After a divisive week at San Diego City Hall, council members are working to move forward as yet another controversial issue looms.
On Monday, the council will decide the fate of the Soccer City redevelopment project.
That discussion will follow a tumultuous political climate that culminated Tuesday. Democratic council members publically blasted Mayor Kevin Faulconer during a failed vote to override his budget veto. The veto included Faulconer's decision to reallocate money from several council districts.
“Actively choosing to punish and target other elected officials, their districts, their communities, for disagreeing with you Mayor Faulconer is something you’d expect from President Trump or even from someone like previous Mayor Filner,” said District 8 Councilmember David Alvarez at the council meeting Tuesday.
“We must be mindful that any one of us can be a target of such deliberate retaliation. This sets a precedent for the future,” said District 3 Councilmember Chris Ward. His district lost $362,957 dollars after the veto.
District 1 councilmember Barbara Bry saw $311,838 taken from her district.
“With the mayor’s action, the message is that civic dialogue is over. Transparent debate has no place. And council docket and discussion is a farce,” said Bry, during the meeting.
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A day later, Bry stood strong and spoke of moving forward while expressing her disappointment.
“At this point, I’d like to make sure we repair the human interactions and the relationships and I think that’s what is most important,” said Bry.
Councilman Chris Cate said he supported the mayor’s action to send the reallocated money toward public safety. He called the recent bipartisan disagreements rare.
“My hope is that we can move forward and start doing the business of the city in a way that folks and residents expect of us,” said Cate.
