Elsewhere in AI Policing\u00a0<\/p>\n
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FILE \u2013 A Flock Safety license plate reader is seen along a public road, Oct. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo\/David Goldman, File)<\/p>\n
San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn may be changing his stance on Flock, the automatic license-plate reader technology that\u2019s faced increasing pushback in recent months. According to spokesperson Max Walther, Whitburn is holding a press conference at 9:00 am at City Hall to \u201ctalk about his reasoning and positioning,\u201d as it relates to the technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During June\u2019s contentious budget hearings, Whitburn voted no on an amendment by Councilmember Henry Foster to eliminate the city\u2019s contract with Flock. That amendment failed 5-4, leaving the contract in place. Exactly what Whitburn will announce tomorrow isn\u2019t clear, but if he changes his \u201cpositioning,\u201d it could spell trouble for the controversial tech\u2019s future in San Diego.<\/p>\n
IBA on Midway Rising: \u2018A Fair and Reasonable Transaction\u2019<\/p>\n
The city of San Diego has had some putrid real estate transactions and in 2022, led by then Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe, the Council insisted that for the redevelopment of its nearly 50 acres of land at Sports Arena, the Council\u2019s independent budget analyst, or IBA, would be part of the negotiations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was unprecedented for the Council to have a representative at the table. Now, Charles Modica, the IBA, has released his report<\/a> on the proposed deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s into it: \u201cOverall, our Office believes the proposed agreement represents a fair and reasonable transaction for the City. The agreement requires the Developer to undertake a substantial financial investment to redevelop 48.5 acres of City-owned property that has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, while providing significant new housing, entertainment, and commercial opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n The Council will begin discussing the proposed deal Friday at its Land Use and Housing Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\n Environment Report: The Phenomenon That Could Weaken El Ni\u00f1o<\/p>\n Over the weekend, many San Diegans up and down the coastline experienced the effects of hurricane weather caused by El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n El Ni\u00f1o is a natural climate pattern that redistributes ocean heat energy between the eastern and western Pacific.<\/p>\n This year is predicted to be the strongest on record, but scientists say something called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO, could weaken El Ni\u00f1o. The PDO cycles every few decades causing another heat exchange between the northern and southern hemispheres. It\u2019s been lingering in what\u2019s known as its cooling phase, which could lessen the intensity of El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n But, our MacKenzie Elmer writes, there\u2019s speculation among some scientists who question if the PDO will even matter if the super El Ni\u00f1o is too powerful.<\/p>\n Read the Environment Report here.<\/a><\/p>\n Del Mar Fairgrounds Board Chair: Who Is Debrah Barnes?<\/p>\n Yesterday, we reported that District Attorney Summer Stephan declined<\/a> to pursue a criminal investigation, much less charges, against Attorney General Rob Bonta or 22nd District Agricultural Board Member Mark Arabo. The Del Mar City Council requested<\/a> an investigation from Stephan in August.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an update: 22nd DAA Board Chair Sam Nejabat released a statement celebrating Stephan\u2019s decision not to pursue charges. But he also called for an independent review into the identity of Debrah Barnes, the \u201cresident\u201d who apparently kicked off the whole fiasco.<\/p>\n Barnes, or someone writing by that name, submitted a letter to the City Council<\/a> that city leaders said prompted them to request the investigations.\u00a0<\/p>\n No one, not even the DA\u2019s office, has been able to verify if Barnes even exists.<\/p>\n \u201cI also believe legitimate questions remain regarding the circumstances surrounding this complaint, including its origins and whether the identity of the purported complainant was independently verified,\u201d Nejabat said in the press release.<\/p>\n Our Tigist Layne hasn\u2019t been able to find Barnes, either. And Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones said via email that the city didn\u2019t look into Barnes at all:<\/p>\n \u201cThe city didn\u2019t investigate the concerns that were raised or the individual that raised them. Instead, the City Council took action to refer the matter to the appropriate outside agencies for review. No further action has been taken by the city since that time, and the city has no comment on the DA\u2019s letter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n San Diego Kind of Made It on SNL<\/p>\n Saturday Night Live did a cold open where Colin Jost, wearing a grenade belt made up entirely of Fireball shooters, played the role of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth<\/a> giving a speech in San Diego last week. Hegseth welcomed the sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln home from one of the longest deployments in naval history.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Other News<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom is backing Prop. 42, he announced Friday<\/a>, a statewide ballot measure that would cancel out Prop. 40, the billionaire tax, and would ban any future taxes on wealth. Newsom had already vocally opposed the billionaire tax; he has not yet taken a position Prop. 41, another measure that could also nullify the billionaire tax. (CalMatters)<\/p>\n