A local union leader is asking the powerful California Teachers Association to reverse its endorsement of Richard Barrera, a San Diego Unified school board member, for state superintendent.
Todd Walters, the president of UFCW Local 135 — a union Barrera used to help run — called the endorsement of Barrera “deeply concerning.”
Walters called out Barrera for his past support of Mickey Kasperian, previous president of the San Diego-Imperial Labor Council and UFCW. Kasparian left his position in disgrace, after being accused by multiple women of sexual harassment.
“At a moment when moral clarity and decisive leadership were required, Barrera chose the easiest thing possible: inaction,” Walters wrote.
The California Teachers Association, which endorsed Barrera for superintendent, defended its decision soon after Walters’ letter published on social media.
Carl DeMaio Versus San Diego Republicans
Monday, the Republican Party of San Diego County Central Committee was unable to come to a consensus and endorse candidates in key local races, including the race to replace State Sen. Brian Jones, a Republican, and the one to replace County Supervisor Jim Desmond, also a Republican.
For the first time in many years, the party may not even put out a voter guide.
Behind the scenes fights are going public: In an opinion piece for us, former party chair Corey Gustafson writes that the party is losing ground and Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, who has become its de facto leader, is to blame.
Gustafson claims the Party’s failure to endorse is a feature to DeMaio, not a bug. DeMaio controls the group Reform California and its endorsements and voter guides.
“While Reform California makes endorsements in nearly every race, the Party is silenced, giving DeMaio’s endorsements free rein. The formula is simple: the weaker the Party, the stronger Reform becomes,” Gustafson writes.
Gustafson argues that without DeMaio’s destructive and chaotic presence, the party might actually be able to make gains locally.
Check out the full opinion piece here.
Palomar Health’s New Unelected Board
Don’t call it a merger.
That’s what Palomar Health and UC San Diego Health have said about the new joint powers authority they created to run Palomar’s hospitals in Escondido and Poway.
Palomar Health is a public entity that receives millions in tax dollars and is run by an elected Board of Directors. But the new JPA will be run by six appointed board members.
In her newest North County Report, Tigist Layne tells us about the new board members and her outstanding questions with the state about how many transparency requirements the new entity will (or won’t) face.
Read the full North County Report here.
Five Ways to Participate as a School Parent
It ain’t just about PTA’s anymore.
We broke down five ways parents can get involved at schools, as part of our annual Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools.
Schools have multiple required committees that get to take part in official decision-making processes. Besides the PTA, there’s also the School Site Council, special education committee, English Language Advisory Committee and governance team.
Judge: Trans Care Must Continue, for Now
“You are between a rock and a hard place. The issue is how close is the rock and how close is the hard place,” said Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner on Wednesday.
Judge Braner ordered the Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego to continue providing hormone therapy and puberty blockers to transgender kids for another month.
As Voice contributor Randy Dotinga previously reported, Rady had planned to get rid of gender-transition care amid fears that the Trump Administration will force the facility to close rather than allow the services to continue.
Dotinga explains what’s next in a new story.
Having Trouble with Balboa Park Resident Passes? Tell Us More.
Have you had any problems purchasing a resident pass for Balboa Park? Are you having issues logging into the city’s permit portal? Have you run into issues reaching out to the city for help?
Our City Hall reporter, Mariana Martínez Barba, wants to hear from you. You can connect with her at mariana.martinez@voiceofsandiego.org.
In Other News
- One answer to the city’s budget woes? Golf! A new audit finds the city is seriously undercharging the company’s leasing the city’s eight golf courses. Fairbanks Ranch Country Club brought in $16.7 million in revenue, but the city is charging less than a million dollars on the lease, the audit found. (Union-Tribune)
- The City Attorney is suing a house-flipping business, which it says poses an “ongoing threat” to vulnerable communities. The City Attorney alleges that a man named Zack Kyle Lawrence bought up properties in southeastern San Diego and did massive unpermitted renovations before flipping the properties. (CBS 8)
- The average tax refund is expected to go up this year — but far more so for wealthy Americans than others. (CBS 8)
- Rain caused a tractor trailer to crash on Interstate 5 and another to crash on Interstate 15 Wednesday. Both freeways were shut down for a time. (NBC 7)
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry and Mariana Martínez Barba. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.