There’s nothing our podcast crew loves more than following beefs between agencies and prominent leaders. And this week we followed three.
First up: The fight for the county’s next boss got weirder. We’ve been following how labor unions have been pushing hard for Cindy Chavez. (She got the job last year but the county rescinded the offer after allegations surfaced against then-supe board chair Nathan Fletcher). Chavez didn’t get an interview this time around and labor was pissed.
Brigette Browning, leader of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, made several remarks during a rally against San Diego County Chair Nora Vargas that sparked some backlash. She used several Spanish words in her speech that some viewed as racist and discriminatory. Others came to her defense.
This week on the podcast hosts Scott Lewis, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Jakob McWhinney explain what’s at stake and what the groups are really fighting about.
Also on Deck …
A nonprofit that once left millions of dollars in government funding on the table — in order to avoid following Housing First policies — is in a bidding war with the county for a ranch in Vista. And finally, a former and a current state senator are dueling over plans to establish a landfill in the Tijuana River watershed.