Council President Myrtle Cole's Power Play

image
Published: 14 Dec, 2017
1 min read

It's been a drama filled week for members of the San Diego City Council both in front of and behind the cameras.

On Tuesday, the council failed to compromise on a framework to regulate the Airbnb business. The finger pointing was harsh and loud, and mostly aimed at Councilman David Alvarez for his change of heart on the issue. Alvarez was one of the signatories in the "Four Council Member" effort to regulate the industry, but on Tuesday decided he wasn't going to support that original plan.

That meant all efforts to establish the framework would be defeated 5-4.

It will likely be months before the council takes up the issue again.

COLE REMOVES REPUBLICANS FROM LEADERSHIP ROLES 

Following the very public collapse of negotiations on the Airbnb issue, comes word that Council President Myrtle Cole has removed Republicans Scott Sherman, Lorie Zapf and Mark Kersey from key leadership positions.

As first reported by David Garrick at the San Diego Union-Tribune, Cole has replaced Sherman as chair of the council’s smart growth committee with Democrat Georgette Gomez. The Council President removed Lorie Zapf as chair of the economic development committee with Democrat Chris Ward, and maybe, most importantly, replaced Republican Mark Kersey as Council President Pro Tem with Democrat Barbara Bry.

Council President Pro Tem is the council's second in command and leads any meetings the council president cannot attend.

Councilman Sherman was completely left out in the cold as he is the only member of the council to not receive a chair position for any committee in 2018. In the UT article Sherman was quoted, “It’s very disappointing and kind of shows the dysfunctionality of this body. If you’re going to give somebody your written word, just stick to it and have some character.”

IVP Donate

You Might Also Like

Hillcrest
'Build, Baby, Build!' is NOT the Answer to Housing Crises
Can San Diego build its way out of its three-part housing crisis – supply, affordability and homelessness? Some of elected officials think so and are leading the charge. I have been in the real estate industry for 50-plus years, and I say they are on the wrong track....
27 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
Isn't It Weird That Congress Feels No Urgency to Re-Open the Government?
The U.S. has entered Day 22 of the latest government shutdown with no end in sight. As pundits expect it to surpass the 35-day record set during Trump’s first term, a new Gallup poll shows voters’ approval of Congress has plummeted in the last month. Yet, for congressional leaders, there isn’t any urgency to re-open the government. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries trade jabs back and forth in the media, but the blame game continues to be prioritized over solutions....
22 Oct, 2025
-
5 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read