Mediation continued yesterday between the mayor, two City Council members, the city attorney and the attorney representing an employee who accuses Bob Filner of sexual harassment. But there was no resolution, no verified hint of what’s going on and no indication of whether the mayor will quit. NBC San Diego has details.
Who’s still standing with the mayor? One big ally is Bishop George McKinney, a prominent minister with the Church of God in Christ.
Scott Lewis asked McKinney why he still stood with the mayor. McKinney believes in redemption: “we understand that we are all creatures with moral and spiritual failings and we always believe there is a possibility for forgiveness and redemption.”
McKinney also talked about another factor: his own development project with which Filner has assisted greatly.
That project is Valencia Park. A largely vacant lot, whose failed deals and intrigue Voice of San Diego has investigated for years. Catch up with our original investigation and a more recent roundup of all our investigations into the now defunct Southeastern Economic Development Corp.
• As Lewis described, Filner attended McKinney’s service Sunday, as did Council President Todd Gloria, who may vie to replace Filner if he quits. If he wins, Gloria will become the first elected mayor of a Top 20 U.S. city to be an openly gay man. Another possible mayoral hopeful, Carl DeMaio, is also gay.
McKinney is a high-profile opponent of gay marriage. He wrote this in a commentary last year: “We oppose same-sex marriage because it is contrary to God’s Word and opposed to the natural order.”
• A commenter explains why confusing cloud of scandal around Filner shouldn’t distract from the real reason for him to quit.
The Rest of the Day in Filner
The mayor’s plans for cross-border unity have gone south.
“Filner hasn’t led formal initiatives between San Diego and Baja California, or hosted the binational meetings he once proposed. His abrasive behavior during an April trade mission to Mexico City made headlines. And though the mayor claimed otherwise in a response to recall organizers, those binational Olympic dreams have been dashed for now,” wrote Lisa Halverstadt.
It’s also unclear whether the highly respected Mario Lopez will remain as director of binational affairs. Peter Osio, of the Mexico-American Chamber of Business in San Diego pleaded with him to stay.
• The U-T has surprisingly refrained from calling on Filner to quit. The paper called for “due process” and, as an editorial disclosed yesterday, “we also believed that for us to join the chorus would have created an unnecessary distraction.”
No more of that. As the editorial puts it.
• The national Democratic Party will vote on a resolution asking Filner to resign, CNN reports.
Carlsbad’s Schools Get Their Grove Back
We examine the possible resolution of the financial problems that threatened to overwhelm the school district in Carlsbad and kill plans for a new high school. Things are looking better, finally, and the school will open in a few days.
The Truth about Barrio Logan’s Future
Barrio Logan, an old neighborhood south of downtown, is known for its awkward mix of pollution-spewing commerce and family homes. But changes and controversy are afoot as the council gets ready to consider changing the community’s blueprint.
“Any way you chop up the land today, there’s 120 acres of industrial land in Barrio Logan, or available land that could be used for industrial purposes. It’s going from 120 acres down to 60 acres in (the proposed new community plan). That’s 50 percent,” said a local lobbyist who’s representing some of the smaller maritime businesses.
Is he right? San Diego Fact Check finds the claim is Barely True.
Quick News Hits
• VOSD events are coming up. The details are here.
• The weekly Culture Report has news about the loss of a local arts professor, a cheese sculptor (yum!), sci-fi at the Big Kitchen and a threatened mural.
• A snag in funding to promote tourism has led to the closure of San Diego Film Commission, which works to help Hollywood launch TV and movie projects here. Now, a non-profit group called the Film Consortium says it will fill the hole left by the cut in funds, KPBS reports.
To understand more about the Film Commission’s fate check our previous story here.
• “A skilled nursing center in Escondido that’s treated thousands of patients over the last 30 years is closing, leaving a gap in the county’s safety net,” KPBS reports. “The closure of the 96-bed facility could have some painful repercussions.”
• GQ examines the suicide of former football star Junior Seau.
• The Patch online news company, which has been operating hundreds of ultra-local news sites in places like the San Diego region, slashed hundreds of jobs last week. One of them belonged to local editor Ken Stone, a friend of the Morning Report who directed us to nifty Patch stories. He posted a goodbye note here.
Super-local news — news business wonks call it “hyper-local” — tells you about that road project down the street, the car burglary on your block, and the winner of your kid’s Little League game.
Here’s hoping Patch gets patched up for the good of our neighborhoods. And just in case I ever win a trophy and want the world to know. (Hey! A boy can dream!)
Randy Dotinga is a freelance contributor to Voice of San Diego and vice president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. Please contact him directly at randydotinga@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/rdotinga.
Voice of San Diego is a nonprofit that depends on you, our readers. Please donate to keep the service strong. Click here to find out more about our supporters and how we operate independently.