The Morning Report
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The developer selected to redevelop the Sports Arena has agreed to pay a fine for filing a disclosure of its “expenditure lobbying” reports late.
You are forgiven for not having heard of that before. (OK, yes, we know some of you nerds had.)
Andrew Keatts reports such reports are pretty rare. They are meant to help the public see any spending meant to influence a city decision that doesn’t involve direct contact with city officials.
The partnership that won the chance to negotiate with the city to build the massive project, Midway Rising, filed the disclosure late but they were also the only group bidding for the job that filed them in San Diego last year.
The other bidders for the project did not file such reports and neither did any other company that did business with the city before 2021.
What happened: Midway Rising hired a top Democratic political consultant for $154,000 for nine months of work on messaging and political strategy, to build a website, and handle press outreach. Not filing an expenditure lobbying report is what got them in hot water with the San Diego Ethics Commission.
Keatts wrote that the late disclosure, “made it impossible for the public to consider that political spending ahead of the city’s selection. But even if the forms had been filed on time, they include almost no information that could have aided the public’s assessment.”
Politics Report: Political Dominoes Could Fall in 2024
County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher is running for state Senate.
The Politics Report breaks down what his formal announcement means for other local seats and the political dominoes that could fall in 2024.
Fletcher will be on the ballot to replace termed out Toni Atkins in 2024. That means if he wins, his seat will be open and the board would have the opportunity to appoint someone. And if they can’t pick someone, they would have to have a special election.
So, who are the potential candidates who could fill Fletcher’s seat? Read more about that in the Politics Report here. The weekly newsletter is available to Voice of San Diego members only. Join today for as little as $35 a year and get access.
VOSD Podcast: County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer joined us in the podcast studio to review the state of the region’s homelessness crisis. Our podcast hosts also discussed the latest union news and yet another signature gathering effort that is on life support. Listen to the episode here.
In Other News
- In a new op-ed for Voice, a formerly homeless resident shares some alarming statistics about why people become homeless, and opens up about their own experience. Read that here.
- The Union-Tribune reports that the city of San Diego is projecting ending the budget year with $104 million in excess cash. City officials, though, are stressing that the number is being skewed by inflation.
- ICYMI: Managing editor of daily news Andrea Lopez-Villafaña rounded up the news you need to start your week in her Cup of Chisme newsletter. Read that here.
The Morning Report was written by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.