Volume 2, Issue 7 — August 2026

Cracking Down on Illegal Kratom Sales Across Eleven San Diego Smoke Shops

We have filed a civil enforcement action against the operator of eleven San Diego smoke shops for the illegal sale of kratom products, which the City banned in 2016. City investigators visited all eleven locations and were sold kratom at every one. The products were displayed openly on the sales floor, with signs advertising them in several storefront windows.

These are not harmless herbal supplements. The FDA has found that prolonged use of 7-OH, kratom's concentrated form, can lead to physical dependence and potentially opioid addiction. The CDC has reported a 1,200 percent increase in kratom-related poison center reports over the last decade. The San Diego County Medical Examiner has identified 38 kratom-related deaths in the county since 2021.

The lawsuit seeks a court order permanently halting these sales, civil penalties of up to $2,500 for each violation at each location and recovery of the City's investigative costs.

Renewed State Funding for Workers' Rights Enforcement

Wage theft is one of the largest form of theft in the country, an estimated $15 billion a year nationally, more than robbery, embezzlement, and fraud combined. It falls hardest on the workers least able to absorb the loss.

I'm glad to share that the state budget agreement includes $9 million in ongoing annual funding to continue the Workers' Rights Enforcement Grant Program, which gives local prosecutors the resources to investigate wage theft, recover stolen wages, and hold bad actors accountable. Over its first two years, the program helped return tens of millions of dollars to workers. It was set to expire without this renewed investment.

As vice-chair of the Civil Prosecutors Coalition, I helped lead this effort alongside the California Federation of Labor Unions and city attorneys, district attorneys, and county counsels across California.

Thank you to Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher of the California Federation of Labor Unions, Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab, Assemblymember Liz Ortega, Senator Laura Richardson, Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, the Legislature, and Governor Gavin Newsom for standing up for California's workers.

Shutting Down an Illegal Construction Operation in Otay Mesa

Our office has filed a civil enforcement action against Abd Mahmoud Jahshan, Nunc Coepi LLC, and PAL General Engineering Inc. for operating an unpermitted paving and construction business on an undeveloped industrial lot in Otay Mesa since at least February 2022.

The site accumulated unpermitted trailers, RVs, a septic tank, and cargo containers, along with a fence blocking public access to Harvest Road. Despite City orders and administrative penalties now totaling more than $132,000, the defendants have refused to comply and continue operating illegally from the site.

The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order, permanent injunctions to halt operations, civil penalties of up to $2,500 per day for each violation, and recovery of all outstanding penalties and costs owed to taxpayers.

Joint Enforcement Operation with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

Our office joined the California Attorney General's Office and our San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force partners in a recent enforcement operation focused on the demand side of trafficking.

The demand for commercial sex is what makes trafficking profitable, and in the City of San Diego, buyers will be held accountable. My office has filed 81 cases against sex buyers so far this year, leveraging state law that now targets buyers directly.

Accountability is only half the job. Our office operates the San Diego Family Justice Center, Your Safe Place, where survivors of trafficking can get help at no cost. I'm grateful to Attorney General Bonta and our Task Force partners for this collaboration.

If you or someone you know is a victim, the San Diego Family Justice Center, Your Safe Place, provides free, confidential support services and can be reached at 619-533-6000.

Building Connections and Sharing Impact

Joining Neighbors Across the City for National Night Out

Our office was well represented at National Night Out, taking part in five events across the city. Held on the first Tuesday of every August, National Night Out brings neighbors together with the officers and organizations that serve them.

It was a valuable opportunity to meet with residents, connect with local partners, and stand alongside the law enforcement officers who serve San Diego every day. Public safety depends on the relationships built between neighbors, community organizations, and the agencies that serve them, and evenings like this strengthened those connections.

Thank you to SDPD and the community partners who put these events together, and to everyone who came out. We look forward to next year!

Honoring Law Enforcement at the Scottish Rite Awards

I attended the 32nd Annual Scottish Rite Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award Ceremony, where 15 officers from departments across San Diego County were honored for their service.

Hosted by the Scottish Rite Valley of San Diego since 1992, the program asks each agency to nominate the officer whose work over the past year most stood out. Honorees this year came from municipal police departments, the Sheriff's Department, and specialized agencies including the Harbor Police, the California Highway Patrol, and school and college district police.

Our office works alongside these agencies every day, on impaired driving cases, human trafficking operations, code enforcement, and much else. Seeing their people recognized for the work they do on behalf of our communities is meaningful.

Congratulations to this year's honorees!

Our Chief Deputy City Attorney, Kathy Steinman, joined The Legal Geeks on stage at Comic-Con International for a panel examining the law of Spider-Noir. The Legal Geeks are a long-running group of practicing attorneys and judges who apply real legal analysis to fictional cases, and their panels have been a fixture of Comic-Con and WonderCon for more than a decade.

Set in Depression-era New York, Spider-Noir turns out to raise more legal questions than the genre usually answers. The panel took up organized crime, vigilantism, war crimes, and Prohibition violations, along with what the actual rules are for private eyes fighting crime, which offenses carry the harshest penalties, and how real-world law applies in the black-and-white world of Marvel.

Superheroes operate under more legal constraints than most readers assume, and the audience came prepared with questions of their own. Trench coats and fedoras were optional, but highly encouraged!

Thank you to everyone who came out, to The Legal Geeks for putting the panel together, and to the fellow panelists who made it such a fun hour!

Team Spotlight

Apply today to join the San Diego City Attorney’s Office and be part of the work to protect the health, safety, and well-being of San Diegans. View our available opportunities below!

Assistant City Attorney (Civil Litigation Division)

Assistant City Attorney (Civil Advisory Division)

Rotating Legal Internship Program - Summer 2027 (paid)