Morning Report: City Hall Shake-Up Underway
EM - News Moderator 
Mayor Todd Gloria’s team says a reorganization is underway at City Hall months after he fired the city’s top bureaucrat.
The news follows Voice of San Diego’s scoop that two of the city’s deputy chief operating officers are leaving their posts.
Now, Mariana Martínez Barba reports that Gloria’s office is rejiggering the city’s executive team to eliminate deputy chief operating officer positions and will roll out a new organization chart early next month.
Gloria Chief of Staff Paola Avila would not confirm Thursday whether the two deputy chief operating officers – Alia Khouri, who oversaw operations, and Kristina Peralta, who oversaw neighborhood services – resigned or were fired. But Avila did confirm that two city officials will take Khouri and Peralta’s posts as they transition and that the changes are part of a “thoughtful, organization-wide realignment.”
Worth noting: The City Council this summer approved a budget that called for the elimination of two deputy chief operating officers, spurring a fight with Gloria. The mayor later said he wouldn’t lay off staff. Now, years into the city’s strong mayor experiment, two deputy chief operating officers are out.
Councilmember’s Felony Assault Charge Reduced; One Misdemeanor Dismissed
Encinitas Councilmember Luke Shaffer is now facing two misdemeanors instead of a felony and two misdemeanors, after a judge reduced a felony assault charge and tossed out another misdemeanor.
In August, the District Attorney’s office charged Shaffer with felony assault and two misdemeanor counts: hit-and-run driving and willful omission to perform duty, a charge that applies when a public official knowingly fails to perform a legally required duty.
The charges stem from a July confrontation about trash bins between Shaffer and resident Declan Caulfield. Read more here.
At Thursday’s preliminary hearing, Caulfield, North Coastal Sheriff’s Detective Chad Latonio, Encinitas City Manager Jennifer Campbell and District Attorney’s Office supervising investigator Juan Cisneros all took the stand. Deputy District Attorney Chandelle Boyce and Shaffer’s attorney, Isaac Blumberg, questioned the witnesses before making their arguments to Judge Saba Sheibani.
Sheibani ruled that the evidence did not meet the threshold for a felony assault charge and reduced it to a misdemeanor. She also dismissed the misdemeanor count of willful omission to perform duty, finding that it, too, failed to meet the probable cause standard.
“We are thankful that the court … agreed that these charges are misdemeanor conduct,” Blumberg said after the hearing. “This will be taken out of the felony track and will be sent to the misdemeanor courtroom.”
If you need a refresher on the full background of the case, our Tigist Layne wrote about it here.
South County Report: Leaders Aim to Transform a Service Desert
South Bay communities have some of the county’s highest employment needs so it was a big deal last week when the San Diego Workforce Partnership opened a new career center in Chula Vista.
In his latest South County Report, Jim Hinch writes about what local leaders are doing to try to help a region that’s long had a dearth of options to meet its social service needs.
Among the recent openings: nonprofit SBCS’s center in Chula Vista to serving people facing homelessness, domestic violence and health care needs and the county’s new family justice center in National City.
Read the full newsletter here.
San Diegans Testify on CARE Court
A San Diego County Public Defender’s Office supervisor, the city of San Diego’s behavioral health officer and a Spring Valley mother who once rallied behind CARE Court testified at a hearing Thursday to give state lawmakers feedback on the new court system.
San Diego County was one of the first in the state to implement the program, which families of people with serious untreated psychotic conditions had hoped could force their loved ones into treatment. State officials and counties across the state – including San Diego – have emphasized that the program is voluntary, though advocates have argued that the court system is coercive.
A mother’s take: Anita Fisher, whose experience with CARE Court Voice wrote about earlier this year, told state Senators Caroline Menjivar and Tom Umberg that her son Pharoh has been repeatedly arrested and evicted while enrolled in San Diego County’s CARE program. She argued that more teeth should be added to mandate evaluations if a participant is in crisis and that more supportive housing options are needed.
The psychiatrist: Aaron Meyer, the city of San Diego’s behavioral health officer, wants the state to more closely track people who are dismissed from CARE Court to ensure those who need treatment get it and argued that counties should pursue more mental health evaluations via court orders under existing law. San Diego County, for its part, argues that legal process isn’t necessary.
A public defender: Desirae Sanders, who supervises the county Public Defender Office’s mental health unit and CARE Court work, emphasized the successes the county has seen with 158 agreements and 24 graduations since it rolled out in October 2023. She agreed that more supportive housing options are needed but said CARE Court is empowering San Diegans enrolled in it by allowing them to drive the treatment process.
The county’s take: In response to questions from Voice, county spokesperson Tim McClain struck a similar tone, noting that the county has been at the forefront of implementing CARE Court and the people who choose to voluntarily participate “are seeing tremendous, life-changing successes that cannot be measured through statistics alone.”
What’s next: Umberg and Menjivar are considering legislative tweaks to CARE Court. Menjivar said Thursday she’ll mull options post-2026 after another year of CARE is under the state’s belt while Umberg, who leaves office next December, will need to pitch changes before then.
In Other News
- The Seidler family is mulling whether to sell the Padres franchise. (Associated Press)
- Mayor Todd Gloria’s office is now pitching annual $150 parking passes at Balboa Park for city residents and monthly $30 passes starting in January. (NBC 7)
- The years-long court fight over hotel-tax increase Measure C has finally ended. (Union-Tribune)
- The City Council’s public safety committee voted unanimously this week to give the go-ahead to police to continue using automatic license plate readers and other technologies amid concerns about privacy and overreach by federal agencies. The full City Council will soon take up the topic. (CBS 8)
- That same City Council committee also advanced a proposal this week to cite vehicles with expired registrations rather than tow them. (Union-Tribune)
- Get ready for a rainy weekend, San Diego. (NBC 7)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Tigist Layne. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
The post Morning Report: City Hall Shake-Up Underway appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
