A new controversy involving the city’s Flock surveillance cameras could lead to City Council-approved shutdown.
Councilmember Raul Campillo, who had been a proponent of the cameras, is now among those sounding off on the revelation that police have used the system to surveil their own.
Our Jakob McWhinney reveals that San Diego police used Flock license plate readers to track an officer and a domestic violence victim they believed were having a sexual relationship.
Activists pushing the city to nix Flock cameras see it as another reason to turn them off. Now Campillo is also calling for an immediate suspension and audit. The police union argued in a recent letter to city officials that it didn’t expect police to use the technology for internal investigations.
The police department, meanwhile, says that these uses are allowed by department policy – and that the union had agreed to the technology’s usage in 2023.
Related: Times of San Diego reported that the La Mesa Police Department is reviewing its policies on Flock license plate readers with a goal to increase accountability.
Curbside Dining Coming Back to Chula Vista
Chula Vista’s Third Avenue business district was a popular gathering place for outdoor diners during the Covid era – and then the protests against the outdoor platforms started.
Now the city is again welcoming those dining platforms with a citywide outdoor dining ordinance.
In his latest South County Report, our Jim Hinch tells the story behind the shift and shares details on a vote this week to expand the Third Avenue business district plus a big post-election bombshell.
Read the full South County Report here.
Unions Chime in on City Officials Seeking More Oversight of Employees
San Diego city officials want the city’s Ethics Commission to get oversight over hundreds of city workers who currently fall outside the commission’s jurisdiction, including members of several unions.
As the Union-Tribune reported, the changes would shift ethics oversight, training and enforcement of these workers from the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission to the city’s Ethics Commission.
City staff presented the changes as an informational item to the City Council’s Rules Committee. If the changes move forward, city officials would still have to negotiate with unions that represent cops, lifeguards, firefighters and white-collar workers.
Two union leaders said they haven’t taken a position yet.
Corinne Wilson with the San Diego Municipal Employees Association, told Voice of San Diego that the city has not reached, but that the union intends to “engage in good faith.”
The San Diego Police Officers Association had a similar take.
“At the moment, we’re reviewing everything and we’re not sure that this will have any significant impacts on our members, but we look forward to the meet and confer process on it,” said Jared Wilson, union president.
The future of the policy change remains unclear. Council President and Chair of the Rules Committee Joe LaCava declined to comment on next steps.
North County Mayoral Races
A new batch of voting results dropped last night in several closely watched North County races. Here’s where things stand:
In Escondido: Incumbent Mayor Dane White, a Republican, has fallen even further behind 28-year-old Democrat Elias Velazquez, the latest voting results show. Velazquez is now 1,484 votes ahead of White and has nearly 52 percent of the votes so far.
Velazquez is the information director for homeless-serving nonprofit Brother Benno’s Foundation. Brother Benno’s CEO is Paul McNamara, who was the mayor of Escondido until White beat him in 2022.
In Vista: Democratic Socialist Kenneth Zuniga widened his lead over Republican-turned-Independent Joe Green, a former City Councilmember. The latest results show Zuniga leading by 804 votes with 51 percent of the votes.
In Encinitas: Incumbent Mayor Bruce Ehlers, a conservative-leaning Independent, is locked in a tight race with Democrat Rimga Viskanta, a former San Dieguito Union High School District board member. The latest update has Viskanta leading by just 123 votes with 50 percent of votes.
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In Other News
- A city audit of street repairs is kicking up a boatload of controversies over workers who got paid when they weren’t working, long waits for repairs, how repairs are prioritized and more. (Union-Tribune)
- San Diego County is home to half of the state’s sexually violent predators placements and Supervisor Joel Anderson is pushing for a new approach. (CalMatters)
- Advocates say federal authorities are dropping off people being released from the Otay Mesa Detention Center late at night in San Ysidro without food or resources. (KPBS)
- The city’s only female lifeguard captain claims she was kept from applying for the chief’s job and then watched a former lifeguard with a lower rank take the abruptly open role. (NBC 7 San Diego)
- The Carlsbad City Council this week voted down a proposed affordable housing project this week, a move that could set up the city for scrutiny from the state and a lawsuit from the developer. (Union-Tribune)
- Changes could be coming for Chula Vista Elementary School District’s acclaimed visual and performing arts program. (inewsource)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Mariana Martínez Barba and Tigist Layne. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.