Leaders at the Port of San Diego will vote today whether to censure Vice Chair Commissioner Sandy Naranjo based on allegations that she refused to disclose financial information and mistreated a port employee.
The action would effectively remove Naranjo from her position of leadership as vice chair. She would remain a commissioner.
An official censure is an action politically-appointed boards can take to show disapproval and distance themselves from the behaviors of members. She’s accused of refusing to quickly turn financial disclosure information over to the Port in a timely manner, which allegedly delayed the Port’s ability to take action on some contracts, according to a report.
The report alleges that Naranjo “retaliated” against a district employee whose job it was to collect that financial information.
Related: The Port is also wrangling with other trouble after its CEO Joe Stuyvesant was abruptly placed on administrative leave, as Axios San Diego reported. Naranjo recused herself from the board’s closed discussion on the matter after being advised that she may have been a witness to some of the events being discussed.
Coronado Mayor Talks State Housing Laws, Affordable Housing
Over the weekend, during a housing panel at Politifest, Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey talked about the city’s failure to comply with state affordable housing laws.
Bailey and Attorney General Rob Bonta, who joined in on VOSD’s live podcast, said Coronado is very close to coming into compliance with state law – like in a matter of weeks.
Our Tigist Layne moderated the panel that Bailey was on, called Sacramento v. Small Cities: The Housing Battle. He responded to her questions about Coronado’s history of defying state housing laws, housing affordability and more.
Environment Report: The Fist Bump Seen ‘Round Politifest
The San Diego County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have traditionally had beef on many fronts. But their new leaders bumped fists on stage at our annual policy summit Politifest.
That’s quite a change. One former Water Authority leader called the agencies’ relationship like, “a bad marriage, we can’t seem to fix it.”
In the latest Environment Report, our MacKenzie Elmer explains why that fist bump was so important.
Read the Environment Report here.
In Other News
- In a new opinion piece for Voice of San Diego, Heather Ferbert, chief deputy city attorney for the city of San Diego and candidate for San Diego City Attorney, explains why she thinks a proposal to divide the city attorney job is harmful. (Voice of San Diego)
- New research suggests that little, if any, sand flows south from Oceanside to Carlsbad, challenging previous notions that sand always flows south. Carlsbad and Oceanside are among many coastal cities losing sand at alarming rates, and these new findings could change how coastal leaders approach the costly and complex problem. (Union-Tribune)
- Ballots are on their way to registered voters in the 4th Supervisorial District, Chula Vista, Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District for the Nov. 7 special election. The District 4 Supervisor election will fill Nathan Fletcher’s vacant seat. Voters in Chula Vista will fill the vacant seat for city attorney and voters living in the Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District will vote on a measure to detach from the San Diego County water authority. (KPBS)
- A county program launched in April 2022 has provided attorneys at no cost to nearly 800 immigrants facing deportation. A new report examining the program’s first 15 months shows a growing rate of success for immigrants facing deportation, but it has also drawn a new wave of criticism from a couple County Supervisors who say it’s a misuse of county funds. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Tigist Layne. It was edited by Scott Lewis.