▶ Shutdown Costs San Diego $7 Million: This week’s federal government shutdown cost the San Diego region to lose $7 million of economic activity each week the shutdown continues, according to San Diego Association of Governments’ chief economist Marney Cox.
Roughly 800,000 to 1 million federal employees were furloughed as a result of the shutdown on Oct. 1, with about 33,000 in the San Diego County. Many of the workers furloughed on Oct. 1 work at local military bases.
Cox reported the economic toll may be over four times greater in the San Diego County than in any other region in the nation, due to the high amount of furloughed employees.
▶ A.S. Council Speaker Resigns: Council speaker John Weng formally resigned effective immediately on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Weng, who will continue as A.S. Associate Vice President of Student Services is also a Student Involvement Leadership Consultant at the Center for Student Involvement, a NASPA Undergraduate Fellow and a Warren College Student Council Parliamentarian.
Weng cited various reasons for his resignation, including the time commitment to attend and continue to be involved in weekly council meetings while balancing other work, as well as the change in council mentality and priorities following the induction of A.S. President Andy Buselt and other “Keep it REAL” slate members.
▶ San Diego Continued Olympic Bid : San Diego placed its bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Last spring, a joint bid between San Diego and Tijuana was mentioned; however, USOC’s historian noted that binational bids are not permitted.
Other potential bids include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington, D.C.
USOC CEO Scott Blackmun expressed that the committee should decide if it will bid and, if so, pick its city candidate by the end of 2014. The 2024 host will be chosen in 2017.
Blackmun said there are three factors going into the USOC’s decision to bid for a U.S. city, including financial sense, logical sense, and an assured possibility of actually hosting.
“We’re not in any huge hurry right now,” Blackmun said. “We are talking to less than 10 cities at this point. We’ve seen some great ideas. We are excited about the prospect of bidding, but we have not made a decision to go forward.”
▶ Filner May Face Criminal Charges: Former Mayor Bob Filner may face criminal charges this week following San Diego County’s grand jury proceedings.
The secret question-and-answer session will be held by the state attorney general’s deputies without Filner’s lawyer present.
“From what I understand about the allegations made in the civil case regarding sexual misconduct, I haven’t heard of anything that appears to me to rise to a level of felony,” defense attorney Anthony Solare said. “If there is a criminal charge here, it sounds like it’s a misdemeanor misconduct.”
Filner’s lawyer, as well as authorities, declined to comment.
▶ Camp Pendleton: Officials in Camp Pendleton reported a brushfire Saturday afternoon that forced 230 people to evacuate from the area’s base housing unit and 30 patients to evacuate from the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. The 1,500-acre fire was contained by 15 percent on Sunday, although it is projected to continue moving along the Santa Margarita River.
Residents of Camp Pendleton’s Lake O’Neill will be able to return to their homes, following approval from fire officials.
