Josie Flores-Clark is no stranger to controversy in National City governance.
Nearly 20 years ago, Flores-Clark came under fire when she was allowed to work as Mayor Ron Morrison’s assistant while also holding a job at a towing company that contracted with the city. Facing allegations of a conflict of interest, she resigned from the towing business after Morrison created a higher-paying position and promoted her.
Fast forward to the present, where Morrison is serving a new term as mayor and Clark remains his executive assistant. A similar situation unfolded at last week’s City Council meeting when Councilmember Jose Rodriguez and several of the public questioned whether Morrison and Flores-Clark wrongfully influenced a controversial development project.
Those allegations — including suggestions of financial favors and kickbacks, which Morrison and Flores-Clark deny — were the latest political and legal disputes that have left City Hall in a state of disarray.
Controversial project
It’s been three months since developer Adeeb Brikho withdrew his proposal to turn a long-vacant lot in Lincoln Acres into a mixed-use development. But the project was again at the center of last week’s nearly five-hour contentious meeting and a lawsuit filed in January.
The proposed development would have turned five lots along Sweetwater Road, between Olive and Orange Streets and just south of La Vista Memorial Park and Cemetery, into a gas station, an automated car wash, a convenience store, a drive-through restaurant and a five-unit apartment building.
City staff had recommended approval. But Planning Commissioners rejected the proposal on Dec. 2 after public concerns were raised that the large development would worsen traffic congestion, among other issues. The City Council was expected to rubber-stamp the Commission’s denial a week later, but the project was removed from the agenda after the developer withdrew the proposal.
Many still question whether Morrison and Flores-Clark played any role in the city staff’s recommendation to the Planning Commission.
Morrison and Flores-Clark have repeatedly rejected the accusations and said the issue must be dropped because the project is no longer moving forward.
Micaela Polanco, president of the La Vista Memorial Park and Cemetery, isn’t willing to let it go. She worries the developer, who declined to comment on the matter, could propose another project in the future.
She filed a lawsuit in January against the city, seeking city records, such as communications between Brikho, Flores-Clark and other city officials. The goal, according to the lawsuit: “to understand if proponents of the Project provided personal financial favors to (Flores-Clark), who subsequently engaged in communications with National City Planning staff regarding the Project’s approval.”
At last week’s City Council meeting, the accusations against the mayor and his assistant mounted.
Michael Aguirre, Polanco’s lawyer and a former San Diego city attorney, asked Morrison during public comment about any potential undue influence while pointing at a large photo he brought of Flores-Clark meeting with Planning staff.
Rodriguez, who unsuccessfully tried to form an oversight committee to investigate the lawsuit, also challenged Morrison in open session. He asked if Morrison and his assistant “asked for the proposal to be modified” or whether he was aware that Flores-Clark set up a meeting with the developer and owners of the La Vista Memorial Park and Cemetery. The developer and cemetery owners had discussed the possibility of Brikho offering discounted gas for cemetery vehicles, discounted alcohol for cemetery events and a monument sign for the property in exchange for Polanco’s of the mixed-use project. Polanco said the deal wasn’t struck because she ultimately opposed the project that many in the community believed would be a nuisance.
Morrison said he was aware of the offers to cemetery owners. But he refuted all other accusations, saying that meetings with his office were simply informative about the application process, which is permitted.
“I will say unequivocally: we did not approach this project any different than we have dozens and dozens and dozens of other projects and developments that come before us,” said Morrison.
At the same Council meeting, Polanco accused Flores-Clark of a separate issue. She alleged that Flores-Clark sought several thousand dollars as a kickback regarding a burial for a family member at La Vista Memorial Park and Cemetery.
Flores-Clark said Friday that Polanco’s claims about her were false.
“If they had evidence, they would have already provided it,” she said. Referring to the lawsuit, she added: “They’re not going to find anything because we didn’t do anything out of the ordinary for this project that we didn’t do for any other project.”
City Attorney Barry Schultz backed up the mayor, saying that based on “everything that I know, there was no undue influence.” He insisted that the project, though ambitious and with numerous conditions required by staff, went through a typical approval process without any “financial favors.”
“I don’t know how much more we have to do to satisfy you and I know that we’re not going to, but I must say if you’re going to have objections let’s be truthful about it,” said Schultz.
Aguirre said he and his client would like officials to adopt a policy that would help prevent any undue influence from elected officials on future proposals brought before the city.
