{"id":215201,"date":"2025-09-10T09:59:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/215201\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T09:59:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:59:13","slug":"morning-report-are-regulators-preparing-to-dismantle-the-water-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/215201\/","title":{"rendered":"Morning Report: Are Regulators Preparing to Dismantle the Water Authority?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, which oversees governmental agencies\u2019 jurisdictional boundaries and internal organization, has initiated a \u201cmunicipal service review\u201d of the San Diego County Water Authority. And its staff is considering recommendations that include dissolving the agency.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, LAFCO oversaw the separation of two agencies from the Water Authority.<\/p>\n

If the Commission finds the Authority, which critics blame for San Diego\u2019s ever-rising water rates, is badly run or has outlived its usefulness, commissioners could vote to restructure the agency or outright eliminate it.<\/p>\n

Authority General Manager Dan Denham sounded unconcerned when Elmer asked him about the new LAFCO review.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people understand there\u2019s still work to do at the Water Authority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Background:<\/strong> You may remember San Diego City Councilmembers Marni von Wilpert and Sean Elo-Rivera suggested the city may need to help lead an exit from the Water Authority or dissolve it or otherwise reform how it\u2019s structured. They are frustrated by the debt and obligations the agency took on to secure water supplies from the Colorado River and via desalination. <\/p>\n

Those massive bills mean local ratepayers will see increases for many years to come. <\/p>\n

But those investments created unprecedented water reliability, and the city of San Diego was the primary driver of them. City leaders suggesting the Water Authority should be dissolved to get out of those investments is somewhat shocking and created a backlash<\/a> among an older guard of city leaders who orchestrated the deals. <\/p>\n

Not going away:<\/strong> Denham and the Water Authority\u2019s leaders may have thought the clamor to scrap the Water Authority was dissipating, especially after they announced a historic settlement that could help them sell some of the water they bought and ease pressure on local prices. But LAFCO\u2019s stirring the pot with this review. <\/p>\n

Encinitas Councilmember\u2019s Assault Charge Started as a Dispute About Parking\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Encinitas Councilmember Luke Shaffer during his arraignment at Superior Court North County Division in Vista on Sept. 9, 2025. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, <\/strong>Encinitas Councilmember Luke Shaffer stood in front of a judge for his criminal arraignment and entered a not guilty plea to charges the District Attorney\u2019s office filed against him<\/a> last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our Tigist Layne was at the courthouse and learned more about the details of the incident that led to the charges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutors said Shaffer wanted to park his truck where a resident had placed some trash bins. The two started to argue and Shaffer allegedly reversed into the bins and hit the resident\u2019s outstretched palms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shaffer\u2019s attorney Isaac Blumberg, said the councilmember denies the allegations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>We added a clarification to Monday\u2019s story about Councilmember Shaffer. While Layne was in the hallway of the courthouse, Shaffer\u2019s campaign advisor Rachel Hill approached and demanded we run a correction because she said we incorrectly stated that Reform California endorsed Shaffer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reform California is the conservative political action network that Assemblymember Carl DeMaio runs. And \u2026 it did endorse Shaffer. <\/p>\n

Hill said it doesn\u2019t count because Shaffer did not accept the endorsement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Duly noted. We updated the story here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Big Day at the Board of Supervisors<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"TheSan Diego County seal on a podium. \/ Vito di Stefano for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a rundown of a busy Tuesday at the County Board of Supervisors\u2019 meeting.<\/p>\n

Board Democrats took a required second vote to change key policies that could unleash the county\u2019s reserve fund<\/a> to combat federal cuts. As our Lisa Halverstadt has previously reported, Democrats will need to secure a fourth vote from one of the board\u2019s two Republicans to dip into those funds.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next: <\/strong>Soon after the policy takes effect in 30 days, county officials expect to ask supervisors to approve deploying reserve funds to cover millions of dollars in bonuses<\/a> for county employees. <\/p>\n

Other proposals moving forward: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Pipe Break in Tijuana Floods Sewage-Plagued River With Water<\/strong><\/p>\n

A break in a drinking water line in Tijuana sent water gushing down the sewage and trash-plagued Tijuana River Tuesday morning, according to Mexico\u2019s cross-border water management agency known as CILA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reporting by El Sol De Tijuana shows a crater in a city street<\/a> where the pipe broke. The rupture happened at 7:30 a.m. and flows peaked in the river at 45 million gallons per day around 2:30 p.m., the International Boundary and Water Commission, or IBWC, reported on X<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Frank Fisher, a spokesman for the IBWC, said if CILA\u2019s information is correct, most of the water flowing from the break should be drinking water, not sewage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll keep close eyes on it to see if it gets worse,\u201d Fisher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pipe break also means dozens of neighborhoods in Tijuana are without water right now<\/a>, according to El Sol De Tijuana.<\/p>\n

Stink Monitors Not Taking Measurements in South Bay <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"SanPeople walking around the San Ysidro Trolley station on April 26, 2023. \/ Photo by Ariana Drehsler<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering whether the air quality in South Bay is affected by the flowing river, we can\u2019t tell you. The county Air Pollution Control District\u2019s three monitors in South Bay to measure sewer gas from the Tijuana River were down as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Melina Meza, a spokeswoman for the district, said the sensor in Nestor went down Tuesday, the one in Imperial Beach is being recalibrated and the one in San Ysidro is being moved to a new location.<\/p>\n

Meza said the district would monitor complaints from residents and perform manual measurements if necessary.<\/p>\n

Are Robots the New City Council Gadflies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are some eerie newcomers at City Council meetings.<\/p>\n

At this week\u2019s Council sessions, a handful of online public comments have come through as disembodied AI voices or pre-recorded messages. City Clerk Diana Fuentes has allowed the comments. But it\u2019s difficult to tell whether they come from real people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Fuentes has asked the mystery commenters to state their names, they just talk right over her, complaining about Balboa Park parking and aiming barbs at councilmembers.<\/p>\n

Fuentes declined said she is working with the City Attorney\u2019s Office to research policies addressing the issue.<\/p>\n

In Other News\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n