Controversies Keep Rolling at Grossmont Union School District<\/p>\n
In yet another controversy for the board of the Grossmont Union High School District, Trustee Rob Shield is proposing a censure of his fellow board member Jim Kelly.<\/p>\n
A resolution authored by Shield<\/a> claims that while producing records related to a Union-Tribune records request, district officials discovered that Kelly \u201cintentionally and improperly disclosed confidential and attorney-client privileged information, including information acquired or discussed in closed session, to unauthorized parties on multiple occasions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kelly also seemed to try to exert influence over the district\u2019s recently appointed Superintendent<\/a> Kirsten Vital Brulte.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was me who single-handedly got her appointed to be our superintendent,\u201d Kelly wrote. \u201cI think she knows that is because of me she has her current position but her actions do not suggest any sort of appreciation or help.\u201d<\/p>\n This censure proposal is just the latest in a running series of controversies for Kelly. Last year, Kelly was one of the district\u2019s board members shown to routinely violate public meeting laws by speaking about district business in group chats<\/a>. He also played a role in a shady hire<\/a> that brought a teacher who\u2019d resigned from the district while under investigation back into the fold \u2013 at least temporarily.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The scandal couldn\u2019t have come at a worse time for Kelly, who\u2019s facing perhaps the most serious opposition campaign of his career. For the first time in years, the district\u2019s teachers union backed challengers to incumbent trustees<\/a>. Shield, who authored the resolution and was once a conservative ally of Kelly, opted not to run for re-election in the face of the opposition.<\/p>\n In a statement, the president of Grossmont Union\u2019s teachers union Stephanie Macecca\u00a0 wrote: \u201cThis is just another example of a lack of transparency and attempts to keep students, teachers and the public out of the loop.\u201d<\/p>\n Grossmont Union\u2019s board will consider Kelly\u2019s censure on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n D2 Council Candidates Spar Over Vacation Rentals<\/p>\n In the hotly contested race to represent San Diego\u2019s coastal City Council District 2, candidates Richard Bailey and Nicole Crosby agree on little \u2013 including, it appears, basic facts.<\/p>\n In a Politifest debate Saturday, Bailey and Crosby went at it over a simple question: Can the city reduce the number of vacation rentals in Mission Beach, as Crosby wants to do, \u201con day one.\u201d<\/p>\n Or, as Bailey contended, does the California Coastal Commission need to weigh in? And should the city even try, since the rentals are tax generators?<\/p>\n They were both right \u2013 sort of. Crosby, a chief deputy city attorney, is right that the city can change its citywide vacation rental ordinance without Commission approval.<\/p>\n But Bailey is correct that, in Mission Beach, the city does need Commission approval because the neighborhood is in a state coastal zone.<\/p>\n Crosby insisted the city could lower the number of permitted rentals, which she said have \u201cdecimated\u201d the community, right away and work with Commission staff to get a quick signoff.<\/p>\n Bailey said now is not the time for the city to be eliminating a lucrative source of revenue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2026 need to keep in mind the other side of the ledger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Read the full story here.<\/a><\/p>\n Oceanside Voters Weigh Second Sales Tax Hike in Two Years<\/p>\n When Oceanside voters look at their ballots this year, they might experience some deja vu.<\/p>\n The ballot includes Measure S, a half-cent sales tax increase to fund repairs to the city\u2019s aging pier, among other priorities.<\/p>\n If that sounds familiar, it\u2019s because voters approved a different sales tax measure in 2024. If Measure S passes, it would raise the city\u2019s sales tax rate to 8.75 percent and bring in an estimated $20 million per year.<\/p>\n Passage is not a slam dunk, our Tigist Layne writes.<\/p>\n The 2024 measure was actually a 10-year extension of a half-cent sales tax increase voters approved in 2018.<\/p>\n Having seen the benefits of that measure \u2013 enhanced public safety, infrastructure and homeless outreach programs \u2013 voters seemed fine with keeping it going.<\/p>\n This time around words like \u201cdouble taxation,\u201d \u201cdouble-dipping\u201d and \u201cpoliticians\u2019 slush fund\u201d are making the rounds on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n City officials counter if the tax doesn\u2019t pass, there could be painful budget cuts in face of several pressing infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n Read the North County Report here.<\/a><\/p>\n All San Diego, All in One Tee<\/p>\n Our limited-edition \u201cI \u2665 SD\u201d shirt is packed with hand-drawn details that make San Diego icons and landmarks \u2014 from the Coronado Bridge and trolley to local wildlife, neighborhoods and more. Only real locals wear them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wear your San Diego pride \u2014 and support independent local journalism while you\u2019re at it. Get\u00a0 yours here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Other News<\/p>\n San Diego County Supervisors on Wednesday voted unanimously to oppose the placement<\/a> of three sexually violent predators in the county. The three men in this case had been in state hospitals. Another sexually violent man went missing in the county last month after cutting off his GPS device and fleeing his workplace. (Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n San Diego State University basketball season ticket sales are down<\/a>, with just 84 percent of previous ticket holders renewing for this season. That compares with renewal rates well above 90 percent in previous years. (Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2026-Politifest_Landmark-tee-back-1024x1024.webp\")
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