Its goal is the same — find homes for transients — but the federal government doesn’t want to spend money on the homeless in the same way as before. Out: Temporary shelter. In: Permanent homes.
As VOSD’s Lisa Halverstadt reports, local non-profits that support the homeless are feeling the heat. “Many nonprofits are rushing to create programs so they don’t lose money as the federal government moves toward funding permanent housing efforts that experts have declared most effective,” she writes.
Not everyone thinks the new priorities are right, but the story also garnered some comments that said, essentially, the organizations should want to shift.
“We should all want to use evidence-based practices to end homelessness,” wrote philanthropist Michael McConnell who runs the Twitter and Facebook feeds, HomelessNewsSD.
Solana Beach Main Event: Views vs. Cheaper Housing
Solana Beach may be one of the tiniest and richest cities in the county, but it still has to comply with state law requiring more housing for poor people. Here’s the problem: Residents treasure their views — even though they’re not exactly stunning in many cases — and they don’t want new buildings in the way.
VOSD’s Maya Srikrishnan digs into the debate. “We understand that California wants to have affordable housing,” says one resident. “But is shoehorning these developments into neighborhoods the way to do it?”
• For more news from parts north, check out the latest edition of VOSD’s weekly North County Report, which highlights what a dramatic week it was in North County school districts.
Politics Roundup: Won’t Anyone Pay Attention to Him?
• Civic San Diego has approved the Manchester Pacific Gateway/Navy Broadway project, and demolition is supposedly going to begin soon. (Daily Transcript)
• A local assemblyman is running for U.S. Senate, but his political party doesn’t seem to care, and he’s just about had it. (Sacramento Bee)
As Law Kicks in, a Death Is Planned
KPBS profiles a local woman who is terminally ill and wants to use the state’s new assisted suicide law — effective Jan. 1 — to choose the time of her death so she can avoid feeding tubes and the loss of control of her body: “I think it’s just humane. We help our animals out when they suffer. Why don’t we allow the same for ourselves? And I know that they’re worried about abuse. But the way that this is written is, like, you have to say it. Personally, you have to say that this is what you want. That you totally understand it.”
The woman’s doctor has agreed to help.
Animal Shelter Kills Treatable Cats
The U-T finds that the county animal shelter has killed cats with medical conditions that could be treated, in some cases because there wasn’t room for them and in others because they couldn’t be isolated due to contagious illnesses. The U-T says it’s been hearing from many shelter employees who say hundreds of dogs and cats have been wrongly put to death; the county says this is incorrect.
• Warm ocean waters could be sending whales into fishing nets along the coast. (AP)
Feds Raid Card Rooms
“Federal officials raided two card rooms in San Diego County and issued arrest warrants for 25 people in connection with an alleged conspiracy to launder millions in profits from high-stakes poker games,” NBC 7 reports.
The card rooms are on El Cajon Boulevard and in Chula Vista; the feds seized “more than $600,000 in player accounts and bank accounts.” A man nicknamed “Fat Dave” allegedly laundered money from high-stakes games.
Civic Dialogue Hits a New High
The local Twitter cognoscenti was appalled by a U-T poll that suggested more than half of San Diegans think Donald Trump is on to something when he advocates banning Muslims from entering the country.
One of those was listening to Carl DeMaio’s radio show Wednesday when the former City Councilman turned talk host discussed the issue (3:40). The caller went further, though, and said President Obama was himself a member of ISIS and a Muslim who was importing terrorists to the United States “by the boatload.” DeMaio thanked her and said “I don’t know if he’s Muslim.”
Can’t Keep The Koala Down
The Koala, an exuberantly offensive campus publication at UC San Diego, has aggravated students and administrators for decades. But it’s always gotten the last laugh, and the current fracas over its future doesn’t seem likely to change things.
In a bid to neuter the Koala, the student body leadership just cut funding for it and other student publications. The Koala, however, is finding money elsewhere and apparently will keep publishing.
Yard House Shut Down
The restaurant the Yard House, a staple of downtown insiders, is closed forever.
The building experienced an unfortunate event last month, which 10News revealed with revolting detail. Not only is the restaurant closed but residents who lived above it are displaced. You don’t want to be anywhere near food when watching this story, folks.
Quick News Hits: Ups and Downs with Jenny Craig
• The due date for the city’s first housing project for poor LGBT seniors: 2017. (U-T)
• My, Normal Heights, what big street markings you have!
• You can exercise the “What is that?” part of your brain by checking these photos of a Qualcomm co-founder’s Rancho Santa Fe mansion, now on sale for $60 million. Is that a sculpture by the pool or a giant pair of swim goggles? Maybe both. (LA Times)
• We’ve got more on the Lifestyles of the Rich & Really, Really Rich with a look inside the $15 million mansion of another local big wheel.
Nice elevator, Jenny Craig! The bench, dog painting and antler wallpaper really bring the (extremely tiny) room together.
Randy Dotinga is a freelance contributor to Voice of San Diego and national president of the 1,200-member American Society of Journalists and Authors (asja.org). Please contact him directly at randydotinga@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/rdotinga.