What We Learned This Week

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Picture by means of Shuttestock

In the past several weeks by itself, Voice of San Diego reported:

In some of these cases, community officials surface to be overtly flouting public records legislation.

While government secrecy is nothing new, it certain feels like having long gone extra than a yr devoid of in-person community meetings and other face-to-experience interactions has emboldened government businesses to withhold any and just about every general public file imaginable – including, it is value repeating, documents that had been currently community.

Nevertheless the most substantial-profile modern occasion of a general public formal proposing variations to the public documents procedure was … the city attorney’s proposal to make them much, a great deal more durable to attain than they currently are.

I’m exceptionally very pleased of the do the job our journalists and other folks all over the county have carried out to expose these scenarios to the general public, they also make obvious that at any given second, the federal government is hiding a whole great deal from us – usually in violation of the legislation. Requires from journalists and the general public are only heading so considerably.

Just one way for public officers, who typically publicly proclaim their devotion to transparency, to do superior would be to go a big step outside of just complying with the law when requests appear their way (even though that alone would confident be welcome). They need to simply call out and condemn each and every and every instance of obfuscation and demand from customers far better from their friends – even when it implies upsetting an ally.

Law enforcement officers across the area, for case in point, should condemn the sheriff for flouting the legislation – not just due to the fact they are tasked with upholding it but for the reason that it offers all law enforcement agencies a poor title. Training leaders need to advocate for parents and families in Fallbrook to be offered the total image of what is going on in their district. And practically any leader who cares about the community owning details to equip by themselves to make fully informed choices about COVID-19 really should urge the county to launch its outbreak facts. A pandemic isn’t a fantastic moment for folks to distrust the govt from becoming genuine with them.

What VOSD Learned This 7 days

We had a few significant stick to-ups this week to tales we originally broke: The broker at the middle of a scandalous Housing Commission transaction now claims the company signed off on the investment that created him the topic of a felony investigation.

And a single of the college students who complained about harassing behavior by a Cal Condition San Marcos professor spoke on the history for the 1st time about the means in which the process failed her and other pupils.

It’s been 5 many years due to the fact Andrew Keatts broke the first story that SANDAG’s income projections ended up a lie, and the TransNet application would not have sufficient dollars to pay for the initiatives promised to voters. Now we have the clearest glimpse yet at which jobs are officially dunzo.

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Kevin Faulconer gained nationwide praise in 2019 for declaring himself a YIMBY, now he’s running from his possess report on single-relatives zoning.

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In an additional instance of fallout from the metropolis attorney’s decision to cede the function of prosecutor in infractions situations to law enforcement, the courtroom this 7 days dismissed a scenario from a homeless male soon after SDPD failed to convert about proof.

What I’m Reading through

Line of the Week

Wearing a helmet whilst bicycle using, strapping on your seatbelt in a auto — these are private conclusions, at minimum as far as your very own accidents are worried. Vaccination is various. In the context of a fatal and often debilitating contagion, in which the unchecked unfold of infection has penalties for the complete modern society, vaccination is not a particular selection. And inasmuch as the United States has struggled to reach herd immunity towards Covid-19 as a result of vaccination, it is for the reason that we refuse to treat the pandemic for what it is: a social challenge to resolve through collective action.” – Increase your hand if you uncover 2021 even extra debilitating and discouraging than 2020.