San Diego Unified Trustee Kevin Beiser made his first public appearance Tuesday night since four men accused him of sexual harassment and assault.
Beiser attended the Board of Trustees meeting two weeks after his colleagues on the board unanimously passed, in his absence, a resolution urging Beiser to step down.
“During public comment at the end of the meeting, Beiser departed early and evaded questions from members of the media waiting to interview him,” Andrew Keatts reports.
Trustee John Lee Evans was the only board member to acknowledge the awkwardness of Beiser’s presence.
“You may recall the Board of Education passed a resolution two weeks ago calling for the immediate resignation of Kevin Beiser. That resolution still stands, don’t want anybody to be confused about that,” Evans said.
On Monday, Beiser’s roommate attended a the Linda Vista Community Planning Group’s meeting as a representative of Beiser’s City Council campaign. There, Patrick Ambrosio told Keatts that Beiser will be making a statement soon regarding his future plans.
Meanwhile, Beiser remains on leave from his job as a teacher at the Sweetwater Union High School District, a district spokesman confirmed Tuesday. The district does not have an expected return date, the spokesman said.
ICE Is Improperly Holding Two Minors, Cases Claim
Minors who arrive at the border are directed through a different immigration process than adults, and are typically released to family members or are placed in facilities solely for minors, run by a separate agency from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which handles adult immigration detentions.
But advocacy groups and attorneys say two 17-year-olds from Bangladesh have been improperly held for months at the adult-only Otay Mesa Detention Center despite evidence that they are under 18.
Our Maya Srikrishnan reports that ICE has continued to hold the teens, who had hoped to connect with family members in New York, despite handing over birth certificates, school records and affidavits from family members declaring their ages.
The migrants, who turned themselves in at the border in October to seek asylum, have maintained ever since that they are minors.
Advocates say the cases underline the challenges for South Asian detainees who are often denied access to translation services and face steep bonds. Both teens have been denied bond and will thus be stuck at the Otay Mesa facility as their immigration proceedings continue.
Council OKs Scooter Regulations
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve regulations for dockless scooters and bicycles after more than two hours of public comments.
The new rules would introduce speed limits for dockless scooters in certain areas, with limits as low as 3 mph along the Embarcadero. Scooter companies would also be mandated to use technology to reduce scooter speeds in certain areas.
The regulations pushed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office also require dockless scooter companies to obtain permits, among a laundry list of other new mandates.
Multiple City Council members, including Councilwomen Barbara Bry and Jen Campbell, said they are eager to vote in the near future on a scooter ban on the Pacific Beach Boardwalk. But a city attorney said the City Council was unable to vote on that ban because it hadn’t notified the public of those plans before Tuesday’s meeting.
- On eve of Tuesday’s City Council vote, City News Service reports that a 46-year-old woman broke her leg when she crashed an electric scooter in Mission Hills.
- While the city of San Diego’s seen an avalanche of dockless bicycles and scooters, North County cities largely haven’t. NBC 7 reports that a year-long pilot program in cities including Oceanside and Encinitas will soon give those cities a chance to try a bike share and establish guidelines for a company to operate in those communities.
To Create a Nonprofit or Not to Create a Nonprofit
San Diego’s got many nonprofits but creating a new one isn’t easy.
In this week’s Culture Report, VOSD contributor Julia Dixon Evans delves into the challenges arts nonprofits often navigate as they seek or even consider whether to seek nonprofit status, which can open organizations up to more funding opportunities.
Also in this week’s arts and culture roundup: Details on San Diego Book Crawl and a long list of other events and shows coming up soon.
News Nibbles
- In a shocking report, the New York Times reveals that Navy SEALs went to superiors at Naval Base Coronado to report atrocious crimes committed by a platoon chief in Iraq and were told to “stop talking about it.” Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher is restricted to Navy Medical Center in San Diego as he awaits trial.
- San Diego Gas & Electric is seeking a 4 percent rate increase to cover costs tied to the state’s wildfires. (Union-Tribune)
- Mayor Kevin Faulconer pledged on Tuesday to study gender wage equity and diversity among city staffers after the city auditor concluded the city lacked needed pay data and recommended regular reviews of city pay gaps. (Times of San Diego)
- It’s kind of remarkable that a terrestrial radio station has gone off the air and been off for two weeks but the staff has continued producing shows and distributing them via streaming services and podcasts. The Mighty 1090 is entering its third week with no radio signal but staff continues to interview guests and produce content. Host Darren Smith gave a sports radio news site an interview about what it’s been like switching involuntarily to what may be the future of radio.
- The City Council unanimously signed off Tuesday on a coastal height limit exemption for SeaWorld’s tallest-ever roller coaster. (Union-Tribune)
- Imperial Beach is poised to consider a more stringent plastic bag ban within city limits. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and edited by Sara Libby.