A few weeks ago, Democrats on the county Board of Supervisors took an initial vote to place a county governance reform measure on the November ballot. A proposal to extend supervisors’ term limits – and give sitting supervisors a shot at a third term – has been particularly controversial.
Now Republican Supervisor Joel Anderson is pitching a competing measure that eliminates that divisive passage and makes other tweaks to address what he deems fatal flaws.
Our Lisa Halverstadt broke down Anderson’s proposal, which will be heard on May 19. That’s the same day supervisors are set to take the second vote needed to place Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer’s reform proposal on the ballot.
Real talk: Anderson’s pitch will face a tough crowd later this month. Lawson-Remer had the votes last month to advance her measure. But Lawson-Remer’s proposal to extend term limits for sitting supervisors has also gotten bipartisan criticism, including from Democratic state Sen. Catherine Blakespear. We’ll be watching to see if that criticism has changed any perspectives.
South County Report: The Latest on the Chula Vista’s Big College Dream
Chula Vista has long dreamt about welcoming a four-year university. A new task force created by state legislation recently met to plan a hoped-for hybrid university serving South County students.
In his latest South County Report, our Jim Hinch shared his takeaways on that initial meeting and Chula Vista’s prospects.
He also delivered a status update on National City’s budget woes.
Read the South County Report here.
Where Sewage Dollars Go
After we published a story about a proposed countywide sales tax measure that promises to fix the Tijuana River sewage crisis, Dan Rottenstreich, a longtime Democratic campaign strategist and spokesperson for the sales tax campaign, argued the measure’s language was specific on Tijuana River sewage crisis fixes.
“I think it’s very specific – so specific in fact that the county (would be) required by law to spend that amount and no less than that on infrastructure/engineering, not something else, to stop the sewage,” he wrote.
Rottenstreich said that the County Board of Supervisors would control how the sales tax money is spent.
May Gray Never Looked So Good
May Gray is here, and our collection of gray Voice of San Diego gear is the perfect match for the season. From cozy sweatshirts to everyday essentials, these pieces are clean, classic and ready for cool mornings, cloudy beach walks and coffee runs around town.
Show your support for independent local journalism – while embracing the San Diego marine layer in style. Shop the May Gray collection today.
In Other News
- The iconic annual December Nights event at Balboa Park may not survive city budget cuts. (Union-Tribune)
- The county eliminated 13 sheriff’s office dispatcher positions despite a staffing shortage that’s keeping the county from meeting national standards for connecting callers with dispatchers. (NBC 7 San Diego)
- Late last month, U.S Customs and Border Protection detained more than two dozen apparent cruise ship workers at the San Diego Port in a child porn operation and later deported them. (Fox 5 San Diego)
- A new city audit found fault with the Fire-Rescue Department’s approach to inspections of brush on private properties. (Union-Tribune)
- County supervisors earlier this week voted to expand a gun-violence prevention program into Spring Valley. (KPBS)
- Two years after Santee voters rejected a proposed sales-tax hike, city leaders are considering another sales-tax pitch this November. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.