If the accusers of Mayor Bob Filner are going to come forward this morning (July 15), as some are suggesting, then it is time to look at official public filings against those who, some say, should replace Filner. The mayor's major enemy is City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. Some have mentioned him for mayor. Let us, then, report on something that is a matter of public record. It was reported by the Reader's Matt Potter on Feb. 6, 2008. (I saw the document on which Matt's report was based. His reporting was impeccable.)

In 1986, Goldsmith's wife, Christine, filed for divorce. In a document dated April 15, 1986, she stated that Goldsmith "began yelling and screaming at me in obviously uncontrolled anger," Christine wrote. "He then gave me a hard shove to the chest and cocked his fist in an extremely threatening manner. All of this appeared in front of the children, causing them to be extremely upset and telling their father not to hit their mother. He then began throwing items off the kitchen counter in his continuing rage. I could not leave at that time without further aggravating the situation and exposing myself to potentially further harm" The next day, she slept at her sister's house with the children. "I am afraid to go back to the house...the Respondent is still there as I feel his anger may once again get the best of him and he may, in fact, cause physical danger to myself and irreparable harm to both myself and our minor children."

They later reconciled and said the 1986 incident was "our only serious marital problem." They claimed they had worked it out after going through several months of counseling.