It turns out it’s not all that easy to get voters to OK a bajillion-dollar to-do list that would fund sexy items like shoreline preservation and habitat conservation.
That’s the dilemma SANDAG has been facing for several years now.
It said it would float a measure before voters in 2008. Then in 2010. Then in 2012. Now, it’s eyeing 2016, Andrew Keatts reports. It wants to tackle several environmental projects that could top $33 billion over 40 years.
But the group says it won’t put something on the ballot to get the funding rolling unless it thinks it can really win – and that’s a tall order.
A Guide to the County Supervisors Race
Bill Horn and Ron Roberts have four decades on the County Board of Supervisors between them, and they’re trying to keep the streak alive by running for re-election this June.
Only Horn has a real race in front of him, up against challenger Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood.
Ari Bloomekatz has you covered with everything you need to know about the races (and his first VOSD byline!), including the big cash disparity between Horn and Wood, and the district’s changing demographics.
City to Clairemont: Just Kidding
Planning Director Bill Fulton backed off a plan to raise the 30-foot limit on building height next to the future site of a trolley station in Clairemont after residents mobilized against the idea, Andrew Keatts reports.
In a memo Wednesday, Fulton said his department would alter its plans for the area around the planned station, which is part of a $1.7 billion project to extend the trolley from Old Town to La Jolla.
Councilman Ed Harris, and the two women running to represent District 2, Councilwoman Lorie Zapf and Sarah Boot, all said they didn’t think the limit should be raised.
Spouting Off on SeaWorld
We’re pumped to wrap up our SeaWorld quest with an event where we’ll talk more about the park’s impact on San Diego’s economy, and how “Blackfish” might affect its future.
Bonus: A representative from SeaWorld has signed on to be part of the panel, which will also include a key “Blackfish” consultant and a UCSD professor who literally wrote the book on SeaWorld’s local impact.
Mark your calendar for the first week of June.
What to Expect from the Mid-City Rapid
Some business weren’t too thrilled about the original plans for the new Mid-City Rapid bus, which debuts in August. Their opposition scaled back some of the plans – making the bus less, well, rapid.
Catherine Garcia and Andrew Keatts explain what makes the Rapid different from other city buses, and why the end product isn’t as ambitious as what planners originally envisioned in the latest San Diego Explained video.
Quick News Hits
• The show will go on at the Ken Cinema. (U-T San Diego)
• Only 48 percent of San Diego County baseball fans root for the Padres, according to this nifty New York Times tool. The Dodgers get 9 percent of San Diego support. But the Padres’ number isn’t as bad as you might think: Only 53 percent of Angelenos root for the Dodgers.
• The website for DecoBike San Diego, the company rolling out San Diego’s bike-share program, is up and running with a map of stations.