Employees of San Diego Community Power have been underwhelmed by their CEO’s performance, according to public records obtained by our MacKenzie Elmer.
Karin Burns has been CEO of Community Power – the second largest community choice aggregator in California – since 2022.
But according to a survey of employees conducted by an independent consulting firm in April, Burns’ leadership of the $1.2 billion public agency has been pretty mid.
Where she scored low: Employees ranked Burns below what the consultant would consider “positive or solid” in more than half of the categories, including “executive presence,” decision-making skills and more.
Burns mostly landed in the realm of “moderate opportunity” for growth, but she did not ever land in the lowest category.
Here’s where it gets interesting: Burns has been MIA since June 18 when she took a sudden and unexplained leave of absence. Community Power’s chief operating officer, Jack Clark, is now the acting CEO.
The same day Burns began her leave Community Power’s board discussed her performance in a closed session meeting. But the board took no official action, and members have not disclosed what they talked about.
Read the full story here.
The Ghost of the California Theater
Just outside our office window sits the the semi-boarded up California Theater — which has sat empty for more than 30 years.
The building may now be one step closer toward its next iteration, even if that means demolition. The Prebys Foundation (which also owns the office tower that houses our office) has agreed to purchase the theater, reports the Union-Tribune.
The past couple of decades have been grim for the building. During the pandemic, squatters had easy access, as we reported in Aug. 2022.
At the time, our reporters found the theater “streaked with graffiti and surrounded by homeless residents and a chain link fence with multiple openings near clear entrances on the theatre’s ground floor. A rope affixed to a fire escape snaked up the side of the building and led to open doors on a terrace where multiple people were walking inside.”
Here’s a video of someone exploring the building in 2018 and a Reddit post that includes some good pictures.
“The way we discussed it internally is as a good deed, because it did not seem as though anybody in the market was willing to put forth patient capital to go through this process and then figure out a development plan,” the Prebys Foundation’s CEO told the U-T. “At the same time, there is a long-term benefit to us and other downtown stakeholders in enhancing the value of the street… It’s not just a good deed, but an investment.”
Leaders of the foundation said it may still take a year to get demolition underway.
Everyone Will Be There: World’s Largest Breakdancing Competition
The world’s largest break-dancing competition is coming to San Diego, and, honestly, everyone should be there, because it sounds pretty cool.
On August 22 at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, B-Boys and B-Girls will be competing for the national championship title, facing off in 1v1 elimination battles for the chance to represent the U.S. in the world final in Toronto.
Also, it turns out San Diego has deep roots in breaking. A break dancer from Chula Vista helped debut the event at the Paris Olympics.
In Other News
Hydrogen sulfide readings in South Bay have consistently been exceeding the county’s safety threshold since 2024 and worsening year over year, data shows. (Union-Tribune)
All 10 members of an oversight commission that monitors conditions of youth detention centers and keeps an eye on juveniles in custody plan to resign after court officials said they would no longer pay for the members’ liability insurance that shields the volunteer commissioners from civil lawsuits. (Union-Tribune)
The number of injuries involving e-bikes has grown exponentially across the state, according to a report by UC San Diego Health, growing from just two in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024. (KPBS)
SANDAG is abandoning a three-and-a-half-year effort to collect $23,000 from the federal government after the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) failed to pay the agency for use of a crime database. (KPBS)
Going to Comic Con? KPBS has a guide to all of the panels and meetups you should check out, as well as the best tips and tricks for navigating it all. (KPBS)
The chair of Neighbors for a Better San Diego, which has fought against new housing and upzoning efforts, argues the city should not have approved a new housing development on the so-called Radio Towers site in southeastern San Diego, but a park instead.
Last but not least: Check out this awesome video of a coyote doing a butt scoot at Mission Trails Regional Park.
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne and Will Huntsberry. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
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