Morning Report: New Padres Season, No Update on Concession Scandals

Thursday marked the Padres’ residence opener at Petco Park – and the beginning of the brand new season obtained our Will Huntsberry questioning: Have the Padres or workforce concessionaire Delaware North made any adjustments since he uncovered main concession scandals final 12 months?

The reply: We nonetheless don’t know.

Refresher: Huntsberry final 12 months revealed that phantom nonprofit Chula Vista Quick Pitch pulled in lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} annually at Petco regardless of not being an actual charity and that two different teams paid their “volunteer” staff beneath the desk and beneath minimal wage.

So what’s up now? The Padres and Delaware North didn’t reply to Huntsberry’s requests for updates on what they could be doing to attempt to finish these practices this season although Delaware North final 12 months dedicated to up its recreation in terms of reviewing charity teams’ authorized statuses and “heightened operational requirements.”

Learn the complete story.

In different Padres information: The San Diego Solar experiences that whereas the Padres unveiled the renovated 2.8-acre Gallagher Sq. Park subsequent to Petco Park to a lot fanfare earlier this week, some East Village residents are lower than impressed.

Fletcher’s Defamation Go well with

Former supervisor Nathan Fletcher is planning on suing the girl who accused him of sexual harassment and sexual assault for defamation. 

Right here’s what went down: On Thursday Choose Matthew Braner put a brief restraining order on Grecia Figueroa’s mobile phone. This prohibits her from deleting messages and different proof. The events have been preventing over messages that Fletcher’s workforce argues Figueroa is withholding and destroying. 

As we reported, Figueroa not too long ago parted methods together with her attorneys. She informed Voice she plans to proceed pursuing the case and on the lookout for new authorized illustration. 

The information: Fletcher’s workforce wished Braner to go additional. They wished the court docket to create a digital copy of Figueroa’s cellphone to protect all the data on the system. The decide didn’t agree. Fletcher’s attorneys mentioned that they’re involved she’s going to delete info as a result of she is now a defendant in a separate case. 

“I believe there’s a fully imminent risk this might occur once more, particularly contemplating that she’s now a defendant in Mr. Fletcher’s defamation case,” mentioned Sean McKaveney, one in every of Fletcher’s attorneys.  

That’s new: Apparently Fletcher is now suing Figueroa. Although the document of a defamation swimsuit had not been made public as of Thursday. 

The decide additionally expressed hope that Figueroa would have new authorized illustration earlier than a listening to April 5. She is representing herself in the mean time.

That’s One Massive Test

Following ugly divorce proceedings with the San Diego County Water Authority, the chief of the Fallbrook Public Utility District confirmed as much as his final assembly bearing avocado-filled reward baskets and a large verify. 

The comically-sized monetary system – sometimes featured when somebody wins the lottery or celebrates a charitable donation – was for $6,805,400, paid to the order of the Water Authority. It’s the final fee Fallbrook agreed to make to depart San Diego for a less expensive water provider in Riverside County. The verify’s memo line reads “exit price.” Jack Bebee stood for pictures with the Water Authority’s Normal Supervisor, Dan Denham, and Mel Katz, the Water Authority board chair.

Bebee mentioned he paid the precise quantity with a regular-sized verify. However the second, for him, marks a “turning of the web page” on the as soon as knives-out relationship between water companies. 

“All of southern California needs to see the Water Authority succeed,” Bebee mentioned. 

Border Sewage Plant Chief ‘Reevaluating’ Censored Information

The general public might quickly have extra readability on what precisely is mistaken with a damaged sewage remedy plant alongside the U.S.-Mexico border. 

President Joe Biden’s choose to take care of the South Bay Worldwide Wastewater Remedy Plant (or IBWC which treats Tijuana sewage spilling into San Diego) informed reporters Thursday she’s “reevaluating” what may be launched from a heavily-redacted report on the plant’s situation.

Voice of San Diego sued the IBWC to acquire the report following an unfulfilled Freedom of Info Act request. However the IBWC blacked-out virtually all the new or related info that described the plant’s amenities.

Maria-Elena Giner, Biden’s choose to guide the IBWC, mentioned the redactions had been rushed and made to guard info which may have an effect on the general public bidding course of between firms the IBWC may rent to do upkeep work on the plant. 

Giner mentioned the IBWC is ready to listen to again from the U.S. Division of Justice on whether or not the South Bay plant is taken into account crucial infrastructure from a nationwide safety perspective. The South Bay plant shares pipes and passages with Mexico, by way of which Tijuana sends sewage into the plant for remedy. 

“We don’t need to put out our plans and specs as a result of we wouldn’t need them to get into the mistaken fingers,” mentioned Giner. “We’re going again to reevaluate what extra we will share.”

Progress Report: Colleges Say Tender Strategy Works Greatest with College Skippers

For the reason that pandemic, the variety of college students lacking 10 p.c of their annual faculty days skyrocketed. Continual absenteeism, because it’s known as, causes all types of unfavourable tutorial outcomes and even impacts faculty funding. 

Nineteen faculties joined forces to sort out the issue collectively as a part of San Diego County’s  Bettering Continual Absenteeism Community, writes training reporter Jakob McWhinney in his newest Progress Report. Colleges used to punish college students that skipped class. Now faculties make residence visits, hyperlink struggling college students and their households to assets. They construct belief. 

Learn the newest Progress Report right here. 

In Different Information

• A political advisor who as soon as served as Metropolis Councilmember Stephen Whitburn’s chief of workers bypassed jail time following a responsible plea for fraudulently claiming federal COVID-19 reduction funds and state unemployment advantages. (Union-Tribune)
• PSA: The town’s meter maids are getting new all-electric Ford Mustangs to interchange their longtime small white enforcement autos. (NBC 7)
• Attorneys for town and the county are battling over a settlement with the son of a girl shot and killed by county sheriff’s deputies and a metropolis police officer attempting to serve an eviction discover. (Union-Tribune)
• Amid rising considerations amongst South Bay residents, the county now has an internet site to observe and share updates on sicknesses which may be tied to Tijuana River sewage. (CBS 8)

The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by  Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.