Morning Report: Doctors Say Imperial Beach Safety Net Clinic ‘Is Falling Apart’

Doctors at the Imperial Beach Community Clinic, which provides primary healthcare to 10,000 low-income and uninsured patients in South San Diego County, say the 54-year-old safety net provider is near collapse because of ongoing mismanagement.

The clinic just laid off one-tenth of its staff, lost its chief medical officer and has had six CEOs in the past four years.

Doctors said leaders told them the clinic was on the verge of being unable to pay its bills this month – hence the layoffs.

“It’s insane,” one provider said.

Clinic’s response: CEO Albert Pacheco acknowledged in a statement that clinic operations had been affected by what he called “a thoughtful and necessary transition [to] ensure we are positioned for long-term strength.”

A clinic spokesperson stressed that the clinic remains open and patient care has not been compromised.

The back story: Doctors said the clinic enjoyed years of stability under a previous CEO who retired in 2021. Since then, doctors said, mismanagement by the board of directors had led to a staff exodus and multiple years of financial losses.

Now, both sides are lawyering up and one provider said patients are asking, “Are you going to take care of me? Because everyone else left.”

Read the full story here. 

MTS Dismissed from Harassment Suit Involving Ex-Supervisor

A San Diego Superior Court judge on Friday relieved the Metropolitan Transit System from a civil suit alleging the agency fired a staffer in retaliation for accusing ex-county supervisor and board chair Nathan Fletcher of sexual harassment.

Judge Matthew Braner ruled that MTS evidence showed that Figueroa’s termination was “based on legitimate, documented performance issues” and that Fletcher played no role in the firing. He dismissed MTS from the civil suit. (City News Service) 

The civil case between Fletcher and ex-MTS spokesperson Grecia Figueroa is set to go to trial next month.

Refresher: Back in 2023, Figueroa’s accusations led Fletcher to resign from the county Board of Supervisors and recede from public life. They also led to big questions for MTS: Did MTS know of the alleged harassment and did it fire Figueroa at his direction – or to protect its then-board chair?  

MTS cheers ruling: “As we put this case behind us, we remain focused on our ultimate mission to bring safe, reliable public transportation to our region,” MTS CEO Sharon Cooney wrote in a statement.

The other side: Figueroa’s attorneys disputed MTS’s arguments about performance issues. They contended Figueroa’s performance reviews weren’t consistently bad before her firing and that she reported harassment by Fletcher while she was employed at MTS. MTS has argued she didn’t complain until after she was terminated. Figueroa’s team also argued in court filings that more thorough investigations at MTS would have revealed Fletcher’s misconduct.

“Instead, MTS moved forward with (Figueroa’s) termination — despite no formal disciplinary history — at the very time Fletcher’s harassment was intensifying,” Figueroa’s attorney John Holcomb wrote in a July 11 filing.

Fletcher has argued the relationship was consensual.

Business Owners: Were Upgrades to University Avenue Worth It? 

A road repair project in City Heights could finally be coming to an end, but don’t think nearby business owners and residents are holding their breath. 

The $13 million University Avenue project would slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety, city officials promised, but delays pushed construction and road disruptions well past its original completion date. 

When the project started, business owners hunkered down and carried on despite road closures and construction fencing going up in front of their doorways. But as the project dragged on, many lost business and some had to lay off employees. 

Voice contributor Dan Friedell writes that while the project is finally coming to an end, many business owners are reflecting on the harm it caused. 

“It’ll be nice when it’s done, but it’s just taking a long time,” the owner of The Tower Bar told Voice. 

Read the full story here. 

Sacramento Report: 5 Bills We’re Following

Summer break is almost over for San Diego’s state legislators. 

They are swapping their chanclas for suits, and there’s no doubt they will hit the ground running on the bills they introduced before the break. If they want to get their bills in front of the governor, they will need approval from both houses by next month. 

Sacramento Reporter Deborah Brennan has been closely following some bills that could impact San Diego County residents. 

She recaps what the proposed legislation would do to address issues related to housing, fire insurance access, AI and more.Read the Sacramento Report here. 

VOSD Podcast: In Whose Backyard 

No, you’re not imagining it. We did have a lot of stories last week on where housing is being built in San Diego. 

If you missed some of the stories, it’s worth going through and reading them here. Our Will Huntsberry pulled together some fascinating stats about where and what types of homes are being built in our region.  

If you want the TL;DR version, listen to the latest episode of the VOSD Podcast. 

In Other News 

• Want to enjoy some food while being suspended over San Diego Bay? Now you can do that. Seaport Village’s long-awaited new restaurant has opened its doors. (Union-Tribune) 
• As if our editor needed more flight anxiety fodder. A plane was forced to land  at San Diego International Airport shortly after taking off because of a “bird strike during takeoff.” No one was injured. (NBC 7) 
• The Republican Party of San Diego County is calling for Democratic County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer to resign, arguing that residents are “fed up with the relentless unethical conduct and scandals plaguing the Democrat majority on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.” We broke the news last fall on ex-county executive Michael Vu’s bombshell claims alleging Lawson-Remer and ex-Supervisor Nora Vargas unlawfully stymied his pursuit of a promotion and of a lucrative parting deal for ex-County Counsel Claudia Silva, who abruptly retired late last month.
• A developer of a 14-story apartment building in Middletown is going back to the drawing board after residents complained about the impact it could have on traffic, parking and safety. The developer opted to pause the project because he likes “to go in with the least amount of enemies and highest number of allies.” (Times of San Diego) 

The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch, Lisa Halverstadt and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. 

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