Morning Report: South Bay’s Toxic Gas
EM - News Moderator 
Dueling claims last year over whether toxic gases from the polluted Tijuana River were spreading and threatening South Bay residents understandably left many panicking.
Researchers alleged hydrogen sulfide gas was spewing from the river water while county officials claimed there was no reason to worry.
Now our MacKenzie Elmer reveals that while hydrogen sulfide levels have consistently hovered far below the alarming levels reported last year, new data shows that South Bay residents are breathing gas at average levels of toxicity that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says are harmful to health over the long haul.
Elmer analyzed a year’s worth of local Air Pollution Control District data collected in communities near the Tijuana River.
What’s this mean? TBD. The Air Pollution Control District says it’s been sharing its data with state and federal agencies that will ultimately decide what to do. Meanwhile, South Bay residents constantly exposed to toxic gas are forced to wait.
Related: CalMatters spotlighted San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre’s quest to address the Tijuana sewage crisis.
County Staff Propose Digging into Reserves for Worker Bonuses
Democrats on the county Board of Supervisors voted earlier this year to change the county’s reserve policy. They wanted to tap into the large rainy-day fund. That vote also triggered bonuses for thousands of county workers, as our Lisa Halverstadt revealed in August.
Now, Halverstadt writes, county officials have found a way to retroactively cover most of those payout with reserves.
On Tuesday, county officials will ask supervisors to sign off on a proposal to use unspent behavioral health funds to cover $14.2 million of those bonuses and then dig into the county’s reserve account to replenish those funds.
In other county news: Longtime county Human Resources Director Susan Brazeau will retire in March after two decades at the county. The county is now recruiting a new HR chief. Her upcoming retirement will mark the latest in a series of county government departures in recent months.
Sacramento Report: Coastal Commission to Decide Fate of State’s Last Nuclear Plant
For four decades, the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant has been operating in Avila Beach. It’s now generating about 9 percent of the state’s energy – for now.
In her latest Sacramento Report, Nadia Lathan reports that the Coastal Commission is set to decide whether the plant, which had been set to close this year after a save by state lawmakers, can indeed stay open.
What’s to San Diego, you ask? San Diego Gas & Electric customers paid $2 a month on average to help fund the plant this year following a California Public Utilities Commission move to direct ratepayer funds toward the plant’s operating costs.
Read the full Sacramento Report here.
VOSD Podcast: Issa Decided to Stay
Last week was a wild one for San Diego politicos. Cue the intrigue.
Our podcast crew chatted about the rumor that Republican U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa might consider a political run in Texas following state redistricting, an anonymous text messaging campaign against San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera and potential bid to repeal the city’s controversial new trash charges. The gang also reviewed our stories on some of San Diego’s biggest local and public affairs beefs. (ICYMI, you can check out all of those stories here.)
Spoiler alert: After meeting with President Trump, Issa announced late last week that he’s sticking with California. The Associated Press shared more details.
In Other News
- San Diego Unified School District says it’s projecting a $47 million budget deficit for next year. (KPBS)
- The San Diego City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposed $30 million settlement with the family of a 16-year-old who was shot and killed by police downtown despite running away from them. (CBS 8)
- After retiring early amid discrimination allegations, former San Diego City Clerk Liz Maland is cheering a civil jury’s recent decision that a Black staffer wasn’t denied a promotion due to her race. (Union-Tribune)
- The city of San Diego is poised to pay $30 million to the family of a 16-year-old who was fleeing live gunshots only to be killed by a San Diego police officer. Trial Lawyers for Justice claim it’s the largest settlement of its kind in the country. The City Council will consider the settlement Tuesday. The Union-Tribune has more.
- The family of a man who died after an interaction with a San Diego police officer who kneeled on his back for nearly eight minutes has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department. (CBS 8)
- The Union-Tribune writes that Sheriff Kelly Martinez is going to ask for $3 billion for jail upgrades.
Correction: Our story last week on Mayor Todd Gloria’s directive to city departments to cut costs initially misstated his plan for current and formerly vacant positions. Gloria has asked city staff to only fill vacant positions that are deemed critical and has appointed two new executive team members to replace two officials who recently departed City Hall.
Correction: This post has been updated to correct that Martinez is asking for $3 billion.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Scott Lewis and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
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