A Superior Court judge’s order that the county release employee misconduct records after withholding them more than a year after Voice of San Diego’s public records request set off a firestorm at the county this week.
Top county officials ousted their behavioral health director effective Tuesday and now she’s considering her legal options.
They’re also grappling with misconduct at the county’s Edgemoor skilled nursing facility and a now publicly controversial 2025 promotion of a county staffer after an investigation concluded she made racist comments during an online diversity training session.
Our Lisa Halverstadt spent the last few days reviewing the records the county resisted releasing.
They document racial tension, sexual harassment and dramas surrounding sex tapes and food theft that have troubled employees at the Edgemoor skilled nursing facility.
Halverstadt also found that the county promoted an administrative analyst who worked elsewhere in the department just months after investigators confirmed she made a racist comment during an online diversity training.
South County Report: Sunny South Bay News
Voice of San Diego reporters often hear that we don’t tell enough positive stories.
Our Jim Hinch decided to respond directly to that common beef in his latest South County Report. He focused on good news.
Among his positive findings: The Chula Vista City Council last week approved a forward-looking, five-year strategic plan laying out priorities and actions important to residents. The Imperial Beach mayoral race is surprisingly peachy – at least for now. Oh, and National City arts program A Reason to Survive recently delivered a positive annual update to the City Council.
Read the South County Report here.
Controversial Awaken Pastor in the Spotlight
Local megachurch chain Awaken is no stranger to controversy. The church has for years stoked controversy, not least of which during its Covid-era anti-lockdown crusade. A 2022 Voice piece documented the church’s rise as a nexus of conspiracy-tinged antivax and far-right thought, complete with a Tucker Carlson cameo.
Jurgen Matthesius, Awaken’s founder and lead pastor, has long been an outspoken force, unafraid of preaching radical politics from the pulpit. His sermons have frequently spun baroque conspiracies that cast liberals as bloodthirsty and demon-possessed and conjure visions of their supposed plans for global subjugation.
In recent years, though, Matthesius has gotten an even bigger spotlight in the form of frequent appearances at Turning Point USA events. The organization was founded by right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, who in September was assassinated during an event in Utah.
But not everyone’s vibing with Matthesius’ audacious and often bonkers style of preaching. One social media user compiled a supercut of some of the more out-there moments from Mattheisus’ sermons. It includes claims that he shrunk a child’s inoperable tumor via prayer and even that God called on him to pray to stop the tanks in the Tiananmen Square massacre, causing him to spontaneously speak in cringy Asian-tinged tongues.
Lifeguard Union Reaches Tentative Agreement
As labor negotiations between the city and three labor unions have stretched on, Chief Steward Connor Robbins confirmed lifeguard union Teamsters Local 986 have reached a tentative deal on their contract.
“We’re in the process of our membership saying yay or nay, and if they vote against it, we’ll have to go back to the negotiating table and rework items,” Robbins said. “If they’re happy with it, then we’ll ideally move forward if Council approves.”
The two other labor unions, for firefighters and police, continue to work under contracts that have expired. Leaders with the fire union, San Diego City Fire Fighters IAFF Local 145, put out a statement Wednesday expressing their frustrations.
“Mayor Todd Gloria and the City Council are seeking to force an unacceptable contract on our members,” said the statement shared on social media. “The remaining dispute is not about pay or wages; it is the Mayor/Council desire to remove our existing option to choose our own healthcare.”
Tired of the Heat? We’ve Got You Covered
Make the most of summer with gear that’s ready for the heat. Grab some shade with a Voice of San Diego baseball cap or bucket hat, and stay hydrated with our insulated drinkware.
Summer doesn’t have to slow you down. Stay cool, support local journalism and shop the Summer Fun Collection.
In Other News
- Three San Diego police officers were arrested in the past three weeks. (NBC 7)
- The San Diego City Council has set the stage to more closely monitor San Diego police insurance policy payouts. (inewsource)
- San Diego State will create a national security hub at its Mission Valley district with the help of a nearly $4 million state grant. (City News Service)
- A San Diego Superior Court judge signed off an update to the rebuttal against Oceanside’s sales-tax measure after a resident claimed it was misleading. (Union-Tribune)
- The Poinsettia Bowl is coming back to San Diego this December. (City News Service)
- Beat the heat (er, at least try): NBC 7 reported on how school districts are responding to this week’s heat wave and 10 News looked at how the Sheriff’s Department’s homeless outreach team is offering aid.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Jakob McWhinney. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafana.