“There’s been a violation of the law in the way this project was handled,” Hueso said in an interview before the hearing. The Watchdog report revealed not just the timing of the approvals, but also the apparent requirement that no exterior changes be made to the old farmer’s market on the site - which was substantially altered during construction.
The store, now under construction at Imperial Avenue and 21st Street, is to open early next year. Hueso should spend more time auditing his own state departments instead of ours,” Sanders spokesman Darren Pudgil said by email, referring to the recent discovery of unaccounted for state money. “Given the hundreds of millions of dollars that are magically appearing in Sacramento these days, perhaps Mr. The mayor’s office says there is no connection between donations and market approval, and says the store will provide much-needed jobs and shopping options for the area. The probe was requested in June by Assemblyman Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, three days after The Watchdog highlighted $45,000 in campaign contributions to Mayor Jerry Sanders’ pension overhaul ballot measure - half as permit approval started, and half when it was complete. The probe, which will be broadened in scope to include other applications since 2010, will cost taxpayers $274,000 and take 2,746 staff hours to complete, according to State Auditor Elaine Howle. A state panel Wednesday approved an independent investigation into whether San Diego violated planning laws and was influenced by campaign contributions when issuing permits for a Walmart neighborhood grocery.