1. San Diego International Airport Joins Suit Against Port, Angering South Bay Leaders
The Port of San Diego gained a new opponent to its plan to use a fee on rental cars to build a parking structure in Chula Vista: the San Diego International Airport. By joining a lawsuit against the Port, the airport seems to have instigated a dormant feud with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. (Ashly McGlone)
2. Thousands of Employees Face Uncertainty After Supreme Court Pension Case
The California Supreme Court decided that former Mayor Jerry Sanders played such an important role in conceiving of and developing a ballot measure to eliminate pensions for city employees that it was his own proposal. Thus, he should have, as the city’s chief labor negotiator, met with labor unions first to talk about it. The court didn’t invalidate the law, though. It sent it back to the Court of Appeal to decide what to do. With that, the court put the city of San Diego on notice that it could be in for an unimaginably complex series of negotiations and changes. (Scott Lewis)
3. Politics Report: Caruso Mall Haunts Carlsbad Mayoral Race
In 2015, Carlsbad residents killed a shopping mall on the shores of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon that would have allowed the developer to bypass environmental review. Although that project is no longer a point of contention, it touched off other conversations about housing and open spaces and the Council’s commitment to its own residents (Scott Lewis and Jesse Marx)
4. Audit Reveals Tough Decisions Coming at SANDAG
SANDAG has less money than it expected, and the transportation projects it’s built are more expensive than it had hoped. Now, an audit says the agency needs to start making tough decisions. (Andrew Keatts)
5. Long-Stalled Plaza de Panama Project Heads Back to Court
One of two lawsuits that has for nearly two years kept the controversial Balboa Park overhaul from proceeding is set to go to trial next week. (Lisa Halverstadt)
6. No, the Hilton Bayfront Pool Is Not Open to the Public
The urban myth that the Hilton Bayfront agreed to open its pool to the public as part of a land use deal is so pervasive that even some hotel staffers believe it. It’s not true. But there are some public access points along the waterfront that many San Diegans might not know about. (Kinsee Morlan)
7. What the District’s New Bond Pitch Means for Its Bottom Line (and Yours)
As San Diego Unified seeks a new $3.5 billion school facility bond, it’s a good time to revisit the school bond debt district taxpayers are already on the hook for, and understand why the new tax proposal is actually closer to $7.5 billion. (Ashly McGlone)
8. Audit Finds Thousands of Bad Water Bills, Hints at Other Problems
San Diego’s water department sent out at least 2,750 incorrect bills last year, according to an audit released Thursday. Auditors also found issues with the city’s $60 million “smart meter” program. (Ry Rivard)
9. What Happens if Lemon Grove Sours on Cityhood?
Some residents of Lemon Grove are flirting with the idea of disincorporating to resolve the city’s financial problems. Here is how that would work and what we don’t know. (Randy Dotinga)
10. Short-Term Rental Operators Launch First Counter-Attack
An attorney for Share San Diego, HomeAway and Airbnb fired off a letter to the San Diego City Council Monday claiming the Council violated the City Charter and the Brown Act when it approved restrictive vacation rental rules earlier this month. (Scott Lewis)