SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Good morning, San Diego!
We’re leading this Tuesday with Team 10’s exclusive investigation into a confidential workplace probe involving San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl that cost taxpayers over $37,000. Additionally, we share the latest on the trade truce between the world's top economies, and we provide a preview of Chula Vista's agreement with Caltrans to clean up homeless encampments affecting freeways.
Here's your 10News Wake Up Call newsletter for Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025:
TODAY'S TOP STORY:
The City of San Diego hired a San Francisco law firm to conduct a confidential investigation into workplace allegations made against Police Chief Scott Wahl, Team 10 has learned.
WATCH: Team 10 investigator Austin Grabish digs into the case to find out why the city hired the firm to investigate Chief Scott Wahl
Police sources told Team 10 the investigation was launched earlier this year.
Invoices obtained by Team 10 reveal taxpayers spent $37,400.92 on legal fees charged by the Renne Public Law Group.
In July, Team 10 submitted a public records request to the city, asking for all invoices from outside law firms hired to conduct workplace investigations into allegations made against Wahl in 2024 and 2025.
The invoices show investigators with the firm were paid $300-$450 an hour and started their “fact-finding” work back in January.
Nothing in the documents suggests any wrongdoing on Wahl’s part. The police chief was sworn in last June.
The police department has refused to disclose what allegations were made against the leader, who has been with the force since 1998.
Dave Rolland, a spokesperson for Mayor Todd Gloria, said the mayor has “full confidence” in Wahl.
He refused to say what prompted the city to hire the law firm. “As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on internal personnel issues.”
The invoices obtained by Team 10 show that at the end of April, the law firm billed the city for legal support expenses, including proofreading, edits and comments related to a “report.”
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
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Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
(AP) — President Donald Trump extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days Monday, at least delaying once again a dangerous showdown between the world’s two biggest economies.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he signed the executive order for the extension, and that “all other elements of the Agreement will remain the same.” Beijing at the same time also announced the extension of the tariff pause via the official news agency Xinhua.
The previous deadline was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Had that happened the U.S. could have ratcheted up taxes on Chinese imports from an already high 30%, and Beijing could have responded by raising retaliatory levies on U.S. exports to China.
The pause buys time for the two countries to work out some of their differences, perhaps clearing the way for a summit later this year between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and it has been welcomed by the U.S. companies doing business with China.
It’s unclear whether Washington and Beijing can reach a grand bargain over America’s biggest grievances. Among these are lax Chinese protection of intellectual property rights and Beijing’s subsidies and other industrial policies that, the Americans say, give Chinese firms an unfair advantage in world markets and have contributed to a massive U.S. trade deficit with China of $262 billion last year.
- FULL STORY: U.S. and China extend trade truce another 90 days, easing tension between world's largest economies
CONSUMER:
Better Business Bureau consumer reporter Joe Ducey gives you tips on how to avoid pitfalls when it comes to reselling your timeshare. The BBB's ScamTracker has documented numerous complaints in which owners are paying thousands of dollars in upfront fees with no results.
If you need assistance in exiting your timeshare, find more information from the American Resort Development Association here. You can find reviews of timeshare resellers on the BBB's website.
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
Chula Vista Mayor John McCann is set to announce a potential agreement with Caltrans to clear homeless encampments along major freeways in the city.
The proposed deal would target areas along Interstate 5, Interstate 805, and State Route 54, mirroring a similar agreement Caltrans made with the city of San Diego in July ahead of Comic-Con.
McCann will provide details about the city's efforts to address homelessness near freeway areas during a press conference scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The announcement comes as more California cities are partnering with Caltrans to address encampments on state-owned land near transportation corridors.
ABC 10News continues to monitor the state and local municipalities' enforcement against encampments; in the summer of 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered state agencies to start removing homeless encampments on state land following a Supreme Court ruling that allowed cities to enforce bans on sleeping outside in public spaces.
Mayor McCann has credited Chula Vista's encampment ban, enacted in Oct. 2024, for the 7% reduction in homelessness the city saw in the most recent Point-in-Time Count. In his state of the city address from May, McCann said a dual-pronged approach of services and accountability is the key to tackling the homelessness issue.
"We went ahead and made sure that we created a 65-unit bridge shelter that would provide wrap-around services, but we also did the opposite, or the other side, making sure that we're holding people accountable," McCann said. "We're gonna allow you to get help and get services, but if you're not gonna accept those services, we can't have you out on the streets."
CONTINUING COVERAGE:
- Chula Vista City Council approves homeless encampment ban
- Mayor John McCann's State of the City address previews bold plans for Chula Vista
- Gov. Newsom orders California state agencies to crack down and clear homeless encampments
- Agreement allows San Diego to clear homeless encampments along downtown freeways
- San Diego leaders weigh in on Supreme Court's homelessness ruling
- Local state senator making push to speed up homeless encampment removals on state highways & roads
- Unhoused and local advocate speak on Newsom's push for statewide encampment ban
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