Goldsmith: "Mayor Filner believes he is above the law. I aim to show him otherwise."

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/12/47324/

On June 9th, Mayor Bob Filner appeared at a ceremony at Westfield UTC honoring the painter Peter Max. As part of the ceremony, Filner gave the world-famous artist a key to the city. Later, during an interview with CBS 8, the Mayor said, "I hope that Mr. Max comes in - because the key really works to my office - and graffitis my whole office. It'll be worth a fortune."

To some, that line may have sounded like a lighthearted joke. To City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, it sounded like a typical expression of the desire for private gain over public good, and of "the general disregard for law and the office of Mayor that Filner has exhibited from the very beginning. He's inviting a man to deface government property for the sake of financial gain," continued Goldsmith. "If that's not grounds for impeachment, I don't know what is."

In other news, protestors crashed the event and defaced one of the two paintings Mr. Max donated to the city. "The painting was of the Children's Pool," commented Goldsmith, "and these ruffians smeared it with seal droppings. The worst part is, we can't figure out if they did it in protest or support of the current policy over there. But whichever it is, it stinks - literally."

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jun/12/47325/

The painting, shortly before it suffered the same fate as the Children's Pool itself.