The settlement includes a paragraph that declares that Elliott has given written and verbal advice to the Council to reject the agreement.

Emails from 2016 show City efforts to raise the value of a building by signing a 20-year deal and the former City Attorney focuses attention on current City Attorney Mara Elliott as the final backstop for the now-crumbling deal.

City leaders were warned the fire systems were not operable, but City staff then misrepresented the building status to the press, the public, and even the San Diego Ethics Commission.

Someone has to demand truthful answers and offer a clear path forward that protects taxpayers from losing money on a flawed real estate deal with a dubious history and uncertain future.

Jason Hughes deserves the beating he’s now taking for playing both sides of the deal, but we should follow the rope back to see who is really behind the cheap entertainment.

A credible investigation into the origins of the 101 Ash deal and the financial advantages taken by a few insiders is much needed without political undertones.

Final stage of the cover-up is near with the help of the one person that was supposed to stop them in the first place.

Criminal investigators should be combing through the complex details of who knew what when.

The protections of the 1st Amendment are powerful, but not sacrosanct. We must stand up, together, to protect each other.

Maybe, just maybe, Elliott shouldn’t be anywhere near any of these investigations so that the truth can finally be revealed. Just sayin’.

The City Attorney’s office has been part of the culture of downtown power deals at the expense of the taxpayers of San Diego.