Voice of San Diego Podcast

Dumanis' Take on Double Dipping and Geneviéve Jones-Wright


Listen Later

Bonnie Dumanis' more than three decades of public service have earned her a hefty annual pension of $268,800. The former district attorney is now running for a County Board of Supervisors seat, and last month The San Diego-Union Tribune uncovered that she had hired a legal team to look into whether she could continue collecting her pension even if she wins a seat on the county Board of Supervisors, where she could earn a sizable salary as well. Dumanis' political consultant told the U-T that despite the inquiry, Dumanis never intended to accept a county supervisor salary. But records obtained by the U-T did not mention that she planned to decline her salary. Lawmakers had largely banned "double dipping" — simultaneously earning a public pension and a government salary — but the practice is back for most elected officials in California, thanks to laws passed quietly in two recent budget bills. On Wednesday, Dumanis held a meeting with reporters where she again said she will not accept a salary if elected. On this week's podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts discuss Dumanis' strange explanation for why she didn't say she wouldn't collect a salary on top of her pension while her lawyers were fighting for her right to collect a salary on top of her pension. She said it's because her official campaign – which everyone thought was officially announced in September  – doesn't begin until March. "I have not announced formally yet," she told KUSI. "But I have always intended to not take the salary of a supervisor and just keep my pension, which I have earned after 35 years of service." Also on the podcast, Lewis is seething over ReserveCalifornia, California State Parks' new online system for reserving camping and lodging reservations. He says it's the worst. Pushing for a Different Kind of DA's Office Geneviéve Jones-Wright, a Democrat and public defender running for district attorney, joined the podcast this week to discuss her reform-minded campaign. She said the district attorney's office needs to shift from its tough-on-crime mindset and instead spend some resources on building community trust and preventing crime. "The district attorney's office should be looking at other ways to address public safety," she said. "I think that when you're constantly focusing on convictions, you don't have the right focus." Jones-Wright had harsh words for former Dumanis and the County Board of Supervisors. She called the way in which Dumanis stepped down and promoted a preferred replacement, whom the board appointed to the interim position, a corrupt succession plan. "This is a democracy," Jones-Wright said. "This is not a monarchy. We don't have a queen who sits on the throne and says you know what, this is the person that's going to succeed me, this is how this is going to happen." She also talks about her stance on the prosecutorial and prison reforms in initiatives like Prop. 57 and Prop. 47, her take on the death penalty and more. Hero of the Week This week's hero is the San Diego Unified School District, which this week reversed course and will no longer send debt collectors after parents who are late to pay their children’s school bus fees. A recent Voice of San Diego story revealed that in the 2014-2015 school year alone, the district referred 380 parents to a collections agency. Goat of the Week The city's water department gets goated for its initial dodging of responsibility for overblown water bills received by many residents, a problem the city later acknowledged was likely its fault.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Voice of San Diego PodcastBy Voice of San Diego

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

189 ratings


More shows like Voice of San Diego Podcast

View all
KQED's The California Report by KQED

KQED's The California Report

391 Listeners

PBS News Hour - Brooks and Capehart by PBS NewsHour

PBS News Hour - Brooks and Capehart

1,213 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,587 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,111 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,888 Listeners

San Diego News Now by KPBS Public Media

San Diego News Now

96 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

86,210 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,160 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

55,990 Listeners

Political Breakdown by KQED

Political Breakdown

182 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

15,910 Listeners

POLITICO Energy by POLITICO

POLITICO Energy

132 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

5,952 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,053 Listeners

Headlines From The Times by L.A. Times Studios

Headlines From The Times

538 Listeners