Three top deputies in the County Counsel’s Office departed county government on the same day earlier this year.
It turns out all three lawyers also left with $239,392 payouts financed by taxpayers.
Our Lisa Halverstadt reveals that veteran attorneys Erica Cortez, Caitlin Rae and Heidi Skinner reached deals with the county that described covering nine months of their county salaries – and that stated half those amounts would address “alleged personal physical injuries and pain and suffering.”
The agreements obtained after a public records request don’t elaborate on those allegations. The county isn’t elaborating either, though a spokesperson emphasized that the agreements cleared the county of the liability and that three lawyers left their posts voluntarily.
Meanwhile: A new top county counsel serving the Board of Supervisors and county staff will take over the office on Jan. 26.
The community garden at Chollas Mead Elementary School in the Diamond District neighborhood on Feb 19, 2025. In the garden you will find kale, onions, collard greens, purple broccoli, yellow and red carrots, tomatoes and much more. / Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent budget proposal allocates $1 billion to the community schools initiative he launched five years ago. That’s welcome news for local districts like San Diego Unified that have leaned into the program in recent years.
The program awards planning and implementation grants to schools to develop community schools programs. The programs offer wraparound support to students that can range from a food pantry to a community garden to resources for parents, like job training. The model aims to provide additional resources to the most disadvantaged students.
Newsom’s budget proposal is just that, though, a proposal. There are still five months (and an infinite number of monkeywrenches) before the budget is finalized. So, whether the additional funding makes it into the final draft is yet to be seen.
Plus: After more than a year of frustrations, parents at Albert Einstein Academies have launched a petition they hope will lead to the ouster of the charter’s superintendent. It has received hundreds of signatures in just a few days.
Good News on the Homelessness Front
Last month, the number of people who moved into housing outpaced the number who fell into homelessness for the first time in San Diego County.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reported that 1,007 people became homeless for the first time and 1,083 exited homelessness in December.
Your monthly reminder: For most of the last few years, local efforts to house homeless residents haven’t kept up with the flood of people losing their homes but as our Lisa Halverstadt recently reported, the gap is narrowing.
In Other News
Balboa Park organization leaders claim that the city’s new parking fees could cost museums and other organizations between $20 million and $30 million in annual revenue. They claim that park visits are already down since the city implemented the fees. (Union-Tribune)
Rady Children’s Hospital will no longer offer gender affirming care including medical interventions, procedures and prescriptions, the hospital announced citing recent federal pressure and threat of losing federal funds. (Union-Tribune)
San Diego leaders will consider a change to the proposed tax on vacation homes being pushed by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, which would call for an $8,000 tax on entire vacation homes plus a surcharge of $4,000 for corporate-owned vacation homes. (Union-Tribune)
San Diego will receive more than $4 million in federal funding for four stormwater infrastructure projects including drainage improvements on Beta Street in Southcrest. (KPBS)
Opinion: Michael Zucchet, general manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Association, responds to a recent Op-ed by former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey, in which Bailey argued that San Diego’s budget woes are a result of increased spending and poor management. Zucchet argues San Diego is in line with or outperforming other big cities. (Voice of San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Jakob McWhinney and Tigist Layne. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.