San Diego City Council
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<p>Two local law enforcement groups sent nearly identical political ads to voters attacking San Diego Councilwoman Monica Montgomery Steppe in her campaign to replace disgraced County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher in an August 15th special election by claiming she lied about reduced homicide rates in her district, but an email shows she used statistics provided to her office last year by the San Diego Police Department.</p>
<h6>New Councilman Kent Lee, sworn-in by former Councilman Tom Hom.</h6>
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<p>For the first time ever, all of the City of San Diego’s elected officials are Democrats after a new Councilman was sworn-in Monday morning to replace the last remaining Republican in office.</p>
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<p>The former highest-ranking City of San Diego staffer has come forward as the whistleblower who first exposed over $15 million in profits hidden within the controversial 101 Ash building lease deal.</p>
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<p>Two-thirds of the members of the San Diego City Council accepted political campaign contributions from principals of the development company the City is suing to invalidate two controversial building leases over charges that the company paid hidden profit splits to the City’s own real estate advisor.</p>
<h6><sup>Photo credit: Zoë Meyers/inewsource</sup><br>
<sup>Pictured: Councilmembers Barbara Bry, Jen Campbell, Chris Ward, Monica Montgomery Steppe,<br>
Mark Kersey, Chris Cate, Scott Sherman, Vivian Moreno in 2019</sup></h6>
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<h6>Photo<i> Credit: Matt Hoffman – KPBS</i></h6>
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<p>San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott is misleading the public by refusing to release potentially damning parts of a forensic report that reviewed the 101 Ash Street building deal, even after the report was promised to be an independent and comprehensive analysis of what has now become one of the City’s worst financial debacles in its history.</p>