Morning Report: The SEC Is Probing Sweetwater’s Finances

Sweetwater Union High School District officials have been instructed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not to delete any financial documents, because the agency is conducting an “ongoing inquiry” into the district’s financial dealings, according to a letter obtained by VOSD’s Will Huntsberry.

Though the agency would not comment on the inquiry, it “could pursue Sweetwater for any action its investigators believe defrauded investors or public stakeholders. Central to any investigation would likely be the sale of $28 million worth of bonds last April by the district. The district filed a financial disclosure with the SEC before it sold the bonds that showed the district in strong financial standing. But the district’s finances were worse than the financial disclosure statement indicated,” Huntsberry reports.

Not All Caravan Members Are Strangers to the U.S.

Mateo Juan Juan Mateo (no, that’s not a misprint) traveled from Guatemala to Tijuana with the migrant caravan that arrived last spring.

In many ways, his story is familiar: He was fleeing the country’s crushing violence, and wanted better economic opportunities so he could provide for his family.

But in other ways, his story is one you might not expect. Juan Mateo’s wife and their children are U.S. citizens. After Juan Mateo was deported from the United States in 2010, the family lived together in Guatemala for several years. His wife eventually decided she’d had enough, and returned with the children to the U.S.

But the separation was unbearable, and now they’re all living together in Tijuana, struggling to make ends meet but happy to be reunited.

Maya Srikrishnan profiled the family and their journey, which provides a window into why some caravan members have made the decision to come to the United States.

“Deportees, like Juan Mateo, have been part of both the caravans that traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border last year. They’re probably part of the group currently making the journey. They’re not just coming back to the United States for better jobs or to seek safety, but to return to loved ones and lives left behind,” Srikrishnan writes.

The Cross-Border Sewage Issue Is Still a Literal Shitstorm

Stopping the flow of sewage from the Tijuana River into the U.S. has been the defining issue of Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina’s career. He’s hoping other leaders in the region will join the fight.

In a VOSD op-ed, Dedina, Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas and Port Commissioner Dan Malcolm urge the city of San Diego to not just join the legal fight against the International Boundary and Water Commission to address the issue, but to target all of the potential sources of pollution instead of just some of them.

“The Tijuana River is hemorrhaging pollution. For this crisis, a Band-Aid simply will not do,” they write.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer, for his part, appears to agree. He and Councilwoman Vivian Moreno sent out a press release urging the Council to join the lawsuit when it considers the issue Tuesday.

This week’s Border Report has more details on the latest issues causing spills and beach closures — issues that led a frustrated Dedina to say, “It feels like we’re back to square one.”

The Day in Sacramento Selfie News

Kim Kardashian West visited Sacramento Monday to advocate for criminal justice reforms, and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins got a coveted photo with her.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher to the California Air Resources Board, which led to the resurrection of this surfer bro pic.

In Other News

• The San Diego City Council unanimously approved a 20-story tower with 204 new housing units including 18 set aside as affordable. Here’s background on the project and the discussion about it from KPBS.
• Costs aren’t the only issue hampering parents from finding good childcare — there simply aren’t enough providers in San Diego. (Union-Tribune)
• Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher to the California Air Resources Board.
• You have your first chance to weigh in on SDSU’s plans to build a new stadium, housing, hotels and parks in Mission Valley. The university has already begun preparing its environmental impact report for the property that is home to SDCCU Stadium. The university still, of course, needs to buy the land from the city and we have not been able to find out yet when negotiations on that will begin or who will lead the talks from both sides.
• inewsource found that some security gaps related to warships in the San Diego Bay persist even after the outlet revealed them several weeks ago.
• The U-T sheds some light on how Chula Vista police officers are using drones to help respond to emergency calls.

The Morning Report was written by Sara Libby, and edited by Scott Lewis.