The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
San Diego doesn’t have many rainy days, but it saves up for them just in case.
That fund, also known as the reserve fund, was pretty pathetic back in 2006, when Mayor Kevin Faulconer took office as a City Council member.
Faulconer said this week that the fund fell to just 3 percent of the city’s day-to-day revenues at that time, but has since climbed to 14 percent.
That’s true, we find in a new Fact Check. The city recently passed new guidelines that require a minimum 14 percent of the day-to-day fund be held in reserves – and so far it’s meeting the goal and even slightly surpassing it.
The Changing Nature of Tijuana’s Violence
It’s a bad year in San Diego if more than 60 people are murdered. In Tijuana, relief comes when the annual number of homicides dip into the triple digits.
But now, for most of Mexico at least, the days of extreme drug violence are on the wane.
David Shirk, a political science professor at USD and co-author of a new report on violence in Tijuana, talked with Randy Dotinga in a new Q-and-A about the evolving nature of killings in the city and why the mayhem hasn’t crossed over to the American side of the border.
Lincoln High Drama Flares Up Again
NBC 7 reported Friday night that San Diego Unified Trustee Marne Foster asked Lincoln High School’s principal Esther Omogbehin to step down from her post. After a closed-door meeting she told community members that she could pick a different job — but she couldn’t stay at Lincoln, according to NBC, citing unnamed sources. As of now, she remains at the helm.
The leadership of Omogbehin, or “Dr. O.” as she’s better known, has been steeped in controversy since she took command of the struggling school in 2012. Under her watch, test scores have remained stagnant and students have fled in mass exodus, leaving some to question whether the $129 million the district sank into the newly constructed campus in 2007 has been squandered.
In October, superintendent Cindy Marten told VOSD, “When we get Lincoln right. We get America right.” (Note to America: It might take a while.)
Good or Bad: Jedd Gyorko Edition
Andrew Keatts made the case earlier this week that the Padres got a great deal on Jedd Gyorko.
But, John Gennaro points out in this week’s Sports Report, not everyone is so enthusiastic: One smart baseball mind “understands signing young players to long-term deals in an attempt to find an affordable superstar, but says that the main reason that big contracts for Cory Luebke, Cameron Maybin and Nick Hundley haven’t worked out is because those players were never superstars-in-the-making, and he feels the same about Gyorko.”
What We Learned This Week
• Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s new budget includes some winners (communities that will see faster responses to emergencies) and losers (City Lab).
• Philanthropists aren’t solely to blame for the big Opera and 2015 meltdowns.
• Schools in middle-class areas have the least money to go around.
• The San Diego Police Department has its work cut out for it.
• Teacher evaluations are shaping up to be a big sticking point in upcoming contract negotiations with San Diego Unified.
• San Diego’s new bus rapid transit line might not be bus rapid transit after all. (The city of Nashville shares our pain.)
•As the SeaWorld debate turns a corner (and our quest wraps up), San Diegans are left with a big question to ponder: The city no doubt benefits from SeaWorld’s financial success and some of its contributions here — but is it worth it?
Quick News Hits
• The nation’s first cross-border airport terminal, connecting to Tijuana, has cleared a big hurdle. (AP)
• A new local think tank devoted to craft beer is on its way, hoping to raise the profile of San Diego breweries. Here’s a refresher on just how much craft beer contributes to the local economy. (San Diego Business Journal)
• The San Diego Opera has postponed its close until “at least” May 19, according to the U-T.
Quote of the Week
“Those idiots!”
– Faye Wilson, San Diego Opera board member and former president, as she left Thursday’s board meeting, according to U-T San Diego.