talks to 10News about what he knew about Filner’s behavior and says he’s more focused on “removing” the mayor from office than on his own congressional campaign.
Money, Money, Money
• In letters, a former San Diegan expresses major skepticism about local public transit and the cost that taxpayers must pick up to make it available.
• CityBeat explores how Prop. A, which bans worker-friendly labor agreements for city projects, could cost San Diego millions of dollars in state funds.
• “The city is sitting on tens of millions of dollars paid by San Diego electricity customers to bury transmission lines underground, even though project officials say the improvements will take 50-plus years to complete, a new report concludes,” the U-T reports.
• La Jolla High has an interim principal, the U-T reports.
• Guess what: The most self-absorbed San Diegan of all time is working on his autobiography.
Who? Could it be your illustrious Morning Report scribe? Nope. (Although I’m hoping to make the Top 10.) Instead, it’s the much-beloved TV anchor extraordinaire Ron Burgundy, star of “Anchorman” and its upcoming sequel. The U-T has the details.
Here’s hoping everybody’s favorite “big deal” offers a few tips about how San Diego can stay classy. We could sure use ’em.
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