Chula Vista Mayor John McCann on Tuesday accused a prominent San Diego County labor union of trying to strong arm him into supporting a controversial ballot measure — by promising not to fund his opponent in this year’s mayoral race in exchange for his support.
McCann said a representative of Local 89 of the Laborers International Union of North America made the offer during a recent meeting to discuss a charter reform measure the union has been seeking to place before Chula Vista voters in November.
The measure, which would give city councilmembers a large pay raise and make other significant changes to city government, has faced strong opposition from residents.
“I was informed if I supported placing the ballot measure on the ballot they would not fund my opponent in the election,” McCann said from the dais during debate over the measure at Tuesday’s Chula Vista City Council meeting.
“He was trying to make a deal with me,” McCann said of Kelvin Barrios, LIUNA’s director of government affairs, who met with the mayor last month to discuss the ballot measure.
“I feel it was unethical,” McCann said. “I don’t believe in a quid pro quo.”
Barrios emphatically denied McCann’s accusation and said in fact it was McCann who “wanted assurance we wouldn’t spend money against him in the general election.”
“I said I can’t make those assurances,” Barrios said. “In no way was I trying to tie consideration of [the ballot measure] to political spending… This is the mayor making a false accusation.
After hearing from more than 45 public speakers, almost all of them opposed to the ballot measure, the City Council voted 4-1 to pull the measure from the November ballot and refer it to the city’s Charter Review Commission for further consideration and public input.
Del Mar’s Plummetting Special Education Enrollment
For years, families have claimed that Del Mar Union officials have made it difficult for them to access the special education services they believe their children need. At the root of the disagreements is whether their kids qualify for special education services – families say they do, the district often says they don’t.
The two sides have squared off in legal challenges, lawsuits and complaints to oversight agencies.
Over the same period of time, a fascinating trend has emerged. While the number of kids with disabilities has exploded at districts across the state, they’ve plummeted at Del Mar.
To put this into context: Del Mar experienced a 43 percent drop in students with disabilities. That’s greater than any other district in the state, among districts with at least 100 special education students.
Officials at Del Mar have mostly waved this off as a byproduct of the district’s significant enrollment decline. But even taking that decline into account, the decrease in students with disabilities is disproportional. What’s happening isn’t entirely clear, but those who feel the district plays hardball see the alleged hostility as a possible explanation.
Read the full story here.
Comic-Con’s Outlaw Building Wraps
What if year after year you could knowingly break the law, make a boatload of money and get away with a measly fine? Would you do it? For owners of dozens of prominent buildings downtown the answer is “Hell yeah!”
Let’s rewind: Every Comic Con, some of San Diego’s most iconic buildings are enrobed in gaudy, stories-tall wraps advertising the latest cash-grab remake of a vampire story or lobotomized comic book movie. For the buildings’ owners, it’s a lucrative affair. How much they stand to make isn’t clear, but the U-T reports that companies can shell out in excess of $100,000 for one.
There’s just one problem: It’s illegal!!!
That’s right, laws have been on the books banning certain outdoor advertising since the 1970s. And there are potentially big fines for flouting the regulations. Inspectors are able to charge up to $10,000 a day. Instead, inspectors usually hand out warnings or $1,000-a-day citations. Last year, the city issued only $19,000 in fines.
Enforcing this won’t close San Diego’s yawning budget deficit, but it also wouldn’t hurt. It’s hard to imagine less sympathetic and deeper-pocketed corporations than Paramount, Marvel and Amazon having to pay extra to make sure their illegal advertisements stay up.
The bottom line is this: At a time when San Diego’s budget deficit is so severe that city leaders have chosen to close bathrooms at some of our most visited beaches, why not actually enforce the city’s laws and make a little dough while doing it?
– Jakob
Pass the Aux
Lead Pony, “Factory”: It can be hard for bands to change. Too often bands find a formula and stick with the mixture far after it’s worn out. Not Lead Pony.
What started as a more straightforward blues-tinged project has evolved into something much more interesting. Over the past couple of months, the band has been released a series of immaculately produced modern psych pop tunes.
You should check out all three of their latest tracks, but “Factory” really does it for me. The mid-tempo burner blends catchy bursts of fuzzed-out riffage with gentle keyboards and spacey vocals to create a delightfully ethereal jam.
Check out Lead Pony with local favorites Ten Bulls at Casbah on Saturday, July 25.
Speaking of Jams
If you haven’t yet make sure to make a submission to our first ever summer playlist. Our theme is IRL Summer. Submit anything that fits the vibe for you — and has some kind of connection to San Diego.
Here’s the Google form to make a submission. And here’s a post from Bella Ross explaining more about the playlist.
In Other News
Two San Diego County lawmakers successfully passed legislation that creates a new position of education commissioner to oversee the state’s department of education. Assemblymembers David Alvarez and Darshana Patel see the move as a way to improve education across the state, while some opponents say the lawmakers did not act with transparency. (Union-Tribune)
Cal Fire revealed its new and improved Ramona Air Attack Base. The $20 million project updated an underground pipe system, added a repurposed military aircraft for firefighting and more. (Union-Tribune)
Speaking of Cal Fire, the agency is temporarily closing a fire station in North County for critical infrastructure improvements. Residents of Bonsall are concerned about how the station’s closure will impact fire response times. (NBC 7 San Diego)
The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that the UC San Diego School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against applicants by granting and denying admission based on race. The accusation comes after months of reviewing the school’s admission practices, as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on race-conscious admissions. (Union-Tribune)
A previously unnamed beach at Spanish Landing Park has been officially named Kumeyaay Beach following a Port of San Diego decision. (NBC 7 San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch, Jakob McWhinney and Mariana Martínez Barba. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
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