By Norma Damashek
San Diego can be such a silly city. For proof, consider the oddly loopy hubbub that surrounds this year’s annual City Council ritual of choosing a council president.
People (many of whom should know better) have been turning themselves inside out over the roaring-hot question: will Todd Gloria be awarded a third term as council president or will another council member (presumably Sherri Lightner) get a turn to be the council’s presiding officer?
In case you’ve forgotten, ever since San Diego switched over to a “strong mayor” form of government (it’s been almost a decade) council members have selected one of their own to run council meetings and set the council agenda. First there was Scott Peters (2005-’06-‘07), then Ben Hueso (’08-’09), then Tony Young (’10- ’11), and then Todd Gloria (’12-’14).
At Monday’s City Council meeting the matter of when to select next year’s council president was considered. The decision was made by the council to take care of the matter this coming Wednesday.
At the same council meeting, the matter of the mayor’s 5-year financial outlook was also considered. The harsh contrast between the mayor’s rosy financial outlook and the reality of San Diego’s fiscal crisis was startling. Even more startling was observing how smoothly the City Council tuned out the bad news.
But never fear, we’ll be returning to this much-neglected subject in the near future. Meantime, back to our silly city.
A group called Support Todd Gloria for Council President is soliciting hundreds of people to come down to City Hall this Wednesday… NOT to mark the swearing-in ceremony for newly-elected council members Lorie Zapf (District 2) and Chris Cate (District 6)… and NOT to protest the council’s nonchalance over unfunded community needs, decaying infrastructure, and depressed levels of city services…
No, they’re being summoned to cheer and/or jeer the selection of next year’s council president. They’ve already signed petitions. They’ve already received instructions to wear the color purple (wasn’t purple the signature color of the former movie star Kim Novac? Apparently now it belongs to councilman Todd Gloria).
Think about this: protests in our city and in cities across the country demanding economic, racial, and social justice elicit barely a stir in the political consciousness of the San Diego establishment. Local-level fraud, chicanery, malfeasance, inaction, and double-dealing raise nary an eyebrow.
So isn’t it peculiar that the annual formality to select a council president would rouse a crowd to storm City Hall? To be generous, I’d say it’s pretty silly…
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Good questions Norma. Castle intrigue!
Is it a continuation of the November election angst? Signs of lingering post-campaign dissatisfaction? King-makers rattling paper sabers?
Agree the long term finances of the city should be scrutinized at least as closely, given recent proposals for some big ticket items. But at least for this week, the council president selection process has been all consuming.
Issues of personality have become more compelling to some council observers than policy matters. Many seem more interested in engaging in personal attacks on those who disagree vs. discussions of who would run meetings efficiently and contribute to good governance.
In the past, was it a more congenial matter, negotiated by council colleagues without the glare and gossip of public scrutiny?
If so- What has changed? Any thoughts on why this battle is so public, and so pitched? Are the stakes higher? The supporters/detractors more invested in the outcome?
I’m sure someone could do a master’s thesis deconstructing this drama but it looks to me like a tempest in a teapot. Or as Macbeth put it: a tale… full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
There are BILLIONS of former Redevelopment Agency Property Taxes at stake.mmThe City Council President has authority over the Successor Agency (SA) to the former Redevelopment Agency (RDA), Civic San Diego, and the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC).
For Fiscal Years FY-2012 to 2015, the Successor Agency never had a budget, and Civic San Diego only has an Administrative budget. In the last 3 years the Successor Agency brought in $524 Million in Property Taxes outside the Budget process, while gifting $382 Million to the General Funds of the City, County, and Schools instead of paying off the $1.67 Billion in Successor Agency Enforceable Obligations and debt to the poor as CDBG Program Income.
http://tinyurl.com/20141021a
http://tinyurl.com/20141208c
It is always about the money. For FY-2015, the City Council will give away $59 million as RPTTF Residual Distributions when the Goal is always ZERO, as long as there is debt on the books.
http://tinyurl.com/20141208d
For Fiscal Year FY-2016 to FY-2020, the City Council will give away $426 million to the City/County/Schools General Funds, instead of keeping the money within City Limits for neighborhoods and infrastructure.
http://tinyurl.com/20141208e
I see that Carl DeMaio is back in the political arena. Now he is starting a PAC to raise money for whomever he deems appropriate. I suppose the rules allow for him to take out a generous salary before he undertakes the demanding work of handing out the funds to worthy candidates and causes. It seems to me like another boondoggle similar to the Paralyzed Veterans charity which raises some $80 million annually but after deducting expenses only manages to hand out some $6 million to actual paralyzed veterans. They defend themselves by saying that, if it were nor for their efforts, paralyzed veterans would not even get the $6 million.
Rome established the “circus” to deflect ineffective governance….. it is “silly” but this process will succeed. What was the voter’s turnout in November? City services an infrastructure repairs are approaching a catatonic state.
You said it perfectly, Norma…silly. Silly politicians, silly voters, silly media coverage. Among the silly, the obsessive media self-promoters are now atwitter because Lightner is so much less glib and willing to gab w/them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkkIwO_X4i4
“Start wearing purple wearing purple
Start wearing purple, for me now
All your sanity and wits, they will all vanish
I promise, it’s just a matter of time”
Loved “Wearing the purple” – that’s our city council! although I had hoped to see in it that dynamic duo, Todd and Lori, in their “Dancing with the Stars” two-step routine, but apparently the synergy between them is a thing of the past.