The story of this year’s election in south San Diego County can be told in one simple phrase, writes our Jim Hinch: Organized labor versus the real estate industry.
The two powerful interest groups have poured thousands of dollars into a high-profile race for City Council in Chula Vista, along with contests over local tax and bond measures that would raise hundreds of millions of dollars for school upgrades, street repair and other infrastructure needs in Chula Vista and National City.
One real estate-backed political action committee, Protect Our Quality of Life, has no known leader directing its political spending. Or at least, no one is willing to say who leads the group on the record. That PAC funded an attack website against Chula Vista City Council candidate Cesar Fernandez, and spent big backing his opponent, Rudy Ramirez.
Organized labor groups have fired back, spending thousands of dollars on mailers and social media attacking Ramirez and backing Fernandez. The labor groups say they’re tracking real estate industry spending in South County races. Both candidates denied any connection to the big-money backers spending on their behalf.
State Election Officials Investigate Chula Vista School District Mailer
The state Fair Political Practices Commission has launched an investigation into a Chula Vista Elementary School District election-season mailer about an upcoming bond measure.
The investigation stems from a complaint by a city resident that the mailer, sent to voters in early October, amounts to a district-funded advertisement for Measure AA, a proposed bond measure that would raise millions for school infrastructure projects. The complaint says the mailer encourages voters to back the measure and features an image of a checked box that looks like a ballot.
Giovanna Castro, a spokesperson for the district, said the allegations in the complaint “are absolutely false. We verified with our legal counsel before sending the mailer out. The mailer is informational only and does not advocate for voters to vote in any specific way.”
Ex-Deputy of City Homelessness Department Sues City
More than a year ago, the deputy director of the city’s homelessness department quietly departed City Hall.
Now, our Lisa Halverstadt reports, former city bureaucrat James Carter has filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court alleging he was ordered to resign or be fired last September after repeatedly flagging concerns about issues including racial discrimination, pay inequities and a promotion for an ex-supervisor he claimed made a racially derogatory comment about him.
Attorneys for Carter – who is Black – accused the city of racial discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation and failure to prevent discrimination and say his experience clashed with the city’s zero-tolerance policy.
Mayor Todd Gloria’s chief of staff and lead spokesperson denied all the allegations in Carter’s lawsuit. They declared his claims “baseless and false” and said the city is committed to pay equity and diversity.
Why So Many Sales Tax Measures?
Voters throughout the county are facing nearly a dozen proposed sales-tax hikes, including one countywide pitch and 10 city measures.
Yeah, you read right – and our Bella Ross has your back with an easy-to-digest video explainer on why there are so many asks for additional cash this election season.
Read the post and watch the video here.
In Other News
- Some Imperial Beach residents are sleeping in their RVs instead of their home where they can run air purifiers that weed-out terrible smells in the air from the Tijuana River sewage crisis. The Union-Tribune recapped that fixing the broken-down plant meant to help curb the problem is just now starting rehabilitation.
- KPBS reports that a City Council committee advanced Council President Sean Elo-Rivera and Chief Deputy City Attorney Heather Ferbert’s proposed ban on rent-fixing software.
- Attacks in August by bat-wielding men at Oceanside harbor prompted the city to add security cameras and more police officers. Crime incidents have actually been going down overall, however, the city manager told CBS 8.
- A fast-moving brush fire that chewed through the canyons of the College and Talmadge neighborhoods Thursday prompted evacuations, including at one school. (Union-Tribune)
- San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa college and San Diego College of Continuing Education aim to become the region’s first Black-serving institutions or BSIs. The designation created under a new state law in September grants institutions state and federal dollars if at least 10 percent of their student population is Black. (Times of San Diego)
- Chula Vista’s new homeless camping ban took effect on Thursday. (CBS 8)
MacKenzie Elmer, Jim Hinch and Lisa Halverstadt wrote the Morning Report. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.