Last month, the executive assistant to the mayor of National City filed a claim against the city where she has worked for nearly two decades.

The 73-page claim, filed Aug. 26 by Josie Flores Clark, tells a sprawling and at times lurid story of harassment, retaliation and defamation by a wide range of city employees, elected officials and local businesspeople.

It wasn’t the first time this year someone prominent in National City politics took legal action against the small, industrial, portside city.

Judging by recent events, it probably won’t be the last.

For the past year, National City Hall has been consumed by a bitter feud between some of the city’s most powerful elected officials and businesspeople.

The feud began as a run-of-the-mill land-use dispute and has since spiraled into

See Full Page