Mayor Todd Gloria clapped back at the City Council Tuesday, vetoing several line items in the budget the Council approved last week.
Backstory: In the face of a $258 million budget deficit, Gloria had proposed cutting hours at libraries, recreation centers and lakes. A lot of councilmembers didn’t like that and several of them worked tirelessly to come up with a different proposal. That proposal found new revenues and ultimately managed to restore the cuts to city services. The City Council passed that budget 7-2 last week.
The 7-2 vote is important. Councilmembers can only override the mayor’s vetoes with a 6-3 supermajority. Now that the mayor has decided to flex with his veto power, it will be interesting to see if the Council can hold together a super-majority coalition, or whether the mayor has enough juice to bring people back to his side.
What did (and didn’t) get vetoed: The mayor decided to allow the Council’s restoration of library and recreation center hours. Here’s what he did veto:
- The COO position. Councilmembers wanted to add the COO position back into the city’s budget, but the mayor — who has taken on the COO role since he fired Eric Dargan — apparently didn’t take kindly to the suggestion that someone else should be doing the job.
- A proposal that would have given councilmembers nearly $1.5 million to issue grants within their districts. That money goes to everything from street fairs to services for foster youth.
- Restoration of the Office of Race and Equity. Gloria wanted this work to be integrated into the Human Resources Department.
- Roughly $750,000 the Council wanted to use to address stormwater needs.
- Roughly $250,000 for what is known as the multi-disciplinary outreach team, which works with homeless people.
- Roughly $200,000 for lakes managed by the city (excluding Lake Miramar and Lake Murray.)
Tourism Minimum Wage Draft Is Out
A few months ago, San Diego City Councilmembers began discussing a new minimum wage for workers in hotels and event venues. Scott Lewis wrote about it in the Politics Report and for KPBS.
Opponents had raised concerns that it would be at best strange to force the Padres to pay a $25 minimum wage but not SeaWorld or the Zoo if it was meant for tourism workers.
Now, the city attorney has produced a first draft of the ordinance. Large amusement parks like SeaWorld and the Zoo are included. It still would not include the city of San Diego itself, which pays many employees less than that.
Aguirre to McCann: ‘See You In Court’
As the voting deadline for the hotly contested South County seat on the Board of Supervisors approaches, the competition has leapt into the courtroom.
Democratic Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre this week sued the city of Chula Vista, which is run by her Republican opponent, Mayor John McCann. Her suit alleges that city officials are slow-walking the release of public records requested by Aguirre.
The documents Aguirre is after include a 2020 clemency letter McCann wrote on behalf of a local businesswoman serving a federal prison sentence for fraud. After then-President Donald Trump commuted her sentence, she and her brother, a Chula Vista cannabis entrepreneur, did a whole lot more fraud. A judge sentenced both siblings in April. Aguirre is also requesting travel and expense records dating back more than two decades and correspondence with a local developer and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Read the South County Report here.
Song of the Week
Omo Cloud, “Ultimate Love”: If the latest single from Omo Cloud’s forthcoming debut album is any indication, we’re in for a real doozy. It’s a lavish and swooning piece that demonstrates songwriter Cole De La Isla’s unique ability to craft music and lyrics that feel both accessible and risky.
Read more about the Song of the Week here.
Like what you hear? Check out Omo Cloud’s album release show at Comet Theater on Friday, June 20.
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.
In Other News
- Over two dozen LGBTQIA+ leaders and community members signed on to a joint letter expressing concern that the San Diego Pride organization is straying from its mission and advocacy work. (Union-Tribune)
- The City Council voted to impose a limit on how many ADUs can be built upon a single lot. New restrictions set the maximum at six ADUs on lots of 10,001 square feet or larger. (KPBS)
- Fire season is starting to ramp up. Another evacuation order was doled out for San Diego County on Tuesday, this time urging Lakeside residents to seek safety. (ABC 10).
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Jakob McWhinney and Tessa Balc. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.