The Del Mar City Council on Monday held a hastily scheduled meeting in the middle of the afternoon that lasted 10 minutes and included one agenda item.
That item was the Council voting 3-0 to request a formal investigation by county and federal prosecutors into state Attorney General Rob Bonta and a member of the Del Mar Fairgrounds board.
The subject of the requested investigation?
Allegations that both Bonta and the Fairgrounds board member may have sought to block a proposed affordable housing development on Fairgrounds property because they have ties to one of the developers behind a controversial rival housing project.
As our Tigist Layne reports, the request to bring in prosecutors is the latest escalation in Del Mar’s ongoing housing battles.
The city is among several coastal cities that have tried to block housing development and criticized state housing mandates.
Councilmembers and Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones said the city was simply following up on a letter from a concerned resident, who pointed out ties between Bonta, the board member and the rival project developer.
Nonsense, said an attorney for the rival project. The city’s request for an investigation was an attempt to “threaten the project and state officials based on misconstrued, incomplete and unsubstantiated assertions.”
No word yet on whether County District Attorney Summer Stephan or U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon plan to act on Del Mar’s request.
City Manager: National City Is Headed Toward Insolvency
National City’s finances are deeply in the red and the city likely will be unable to pay its bills in as little as four years, City Manager Doug Schulze said Tuesday.
Schulze made the startling revelation during a heated City Council debate over a proposed business tax increase that could have generated up to $7.5 million in annual revenue.
Facing intense pushback from city businesses, a divided Council voted to nix the proposed tax increase. It instead approved a plan to work with businesses on an update to the city’s decades-old tax formula.
Schulze urged councilmembers to act fast. The city faces a $13 million deficit this fiscal year and is on track to deplete a key reserve fund by the following fiscal year.
In recent years, councilmembers have awarded city employees a series of raises, some as high as 20 percent. The $19 million increase in personnel costs since 2024 is one of the main reasons city spending has grown by nearly $20 million over the past three fiscal years.
“By 2030, there is a strong possibility the city is no longer solvent,” Schulze said. “I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to scare the Council into something here. But…this is a real problem.”
Learning Curve: Grossmont Teachers Union Backs Challengers
For years, the union representing teachers in the Grossmont Union High School District was a predictable force in district politics. It backed conservative incumbents who won races that generated little attention.
Then the culture wars came to town.
Starting a few years ago, the board’s conservative majority launched a series of changes that rocked the district and spurred the union to get more active.
A fight over librarians brought out the community in force. And it prompted union leaders to take a fresh look at district politics.
This year, the union is backing a slate of challengers to the conservative incumbents. It’s a risky move, since, if the challengers lose, the incumbents will still have the power.
“I don’t think that the [current] board represents East County values,” the union president told our Jakob McWhinney. “East County is a very diverse place with many different perspectives and experiences, and a wide range of economic levels as well. It’s not all rich white guys.”
Read the Learning Curve newsletter here.
Killer Tomatoes Strike Again
Forget “One Battle After Another.”
Hands down, the best movie to emerge from San Diego is the 1978 cult classic “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.”
The low-budget farce is about, well, exactly what its title says. It has spawned three sequels (one of which features a young George Clooney sporting a hideous shaggy mullet) and earned a place of weird honor in cinema history.
The movie was the creation of Constantine Dillon, a onetime U.S. National Parks Service superintendent who grew up in San Diego and began his moviemaking career in high school with a group of friends that included future state legislator Steve Peace.
Dillon is still here, teaching at San Diego State University’s Lifelong Learning Network and, according to his LinkedIn profile, looking for writing gigs.
That’s because Dillon just wrapped up his latest project: A new Killer Tomato movie.
“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence” premieres Friday and includes an entire movie’s worth of bad puns, worse special effects and enough knowing San Diego references to satisfy even the most jaded local cinephile. (Jakob, we’re looking at you.)
KPBS’ Beth Accomando (who herself edited two of the Tomato sequels) has a review.
Meet the Beat: South County
We’re excited for you to join us at our next Meet the Beat event. It’s an in-person opportunity for you to meet the reporter behind our South Bay newsletter and chat local news with the Voice of San Diego community.
This month’s event will be hosted by South County Reporter Jim Hinch. RSVP below to reserve your spot. It’s free and open to the public.
Thursday, Aug. 27
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Chula Vista Public Library Civic Center Branch Auditorium
365 F St, Chula Vista, CA 91910
RSVP Here
Disclaimer: The City of Chula Vista Public Library does not advocate nor endorse the views or positions expressed by the users of its facilities.
In Other News
- San Diego’s bike lane network is difficult to navigate, suffers from gaps in coverage and often dangerous for riders, according to a new study by researchers at San Diego State University. (Union-Tribune)
- A UCSD health economist says new federal Medi-Cal rules will require even people with active cancer to work at least 80 hours per month to qualify for federal health benefits. (KPBS)
- The wife of a Cal Fire captain found murdered in her Ramona home last year pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the slaying. Yolanda Marodi faces 36 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of her wife, Captain Rebecca Marodi. (Union-Tribune)
- The leader of a Southern California Edison advisory panel said this week that a proposed network of federal nuclear power facilities could help the utility dispose of 120 steel canisters of nuclear waste stored at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Some of the planned facilities are slated to test nuclear waste recycling methods. (Union-Tribune)
- Get your racket on. Pickleball is returning to the Gaslamp Quarter. (Times of San Diego)
- Want a horse? The San Diego Humane Society has 42 up for adoption. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.