Morning Report: The Email County Lawyers Are Trying to Keep Hidden
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In a new court filing, now-retired county chief administrative officer Helen Robbins-Meyer confirmed she reported an alleged attempted quid pro quo in a 2023 email – and that her email shouldn’t be kept out of a lawsuit citing it.
Background: That lawsuit is the one ex-county official Michael Vu filed, where he alleges that Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and former Supervisor Nora Vargas blocked him from the county’s chief administrative officer position.
Both supes dismissed Vu’s allegations. Our Lisa Halverstadt was the first to reveal Vu’s allegations. (Catch up here.)
Here’s what Robbins-Meyers wrote in a declaration filed in Superior Court Friday: “I considered my email a sensitive personnel matter but not attorney-client privilege because I was not seeking legal advice. I was reporting an inappropriate and unethical activity that could also have potential Brown Act and legal ramifications.”
Halverstadt reports that county lawyers are seeking a protective order to keep the email out of its battle with Vu. Read more about the battle here.
What Nick Shirley Is Doing in San Diego
Conservative influencer Nick Shirley parachuted into San Diego last week seeking to create a potent follow-up to a blockbuster video on claims of widespread fraud in Minnesota daycares. The video has been shared by the likes of Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk and helped inspire the Trump administration to deploy immigration officials to the city en masse.
The assault has left two citizens dead at the hands of federal agents and thousands of residents caught up in chaotic and heavy-handed enforcement.
Shirley’s Minnesota video, which targeted daycares run by the Somali community, has led to widespread harassment of such daycares both in Minneapolis and locally. And while it’s stirred up a lot of scrutiny, some even warranted, it’s far from the smoking gun its proponents insist it was.
We’re yet to see what he has in store for San Diego.
In a recent piece, the New York Times profiled the 23-year-old YouTuber’s rise to conservative internet stardom.
Cross-Border Truckers Prevail
Last summer, Voice of San Diego contributor Sandra Dibble wrote about the fight to unionize long-haul truckers who transport goods between Mexico and the United States.
The battle cost one man his job. It also led to the first-ever labor complaint involving cross-border truckers filed through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trilateral trade treaty, and its dispute settlement mechanism.
Officials announced on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached between an independent Mexican union and Kamu, a contractor for Hyundai, the Korean auto manufacturer.
Dibble reports that the company has agreed to make several changes. Employees who lost their jobs because of their efforts to unionize will be able to return and receive back pay. The man Dibble profiled has found a new calling: union organizer.
Report Gives Port Charging Station Environmental Green Light
A draft environmental report released last week found no significant problems with a proposed electric truck charging station the Port of San Diego plans to build in National City.
The port is proposing to build the county’s first large-scale electric truck charging station on 4.8 acres in an industrial area near port cargo operations.
The charging station would include 70 charging ports, a solar array and a 2.5-megawatt storage battery.
Our Jim Hinch has been following the proposal, including objections from community leaders that the port has not adequately addressed the risk of battery fires.
The environmental report, prepared by an outside consultant, found no significant hazards from potential fires. The report also said truck traffic to and from the project would not excessively impact city streets.
National City Mayor Ron Morrison on Tuesday expressed skepticism about the report’s conclusions and said he planned to ask his city’s staff to send the port a detailed series of questions and objections.
“I have to question the validity and objectivity” of the report, he said.
In a statement accompanying the release of the report, port officials said, “Community safety is a top priority of the [charging] project.”
In Other News
- The stadium San Diego State University built in Mission Valley will host soccer games for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. But don’t call it “Snapdragon Stadium.” The Olympics are for sponsors and, for now, that doesn’t include Qualcomm. The venue will be called “San Diego Stadium” (not “San Diego State Stadium”). All Snapdragon logos visible from the field will be covered.
- Rachael Borrelli, who until recently was assistant director of San Diego County’s animal services department, has left her job, KPBS reports. KPBS earlier reported on concerns about Borrelli’s track record of euthanizing dogs, including a crude voice mail message reporters unearthed that featured Borrelli calling herself “realistic” because she was willing to euthanize problem dogs.
- A mid-year budget report has determined the city of San Diego now faces a new $17 million budget gap because of lower than anticipated hotel tax revenue and delays implementing paid parking in Balboa Park. That’s on top of an already $110 million projected deficit this year. (Union-Tribune)
- South Bay Union School District teachers and administrators have reached a tentative contract deal, likely avoiding a looming strike. The deal would give teachers a 6-percent raise and reduce class sizes in early grades and special education classrooms. (inewsource)
The Morning Report was written by Andrea Sanchez-Villafana, Jakob McWhinney, Jim Hinch and Scott Lewis. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafana.
The post Morning Report: The Email County Lawyers Are Trying to Keep Hidden appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
