The San Diego County Water Authority decided it wouldn’t take two of its customer water districts to court over trying to leave. Instead the Water Authority board decided Thursday to drop its lawsuit against Rainbow Municipal Water District, Fallbrook Public Utilities District and the Local Agency Formation Commission – the body that greenlighted their departure.
The change of heart represents warming relations between the parties that still need to work out the terms of their settlement agreement and how, physically speaking, the two water districts will officially cut themselves off from the Water Authority’s pipes.
It became clear to the Water Authority over time that the two water districts weren’t just playing hard to get.
“We saw that Rainbow and Fallbrook really wanted to leave. Over 95 percent of their voters said so,” said Mel Katz, chair of the Water Authority board, and a representative from Del Mar. “Our lawsuits were going to delay that for the next two years. It was time to shake hands and wish them well.”
He left with a caveat: “We’re here if anything ever turns for them, we would welcome them back with open arms.”
Latest Sobering Homeless Data Dump
For the 19th month in a row, the number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County outpaced the number moving into homes.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reported this week that 1,159 San Diegans became homeless for the first time in October and 855 exited homelessness.
Big takeaway: The numbers show local efforts to combat homelessness aren’t keeping up with the flood of people losing their homes.
San Diego Inks Contract for Police Surveillance Cams, License Plate Readers
The San Diego City Council earlier this week in a 5-3 vote approved a $12 million contract with two companies to provide cameras and license plate reader technology for a police surveillance network.
The agreement is for five years. Florida-based company Ubicquia will provide the cameras and Flock will provide the license plate reader tech. Police officials have said investigators will review the footage and data collected for serious crimes and not for real time monitoring.
As we reported in March, while police officials have promised to not use the surveillance network’s more advanced features, the tech is different and more advanced.
The Union-Tribune has more details on how the city will spend the $12 million over the years of the contract and what it will pay for. Read it here.
Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and Councilmembers Vivian Moreno and Monica Montgomery Steppe voted against the contract. The tech could be up and running by January.
In Other News
- The Associated Press reports that outgoing State Senate leader and San Diegan Toni Atkins is mulling a bid for governor.
- The California Coastal Commission this week signed off on a plan to urge President Joe Biden to declare the Tijuana sewage debacle an emergency and speed repairs to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, The Union-Tribune reports.
- More than three years after a man died following an interaction with Chula Vista police, CBS 8 recounts the circumstances of his death and explains why the stated cause of his death – “excited delirium” – will soon be barred by state law.
- City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera wants the San Diego Housing Commission to recoup cash from allegedly unlawful rent increases it signed off on following an inewsource investigation into the agency’s handling of rent hikes that run afoul of the state’s rent cap law.
- The Union-Tribune reports that the Padres have named a new point person following owner and Chairman Peter Seidler’s death earlier this week.
- On a lighter note: Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted in a Wednesday speech that the San Diego Zoo could be getting pandas again, The Associated Press reports.
Correction: We’ve updated the latest North County Report to correct that the city of Vista has an inclusionary housing ordinance. The only city in North County without one is Escondido. Read the updated post here.
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Lisa Halverstadt and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.