Employee misconduct records released after Voice of San Diego’s legal battle with the county recently revealed issues at its long-praised Edgemoor skilled nursing facility.
Our Lisa Halverstadt wanted to know how residents at the 192-bed facility serving people with complex medical needs are doing.
What she found: Edgemoor – and thus county taxpayers – were saddled with more than $67,000 in state and federal fines earlier this year after a state investigation into a former certified nursing assistant’s allegedly aggressive encounter with a quadriplegic resident.
A state Department of Public Health investigation of the January incident concluded that Edgemoor officials failed to properly investigate and swiftly report the incident, and kept the now-former nursing assistant on the job caring for dozens of other patients for two days after it happened.
Edgemoor formally disputed some of the agency’s findings, arguing that the resident’s initial report to staff didn’t trigger abuse protocols and that she exaggerated once interviewed by a state investigator. The state citations were upheld earlier this month.
The county’s response: County spokespeople say that facility officials implemented changes to prevent future issues. They also say county leaders are engaging with residents and staff and setting the stage to make “significant improvements.”
Related: The county’s former behavioral health director who was fired as the county released misconduct records to Voice announced Thursday that she has notified the county of her plans to file a wrongful termination suit. Nadia Privara Brahms told 10 News that she was initially placed on leave and then later terminated as she prepared to tell county supervisors about systemic issues in the department.
“I was shocked,” Privara Brahms said. “I believe (top county official Ebony Shelton’s) intent was to prevent me from discussing my concerns transparently with the Board of Supervisors during the closed session meeting.”
In a statement, the county disputed Privara Brahm’s statements, claiming the narrative “is not consistent with the facts or the county’s established processes.”
South County Report: Hate-Fueled Vandalism Upsets IB Residents
Politically motivated and antisemitic vandalism has recently unsettled Imperial Beach residents.
Our Jim Hinch spoke to a mayoral candidate and a prominent Democratic activist who is Jewish about the vandalism and what it says about the city typically considered a laid-back beach town.
Also in this week’s South County Report: What to know about Chula Vista’s new five-year economic strategy meant to rebrand the South Bay city and make it a biotech and drone manufacturing hub.
Read the South County Report here.
The Battle to Represent Southeastern San Diego
Incumbent councilmembers have long had a major advantage but southeastern San Diego’s City Council district race ended with the victory of former political newcomer and now veteran in 2018.
Will that happen again this year? Activist Martha Abraham is hoping to unseat Councilmember Henry Foster, onetime chief of staff to former newcomer turned County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe – and the race is shaping up to be one of the most interesting duels this November.
Our Mariana Martínez Barba is moderating a debate between Abraham and Foster at our Politifest event on Oct. 3 and you don’t want to miss it.
Read more about the debate here. And get your tickets today.
What Could Have Been: San Diego Fumbles Public Restroom Contract
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s New York City provides no lack of municipal FOMO for cynical San Diegans, but the city’s latest expansion of public restrooms hit especially close to come.
Earlier this month, Mamdani announced he would add 17 public restrooms across the city through a partnership with Throne Labs. The modular, single-user restroom units operate under an all-inclusive model, with maintenance costs included at a rate of $6,000 per month (compared to more than $13,000 per month for comparable prefabricated restrooms).
If this sounds familiar to you, it may be because San Diego test-ran a batch of Throne toilets starting in late 2024. Environment Reporter MacKenzie Elmer wrote about it at the time.
“The whole experience was a bit like taking a whiz inside a Pottery Barn bathroom on Mars,” she wrote. “But for once I felt cleaner leaving a public restroom than I did upon entering.”
So, what ever happened to the pilot program?
“We were on track to launch in early 2026 until local sales tax Measure E failed,” said Evie Smith Hatmaker, a representative for Throne Labs. “Facing significant budget constraints, the initiative was suspended.”
So, instead of 10 shiny, new robot restrooms, we lost more than 30 existing restrooms – some of which have since been restored due to public pushback.
Ah… what could have been </3
Spooky San Diego Things
Do you enjoy exploring spooky, weird and mysterious things this time of year? So do we.
To help us all get into the Halloween spirit, the Union-Tribune helpfully rounded up some options from SeaWorld to Julian that are open throughout October.
Hidden San Diego delivered a more offbeat list of reportedly haunted places with stories we absolutely can’t confirm. Have you heard of the Elfin Forest south of Harmony Grove in inland North County? The San Diego Ghosts website has more to share on the spooky legends about it. What about Cave 7, one of La Jolla’s sea caves? Lore has it that two newlyweds visited during their early 1800s honeymoon and the bride still wearing her wedding gown was swept away as she looked for seashells – and that there are reminders of her in the cave.
In Other News
- A federal report out this week concluded that short-term exposure to air near the Tijuana River sewage can lead to health issues including nausea, coughing and headaches. (KPBS)
- inewsource profiled an activist who with a small team has flagged more than 2,000 short-term rental violations in the city to try to keep property owners from flouting city laws.
- A new survey found San Diegans are (unsurprisingly) concerned about the economy, affordability and housing costs. (NBC 7)
- Cesar E. Chavez Park in Barrio Logan is officially Chicano Park on the Bay after a Port of San Diego vote this week. (KPBS)
- A City Council committee this week advanced a potential ban on smoking and vaping at outdoor eateries. (Fox 5)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Bella Ross. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.