L.A. Times aims to be go-to source for Chargers fans.

Cruel and unusual lack of showers

Inadequate showering at the county jail has become a target for criticism at the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board, where staff has sustained complaints that unidentified guards failed to provide “inmates with soap and denied their basic right to shower.”

A shower must be allowed at least three times a week for jail inmates.

According to a complaint regarding a two-week period in September and October 2016, “showers were denied for a period of 96 hours. The complainant asked for soap which was denied. The complainant stated he, and other inmates, had to take makeshift showers on top of their toilets.” Added a report prepared for the board’s August 14 meeting, “There was no evidence that showed a specific deputy was responsible for not allowing the inmates to take showers. The evidence did indicate, however, that showers were not provided for periods longer than 48 hours and this act was not justified.”

Notes the document, “Title 15 states a shower must be allowed at least three times a week regardless of whether an inmate is on lockdown. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department policy states that an inmate will be provided a shower at least every 48 hours. Inmates held longer than 24 hours will also be provided with items necessary for adequate personal hygiene.”

...Speaking of hospitality, it hasn’t taken long for Airbnb, the giant short-term home rental outfit out of San Francisco, to fund its referendum campaign against the San Diego’s city council’s newly adopted regulations. On August 14, the company and a competitor, HomeAway, set up the Bay Area-based committee called Stand for Jobs, Stop the Vacation Rental Ban. The next day, Airbnb contributed $200,000 from another of its San Francisco political funds, the Committee to Expand the Middle Class.

Chargers dribble

In the hands of tronc, which ran the San Diego Union-Tribune prior to its purchase, Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee was shifted to covering the Padres when the football team left town for Los Angeles after losing a decades-long battle for a new stadium. Now the L.A. Times, is looking to hire a new Chargers beat writer, with a twist. “This reporter will serve as the authority on all news around the Chargers and is expected to have a range of skills from the ability to break news on a competitive beat to writing engaging features that appear on our front page and lead the website,” says a help-wanted notice for the L.A. paper posted on the U-T’s job site. “The ideal candidate will develop key relationships among the players, coaches, and front office personnel to ensure that The Times remains the go-to source for Chargers fans across the country.”

But there’s an odd qualification — or maybe not so strange, considering new owner Patrick Soon-Shiong’s nearly 4.5 percent ownership interest in the L.A. Lakers of the National Basketball Association: “We are looking for someone who has experience on an NBA beat and who is comfortable telling stories across multiple platforms, including on video and in podcasts.” In addition to the Chargers gig, the Times is advertising for a general assignment sports reporter. Meanwhile, the U-T is looking to hire a digital marketing “analytics specialist” and an “advertising sales specialist,” but there are no openings for San Diego reporters or editors, which could indicate the paper will soon see more downsizing. In other Soon-Shiong news, Bloomberg reports that a group of biotech investors received the green light from a federal judge to proceed with a lawsuit alleging the pharmaceutical entrepreneur misled them about his compensation from a company called Nantkwest. “The firm, which specializes in immunotherapy, told investors Soon-Shiong would be able to buy a set amount of additional shares for $2 each if a large pharmaceutical or biotech company invested a certain amount, the order said,” according to the August 14 account. “However, Nantkwest allegedly failed to tell investors that one of Soon-Shiong’s other companies was almost certain to make a qualifying investment.

Conduct unbecoming

Details are sparse, but defendants have done well against the prosecution in local Navy court martial trials. “At a General Court-Martial in San Diego, California, an E-6 was tried for one specification of sexual assault. On 3 May 2018, the panel of members returned a verdict of not guilty,” says a monthly report from the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. One guilty plea was garnered before trial. “Captain Paul C. Miller pled guilty pursuant to a pretrial agreement to conduct unbecoming an officer. On 30 May 2018, the military judge sentenced him to a reprimand, to forfeit $7,044 per month for two months, and to be restricted for 60 days.”