Ex-councilman dodges domestic violence charges

Former city-council president Tony Young will not face criminal charges for his August 2016 domestic violence arrest, says a spokesperson for San Diego's city attorney.

Young, who served as councilmember for San Diego's District 4 from 2005 to 2013, was arrested on August 14, 2016, on several counts of domestic violence, including alleged battery, making threats, and brandishing a weapon, as reported by NBC San Diego in the days following his arrest.

It was not the first time that Young's wife, Jacqueline, had called 911 to report a domestic violence incident. In February 2009, she called police after a fight between the couple broke out in their Valencia Park home. According to a report by the Voice of San Diego, no arrests were made and no charges were filed.

“Hindsight’s 20/20, and I feel really silly," Jacqueline Young told the Voice of San Diego about the incident. "At that moment, I felt like I really needed him and I to disengage and we couldn’t do that on our own.”

Young was elected to the council in 2005, following the death of former councilmember Charles Lewis. Young was appointed council president in 2010; he announced his resignation in 2012 in order to become chief executive at the San Diego-Imperial Counties Red Cross chapter. Young remained at that position for 14 months before abruptly resigning over a personnel issue. Following his resignation, Young became a lobbyist at city hall under his new nonprofit, Rise San Diego. As reported by the Reader, Young has represented a list of high-profile clients, including online home-sharing giant AirBnB and shopping-mall developer Westfield Corporation.

As for the August 2016 domestic violence arrest, the district attorney's office forwarded the case to the city attorney's office for review and possible prosecution. On Monday, November 28, city attorney spokesperson Gerry Braun said the city's Criminal Division "found there was insufficient evidence to proceed with criminal charges."

Braun said Young's former role as city councilmember and current status as lobbyist did not impact the office's review of the case.