City Attorney continues to chip away at San Diego's recall law
City Attorney now says anyone, regardless of place of residence can assist in recall efforts.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith's Office is whittling away at the laws governing recall elections. In an August 16 memo, Deputy City Attorney Sharon Spivak found that a requirement that signature gatherers in recall elections be registered voters and San Diego …
La Mesa Police Department sued for searching DMV database for African-American suspects
Complaint against the City and its police department was filed in federal court
Detectives from the La Mesa Police Department are accused of searching the DMV database and collecting driver's license photos of African-American males as a way to locate suspects. A lawsuit filed in U.S District Court on Monday alleges that detectives …
City Attorney and Lawyers from Jack in the Box say Mayor Filner's objections to North Park restaurant rebuild a ploy to divert attention from harassment scandal
Attorneys say Filner used issue to deflect attention from harassment case.
Lawyers for fast-food chain Jack in the Box and the City of San Diego have crafted their defense to a lawsuit from residents over the demolition and rebuild of a drive-through restaurant on Upas Street in North Park. Their legal …
Lawsuit accuses Downtown San Diego Partnership of misusing assessment district funds
Suit alleges non-profit has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer assessments on non-permitted items.
Executives at the Downtown San Diego Partnership will have to defend what some say is mismanagement and misuse of taxpayer funds in court. On August 12, government watchdog group, San Diegans for Open Government, filed a lawsuit against the downtown …
Lawsuit filed against City of San Diego for allowing fast-food chain Jack in the Box to remodel North Park restaurant
Lawsuit comes after years of objections from local residents.
Jack may soon be in the witness box. Today, August 12, a group of North Park residents filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego for allowing the fast-food chain to demolish and build a new restaurant. The residents …
Downtown San Diego Partnership hires high-profile civic attorney to address illegal use of PBID funds
Michael Colantuono responds to letter asking to view non-profit's accounting records.
Executives at the Downtown San Diego Partnership are sticking to their guns, and doing their best to hold on to Property and Business Improvement District (PBID) funds to pay for homeless services, high-priced consultants, and other questionable expenses. The downtown …
San Diego Unified suffers another legal setback over installation of stadium lighting at Hoover High School
Supreme Court turned down request to review the case. Case now heads back to Superior Court for final ruling.
California Supreme Court judges turned down San Diego Unified's request to review a previous court decision finding the use of Proposition S funds to install stadium lighting at Hoover High School violated the terms of the bond measure. In 2008, …
Mayor Filner's lawyer wants sexual harassment case moved to Imperial County
Filner wants case moved due to media frenzy surrounding the case.
Mayor Bob Filner is asking that the sexual harassment case filed by former Communications Director Irene McCormack Jackson be heard in Imperial County. Harvey Berger filed a motion on August 6 to move the case from San Diego County due …
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith slapped with lawsuit for refusing to disclose public records
Goldsmith has so far refused to turn over closed session transcripts where Filner is said to have ordered attorney to the back of the room. Cites cost of preparation as reason for not disclosing.
The City Attorney's Office and attorney Cory Briggs are digging in their heels in a battle for transcripts from closed session meetings. Despite his attempt to fight it, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith might have to cede some ground, or be …
Jan Goldsmith's Office refuses to release transcripts of closed session meetings
Goldsmith denies transcripts exist despite invoices and Executive Assistant's testimony
It was a bold accusation: Mayor Bob Filner, a longtime civil rights activist ordering Executive Assistant City Attorney Andrew Jones to the back of the room during a closed session meeting earlier this year. “To me it was tantamount to …
Former council candidate Phil Thalheimer has $1.1 million in outstanding loans he gave to his campaign
Over 18-month period, Thalheimer loaned his campaign a total if $1.1 million dollars.
Former city council candidate Phil Thalheimer owes $1.1 million dollars in loans from his 2004 run against former councilmember and current congressman Scott Peters. Luckily for Thalheimer, no collection agencies are after him. That's because the loans came from his …
Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood to take on Supervisor Bill Horn in 2014
Wood filed papers launching his run for District 5 Supervisor
Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood has officially launched off his campaign for San Diego County Supervisor, going up against longtime conservative Bill Horn. Wood filed the papers on July 15 with the California Secretary of State and were submitted to the …
Councilmember Lorie Zapf collects $130k in six months nearly $36k from fundraisers hosted by Sudberry Properties
Zapf collects big-time cash from building and hotel industries
District six councilmember Lorie Zapf has a friend in Sudberry Properties. Recent campaign disclosures show that the developer of the 4,780-unit Civita mixed-use development in Mission Valley raised a total of $36,000 for Zapf's campaign to fill Kevin Faulconer's council …
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith says recall law is unconstitutional and should be struck down.
Opinion opens the door for a recall effort against Bob Filner.
Portions of the city law governing recall elections should be repealed, reads a July 26 memo from City Attorney Jan Goldsmith's office. If city council members agree, which is highly likely, then voters hoping to oust Mayor Bob Filner from …
Both City Attorney Goldsmith and Mayor Filner release public records at whim (or not at all)
Problems with the leaders' judgment indicated following closed-session incident in June
It's one for the record books: "The Quickest Response to a Public Records Request in San Diego's History: The U-T San Diego on June 20, with a time of under eight hours." [Sarcasm off.] The reporter was Trent Seibert. The …
Downtown San Diego Partnership threatened with lawsuit if it does not provide accounting of assessment district funds
San Diegans for Open Government demands any money spent on illegal activities is refunded to residents
Kris Michell, CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, is driven to make downtown a center of innovation and creativity, a well-oiled machine that runs San Diego's economy. She may also be driving the nonprofit straight to court, to defend …
Former Development Services Director ordered staff to delete comments to get large church project approved
In his final days at the City, Kelly Broughton demanded concerns over Saint John Garabed Church be deleted or revised.
Just how is it that a major development project at odds with the City's General Plan can slip through the cracks at City Hall? One way is if those cracks are tailor-made by a boss willing to open and close …
Jack in the Box hires lobbying firm for help with rebuild of North Park restaurant
Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton were hired to seek implementation of previously issued permits
Executives from San Diego-based Jack in the Box are calling in the big guns to continue with renovation, rather reconstruction, of their North park restaurant. The company has hired attorneys from Sheppard Mullin Richter and Hampton to grease the wheels …
Animal rights activists sue the City for harassment and threats of arrest during demonstrations
Protestors claim they have been targeted for demonstrating against mistreatment of animals by the Ringling Brothers Circus.
Is the City Attorney's Office getting tired of those pesky demonstrators. The latest alleged crackdown involves animal rights activists protesting against the treatment of animals used in the Ringling Brother's Circus at the Sports Arena -- now known as the …
Family of former Chargers player, Lewis Bush, sues NFL in federal court
Lawsuit is one of many from families against the NFL for misleading the public and players about the dangers of the game.
The family of former Chargers player Lewis Bush has joined the growing list of families suing the National Football League for failing to disclose the risks of the game. Bush, who played on the famed, at least in San Diego, …