The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
Councilwoman Barbara Bry recently circulated an ad on Facebook congratulating Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who was named the 2019 San Diegan of the Year by the Union-Tribune.
In it, she made a strange claim: Bry said she was the only candidate in the mayor’s race to vote for Weber’s big police shooting reform bill before it passed the Legislature. This isn’t just a strange claim because her opponent is a member of the Legislature and she is not. It’s also strange because it isn’t true.
Hosts Scott Lewis and Sara Libby discussed the factual issues with Bry’s assertion and the ensuing Twitter-based back-and-forth between Bry and Lewis on the matter.
Regardless of timelines and voting records, Bry’s ad is a reminder of the type of debates we might be in for as more big local contests become Democrat vs. Democrat affairs. Candidates who agree on most issues will continue to try and carve out distinctions, sometimes more successfully than others.
AB 5 Is Officially the Law
Jan. 1 marked the first day AB 5, the controversial law on worker classification written by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, was in effect.
Now that it’s the law of the land, the controversy is totally, completely over and everyone quietly moved on to other things.
Just kidding!
A new lawsuit, the third so far, is seeking to overturn the law. And the New York Times this week chronicled continuing anger from impacted freelancers.
Libby also has the latest on fights over the bill in this week’s Sacramento Report.
A Year in Preview
The holiday interregnum still looms. As such, Lewis and Libby took a moment to single out what they’re excited for in 2020.
Lewis pointed out that March election ballots will get mailed to voters in just a month. From the presidential primary to narrowing down City Council races to some big ballot measures, this election is going to be a doozy.
Libby decided to focus on something less political. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are coming. Big races, global unity, weird opening ceremony outfits — what’s not to love?
In Andrew Keatts’ absence, Lewis and Libby discussed his recent piece examining what’s to come for local Republicans. In 2019 (not an election year) San Diego Republicans lost control of three long-held seats. For 2020 — some observers believe retaining power of the Board of Supervisors is the GOP’s Holy Grail.
Finally, Lewis thinks cars — and big decisions over how much we’ll continue to rely on them — will define 2020. Take note.