It’s Beef Week, and we’re bringing you stories of all the great rivalries from around San Diego.
At Palomar Health, there’s mounting tension between Palomar Health’s executives and a select few of its board members that’s been brewing for years.
It has culminated in heated board meetings, no-confidence votes and even a lawsuit filed by one board member against the health care district.
Two board members were up for votes of no confidence at a recent board meeting that involved a lot of yelling. The board members were being punished for comments they each had made to news outlets – Voice of San Diego and KPBS.
According to Palomar Health officials, they had violated Palomar’s media policy and duty of loyalty policy. The board members, who were elected by the public, maintain that they have a right to speak to their constituents about government policies.
It’s not the first time a board member has faced consequences for expressing their opinion publicly. According to one board member, there’s a pattern of favoritism, one that even Palomar’s CEO has previously admitted to.
Beef Week is a special Voice of San Diego reporting theme week. Our reporters are following the biggest battles in the region. Read all the stories here.
Environment Report: Water Authority Won’t Budge On Certain Public Records
A few months ago, the San Diego County Water Authority filed a 360-page lawsuit against the Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, and the two water agencies that are attempting to leave the Water Authority – the Fallbrook Public Utilities District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District.
The Water Authority has since dropped that lawsuit, but our MacKenzie Elmer wondered just how much it spent on it, especially considering the agency’s $2 billion in mounting debt.
Unfortunately, officials at the Water Authority aren’t giving up that information. But recent board meetings indicate that money is tight and every financial decision is being carefully reviewed.
San Diego Is Looking at Its Public Restroom Shortage
San Diego is revisiting how it can solve the shortage of public restrooms downtown.
The Union-Tribune reports that the city is exploring standardizing the required number of public restrooms each part of the city should have and offering developers incentives to build public bathrooms. The city has also launched a new online map of public restrooms.
Background: A county grand jury report in May criticized the city’s poor planning for current and future restroom facilities. According to the report’s findings, only 15 bathrooms are available to the public 24/7. Thirteen are portable facilities.
This isn’t the first time the lack of restrooms has been a concern for public health. During the 2017 Hepatitis A outbreak, hundreds were sickened and 20 people died due to inaction from San Diego officials as reported by our Lisa Halverstadt.
In Other News
- The California Supreme Court will not review San Diego’s hotel tax initiative that was supposed to fund the expansion of the Convention Center. The matter in question is a 2020 ballot measure called Measure C – it may or may not have passed based on a variety of different ballot rules. The issue will now be kicked back to the County Superior Court. (Union-Tribune)
- Some tribal fire departments are at odds with San Diego County officials over a new agreement the county wants tribes to sign. The agreement asks these tribal fire departments to give up some of their sovereign immunity, which is immunity from legal liability, or lawsuits. (Union-Tribune)
- Tri-City Medical Center is back to operating at almost full capacity after a cybersecurity attack that forced the hospital to declare an internal emergency. (KPBS)
- UC San Diego has 71 of the most widely cited researchers, according to new data by London firm Clarivate, ranking as the seventh highest of any institution in the world. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne and Hannah Ramirez. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.