Morning Report: Potential Conflict for County Pharma Chief
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In October, we revealed the county’s top pharmacy official was moonlighting for a New York-based law firm that advises pharmaceutical companies.
Now our Lisa Halverstadt reports that full-time Chief Pharmacy Officer Emily Do has dropped the side gig — after a county ethics investigation found she failed to fully disclose the second job which presented a potential conflict of interest.
A county spokesperson wouldn’t clarify whether Do was disciplined or forced to quit the law firm job. He did confirm that Do remains the top county pharmacy official overseeing county pharmacy practices and standards. She has held the post since 2019 – and according to the county investigation, has consistently held outside jobs during her time in county government.
Do, who did not respond to messages from Voice of San Diego, told the ethics office that her work for the New York firm focused on business development, but that she would recuse herself if any conflicts came up. Do also refused to share a client list, citing California Bar Association rules that she concluded prevented her from doing so.
DA Slams County Officials Over Alleged Fraud
District Attorney Summer Stephan slammed county officials for failed checks and balances during a Wednesday press conference about a former nonprofit executive charged with allegedly misappropriating more than $134,000 in public funds.
Refresher: Our Lisa Halverstadt broke the news that Amy Knox, who had managed the Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego’s finances, was charged with three felony counts of misappropriation of public money and three felony counts of fraudulent appropriation for allegedly using nonprofit funds for plastic surgeries, high-end clothes, a vacation to Hawaii and more.
“The fact that the checks and balances that exist for a reason failed or were overruled is very troubling,” Stephan said.
More on the case: Knox pleaded not guilty during a Wednesday arraignment. If convicted, she could face seven years in prison.
Our Annual Parent’s Guide Is Here!
The latest edition of our Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools is officially out and we think it’s the best one yet – at least until the next one drops.
Not only does this year’s guide feature all of the content you’ve come to rely on, it also has some exciting new additions, reports our Jakob McWhinney.
The old favorites include explainers on after-school care and school choice and data about everything from chronic absenteeism to our bespoke income vs. test score metric.
This year, we also added a section on private schools. It’s a unique window, largely because private schooling in California is so opaque. Students at private schools don’t have to take standardized tests and administrators don’t report much of the demographic or performance data that public schools are required to report.
Head on over to Schools Guide central on our website to get access to all of this edu-goodness or download a copy.
Also in the newsletter: Former Poway Unified Trustee and first-term state Assemblymember Darshana Patel was recently appointed to the top spot on the state Assembly’s Education Committee. Check out our Q&A with Patel last year.
In Other News
- Rain! Snow! San Diego County got more of both Wednesday, with close to six inches of precipitation at Lake Cuyumaca and more than an inch in coastal communities. There was thunder, lightning and 80-mile-an-hour winds at El Cajon Mountain. Mount Laguna expected up to a foot of snow. Another storm moves in this afternoon. (Union-Tribune)
- The San Diego City Council on Wednesday rejected an effort to make it harder to impose higher-than-expected fees on residents. Councilmembers nixed a proposal by Councilmember Raul Campillo that would have subjected ballot measures generating new fees to comprehensive fiscal analysis. (Union-Tribune)
- Scientists at Scripps Research say they may have found a way to redesign the addictive pain-relieving drug fentanyl so that it doesn’t hook users. (KPBS)
- Officials said they plan to release water from Lake Hodges Dam following recent rains. The rain boosted dam levels above a state-mandated limit of 280 feet. (NBC San Diego)
- The University of San Diego on Wednesday fired head basketball coach Steve Lavin. Lavin earned fans’ ire for his 46-79 record as a coach. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Jim Hinch. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
The post Morning Report: Potential Conflict for County Pharma Chief appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
