The Morning Report
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After days of unrest and calls, the El Cajon Police Department and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis released videos of officers killing a man in El Cajon who turned out not to be armed. The crisis has become national news. The Washington Post called the move to release the video a turnabout.
Our Sara Libby noticed something about it: In condemning the El Cajon protests and emphasizing that the violent nature of the demonstrations is what prompted the release of the video, San Diego law enforcement officers are setting a peculiar precedent.
They validated the cycle of secrecy followed by intense protesting, Libby writes. “They are essentially saying that violence will guarantee – or at least speed up – a video’s release.”
Dumanis is only a few months into a new policy for releasing these types of videos — a policy that doesn’t seem to have held up in this case.
It was also revealed that police knew the 9-1-1 caller said her brother, who was acting erratically, did not have a gun.
Podcast: More on the Shooting and a Tutorial
This week on the podcast, Andrew Keatts and I talked about the shooting and protests, what we know about when a police officer can kill and what we thought was the video release policy.
Also, one of the biggest hits at Politifest last week was Sara Libby and Ry Rivard’s step-by-step guide to all the ballot propositions. They recorded a version of that and it makes up the second half of the podcast. So, if you just got that big book in the mail of state ballot propositions, you may want to listen.
• We also, of course, talked a bit about the stadium plan and continued our Faulconer Watch: Our ongoing anticipation for news about what the mayor thinks of the downtown stadium plan. Friday, the Downtown Partnership, a large group of local business leaders, endorsed the Chargers’ Measure C after the team’s owner pledged he would not go forward with the project unless several concerns about it were addressed to the mayor’s satisfaction. The major parts of the convadium plan are not negotiable. But you can read the issues the Partnership has here.
Seems like this is a prelude to the mayor’s endorsement soon.
Why No Bill Walton Statue at the Airport
The Airport Authority recently rejected a statue of Bill Walton local philanthropists offered to give the agency for display.
Who knew how big of a deal that would be. A U-T columnist, Bryce Miller, erupted at the slight and the Airport Authority CEO’s decision not to go into detail with him about why.
Our Kinsee Morlan got a more detailed explanation of what the agency is thinking. In short, the Airport Authority has invested a lot in becoming an elite place for cutting-edge public art.
But like people have argued for centuries, the debate about what is art and how we can democratically embrace some of it is now set for another round.
Bills and a Big Endorsement
Crank up the Destiny’s Child.
In the Sacramento Report, Sara Libby gives a rundown of some of the many, many bills signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this week.
Many of them came from San Diego lawmakers, who focused on issues like human trafficking, criminal justice and a few San Diego-specific issues like helping folks who brew their own beer.
• On the national politics front, the Union-Tribune made some waves Friday for joining a line of Republican-leaning papers to endorse Hillary Clinton for president. “This paper has not endorsed a Democrat for president in its 148-year history. But we endorse Clinton. She’s the safe choice for the U.S. and for the world, for Democrats and Republicans alike,” the paper writes.
From Other Feeds
• Tijuana is seeing a condo boom, and the mayor says we’re embracing our relationship with Mexico. (U-T, Times of San Diego)
• Careful, those new rules about parking in the Gaslamp are now going to be enforced. (NBC San Diego)
Top Stories of the Week
These were the most five most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Sept. 10-16. Click here to see the full top 10.
1. If San Diego Is Any Guide, Prop. 51 Could Fund Many New Stadiums
Proposition 51, a statewide ballot measure, is being billed as a $9 billion school bond project that will fix leaky roofs and remove asbestos from classrooms. Those priorities were also front and center in the ballot language for Prop. Z, a local bond passed in 2012. Tens of millions in Prop. Z money has also been spent on stadiums. Prop. 51 funds could also be used to fund stadiums, the state Legislative Analyst’s Office told us. (Ashly McGlone)
2. Oceanside Officials Know Life at This Property Can Be Miserable — They Just Can’t Do Anything About It
Although the city continues to cite 415 Grant St. as a problem property, it hasn’t been able to improve conditions or decrease crime there. (Maya Srikrishnan)
3. What You Need to Know in the Wake of the El Cajon Shooting
El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis has said his office, and the San Diego County district attorney’s office, will both investigate a shooting that took place Tuesday in which a black man killed by police. As that process plays out, here’s what we know about when an officer can legally shoot someone, how the DA approaches the release of shooting videos and how San Diego officers who’ve killed people have been handled in previous cases. (Sara Libby)
4. The Ultimate Guide to the Local Ballot Measures
Can’t tell Measure E from Measure L? We’ve got you covered. (Voice of San Diego)
5. VOSD Podcast: The Haunting Case of the Gaslamp Rape Gang
The author of an explosive Daily Beast story about a rape ring in the Gaslamp Quarter joins hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts this week to discuss some of the issues the story unearthed. (Kinsee Morlan)