In August, a Republican school board member of Escondido Union High School District had an announcement for the public.  

“I was elected to this board in November 2014 as Bill Durney and re-elected in 2018 and 2022. This year I have come out as a transgender woman, and I have changed my name to Carol Durney,” she continued. 

Conservative contempt for trans people is nothing new, but how would Republicans react to one of their own coming out as trans?

At that first meeting, not well. 

People referred to her as an “abomination” and called on her to resign. But at a board meeting this Tuesday, the tone changed. Far more people showed up to support Durney than castigate her. 

Our Jakob McWhinney has an in-depth and moving profile of Durney and how her transition has (and hasn’t) shaped her politics. 

Read the full story here. 

County Health and Human Services Chief Out in November

Another high-level official is preparing to depart county government.

Kim Giardina, who has led the county’s massive Health and Human Services Agency for the past year, announced that her last day at the county will be Nov. 6.

Giardina wrote that she plans to “explore other options,” in an email obtained by Voice. The decision came with a “mix of emotions,” she wrote. 

This is a turbulent time for the county. It’s facing federal cuts that will impact services and has already endured other major departures. The county’s top attorney abruptly retired in July and its behavioral health director caught even insiders off guard with his resignation. The county official who oversees Medicaid and food stamp programs that will be hit hard by federal cuts is also set to retire in December.

“Change can be hard, but it is expected in a large organization, and the county is committed to a smooth transition,” county spokesperson Tammy Glenn wrote. 

North County Report: Shaffer’s Court Appearance

Reporter Tigist Layne takes us inside the courthouse for Encinitas Councilmember Luke Shaffer’s arraignment for hit-and-run charges. 

Dozens of supporters showed up for Shaffer. 

“They offered each other condolences, hugs and words of encouragement. I heard people say things like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ and ‘It will all be over soon.’ One person said it felt like they were mourning,” Layne writes. 

Read the full North County Report here. 

About Those Robots at City Council

The City Clerk’s Office confirmed on Wednesday that AI bots have not breached Council’s online comments after a series of strange audios made their way to meetings this week.

City Clerk Diana Fuentes said in a statement that the city’s system, ZoomGov, does not allow it.

“It appears that an individual chose to play a pre-recorded audio clip once they were recognized to speak,” she said. “We are monitoring this matter and will continue to ensure public participation in City Council meetings is conducted in line with our established rules of order.”

An Insane Bond Deal Exposed 

Back in 2012, Voice of San Diego published one of its all-time bangers. 

Poway Unified School District had borrowed $105 million for construction projects. Former reporter Will Carless discovered that the district would be on the hook to pay back roughly $1 billion — almost ten times more than it had borrowed!

The story led to national media attention, lots of pissed off residents and a new state law that capped debt-to-principal ratios on government borrowing.

This story is part of our 20th anniversary series on Voice’s impact. Read it here.  

In Other News 

• The San Diego city council voted Tuesday to settle for nearly $900,000 for a police response involving excessive force. The payout is the result of an incident last year, where officers shot beanbag rounds at a man and released K-9 units on him, after he had surrendered. (KPBS)
• A residential care facility in Mira Mesa is facing elder abuse charges. California’s Attorney General’s Office brought the charges forward earlier this week, alleging that residents suffered from bedsores and malnourishment because the facility was understaffed. (NBC 7)
• Potholes are one of the greatest obstacles San Diegans face on a daily basis. The City of San Diego is trying to do something about it, recently adding four new trucks to a fleet dedicated to smoothing city streets. We’ll see if this “gets it done.” (CBS 8)

 The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Lisa Halverstadt and Tessa Balc. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.