The San Diego City Council and Mayor Bob Filner could be headed for another conflict, this time over the mayor’s proposal to cut 13 employees from the City Attorney’s office.
Councilmembers Todd Gloria and Lorie Zapf said during Wednesday's budget meeting that they oppose cutting $1.4 million from the City Attorney’s office. But Filner told reporters today that he has no plans to remove the cuts from his budget.
“I don’t see any reason to," he said. "That’s my proposal.”
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith told the council on Wednesday that his budget should not be cut because his office is "a bargain." He said his staff keeps the city from having to hire outside lawyers.
But Filner does not buy that argument.
“All I’ve seen in recent months since I’ve been mayor are losses in court," he said. "In fact, lectures from the judge on how incompetent the representation has been. I’ve seen requests for outside counsel. If you keep requesting outside counsel, how good is your inside stuff? I haven’t seen the kind of high quality efficiency that is being claimed.”
Filner also criticized Goldsmith's advice on whether the mayor could veto the City Council appointments to the San Diego Port.
"He gave me an opinion on the Port that said, 'yes, you may veto,' so I vetoed," Filner said. "Then he gave me another opinion in which he republished and vacated the previous opinion. Hello?"
"He makes too many mistakes for me to take only his advice, I'll tell you," Filner added.
Filner also denied making a specific list of employees who should be let go from the City Attorney's office, saying those positions were "examples" of what could be cut.
The mayor’s budget will be approved by the City Council in June.
