Mayor Bob Filner vetoed the City Council's two appointments to the San Diego Unified Port District on Friday.
Memo Explaining Filner's Port Vetoes
A memo explaining Mayor Bob Filner's reasons for vetoing the City Council's two Port appointments.
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His office sent out a statement outlining the reasons for the veto:
Residents of District Four did not have a voice in the appointment, due to a vacant seat.
The City does not have goals or objectives for the waterfront. A Mayor-City Council workshop should be convened to reach consensus on the “City’s Vision and Policy for our Port.”
The City Council’s policies and procedures do not “establish a method of ensuring the accountability of our appointed Commissioners.” There are no minimum qualifications; a common application; a review and screening process; a transparent voting procedure; or mandated reporting requirements.
The selection process used by the San Diego City Council was flawed.
The mayor's staff also released a memo explaining his decision.
Filner's decision to veto could be seen as an addition to the already simmering tension between him and City Council President Todd Gloria. The two leaders already publicly clashed over appointments to the regional planning body SANDAG.
The City Council has the authority to appoint commissioners to the Port. However, as reported by Voice of San Diego, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said Filner can veto any decisions the City Council makes.
