Gov. Jerry Brown’s “Local Control” school funding scheme is headed for San Diego schools, but Christie Ritter wondered how we’ll be able to tell if local control translates into local success.
“Community members [can] monitor the district’s progress through a formal plan with specific annual goals for student performance,” she wrote. That formal plan is different for each district, and San Diego Unified is holding a series of community forums to hammer out the details by July 1. Some very powerful local groups are getting ready to have their voices heard.
Candidates Face Youth Interrogators
Leave it to the young’ns to put the hard questions to mayoral candidates who venture through their neighborhood. Candidates Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez took questions from young panelists at a Saturday debate, and the questions quickly got specific.
How can people from underserved communities get a better chance to compete for jobs? Why are there so many liquor stores, and so little fresh food in certain neighborhoods? “Teens and young adults from City Heights helped shape the questions,” reported Megan Burks. “They focused on crime, bullying and neighborhood resources.”
Gatekeeper or Concierge?
Mid-city youths weren’t the only ones able to extract specifics from the candidates recently. KPBS published the candidates’ responses to 11 questions centered around open government and the free-flow of information from City Hall.
Alvarez even addressed a question that referenced our story calling out both candidates for failing to follow public records laws. For his part, Faulconer didn’t respond directly to the question’s accusation that he had failed to follow the law. Unsurprisingly, neither candidate was interested in offering their opinion of what should become of National Security Agency whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
How to Investigate Shenanigans
If you’ve got some time and an internet connection, inewsource can show you how to investigate illegal campaign contributions right from the comfort of your own couch. They published a step-by-step guide on how many of the facts around the illegal donations scandal were found. Todd Gloria sat down with KPBS on Monday to talk about the scandal, and other issues facing our city.
U-T San Diego noted that “committees under [District Attorney Bonnie] Dumanis’ direct control” received over $13,000 from people now entangled in the corruption case, money which hasn’t been returned. The money was donated to the now-closed campaign, Dumanis said, so there’s no money to give back, in her opinion.
News Nibbles
• The Sacramento Bee wrote up a broad profile of Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, who is set to take over the role of California Assembly Speaker. In it, Jerry Sanders credits Atkins for helping him famously change his mind on opposition to same-sex marriage.
• An agreed-upon delay in the due process lawsuit against former Mayor Bob Filner by Irene McCormack indicates the lawsuit may be headed toward a settlement.
• San Diego gangs are increasingly turning to sex trafficking as their most lucrative form of crime.
• The family of late football star Junior Seau say the proposed $765 million settlement of player concussion claims won’t pay wrongful death claims to survivors, so they plan to object to the whole agreement.
Return of the Air Show
We’re on track to see the return of the Miramar air show after it was cancelled, and then restarted, and then cancelled again in 2013. The air show will return in 2014 with at least three jet teams and lots of other hardware on display, including the first opportunity San Diegans will have to see the F-35B “Joint Strike Fighter,” a $196 million next-generation airplane capable of both traditional and vertical takeoffs (which it isn’t expected to demonstrate at the show).
At that price, you could put more than 150 Voice of San Diego’s in that plane before you reached expense parity. But I’m not sure even 1 of us would volunteer to get in.