Welcome to the new Survival in San Diego.
For the last four years, my colleague Kelly Bennett has used this blog to help you understand what it takes to survive here — whether that meant bringing clarity to the often confusing world of the housing market, keeping you updated on trends in the local economy, or captivating you with the personal sagas of people fighting to receive social services.
But starting this week, my talented colleague is taking on new responsibilities here leading our new and exciting arts coverage. So she’s passing the Survival torch on to me. And I’m humbled.
You may remember me from my previous gig over at the Pounding the Pavement blog, where I brought you stories and snippets of everyday life from San Diego’s neighborhoods.
I’ve written about the struggles of communities across the region, the challenges facing immigrant and refugee populations, and the street-level stories of people and places of San Diego.
We got to thinking, and we realized that many of those stories, too, were about surviving here — that they intertwined intimately with the coverage that Kelly provided in these pages.
And so, in this blog I hope to merge the best of both worlds: to write about how things like the housing market, jobs, the local economy and redevelopment efforts affect the everyday lives of San Diegans across the region. My coverage will be less number and data heavy, though I’ll still check in on things like the monthly economic figures. It will also focus on what those lives being impacted look like. It’ll include the personal, neighborhood stories of everyday people and the things they do to make a living and to improve their communities. You’ll find slices of life here.
San Diego is rich with diversity — of people, culture, language, income, and personal experience. And whether you live in La Jolla or Barrio Logan; are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist or another religion; speak English or Tagalog; or are San Diego-born or an immigrant, we all have a stake here. We’re all trying to make it.
At the heart of this blog’s coverage I hope to convey through reporting and storytelling the personal neighborhood tales that will help us all better understand the place we all share, and the challenges that we all, as neighbors, face in trying to make it here, and to make here better.
Please contact Adrian Florido directly at adrian.florido@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0528. Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/adrianflorido.