Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Thanks for the "offer," Briggs

City attorney's office refutes basis of email lawsuit against Goldsmith

Cory Briggs and Jan Goldsmith
Cory Briggs and Jan Goldsmith

City attorney Jan Goldsmith isn't backing off in the lawsuit that accuses him of withholding emails to lobbyists and reporters from multiple private accounts .

On August 3, three days after the city council approved spending $150,000 in taxpayer money to hire outside counsel to represent Goldsmith, attorney for San Diegans for Open Government Cory Briggs sent a settlement offer to the city attorney, listing his demands. First on the list: Goldsmith would admit he was wrong to withhold the emails; second, the city would agree to amend the municipal code to add city-related emails stored on personal devices to the list of open records; third, attorney's fees. Lastly, Goldsmith would have to write a public letter to the U-T, admitting he made misleading comments to reporters covering the lawsuit.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Two days later, Goldsmith's office fired back. In an August 5 letter, deputy city attorney Catherine Richardson denied Briggs’s claim that Goldsmith and his office ever refused to hand over the emails. Instead, wrote Richardson, Briggs got trigger-happy and filed the lawsuit before making any attempts to work with the city attorney's office.

"Instead of providing any clarification or authority to the contrary, you filed the lawsuit," Richardson wrote. "It was not until you filed the lawsuit that you clarified the request to focus on emails saved to the city's email system. At that point, a search of the city's email system was conducted and a team of city employees spent months going through hundreds of emails for attorney-client privilege and other exemptions. Over 900 emails were ultimately disclosed to you.

"There was no refusal to disclose responsive documents. There was no bad motive or intent. In fact the city's actions in responding to the [public records act requests] have been consistent with existing case law. We believe your [requests] were not specific and focused as required, and your refusal to clarify the requests, until after you filed suit, to be unreasonable and harassing. We believe you should reimburse the city for the resultant taxpayer expense."

As reported by the Reader, the city attorney's office has had a poor track record of transparency and with following the state public records act. Late last year, the city attorney's office denied several requests from NBC as well as this publication to hand over emails, from Goldsmith's official city email account, with reporters at the U-T.

Richardson concluded by saying her office would make an effort to present the offer to council before their August recess but couldn't promise anything.

"Finally, when you advised us on Friday that you were going to make a settlement offer...you did not indicate or even intimate that the offer would include not only money demands, but stipulated facts and judgements, proposed changes to the municipal code and a letter to the editor at the Union Tribune. As we told you on Friday, we will make every effort to get the matter on Thursday's docket but in light of the number of issues presented in the 'offer,' we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so."

When asked if he wanted the official response (the city attorney's office accidentally sent a draft beforehand), Briggs replied, “Well if it’s going to contain the same non-sense, keep it. Either the city gets serious about settling and fessing up to its mishandling of the [public records act] requests, or we’re not settling. There’s no need to waste anyone’s time. That un-final letter, if finalized, is a major waste of time."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Frank Zane has already won

But don’t call former Mr. Universe retired
Next Article

Roll-over crashes crop up in San Diego and Baja

Nails, beer, Coca-Cola, Mexican pop singer Luis Miguel's stage equipment
Cory Briggs and Jan Goldsmith
Cory Briggs and Jan Goldsmith

City attorney Jan Goldsmith isn't backing off in the lawsuit that accuses him of withholding emails to lobbyists and reporters from multiple private accounts .

On August 3, three days after the city council approved spending $150,000 in taxpayer money to hire outside counsel to represent Goldsmith, attorney for San Diegans for Open Government Cory Briggs sent a settlement offer to the city attorney, listing his demands. First on the list: Goldsmith would admit he was wrong to withhold the emails; second, the city would agree to amend the municipal code to add city-related emails stored on personal devices to the list of open records; third, attorney's fees. Lastly, Goldsmith would have to write a public letter to the U-T, admitting he made misleading comments to reporters covering the lawsuit.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Two days later, Goldsmith's office fired back. In an August 5 letter, deputy city attorney Catherine Richardson denied Briggs’s claim that Goldsmith and his office ever refused to hand over the emails. Instead, wrote Richardson, Briggs got trigger-happy and filed the lawsuit before making any attempts to work with the city attorney's office.

"Instead of providing any clarification or authority to the contrary, you filed the lawsuit," Richardson wrote. "It was not until you filed the lawsuit that you clarified the request to focus on emails saved to the city's email system. At that point, a search of the city's email system was conducted and a team of city employees spent months going through hundreds of emails for attorney-client privilege and other exemptions. Over 900 emails were ultimately disclosed to you.

"There was no refusal to disclose responsive documents. There was no bad motive or intent. In fact the city's actions in responding to the [public records act requests] have been consistent with existing case law. We believe your [requests] were not specific and focused as required, and your refusal to clarify the requests, until after you filed suit, to be unreasonable and harassing. We believe you should reimburse the city for the resultant taxpayer expense."

As reported by the Reader, the city attorney's office has had a poor track record of transparency and with following the state public records act. Late last year, the city attorney's office denied several requests from NBC as well as this publication to hand over emails, from Goldsmith's official city email account, with reporters at the U-T.

Richardson concluded by saying her office would make an effort to present the offer to council before their August recess but couldn't promise anything.

"Finally, when you advised us on Friday that you were going to make a settlement offer...you did not indicate or even intimate that the offer would include not only money demands, but stipulated facts and judgements, proposed changes to the municipal code and a letter to the editor at the Union Tribune. As we told you on Friday, we will make every effort to get the matter on Thursday's docket but in light of the number of issues presented in the 'offer,' we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so."

When asked if he wanted the official response (the city attorney's office accidentally sent a draft beforehand), Briggs replied, “Well if it’s going to contain the same non-sense, keep it. Either the city gets serious about settling and fessing up to its mishandling of the [public records act] requests, or we’re not settling. There’s no need to waste anyone’s time. That un-final letter, if finalized, is a major waste of time."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Kaylee Daugherty, Pinback, Chorduroy, Moondaddy, and Mr. Tube & the Flying Objects

Solos, duos, and full bands in Mira Mesa, Del Mar, City Heights, Little Italy, East Village
Next Article

Three poems by Oso Guardiola

Conversation in the Cathedral, Schism, Runoff
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader