Some addenda on the Union-Tribune story
A couple of notes I couldn’t fit into my story on the U-T this week:
• I asked Braun what exactly his duties would be as Director of Special Projects, and he passed the question on to Mayor Jerry Sanders spokesperson Darren Pudgil. Here’s the answer, from an email: “Gerry will be involved in a wide variety of issues. He will assist and advise in the framing of policy matters, including water conservation and reliability, disaster preparedness and other issues requiring public outreach. He will also work with city staff to identify internal roadblocks and assist in developing solutions.”
I also asked what Braun would prioritize in his early days on the job. Pudgil wrote: “Given that we are entering fire season, Gerry will likely focus first and foremost on public outreach efforts related to disaster preparedness, including fire safety measures such as the need for homeowners to clear brush away from their homes.”
• Someone wrote to me after reading my story to remark that there are now more former U-T reporters working in City Hall than covering it. Is that right? Here are the ones I can think of at City Hall, and their bosses: Gerry Braun (Sanders), Rachel Laing (Sanders, though she did other PR work between the U-T and City Hall), Mark Sauer (Councilmember Donna Frye), Chet Barfield (Frye), and Craig Rose (City Attorney Mike Aguirre). There may be others I don’t know, but that’s five.
Then I started looking through old U-Ts to see who’s covering City Hall. Matt Hall and Ronald Powell for sure. Hall is based on the 13th floor, and Powell seems to be on the Aguirre beat. Then Jennifer Vigil and Craig Gustafson each had City Hall stories recently, though both seem to have broader portfolios. Naturally other reporters on other beats occasionally involve the mayor or city council (e.g. Helen Gao has been covering SEDC while Jeanette Steele covers Downtown, CCDC, and Balboa Park). So that means two for sure, two maybes, and some incidentals. Seems like my emailer might be right. Anyone out there want to correct me?
