Sacramento’s been watching San Diego, and it likes what it sees – at least when it comes to Joint Power Agreements, dockside fisherman’s markets and widespread voting-by-mail.
In this week’s Sacramento Report, Sara Libby rounds up a just-signed law and a couple bills that were inspired by programs here in San Diego. It was a busy week, with lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown hustling to turn dozens of measures into laws. Check out which bills from San Diego legislators got the A-OK.
• Somehow on top of all that bill-signing, Brown also managed to grace us with two rhetorical gems this week. First, there was the bizarre press conference where Brown referred to his leadership as “brooding omnipresence.”
Then on Friday, the internet leapt on another soundbite where Brown said of Hillary Clinton’s email troubles, “It’s almost like a vampire.” And just before that: “You know, an email is just an utterance in digital form. But it has some kind of dark energy that gets everybody excited.” (The Hill)
Burned one too many times by an accidental reply-all, Jer?
Tricky Wording and the Ethics of Polls
Which stadium polls can you trust? We’ve had a rash of them lately, from the Lincoln Club-financed survey carried out by Competitive Edge Research, and the Chargers’ own commissioned polls. As you might imagine, their results were pretty different.
That’s due in large part to the different wording of the respective polls’ questions, Competitive Edge president John Nienstedt told us on the podcast. Listen to the show for more on the particulars of polling, and what he thinks in general of the Chargers’ surveying efforts.
Our Point on Disputed Police Shooting Video
Earlier this week, VOSD, the Union-Tribune, 10News, inewsource and KPBS filed a motion to compel release of a video that shows an SDPD officer killing an unarmed man, which was captured by a nearby security camera. The Union-Tribune made the case for releasing it here. That provoked a response from District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.
Dumanis argues that it would be wrong for her, the city or police to release the video and that the California Public Records Act gives them the expressed right to withhold evidence in a criminal investigation.
Maybe, but check out the actual motion. As Scott Lewis explains on social media, we’re not asking the police to hand over the video – we’re asking the judge to let the family release the video, as it wants to. The family has a First Amendment right to publish information and so do we. Thus, we’re asking the judge to reconsider a decision to restrict that.
Quick News Hits
• Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, who’s running for the U.S. Senate, is getting a lukewarm reception from other Republicans, namely the Contra Costa County Republican Party. (Political Blotter)
• Environmental groups took to the shore to protest the “85/15 Plan,” the developer Caruso Affiliated’s proposal to build an upscale shopping center near Carlsbad’s wetlands. The Carlsbad City Council will take up the proposal on Tuesday. (KPBS)
Earlier, Maya Srikrishnan dug into Caruso’s plan to sidestep CEQA, the state’s environmental law, to get the mall built faster.
• Wondering how to abide by the California Energy Commission’s new conservation standards for showerheads? Check out the Union-Tribune’s guide to compliant fixtures.
• It’s a reliable pattern, says the Union-Tribune’s Steven Greenhut: Introduce new technology, and watch the privacy concerns crop up. Now drones are the questionable tech du jour, and California’s wrestling with what rules to impose.
Keep in mind the drone industry’s got a sizable presence in San Diego. Here’s what we learned about it during our quest series last year.
• Hoover High in City Heights has added a wellness center to appropriately handle trauma in students. This comes as a class action lawsuit in the L.A. area heats up: A judge began hearing the case this week of Compton students who said they’ve been punished too often for behavior caused by the trauma of growing up in a violent neighborhood. (Speak City Heights)
• If you aren’t already a regular user, find an excuse to take the Green Line trolley Monday. That’s when MTS launches a pilot program to offer video-on-demand services for riders’ smartphones, laptops and tablets. (City News Service)
• The San Diego Police Department’s been working for some time to recruit a more diverse force. Now KPBS reports the next SDPD Academy class will be 65 percent “minorities” and women.
Top Stories: Aug. 15-21
These were the stories Voice of San Diego readers ate up this week.
1. Developer Won’t Take No for an Answer on Massive Lilac Hills Ranch Project
2. The Deal With All Those Other Comic-Cons
3. Footage Witness: SDPD Officer Shot Unarmed Man ‘Hastily’ and With No Provocation
4. City Clears a Path for Airbnb
5. San Diego Unified Uses Facial Recognition Software, Too
Check out the rest of the week’s most-read stories here.
One More Thing
This is my last Morning Report, as Friday was my last day at Voice of San Diego. I’m heading to Washington, D.C., to be a senior associate editor at The Atlantic. Here is a GIF I made for you while working on this here Morning Report inside VOSD’s go-to meeting room at the San Diego Foundation, lovingly called “the cave.” It’s been real, San Diego!