The county spent more than a year fighting the release of behavioral health misconduct records that have since created a firestorm.
The county fired its behavioral health director and pledged changes last month when it released records that Voice of San Diego first requested in March 2025.
The county initially refused to release the documents, citing multiple state laws and arguing that doing so could have a chilling effect on whistleblowers. A judge’s ruling ultimately forced the county’s hand.
Now our Lisa Halverstadt offers a play-by-play of the legal battle between the county.
Embattled County Pharma Chief Out
The county is seeking a new top pharmacy official after the departure of a full-time bureaucrat who previously moonlighted as a partner at a New York-based law firm that advises pharmaceutical companies.
Last fall, Halverstadt revealed Dr. Emily Do’s second gig and later, reported on a county investigation that found she failed to fully disclose the outside position that presented a potential conflict of interest.
Do left the law firm and more recently, county government.
County spokesperson Tammy Glenn said Do resigned from the county effective May 8. Glenn said there was not a link between the county investigation and Do’s departure earlier this year.
County spokespeople previously have not answered Voice’s questions about whether Do was disciplined or forced to leave the second job.
South County Report: Towing Wars
Councilmembers in National City next week will consider hiring two companies to provide towing services in the city.
One of the companies, though, was previously suspended by the city of San Diego’s police department for failing to pay more than $270,000 in overdue invoices.
The company, Cortes Towing, later paid the invoices and the suspension was lifted.
Jim Hinch writes that after the city posted its bidding recommendation, word of Cortes’ success “spread quickly in the small and fiercely competitive world of municipal towing companies.” Towing company operators – some who wanted National City’s business – submitted formal protests against the city’s bidding process.
Read the South County Report here.
Rabbit Hole Material: San Diego’s Controversial Archeological Site
Ever heard about the Cerutti Mastodon site in southeastern San Diego?
The San Diego transplant who wrote today’s Morning Report sure hadn’t. San Diego native and science podcaster Harini Bhat went down this rabbit hole in a Thursday post.
Hop on in: Bhat noted that estimated 130,700 year old mastodon fossils were found along State Route 54 in 1992. Interestingly, those bones had fractures and were arranged in patterns that suggested they were attacked by humans.
The catch: The estimated age of those fossils didn’t line up with the timing that researchers thought humans moved to SoCal. There’s been lotsa debate about human activity and the cause of the bone damage, namely whether early human tools caused it.
Dive deeper: The San Diego Natural History Museum has many more details on its website, including this list of FAQs.
In Other News
- ABC 10 has more details about the couple immigration officials arrested near a City Heights school.
- The county and the CDC are again surveying how the Tijuana River sewage crisis is affecting South Bay residents’ health. (NBC 7)
- Carlsbad declared an emergency this week to speed up fixes to save Carlsbad Boulevard, which is now imperiled by coastal erosion. (Union-Tribune)
- Two groups affiliated with the state Association of Realtors have sued San Diego County’s planning agency over its interpretation of a state law allowing dense housing near transit stations. (Times of San Diego)
- A 20-year-old college student is La Mesa’s interim city treasurer. (Union-Tribune)
- There’s a new app to monitor local law enforcement. (Axios)
- The San Diego Rodeo will be back at Petco Park for a fourth year despite animal welfare concerns. (NBC 7)
- Did you know Friars Road is a hot spot for speeding tickets? (Times of San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
