Change came fast and furious for the Christian Law Enforcement Fellowship.
A little over a week ago, our Jakob McWhinney revealed that the organization, which provided Christian counseling to cops in crisis, had brought on an ex-deputy as chaplain who’d been accused of assaulting nearly two dozen women. The piece sparked broad outrage. Within days, the organization had cut ties with the man, Richard Fischer.
Days later, though, the fellowship quietly dissolved altogether.
The exact details of the dissolution still aren’t clear. At first, the only indication was that the organization’s website had been removed. Calls and emails to about a dozen officials with current and former ties to CLEF went unanswered. Former President Jerry Hara, who initially defended Fischer’s hiring, stopped answering calls.
Reached by phone, Joe Davis, a former chaplain for the organization, confirmed that CLEF had dissolved. He said the reason seemed pretty self-explanatory: “You’ve become toxic to the community that you were created… to help.”
An Ocean Beach Tennis Club’s $600 per Year City Lease
Did you know: A tennis club in Ocean Beach called Youth Tennis San Diego is renting 12 acres of city property for just $50 per month?!
The lease has been in place, with no escalators, since 1994, reports the U-T in a new eye-popping piece.
The cheap lease isn’t even close to the whole story. The city alleges that tennis club has committed a large number of code violations.
What’s more, the tennis club’s president Jack McGrory helped put the lease in place — back when he was working for the city. McGrory, a former city manager, has had his hand in many of the city’s most important projects of the past several decades. He himself signed the $600 per year lease and is now defending the tennis club. He says the code violations will be corrected.
Bad News for Public Records
The state Supreme Court just told us no — and that may be bad for public records access.
Until recently, Voice of San Diego was locked in a yearslong legal battle with San Diego Unified School District over public records. We sued the district, alleging it didn’t produce records “promptly,” as the state’s Constitution demands.
We lost that case, as our Will Huntsberry reported last month. The state Court of Appeals ruled that promptly doesn’t necessarily mean “days and weeks.” It can meet “months or years,” depending on the circumstances.
The court published its opinion — making the list of circumstances legally binding in future cases. We asked the Supreme Court to de-publish the opinion and we learned recently that the court declined. That means the decision is now locked in as legal precedent.
Check out Huntsberry’s full story here. As he wrote, several public agencies have already acted thrilled about the decision.
Former El Cajon City Councilmember Wants Mayor Held in Contempt
Former El Cajon city councilmember Ben Kalasho is locked in a yearslong battle with the city he represented over alleged home improvements Kalasho made that were allegedly unpermitted.
At one point, the city said he owed more than $2.5 million in fines. The city took Kalasho to court, but Kalasho sued back, alleging he’s been a political target.
It’s not the first time Kalasho has tangled in the courts. Kalasho and his wife Jessica were ordered to spend eight days in jail in 2023 for being held in contempt of court during a previous lawsuit, the U-T reported.
“Now, Kalasho wants to turn the table,” writes our Will Huntsberry. “He is attempting to have El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells held in contempt of court related to the current, ongoing lawsuit.”
Members can read the Politics Report here.
San Diego’s Big Screen Cameos
San Diego hasn’t exactly been a movie paradise… which is odd given we’re a real-life paradise. Even so, we’ve had our fair share of movie moments.
For proof, check out this rad website Movie Scene Map.
When you zoom in on the southernmost tip of the United States, there are some rather surprising inclusions. Stuff like “Scarface,” which apparently filmed a scene on a Coronado beach, and “Freaky Friday,” which filmed at Mission Bay.
It does seem hard to believe that this is everything, though. Do you see any glaring omissions on this list?
In Other News
- The San Diego Housing Commission agreed to settle two lawsuits related to rent increases approved by the housing agency that exceed the cap set by state law. A spokesperson with the Housing Commission maintains the agency has never approved rent increases that violate state law. (inewsource)
- County leaders recently approved a $300,000 grant to the East County Economic Development Council to help out small businesses across East County. (Union-Tribune)
- One National City councilmember wants to revive his push for a business license tax measure that the Council opted not to place on the November ballot. (Union-Tribune)
- It’s hot, and it’s gonna stay like that this week. An extreme heat warning is in effect through Wednesday and a heat advisory will go into effect through Thursday. (NBC San Diego)
- The League of Women Voters of San Diego will be hosting a District 8 City Council forum tonight featuring candidates Gerardo Ramirez and Antonio Martinez.
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Mariana Martínez Barba and Will Huntsberry. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
