The City Council that stole Christmas? Not quite, reports our Tigist Layne.
A recent scandal (of sorts) at the Vista Christmas Parade seemed as if it might lead some city councilmembers to demand $8,500 of city money back from parade organizers.
Here’s how it started: At the parade earlier this month, a volunteer announcer took notice of a city council candidate walking in the parade with her dog. The announcer jokingly suggested people should vote for the candidate, because she had her cute dog with her.
The candidate was Denisse Barragan. The person she’s running against, incumbent councilmember Katie Melendez, didn’t love the remark.
It’s considered a misuse of public funds (and potentially a violation of state law) for public money to be used for endorsing candidates — even when that endorsement doesn’t seem too serious.
Melendez was “persistent” in pushing to have the Vista Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the parade, return $8,500 in city money that went towards funding it, Vista’s mayor said.
Melendez said that was an overstatement.
At any rate, the potential refund made it as far as the council docket. However, at the last minute it was pulled from consideration.
Chamber of Commerce officials promised to revise their policies and better inform parade volunteers next year.
Taking a Toll: South Bay Expressway in Turmoil
Management shakeups are underway at the San Diego Regional Association of Governments, following recent revelations about serious flaws with South Bay Expressway.
Last week, SANDAG staffers informed board members that the agency had paid out some $8 million to a tech company charged with managing tolls on the expressway. However, the tolling technology didn’t work properly, staffers admitted, as the Union-Tribune reported.
A recent lawsuit filed by a former staffer alleges that thousands of people were mischarged, as CBS 8 reported.
SANDAG board members announced Wednesday that they will take the unusual step of removing the expressway from the chief financial officer’s responsibilities and placing it under the purview of deputy CEO Ray Major.
Voice of San Diego previously wrote about how SANDAG purchased the South Bay Expressway back in 2012. The toll road had been owned by a private company that was facing bankruptcy. SANDAG paid just a third of what it cost to build the expressway to purchase it on behalf of the public.
In Other News
- The Chula Vista City Council has agreed to reopen Harborside Park with safety improvements. The park has been closed since 2022 due to drug activity and homeless encampments. The improvements include new playground equipment, permanent fencing and a park ranger station. (NBC7)
- San Ysidro businesses are struggling during the holiday shopping season. The temporary closure of the pedestrian border crossing following an increase of migrant crossings has also pushed away potential customers. (KPBS)
- A DNA match has finally been able to identify the victim of a murder case from more than 40 years ago. The match was possible by the work of a private biotech company. (NBC7)
- A 17 year old San Diegan made history as the first soccer player to be signed to San Diego FC. (CBS8)
- A search party successfully found orphaned mountain lion cubs. The cubs will now be introduced to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park as a safe haven. (FOX5)
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry and Hannah Ramirez. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
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