Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre has contained his bombastic tendencies as he rehabilitates his image in the mayoral race. But he could not hold back when discussing perhaps the biggest development controversy running in San Diego: the One Paseo project in Carmel Valley.
Put simply, if they build it, Aguirre warned that people were going to die. He told the Torrey Pines Community Planning Group to go to war against the project. Also to put a football helmet on. Yes, Aguirre is still Aguirre.
The Big Affordable Housing Fee Hike Explained
Andrew Keatts teamed up with NBC 7 San Diego to explain the affordable housing fee, née linkage fee, in the latest edition of San Diego Explained.
What We Learned This Week
• “This year, 44.5 percent of students in the San Diego Unified School District – a total of 58,060 – are attending a school other than the one designated as their home school. That’s up from 33.1 percent from those who chose a non-neighborhood school during the 2004-05 school year.”
• San Diego Unified is also dealing with a bait-and-switch problem. It says it will do some things with its tax increases and bonds, but then does other things. A court case puts that flexibility into question. And it might change the way they pitch these deals to the public.
• We got a commentary on school bonds from the Taxpayers Association. We’re still in danger of some of the exotic lending practices we focused on last year.
• It’s back. The city of San Diego is facing some big deficits if it follows through on some of the commitments leaders seem to be making.
• It’s David Alvarez’s signature policy accomplishment, a new law that would supposedly hold banks accountable for foreclosed homes and prevent blight in neighborhoods. It charges banks a fee to maintain a database in the city of foreclosed homes. But a year after the Property Value Protection Ordinance was implemented, officials can’t point to any impact or properties improved because of it.
• We put together easy-to-digest reader’s guides on Nathan Fletcher, Kevin Faulconer, David Alvarez and Mike Aguirre. If either Alvarez or Faulconer wins, the City Council will appoint a temporary replacement for the open Council seat. Things got testy this week.
• Why the shipbuilders are still collecting signatures even after collecting enough signatures to push a referendum on the new Barrio Logan community plan.
Quick News Hits
• A mysterious barge has attracted attention in San Francisco. Reporters tracked it to Google but nobody knows what it’s doing. Now, the U-T’s found it might be headed here.
• Ever heard of the Sun Belt? The Atlantic Cities says San Diego is in the government employment belt.
Quote of the Week
“The very engaged parents are tending to opt out of the neighborhood schools. They are making the choice to have their kids go someplace else.”
— Richard Barrera, school board member.