Morning Report: Encinitas Councilmember Facing Felony Charges

An Encinitas councilmember faces felony charges after allegedly threatening a member of the public and causing property damage with his vehicle. 

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the court have not released details of the incident involving Councilmember Luke Shaffer. But a complaint obtained by Voice of San Diego shows he’s being charged with, among other things, felony assault and misdemeanor hit-and-run charges. 

“A councilmember has a duty to not use their position to willfully make unlawful threats of retaliatory action against members of the public,” the complaint reads. “Including threats to deny or obstruct lawful permits or other lawful entitlements.”

If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison on the felony charge. Hit-and-run charges carry up to six months in jail. 

Read the full story here. 

A Conversation With an Educator and Immigration Activist

Though ICE agents haven’t officially made arrests on school campuses, a policy change has opened the door to that possibility. For some, the recent arrests of parents outside of their children’s schools have made that possibility all the more real.

In the face of the immigration offensive, educators and school communities have begun to mobilize, with organizations like Association of Raza Educators organizing training sessions for teachers and urging school leaders to do more to confront immigration officials. There’s just one problem: federal immigration laws limit just what can be done.

Education reporter Jakob McWhinney spoke to a local teacher, and the leader of Association of Raza Educators, about the stakes of the immigration crackdown and how she’s thinking about the tricky legal footing activists and schools must navigate.

“This is history in the making. So, what are we willing to do? Are we going to just follow the law to the T, or are we willing to do what’s right and ensure that students still feel safe in schools?” Erendira Ramirez told him.

Read the Progress Report here. 

South County Report: Chula Vista Is Now A Hub for Superyachting 

Plans to expand a 15-acre superyacht repair and retrofitting facility in Chula Vista may cement the South County town as a hub for the global wealth industry.

Marine Group Boat Works president Todd Roberts spoke with our Jim Hinch about his vision to grow a network of superyacht service facilities from Mexico to Alaska. 

“We want to build the population of yachts in the Pacific Ocean,” Roberts said.

In doing so, Roberts said. he’d draw the kinds of people with deep pockets that own them. 

The West Coast, Hinch writes, is uncharted territory for many superyacht owners, who until now have preferred the calmer waters and luxury destinations of yachting hubs in the Caribbean and Europe.

Read the South County Report here. 

Politifest: Early Bird Pricing Ends Soon 

This year’s Politifest Solutions Showdown will be an informative day of discussions with community leaders about solving San Diego’s biggest issues, including street homelessness, the cross-border sewage crisis, and how to ensure that all children receive an excellent education.  

We’ll wrap up with a live podcast featuring the winners from each panel and a sunset reception. Join us on Oct. 4. 

Get your ticket now and save.

In Other News 

• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he is deploying a team of California Highway Patrol officers to work in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, including some in San Diego. The teams will focus on high-crime areas. KPBS has more here.  
• In news that likely won’t surprise any young renters, a new study found that the average age of San Diego’s homeowners – 54-years-old – is the second highest in the nation. (Union-Tribune)
• The Union-Tribune reports that researchers have found a link between water pollution in the Tijuana River Valley and toxic gas in the air. “The study reveals a direct airborne pollutant exposure pathway – from contaminated rivers into the air we breathe,” one of the researchers told the paper. 
• Correction: We updated “San Diego Is Getting Sued Because of One of Its Troubled Dams” to correct that El Monte Nature Preserve, LLC was in the process of securing a permit with the county of San Diego, not the city of San Diego. It’s also the Regional Water Quality Control Board, not the city, that bars sand mining below the water table. 

The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer and Jakob McWhinney. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. 

The post Morning Report: Encinitas Councilmember Facing Felony Charges appeared first on Voice of San Diego.