Morning Report: San Diego’s Water Sellers Are Thirsty for Revenue

It’s that time of year – August – when San Diego’s real summer heats up and notices that the city of San Diego is raising water rates hit our mailboxes.

On Sept. 30, the San Diego City Council will take up the uncomfortable exercise of approving a 63 percent hike in water rates and a 31 percent hike in wastewater rates over the next four years. 

Ouchie. But we knew it was coming.

The table explaining how that will affect your average monthly bill on the front page of the water rates “notice of a public hearing,” that unholy baby blue packet in the mail, may be a little confusing. Voice of San Diego to the rescue.

Read more here. 

Judge Aims to Dismiss Suit Against Nathan Fletcher

San Diego Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner has tentatively ruled that, because of Grecia Figueroa’s rampant and willful “spoliation” of evidence, he will dismiss her sexual harassment case against former County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.

Read the tentative ruling here.

“As set forth above, Plaintiff engaged in a pattern of preserving only the evidence she believed was helpful to her case, while actively deleting, or knowingly allowing to be deleted, evidence that was likely detrimental to her claims,” Braner wrote in the tentative ruling.

If it is upheld, it will end the legal case against Fletcher that itself ended his high-profile political career and sent county politics and governance into turmoil for two years. Fletcher admitted to an inappropriate relationship with Figueroa but her claims that he assaulted her have steadfastly withered away amid a series of contradictions and lack of evidence. Last week, her case against the Metropolitan Transit System claiming her firing was unjustified was also dismissed.

Figueroa lost or changed attorneys several times. Fletcher still has a defamation case ongoing against Figueroa.

South County Report: IB’s Got a New Mayor

Imperial Beach appointed an “even-keeled” engineer from its City Council to take over as mayor after Paloma Aguirre won her race for San Diego County Supervisor. Yeah, but like, does he even surf, tho? (Imperial Beach’s last two mayors were Democrats known for their affinity for ocean sports.)

While the Morning Report writers wait for South County Reporter Jim Hinch to get back to us on our question, take a dive into the new mayor’s background. The 67-year-old grew up the son of a Navy man in Nestor and interned at aerospace company General Dynamics. 

He promised to keep up the pressure on the federal government to fix the Tijuana River sewage crisis that plagues the town. But not everyone in Imperial Beach was happy with McKay’s appointment – specifically, how the City Council chose to do it. 

Instead of holding a special election, criticized as a costly move, the Council took a seemingly surprise vote to appoint one of their own. McKay was their answer.

Read the South County Report here. 

Meet the Beat: Voice in Chula Vista

Join our South County reporter Jim Hinch on Wednesday, Aug. 13, in Chula Vista for a discussion about his latest investigation and the stories he’s following. 

It’s all happening at the Civic Center Branch Library in Chula Vista at 6 p.m. You can RSVP here to reserve your spot.

Editor’s note: The City of Chula Vista Public Library does not advocate nor endorse the views or positions expressed by the users of its facilities.

The Latest on County Drama

County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is pushing back against the notion that she attempted a quid pro quo alleged in a lawsuit filed by a former county executive.

Michael Vu, who had sought to become the county’s top bureaucrat, alleged in a lawsuit that Lawson-Remer and ex-supervisor Nora Vargas unlawfully blocked his quest for that promotion. His suit claims that Lawson-Remer’s actions, detailed in an email to the county’s now ex-top lawyer, violated the state’s open meetings law. 

Those allegations – and Voice of San Diego’s scoop on the large payout that county counsel will receive after abruptly retiring late last month – prompted Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond to request a federal investigation earlier this week.

In a statement sent to the Union-Tribune, Lawson-Remer deemed the allegations she violated state law “absurd and false.”

“Nothing more than sour grapes from an old guard of bureaucrats resistant to the new direction voters chose for San Diego County,” Lawson-Remer told the U-T.

Vu’s attorney told Voice last week that he had let the county know he wanted to depose ex-county counsel Claudia Silva first to learn more about the blockbuster 2023 email. Soon after that request, Democratic county supervisors including Lawson-Remer called a hastily-scheduled closed session to discuss Silva’s performance. The county announced her retirement hours later.

A county spokesperson told the U-T that Silva didn’t get involved in defending the Vu case and that the county instead hired outside law firms, adding up to about $258,00 in legal bills thus far – a sum that doesn’t include the tab for a separate firm representing Lawson-Remer.

In Other News 

• The county has opened a Grantville safe parking lot for people living in vehicles. (Times of San Diego)
• After a rift with the San Diego Rescue Mission, Oceanside has decided to have Interfaith Community Services run its shelter instead – at a higher cost to taxpayers. (Union-Tribune)
• CBS 8 has the latest details on a lawsuit contending that the city of San Diego’s impending trash fee is unconstitutional. 
• Clergy and lay volunteers are now going to court with refugees and asylum seekers as part of a new Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego initiative. (KPBS)

The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Scott Lewis and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. 

The post Morning Report: San Diego’s Water Sellers Are Thirsty for Revenue appeared first on Voice of San Diego.