Mayor Todd Gloria on Tuesday announced that he was eliminating San Diego’s top bureaucratic position: chief operating officer. The announcement included the news that Gloria would be taking over the responsibilities of the COO, which oversaw most city departments.
The move came as part of a suite of cuts, as the city is grappling with a massive budget deficit. But the elimination may not have just been a dollars and cents decision.
For months, misgivings about former-COO Eric Dargan’s performance have swirled around City Hall. A public-private partnership touted by Dargan meant to tackle San Diego’s homelessness crisis fell flat. Rumors also spread that Dargan had fallen asleep in key city meetings.
In a text exchange, reporter Will Huntsberry asked Dargan about those rumors.
“Yes, I’ve heard the same thing,” Dargan responded.
“Is it true?” Huntsberry asked.
“Not that I am aware of.”
Dargan did not respond to Huntsberry’s additional questions.
What’s at stake? The change came as a sweeping overhaul of the city’s org chart. The mayor will now oversee the city’s top managers directly and he promised to restore the strong mayor form of government in the way the voters intended it 20 years ago. Our Scott Lewis unpacks why the mayor’s decision matters and what it means for the year ahead. Read more here.
The Office of Race and Equity is no more: The leader of the office, Kim Desmond, left the city last August and a search for her replacement was supposedly underway. Gloria officially eliminated that position. The mayor said the changes the office helped implement to the city’s hiring practices would live on in the Human Resources Department. The mayor also announced other programs and offices would merge.
Trump Funding Freeze Hits Local Refugee Resettlement Agencies
President Donald Trump’s myriad directives have brought chaos to agencies across the country. For some refugees in San Diego, they’ve already led to eviction notices.
Last month, Trump ordered some federal funds allocated to agencies that help resettle refugees be frozen. The funding allowed agencies to support refugees for up to three months after their arrival in the United States.
Refugees are not the same as asylum seekers, who cross the border and turn themselves in. Refugees apply years in advance for the chance to come and are vetted by multiple agencies.
Impact: One agency had to lay off half of its staff, while others have scrambled to raise funds to support newly arrived refugees from across the globe.
The shakeup has also left the refugees wondering what to do next.
“They brought us here, but now they don’t care about us,” said one Afghan refugee who trained security guards who protected Americans in his home country. “This is so sad for us.”
South County Report: About the Leadership Changes at Chula Vista Schools
There are two new members of Chula Vista Elementary School District’s board.
Our Jim Hinch explains in the latest South County Report why their appointment to the board was a bit contentious and what direction the two new leaders plan to take.
He also has updates on big endorsements in the County Supervisor District 1 race and ongoing efforts by tenants in Imperial Beach to get the City Council to protect them from evictions.
Read the South County Report here.
Song of the Week
Band Argument, “Percentages”: From the opening swirls and flourishes of “Percentages,” Band Argument’s eagerness to dive headlong into kaleidoscopic and ever-changing compositions is showcased. The whiplash can be quite violent, but it’s never unentertaining – and besides, Sila Damone’s ethereally deadpan vocal delivery is enough to keep the listener grounded. Ultimately, Band Arg isn’t for everyone – but if you can’t find a little something you like in the chaotic display you may just not like music very much. Read more about the Song of the Week here.
Like what you hear? Catch Band Argument at Whistle Stop on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.
San Diego’s Homelessness Math Problem Returns
The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County once again outpaced the number moving into homes last month.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reports that 1,216 people became homeless for the first time in January and 1,025 exited homelessness.
January’s numbers follow a more positive trend in November and December where the number of newly housed outnumbers newly homeless residents for the first time in more than two years.
The tragic math problem: For most of the last couple years, local efforts to house homeless residents haven’t kept up with the flood of people losing their homes.
In Other News
- San Diego State University is proposing a $1 billion housing project that could house more than 5,200 students in the College Area. (Union-Tribune)
- The county is raising fees for camping, parking and fishing at county parks. (City News Service)
- State Sen. Brian Jones is preparing to introduce legislation that would keep cities and counties from adopting policies that go beyond SB 43. That’s a state law that prohibits cities from collaborating with immigration officials unless a person has been convicted of certain crimes. (NBC 7)
- Egg prices have some people traveling across the border, but eggs are on a list of items that can’t come across from Mexico to the United States. Officials at the border have confiscated dozens of eggs. (NBC 7)
- KPBS spoke with Congressmember Sara Jacobs about the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to different programs and cities.
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.