Morning Report: Border Farmers Irate Over Sewage Warning Signs
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The managers of a community garden in the sewage-plagued Tijuana River Valley are evicting over 200 farmers.
The leader of the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County said she was concerned the agency could be held liable for endangering employees if they didn’t close after the county placed pollution warning signs nearby at the behest of Supervisor Paloma Aguirre.
Gardeners revolted. A petition against the garden closure has over 1,000 signatures.
“What we want is to stay on the land and not to leave until the county finds solutions and an organization who wants to manage the land,” said Nanzi Muro, a community gardener who is helping to organize gardeners’ response to the evictions.
Aguirre does not believe the warning signs she urged county staff to erect around the Tijuana River Valley had anything to do with the garden’s closure. But she said she is determined to help farmers stay in business.
Gloria Looks to Harbor Police for Cop Shortage
Is Mayor Todd Gloria officially LAFCO-pilled?
At a Politifest panel this weekend, Gloria floated the idea of the San Diego Police Department absorbing the Harbor Police in an attempt to close the city’s 200 officer shortfall. The Harbor Police has about 140 officers who operate in the areas surrounding the San Diego Bay, which includes five cities as well as the San Diego Airport.
A memo to Port of San Diego staff says the agency was blindsided by this proposal and won’t be entertaining it.
But it probably shouldn’t be surprising. For months now, the Port has been in the crosshairs of the Local Agency Formation Commission, which has the power to bring agencies into and out of existence and is currently reviewing the Port’s operations.
“In this time of real challenges financially, we should be asking ourselves fundamental questions about the way we’ve chosen to organize ourselves and wonder if we can be more efficient,” Gloria said.
More From Politifest: No One Wants the City in Charge of Electricity
Debaters on lowering the cost of electricity at Politifest 2025’s Solutions Showdown didn’t agree on much.
At times the panelists interrupted each other or seethed behind clenched teeth in one of the day’s spiciest events. But reps promoting the agenda of San Diego’s privately-owned utility and public power could agree on one thing: They don’t trust the city of San Diego to run a power company.
“Do you actually trust the City Council of this city to take over the electric grid? … You can’t drive on a goddamn city street without ruining your tires. You want them now to take over your electricity?” said Jack McGrory, a former San Diego city manager who presented on behalf of San Diego Gas and Electric.
No, agreed Bill Powers, proponent of a community-owned “no-profit” utility. A government agency would have to buy the power lines and more from SDG&E. If SDG&E refused to sell them, the movement hopes the government would use eminent domain to take them.
“I agree with Jack that a municipal utility, a public electric utility, should not be a city department. I’m sold on that. But there are numerous structures that can be used to firewall it from city council, from the mayor,” Powers said.
Powers and the group Public Power San Diego hope to qualify a ballot measure (and then win the vote for it) that would force the city to act on municipalizing the electricity grid.
San Diego’s New Chief Financial Officer
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is tapping Rolando Charvel to serve as the city’s next chief financial officer. Charvel has been with the city for 26 years and most recently was the director of finance and city comptroller.
If the City Council confirms his appointment this month, he’d replace Matt Vespi, who is leaving the city in November to work at the Port of San Diego as the chief administrative officer.
“Rolando has demonstrated exceptional financial stewardship, a deep commitment to public service, and the strategic leadership we need to guide San Diego’s fiscal future,” Mayor Gloria said in a statement.
Judge Denies Grecia Figueroa’s Restraining Order Request
On Tuesday, a judge denied Grecia Figueroa’s request to have a court protect her from Nathan Fletcher’s wife, Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher.
Figueroa claimed that Gonzalez Fletcher was harassing her online, and that she was concerned about her safety as a result, according to court filings. Gonzalez Fletcher denied the allegations. The judge also rejected Figueroa’s temporary restraining order request last month.
The Union-Tribune reported that San Diego Superior Court Judge Blair Soper denied Figueroa’s request because he couldn’t find evidence of violence or real threats of violence. He said, “The burden of proof just has not been met,” according to the U-T.
“This was another attempt by Ms. Figueroa to inflict harm upon me and my family by wielding egregiously false allegations in court filings designed to drive press attention to herself,” Gonzalez Fletcher said in a statement.
In August, Judge Matthew Braner dismissed Figueroa’s lawsuit against Fletcher because of what he described as a “spoliation” of evidence. Figueroa has previously said she plans to appeal the decision.
“It’s important to speak up, because even after the ruling, this now puts her behavior on the record, making it easier for the next person to prove a pattern of harassment,” Figueroa said in a statement on Tuesday.
In Other News
- The Port of San Diego is looking for artists to contribute to a new splash pad project in Imperial Beach at Portwood Pier Plaza. Port leaders approved the project in 2024 with a budget of $1.8 million, and they expect to begin installation early 2026, KPBS reports.
- Many residents financially struggle because the majority of their income is spent on necessities like housing, childcare, transportation and food. A new report by United Ways of California found that in San Diego County, a family of four needs a little more than $116,000 to get by. (Fox 5)
- Amid lower rates of tourism and travel to California, CalMatters reports that the San Diego International Airport’s new terminal may help bring in revenue and visitors to combat the downward trend.
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Bella Ross, Mariana Martínez Barba, Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Jenna Ramiscal. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.
The post Morning Report: Border Farmers Irate Over Sewage Warning Signs appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
