From mcrdsd.marines.mil

An audit of the San Diego’s Marine Corps Recruit Depot has found that military training leaders largely botched their response to the pandemic.

Covid complaints

A March 31 audit that reviewed San Diego’s Marine Corps Recruit Depot as well as facilities of the nation’s other services, has found that military training leaders largely botched their response to the pandemic. “As a result, the potential for positive COVID-19 cases among recruits and training personnel may increase,” says the report by the Pentagon’s Office of Inspector General. But the numbers of infections of both staff and recruits have been redacted from the document posted online, preventing the public from viewing possibly embarrassing information.

The review covered San Diego and five other training centers, including the Marine recruit depot on Perris Island, South Carolina, the Navy Recruit Training Command of Great Lakes, Illinois, and Air Force training centers in San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. “We determined that the Military Services did not fully implement [procedures to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19] at six basic training centers,” the document says. Among lapses called out by auditors was an absence of “preventative measures, such as wearing face masks, washing hands, cleaning common areas, and enforcing social distancing (6-ft).”

The public version of the audit redacts the number of positive covid-19 cases found among 99,601 recruits tested. It also obscures the number of positive cases found among 6007 training personnel tested for the virus. “Any positive COVID-19 cases have the potential to impact the life and safety of military personnel and their families,” the audit notes, “as well as [the Defense Department’s] ability to accomplish its mission.” The auditors also relayed complaints by staffers. “Quarantine guidance is not the same for staff members as recruits. We had staff members contract the disease, and it was deemed ‘an acceptable risk,’ but one recruit would be positive, and the whole division would be ROM’d [Restriction of Movement].”

Adds the report, “We found that basic training centers did not screen and test all training personnel before they came into contact with recruits. Out of 1804 respondents (training personnel), 813 (45 percent) reported they were screened for COVID-19 symptoms before contact with recruits and other personnel, while 991 (55 percent) reported they were not screened before contact with recruits and other personnel.”

One unidentified staffer complained, “They should have tested everyone before the lock down in order to ensure that this place was a safe and clean environment, but it wasn’t.” Said another, “Trainees that tested positive were notified within 96 hours, but at that point, there is no telling how far they could have spread COVID.”

More from the audit: “Specifically, 55 percent of the respondents reported that they were not screened before contacts with recruits and other personnel.” All of the audited training centers, including MCRD, agreed to upgrade their practices, as determined by the review, per the report. “The recommendations are resolved but remain open. We will close those recommendations once management provides documentation that the actions have been completed.”

A member of Mayor Todd Gloria’s staff has strong ties to the gambling industry.

Buying local

One of the wealthiest members of San Diego mayor Todd Gloria’s city hall staff has strong family ties to the gambling business, per her personal economic interest disclosure filing. Sarah Moga-Alemany, Gloria’s “Back to Work San Diego” coordinator, reports that her spouse, not identified by name, was the “100 percent” owner of Praxus Capital, described as a “gaming industry consultant.” Praxus’s single sources of income over $10,000 are listed as MIR International Services, Inc and LATGAME Mexico. According to the filing, her spouse also owns 100 percent of Win Technologies, USA, a “gaming technology supplier” worth between $100,000 and $1 million. Three sources of income greater than $10,000 are listed as Lucky Star Travel Plaza Casino, Lucky Star Casino Clinton, and Lucky Star Casino Canton, all of Oklahoma.

Sarah Moga-Alemany is one of the wealthiest members of Gloria’s staff.

“Sarah Moga-Alemany is an Emmy-nominated television producer, booker and writer with over 15 years of experience in the news and entertainment business,” says a write-up on a website of a former gig, Moga Public Relations. “She now combines her diverse experiences in the media to work as an independent producer, booker and publicist in San Diego.” According to her disclosure, Moga-Alemany, who worked on Gloria’s mayoral campaign, was a partner in Hub & Spoke Communities, a low-income housing developer. “Alexander [Alemany] is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 15 years in the real estate industry,” says his write-up on the Hub & Spoke website. “He started on the development side working on several iconic residential projects which formed part of the urban revitalization efforts of the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Miami.”

Moga-Alemany disposed of her Hub & Spoke interest, reported to be valued between $10,000 and $100,000, on September 22 of last year, per her filing. A September 22 filing with the California Secretary of State’s office says the partnership was dissolved on September 15. The two managing members are listed as Alexander Alemany and Rammy Cortez. According to the January minutes of the city’s Small Business Advisory Board, she told the group that Gloria’s office “was in the process of building a website of local businesses in all industries” to encourage residents to shop locally.

— Matt Potter

(@sdmattpotter)

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