CITY HALL: Mayor says sequestration would be “terrible” for San Diego

(CNS) – Two days before a deadline for an agreement that would prevent automatic federal spending cuts, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner said sequestration would be “terrible to San Diego.”

During an informal get-together with the media, the former 10-term congressman said there was still time to reach a deal to prevent the reductions.

“I know how Congress works — it's still not one minute 'til midnight of the final day, so don't prejudge,” Filner said.

National news outlets have reported that President Barack Obama will meet on Friday with Republican House Speaker John Boehner, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

According to Filner, some people on both sides of the aisle see the budget cuts as a good thing, but most in Congress don't want to see them happen.

The Friday deadline was set at the end of last year as part of a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff.”

According to the mayor, major shipyards NASSCO and BAE have issued notices of pending layoffs should the cuts be implemented. He said that if no agreement is reached by Friday and the cuts are implemented, they could be short-term and reversed quickly.

“I've gone through this a lot of times in 20 years, and somehow, in the last second, they kick it down the road, reach a compromise,” Filner said of his ex-colleagues.