It’s no secret that San Diego’s Republicans haven’t been unified over the past couple of years. But this election season, the infighting has reached a new high with the race to replace County Supervisor Jim Desmond on the Board of Supervisors.
Desmond is termed out and is now running for the 48th Congressional District. San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, Vista Mayor John Franklin, and Democrat Kyle Krahel are the top candidates vying for the open seat.
The San Diego County Republican Party didn’t endorse anyone this year, but Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio did. He and his group, Reform California, endorsed Jones, even though the majority of the party’s Central Committee actually voted to back Franklin (the party requires a super majority for endorsements). Now some party leaders like Rep. Darrell Issa support Franklin and others, like DeMaio, support Jones.
The split contributed to a mailer war that had both sides accusing the other of misleading voters.
Insiders say the split is part of a deeper power struggle. Former local party chair Corey Gustafson told our Tigist Layne that DeMaio is using this race to sideline the traditional party structure and establish Reform California as the primary gatekeeper for local Republican politics.
It’s also personal: Franklin helped Darrell Issa defeat DeMaio in a 2020 congressional race, and some party members view DeMaio’s stand against Franklin as a calculated vendetta.
The top two vote getters in next week’s primary will go on to the General Election.
Politics Report: More on the Trash Deal
If you read the Politics Report last week, it’s likely you weren’t surprised that city leaders reached a deal on the city of San Diego’s trash fee.
This week, our editor Scott Lewis writes that Mayor Todd Gloria didn’t seem to have played a role.
Also, Gloria made a brief, 10-minute appearance at a live event hosted by the Bulwark podcast at Balboa Theater. Here’s how Will Huntsberry described Gloria’s performance.
“His remarks showcased his political talent — and the reasons so many in his own party have been disappointed by the mayor,” he wrote.
Read more in the Politics Report here.
Want more trash talk? On the latest episode of the VOSD Podcast, our hosts talk about the deal to lower the city of San Diego’s trash fee and remove parking fees at Balboa Park. They also have an update on a county government reform measure.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Family of Shooting Suspect Breaks Silence
The parents of one of the suspects in last week’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego broke their silence Thursday, issuing a statement decrying the shooting and calling their son, 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, a “lost, troubled and misguided soul.” Last year, police sought a court order to confiscate up to 26 guns from the Vazquez household, writing in a court filing that Vasquez had been “involved in suspicious behavior idolizing Nazis and mass shooters.” The statement from Vazquez’s parents said Vazquez was on the autism spectrum and had received treatment for “mental instability.” (Union-Tribune)
Also last week, thousands gathered Thursday at a park next to Snapdragon Stadium for a funeral prayer service for the three men killed in the shooting: Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad. After the service, a smaller group of mourners buried the three men at La Vista Memorial Park cemetery in National City. (Union-Tribune)
The San Diego Police released a timeline of the attack. The Union-Tribune has more here.
Sacramento Report: Detention Commissary Price Drop
A bill by state Sen. Steve Padilla to cap commissary markups at immigration detention centers is making its way through the Legislature, reports our Nadia Lathan.
Senate Bill 941 would cap all store goods at detention centers at 35 percent of the vendor price. (Right now a notebook goes for $1.44 but could be 75 cents, for example.)
Padilla has support from advocates who say these markups “take advantage” of families trying to support individuals in detention. The Riverside Sheriffs Association, which has no love for private detention centers, is also supporting the bill.
Read the Sacramento Report here.
May Gray Rolls On
Our collection of gray Voice of San Diego tees, sweats and hats is made for cool coastal mornings, overcast afternoons and wherever the day takes you. Comfy and easy to style, these cozy layers are a great way to show your support for independent local journalism. Shop the collection today.
In Other News
- Last year, permanent supportive housing programs for homeless people narrowly escaped federal cuts. Now, the programs are back in the crosshairs. (inewsource)
- The Democratic candidates running for the 48th congressional district are all skirting campaign finance rules disallowing campaigns from coordinating with political action committees. Just check their websites. (KPBS)
- Harold K. Brown, a transformative civil rights leader who founded a San Diego chapter of the Congress on Racial Equality in the early 1960s, died this month. His work shaped the local struggle for racial equality. (KPBS)
Tigist Layne, Jim Hinch and Jakob McWhinney wrote the Morning Report. Editing by Andrea Sanchez-Villafana and Scott Lewis.