The current San Diego corruption trial starring council members Michael Zucchet and Ralph Inzunza has all the makings of a hit primetime television miniseries. Complete with alleged dirty politicians, FBI wiretaps, strippers and shady Las Vegas types – you’d think you were watching one of the many “Law and Order” spin-offs. Throw in that one of the politicians on trial is the deputy mayor, who begins trial at roughly the same time the current mayor submitted his resignation…. What? A little too over the top? Well, that may be true, but unfortunately this isn’t television; its reality.

We’ve briefly mentioned in previous editorials just how absurd Michael Zucchet’s refusal to relinquish the title of deputy mayor is. Fortifying the analogy between City Hall and a circus, Zucchet is set to take over as ringmaster, smack-dab in the middle of his public corruption trail, when Dick Murphy steps down July 15. Currently facing multiple felony counts, even if Zucchet opts to forego his responsibilities as interim mayor when the time comes, the nation will have been ringside – making San Diego’s already sordid reputation primetime, with headlines appearing next to the likes of the Michael Jackson trial.

Not everyone is disagreeing with Zucchet, however. In the May monthly newsletter, Political Voice issued by the San Diego Democratic Club, SDDC President Steven Whitburn actually eggs Zucchet on, calling the city’s concern as simply “politically motivated alarmism,” and even gives him props for, “standing tough.” And, while we can’t disagree with Whitburn’s “innocent until proven guilty” argument, we wholeheartedly disagree with his belief that outsiders won’t take notice that our impending interim mayor is currently on trial for extortion etc. while acting as a steward for our financially mismanaged city. And the melodrama will only continue as the trial unfolds with sensational headlines and unneeded sound bites peppering papers and airwaves across the country.

For the good of the city, Zucchet needs to step aside and allow an alternative council member to act in his place. His motives are selfish and self-serving. How can San Diego begin to restore confidence if it remains the running joke? Each member of the council, and the mayor, say they are working to turn this city around. It is their duty to step up to the plate and pressure Zucchet to concede.