The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
There are heat maps and time goals, and there’s something called MARVLIS – but ultimately, what makes San Diego’s fleet of ambulances fan out across the city to places they’ll be needed most in a major emergency comes down to a guy and a computer.
Liam Dillon explains San Diego’s so-called ambulance algorithm, and how it changes from day to day or even hour to hour.
Second-Busiest Rail Corridor? Yep.
SANDAG recently called the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor the second-busiest in the nation.
Turns out it’s true, Lisa Halverstadt finds in a new Fact Check. The line, served by Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, doesn’t get nearly the ridership of America’s busiest rail corridor, which serves D.C., New York and Boston, but it’s busier than corridors serving Oakland to Sacramento, Harrisburg, Pa. to Philadelphia to New York and others.
App-reciating the Affordable Care Act
Megan Burks has been unraveling some complicated questions about the implementation of Obamacare in a series called Second Opinion. Now, she’s unveiled another tool to help you understand the new law, with the help of KPBS and USC’s Center for Health Reporting.
It’s a simple, click-through guide that points you toward what you need to do as an individual, family or business under the law.
The Balboa Park Makeover: Questions and Answers
The battle royale over the future of Balboa Park is over, for now. So how are things going after former Mayor Bob Filner implemented a new vision for the park? Randy Dotinga answers in an FAQ on the park: Great (for a tiny museum that’s literally having the time of its life), OK (for museums as a whole) and not too well (for the disabled in particular).
What We Learned This Week
Infrastructure looms large: Readers weighed in on what they want to see tackled in the mayor’s race, and infrastructure topped the list, along with the city budget. It was also the issue San Diego County Taxpayers Association President Felipe Monroig emphasized most in an op-ed on the next mayor’s top priorities.
Barrio Logan is in for a change: It will be more of a slow, seismic shift than an overnight transformation, but Barrio Logan’s new community plan update envisions a separation between residents and the maritime industry. Here’s a look at what happens next.
Faulconer and voters lined up on city issues: Voters have agreed with Councilman Kevin Faulconer when he’s endorsed citywide ballot issues. When he’s voted on what direction San Diego voters should take on statewide ballot measures, however, he’s parted with voters a couple of times. We fleshed out the details in a Fact Check.
Convention Center growth faces a hurdle soon: The state Coastal Commission will either approve the Convention Center project or force supporters back to the drawing board next month. We broke down who supports an expansion, where the money would come from, where the Chargers land and more.
• Interim mayor Todd Gloria met with the Chargers this week to flesh out their concerns about the Convention Center plans. Both sides said the meeting went well, but, as KPBS reports: “Gloria said the city’s convention center plan has been publicly vetted and is ready for construction, while the Chargers’ plan doesn’t have specifics.”
Quick News Hits
• Mike Aguirre, the former city attorney who’s running for mayor, won’t accept donations to his campaign more than $250 each, “to keep his campaign free of special interests and big money,” reports the U-T.
• The Los Angeles Times follows a group of San Diego-born sextuplets, now 9 and living in Mexico with their mother. The story delves into the kids’ struggles of being separated from their father, who’s stayed behind in the San Diego area, where he can make more money to provide for the family.
Quote of the Week
“We’re happy they’re being paid to be here, just like you get paid when you vote, or go to jury duty.” – Maritime industry spokesman Chris Wahl, on the fact that maritime industry employees at Tuesday’s Barrio Logan hearing were being paid for their time to attend.