Tentative deal struck between Mayor Bob Filner, San Diego

Embattled San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has reached a tentative settlement agreement with foes that could lead to his departure from the office, lawyers said. The tentative agreement reached Wednesday concerns a lawsuit filed against Filner and the city by a former mayoral aide who accused Filner of sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances, U-T San Diego reported. Lawyers for Filner and the city had been mediating for three days in sessions overseen by retired U.S. District Judge J. Lawrence Irving when they announced a deal was struck. The San Diego City Council was scheduled to consider the proposal Friday in closed session. City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said no details would be made public until after the hearing. "The city council has not heard of this proposal and our process at City Hall as well as the mediation process requires that we maintain the confidentiality of the proposal until they have heard of it," Goldsmith said. "This is the process we follow. Any rumors you hear about the proposal you may deem to be untrue because the people standing here are the ones who know of it and we have all committed to Judge Irving that we will maintain the confidentiality of the mediation." Filner has been under fire for more than a month after allegations surfaced he repeatedly sexually harassed women and made unwanted sexual advances. While nearly 20 women have leveled various accusations, the most serious was from Irene McCormack Jackson, the mayor's one-time communications director who sued for sexual harassment. Filner's resignation is a key requirement for McCormack Jackson. One hang-up in the negotiations had been how much taxpayers would have to pay for his alleged misdeeds, leading to the inclusion of Council President Todd Gloria and Councilman Kevin Faulconer in the discussions, U-T San Diego said. The proposal reportedly centers on Filner's liabilities in exchange for his resignation, U-T San Diego said, adding it was unclear if financial demands from Jackson would be resolved with the pending proposal or handled separately. If Filner resigns, a special election would be held within 90 days. U-T San Diego said several high-profile candidates are considered contenders, including Gloria, Goldsmith, Faulconer, former council member Carl DeMaio, former state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher and former state Sen. Christine Kehoe.