Over the last couple of years, the San Diego City Council has voted to financially support a lot of good ideas. Fix more roads? Yes! Fund more arts? Sure! But while those are welcome changes after years of funding cuts, Lisa Halverstadt reports that a preview of the upcoming bill for the spending party is having a sobering effect.
“We don’t have enough funds to accommodate all the wishes and desires,” interim Mayor Todd Gloria said. He went on to “toss a bucket of cold water” on the mayoral campaign by reminding candidates to use the cost estimates to moderate their campaign “representations,” like ones about bolstering the police department or lowering emergency response times.
Candidates Clash
In what seems like the 10,000th mayoral “debate” of this campaign, sparks flew between candidates Kevin Faulconer and Nathan Fletcher Wednesday night after Fletcher asked Faulconer about that fateful day when the local Republican establishment reportedly anointed Faulconer to run as the Republican choice for mayor. Catherine Green posted a video of the tense exchange, which she guessed was likely fueled by campaign fatigue.
• In case you weren’t aware that there’s no love lost between the GOP and Fletcher, the chair of the San Diego County Republican Party tweeted Thursday that “Fletcher is an arrogant, self-centered prick who sees himself as God’s gift to America.”
Mike Aguirre: A Reader’s Guide
Among the four top candidates who are considered major contenders in next week’s mayoral election, Mike Aguirre is undeniably the underdog. He hasn’t raised much money or garnered many endorsements, but he continues to press on in a campaign that is likely to end Tuesday. Lisa Halverstadt gathers this reader’s guide on the re-imagined Aguirre, and his new jovial, self-deprecating approach. Aguirre’s top issue? “He has maintained a laser focus on the city’s large annual pension bill,” Halverstadt writes.
About That Empty Chair
Marty Block, a California state senator, wrote in to defend Nathan Fletcher. On the accusations Fletcher has faced about his attendance record while in the state Assembly, Block called them unfair. “An effective legislator doesn’t spend all of his or her time in the Capitol, nor does he or she count showing up to vote alone as doing a good job.”
Lies, Damned Lies and Signatures
A lawsuit has been filed over a signature-gathering effort that got our own Scott Lewis pretty riled up when he encountered it. The effort gathered signatures to overturn the controversial Barrio Logan community plan. The lawsuit alleges that signature-gatherers used “false statements and misrepresentations” to get people to sign. Lewis’ video shows at least one instance of that happening.
It turns out opponents of the new plan need a second signature-gathering effort to overturn related ordinances that were subsequently passed by the City Council. That second signature-gathering is happening now, and a reporter from KPBS this week recorded yet another one of the effort’s representatives “using false statements” to get people to sign. Remember, reporters are everywhere, folks.
News Nibbles
• The San Diego-based USS Cowpens arrived in the Philippines to distribute aid to the areas recently devastated by extreme weather.
• A Boy Scout troop is photographed volunteering at mayoral candidate Kevin Faulconer’s campaign headquarters. Outrage ensues.
• The Border Patrol is battling a problem with agents showing up to work drunk.
• Stand-by volunteer poll workers are still needed for Tuesday’s election.
• The repercussions from an ongoing scandal in the Navy keep piling up.
• For election junkies, inewsource continues to update this map showing early-voting returns.
And Yet He Works in Politics
Political strategist Jason Roe has been an active part of San Diego politics for years, working on campaigns under his company’s label: Revolvis. He’s even helping current candidate Kevin Faulconer strategize his mayoral bid. But instead of making news for Faulconer, it was Roe in the news this week, apparently because of a scary mid-campaign visit to the hospital in October.
Six days and 15 pounds lighter, Roe was back on the campaign trail. “Fortunately, I didn’t need emergency surgery, which would have required removal of part of my intestine and up to six months with a shit bag,” Roe said. “My tailored shirts don’t accommodate shit bags.” We’re glad you’re back to your old self, Jason.
Seth Hall is a local writer and technologist. You can reach him at voice@s3th.com or follow him on Twitter: @loteck.