In two weeks, South San Diego County voters will determine San Diego’s political future. The race to represent a vacant South County seat on the County Board of Supervisors is down to the wire.
Today is the last day to register for a mail-in ballot. The deadline to vote is July 1.
Hanging in the balance: Partisan control of county government.
Supporters of Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Mayor John McCann have spent close to $1 million so far, most of it in the past few weeks, according to the latest analysis.
Polls (at least the ones insiders have shared with us) indicate a tight race, with neither candidate holding a decisive lead.
Our South County reporter, Jim Hinch, has followed the election closely. Check out our South County Decides homepage for full coverage, including in-depth Q&As with the candidates, analysis of top issues and the latest on the money race.
Hinch also delved into each candidate’s background, including McCann’s ties to a businesswoman convicted of fraud, questions raised by a real estate promotion and Aguirre’s record of unpaid bills.
One notable update: Last week, responding to questions about Aguirre’s failure to pay a three-year-old $2,600 tax bill on the Imperial Beach condominium she and her husband own, a campaign spokesperson said Aguirre had arranged a payment plan and was caught up on the bill.
A copy of that payment plan later sent by Aguirre’s campaign shows Aguirre and her husband arranged the plan three weeks ago, on May 21. The previous day, May 20, conservative commentator Amy Reichert had made the delinquent tax bill a campaign issue by posting a screenshot of it.
Asked why Aguirre and her husband waited three years to address the bill, campaign consultant Dan Rottenstreich said the 2022 bill “got lost in the shuffle.”
“After a number of letters [from county tax authorities] over a couple of years, [Aguirre and her husband] called the tax collector and mortgage company. They started dealing with it,” Rottenstreich said. “It takes time.”
Rottenstreich pointed out that Aguirre and her husband have paid every other property tax bill on their condo “with the exception of this one supplemental tax bill that was not paid initially and then they lost track of.”
Rottenstreich said the timing of Reichert’s screenshot posting was unrelated to Aguirre’s handling of the tax bill.
“People misplace bills. It’s $2,600,” Rottenstreich said. “She’s not running to be the County Assessor. She’s running to be County Supervisor.”
Politics Report: Trying to Make Digital Billboards Happen
Last week, the San Diego City Council restored library and rec center hours that Mayor Todd Gloria had proposed cutting. But, how do they plan to pay for it?
Billboards, baby!
A city law prohibits new billboards from going up, but there are plenty around town that were put up before that law was put in place. The city could pursue an agreement with billboard companies to switch to digital billboards that are more lucrative.
In the latest Politics Report, our editor Scott Lewis explains how that would bring the city much-needed income and he also unpacks some other changes the City Council made to the mayor’s budget draft.
If you’re a Voice of San Diego member, you can read the Politics Report here. If you’re not, what are you waiting for?
Hungry for more on the budget? On the latest episode of the VOSD Podcast, our hosts dig deeper into the Council’s budget vote and the supposed money makers they are relying on to close the city’s budget deficit. Listen to the show here.
Sacramento Report: Immigration Protests Pit California Against Trump
As demonstrators take to the streets in Los Angeles and around the nation to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, a parallel battle rages between Trump and the state of California itself.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered an extraordinary televised address last week accusing Trump of inflaming tensions, deploying the military against American citizens and eroding bedrock principles of American democracy.
“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,” Newsom said. “The moment we’ve feared has arrived.”
Newsom’s remarks followed Trump’s call-up of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to police Los Angeles streets in response to widespread – and sometimes violent – protests against a series of federal immigration raids at L.A.-area workplaces.
Our Deborah Sullivan breaks down what led to the clash between Trump and Newsom – and what it means for California and San Diego.
The Trump administration has targeted sanctuary jurisdictions – including San Diego County – that limit cooperation between local officials and federal immigration authorities.
“It’s not normal at all to have U.S. troops policing the streets,” Franklin Rosenblatt, a retired army Lt. Colonel and law professor, told Brennan. “That’s something people are rightly responding to with great concern.”
Read the Sacramento Report here.
In Other News
- Ready, set – park. San Diego International Airport’s revamped Terminal 1 parking plaza added 2,400 additional spaces last week, boosting the plaza’s capacity to 5,200 spaces. The plaza is part of a $3.8 billion overhaul of the airport that began in 2021. (Union-Tribune)
- A pediatric infectious disease specialist told KPBS last week he fears a recent overhaul of a federal vaccine panel will endanger children. New panelists named by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. have ties to anti-vaccine organizations, said Dr. Mark Sawyer. “Some kids will go completely unimmunized,” Sawyer said.
- Nine local Jewish organizations plan to boycott next month’s San Diego Pride celebration, citing concerns over headline performer Khelani’s past statements about the Israel-Palestine conflict. (Axios)
The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.