The city’s former top bureaucrat has reached a tentative settlement with the city that would hand him more cash than the severance he sought when Mayor Todd Gloria showed him the door earlier this year.
Ex-COO Eric Dargan’s attorney told our Lisa Halverstadt the former city official has signed a proposed $146,000 settlement that follows his March discrimination lawsuit against the city. Dargan had alleged that Gloria promised three months’ severance if he planned to terminate him and then reneged on that offer.
Up Next: The City Council still needs to approve any settlement before Dargan can get paid. It’ll likely vote in coming weeks.
Refresher: The mayor had said Dargan’s job was eliminated as part of a cost-savings move and reorganization of the city’s leadership. After Dargan filed the lawsuit, Gloria’s office changed its position and claimed the mayor fired Dargan for cause.
Also, ICYMI: Dargan’s exit from City Hall followed complaints from several councilmembers and the lead of the city’s largest labor union about his lack of involvement in budget discussions – and rumors that Dargan fell asleep at key meetings. Dargan’s attorney said he never received negative reviews from Gloria – or any performance reviews.
Read the full story.
The Learning Curve: Student Homelessness Increased
While homelessness countywide decreased, according to the region’s annual homeless census, the number of unhoused students increased by roughly 10 percent, report our Jakob McWhinney and Tessa Balc.
The biggest increase in raw numbers happened, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the county’s biggest district: San Diego Unified School District.
The district with the biggest proportional increase was more startling: The number of homeless students at Chula Elementary School District doubled from 495 to 1,027.
Read the full story here.
Dr. Arabo
Mark Arabo — a controversial figure in San Diego’s Chaldean community — received an honorary doctorate degree from San Diego State University, earlier this month.
Arabo has “a history of documented lies and a checkered past,” as our Will Huntsberry reported in April. Arabo used a past nonprofit like his “personal bank account,” according to a judge, and also ran into trouble with campaign finance investigators.
One university trustee told Huntsberry there was a breakdown in the process that allowed Arabo to receive the honorary degree.
“Big thank you to my SDSU family, love you all,” Arabo tweeted Wednesday.
In Other News
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Will Huntsberry. It was edited by Scott Lewis.
