At a San Diego City Council meeting this summer, the chamber was a sea of navy blue from the early morning hours. Swaths of the city’s police force had arrived en masse. Even Mayor Todd Gloria showed up.

The day was meant to be ceremonial, or at the very least symbolic. Fronting the council agenda on June 4 was a proclamation declaring the date Police Chief David Nisleit Day. After 36 years with the force, his last six as police chief, Nisleit would be donning his navy blue uniform one last time that week.

One by one, city officials from Councilmember Marni von Wilpert to Gloria took turns speaking on Nisleit’s legacy. And the outgoing chief himself gave a few but lasting words to wrap up his tenure: “I will continue to love this city, but I will be on the sidelines rooting for all of you.”

But on the sideline elsewhere, an undercurrent of frustration began to brew.

Unlike for other items on the agenda, public testimony was not permitted before or during the presentation of the proclamation.

That drew the ire of a group of community members who suggested the council was violating the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law. Former state Assemblymember Lori Saldaña, one of those barred from commenting, later threatened to sue the city.

In a resolution passed Tuesday evening, the city reiterated its “unconditional commitment to cease, desist from, and not repeat any act preventing public testimony on items presenting proclamations appearing on the council’s agenda as required by the Brown Act.”

When presenting the resolution, Assistant City Attorney Leslie FitzGerald said that the motion was intended “to avoid unnecessary litigation” without admitting any violation of the Brown Act by the city. No lawsuit has yet been filed, she added.

Out of the attendees, few seemed swayed.

“It’s a total disregard for the public’s right to simply express dissent or support,” Saldaña said. “It’s as hollow and empty as (the city’s) commitment for our right to speak.”

Nearing the end of the day, only a few people remained in the queue for public comment. But among those left, one message was consistently brought forth:

“I hope that you truly do have an unconditional commitment to California law and the Brown Act,” said Susan Baldwin, a retired San Diego Association of Governments planner.

The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the city’s decision to propose the resolution.

It’s not the first time the city has faced accusations of violating public transparency laws.

In 2017, the Center for Local Government Accountability sued the city for not allowing public comment on non-agenda items, including ceremonial proclamations. The city would ultimately pay the center $70,000 to settle the lawsuit.

The city is now fighting another lawsuit, filed in 2022, by a group that says it “suffered interference or reprisal” by officials during public comment sessions. Among those represented by the plaintiff was Saldaña.

An email obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune shows that ahead of the June meeting, staff from Council President Sean Elo-Rivera’s office had stipulated that there would be no public comment on the “ceremonial items” on the agenda that day.

Coming up soon at the council may be a proposal to eliminate public comments by phone and Zoom during council meetings. The item was postponed from a recent committee hearing.

Elo-Rivera said it would streamline meetings and noted that other cities and public agencies have made similar moves, after adopting virtual public comment earlier in the pandemic.

But his effort has already been met with steady backlash from critics who call it an intentional effort to curb public comment. Elo-Rivera pushed Wednesday’s hearing on the proposal with the council’s Rules Committee to September so that more time can be given to discuss the item through the next meeting.

During public comment on Tuesday, Baldwin suggested that the city should reconsider any such proposal before being cut off and told to stick to the pertinent agenda item.

Originally Published: August 3, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Clearly, the surging Padres aren’t going to win every game.

They do need to win more games against the cellar-dwelling Rockies.

Manny Machado and Donovan Solano both homered, but a souped-up bullpen stumbled on Friday night and the Padres’ bewildering struggles against Colorado continued in a 5-2 loss in front of a sellout crowd of 44,393 at Petco Park.

“Tomorrow, we’ve got to change that,” second baseman Xander Bogaerts said. “These guys probably feel good playing against us. We have to come in here and change that tomorrow.”

The Padres began the weekend with a 29-23 record against teams in playoff position and have clinched their first season series against the Dodgers since 2010.

Lot of good that will do if they’re giving games away against the Rockies, who have won six of the first eight meetings and are a win away from clinching the season series.

Friday’s lead unraveled when it looked like the Padres’ strength was ready to bring it home.

Machado homered off Padres nemesis Austin Gomber to tie the game at 1 in the second inning, Donovan Solano added a solo shot in the fourth and Randy Vásquez got through five innings to hand a one-run lead to the bullpen that A.J. Preller strengthened ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

First out of the gate on Friday: Jeremiah Estrada.

Only he walked the first two batters he faced, gave up an infield single to load the bases and coughed up three runs on Kris Bryant’s one-out single and Jake Cave’s two-out blooper.

“Jeremiah’s been fantastic for us,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “The two walks, that got him. Some softer contact and found a hole and next thing you know they threw up some runs.”

Alek Jacob got the final out of the sixth inning, but he allowed the Rockies an insurance run in the seventh on back-to-back singles and Ryan McMahon’s ensuing sacrifice fly.

It was the first run that Jacob has allowed in six appearances in the majors.

Jacob followed with a scoreless eighth and Yuki Matsui threw a perfect ninth.

The Padres can only hope Friday’s stumble is a one-off for a team that’s still won nine of its first 12 since the All-Star break.

For a team that’s gone through the Guardians, Orioles and Dodgers in stacking that second-half success, there certainly isn’t much logic in such drastic struggles against a team that walked into Petco Park 30 games under .500 and a 16-41 road record.

Except this.

“It’s the big leagues,” first baseman Jake Cronenworth said Friday afternoon as he assessed the challenge of carrying momentum forward after improving to 7-3 on the season against the Dodgers.

As in they are more than aware of the wrench that any team can throw into their plans at any point.

In fact, they’ve already been swept once at home by the Rockies after winning a series against the Dodgers, as was the case in May.

They believe things are different now.

“We’re further along in the season,” Cronenworth said. “We know who we are more than we have all year. I think the way we’ve been playing as well is different.”

It just didn’t materialize on Friday against the Rockies.

Their only runs scored on home runs from Machado, his 17th of the season, and Solano, his fourth.

Jurickson Profar looked like he’d put a charge in their hopes to start the eighth, but center fielder Brenton Doyle leapt against the wall in right-center to rob him of a home run to get his bullpen started on the right foot.

“That’s tough,” Bogaerts said. “The timing of the game, too, right there. If that ball’s gone, a home run? It sucked the air out of the whole ballpark for sure. … Credit to Gomber, he kept us off-balance the whole night. I feel like that ball from Profar would have been a nice game-changer possibility and he made an unbelievable play.”

By the time Gomber exited after seven innings, he’d struck out five and scattered five hits and a walk.

Through three starts against the Padres, Gomber has allowed three earned runs over 18 innings for a 1.50 ERA.

Two of his three wins this season are against the Padres.

Shoot, six of the Rockies’ 41 victories this season are against the Padres.

Rebounding from his worst start of the season (2 IP, 6 ER), Vásquez paid only for the solo homer that Brendan Rodgers pulled to left to start the second inning.

Vásquez struck out four in five innings and allowed just three hits despite walking two batters and hitting another before giving a one-run lead to the new-look relief corps.

“I was confident; I still am confident in that bullpen,” Vásquez said through interpreter Danny Sanchez. “We have a lot of talent in that bullpen, so I’m super confident in those guys.”

Originally Published: August 2, 2024 at 9:17 p.m.

Facing a second straight left-hander to start a game, Donovan Solano will start back-to-back games for just the second time since Xander Bogaerts’ activation in mid-July. .

This time, it’s Luis Arraez sitting as Jake Cronenworth will return to first base after sitting Wednesday’s finale against the Dodgers.

Solano is hitting .306/.383/.431 against left-handers this year, including the walk-off hit in the pinch for Cronenworth on Tuesday.

Solano will hit second as the DH to start a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.

Cronenworth and rookie Jackson Merrill are the lone lefties in Friday’s lineup.

Cronenworth is hitting .193/.265/.252 against lefties, while Merrill is hitting .211/.241/.349.

They will hit fifth and seventh, respectively.

Rockin’ the pink & mint tonight 🏝️ pic.twitter.com/oHZc2NmPrr

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 2, 2024

Meantime, Arraez is hitting .283/.303/.359 against lefties.

Without Arraez in the lineup, Jurickson Profar will serve as the leadoff hitter. Switch-hitter Bryce Johnson will get a second consecutive start against a left-handed starting pitcher, while Kyle Higashioka will start behind the plate.

Here is how the Rockies will line up for the opener:

How we lineup in sunny San Diego ☀️ pic.twitter.com/BhNKlVUy9I

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) August 2, 2024

Friday’s pitching matchup

Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (2-7, 4.79 ERA)

He has allowed one run in 11 innings over two starts this year against the Padres, striking out seven against five walks. Gomber, however, has a 6.91 ERA over his last three starts (14⅓ IP).

Here is how he has fared against current Padres:

Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (3-6, 4.82 ERA)

He’s coming off his worst start of the season, as he allowed six runs, tied for a season-high, on four hits and a season-high four walks over a season-low two innings. Vásquez has allowed nine runs in 6⅓ innings this season against the Rockies.

Here is how Vasquez has fared against current Rockies:

Originally Published: August 2, 2024 at 4:03 p.m.