Liam Dillon did something new this year with the mayor’s State of the City speech. Using a program called Genius, Dillon annotated the mayor’s full speech.
Check it out. You can click on highlighted sections to see background, context, fact-checking and links to go deeper. It’s a great feature and I’m glad they got it to work.
For instance, the mayor said Thursday night that the city had last year changed the way it addressed homelessness. Dillon explains what he meant and linked to this.
KPBS has a good follow-up on the veteran homelessness issues Faulconer discussed. And Michael McConnell, a local homeless advocate, wrote an op-ed for us on how San Diego can stop getting in its own way following Faulconer’s pledges to end veteran homelessness.
Joel Anderson, Unlikely Feminist
Republican State Sen. Joel Anderson isn’t particularly known for his passion for feminist issues but he took some interesting stands this week, as Anita Chabria details in the Sacramento Report. Anderson said he threw his support behind a bill to eliminate sales taxes on feminine hygiene products precisely because he knew it would be an uncomfortable subject.
Meanwhile, Chabria describes the countdown to the end of Assemblywoman Toni Atkins’ term as speaker. She joined her successor to call for gun-control measures this week.
Podcast: Chargers and Zapf
Andrew Keatts and I broke down the big news from the NFL meetings this week in the Voice of San Diego podcast before inviting on San Diego City Councilwoman Lorie Zapf. She explained her challenge trying to make folks happy with the vacation rental dilemma and how much harder it is to represent the coastal neighborhoods compared with her old district, now represented mostly by Councilman Chris Cate.
Zapf also may have let slip some news about whether she will pursue another term in a couple years.
Mayor and Spanos Speak
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Chargers owner Dean Spanos apparently didn’t say much in their conversation Thursday night. The mayor asked if Spanos would meet and Spanos said he had a lot to think about and he’d be in touch.
Exciting!
While the mayor waits, Spanos is reportedly meeting with Rams owner Stan Kroenke next week.
Meanwhile, the newly dubbed Los Angeles Rams held a public forum of sorts with the mayor of Inglewood and Kroenke, who teared up. Such an emotional roller coaster it is being a merciless sports titan.
They’re going to start ticket sales soon. There were some murmurs (not the good kind) when they mentioned the Chargers might join them. The New York Times weighed in on the big questions the Raiders and Chargers face.
The L.A. Times’ Michael Hiltzik called the whole NFL to L.A. saga a “long con” and cited some of our calculations about Qualcomm Stadium’s debt and expense.
Most-Read Stories of the Week
Our list of the 10 most-read VOSD stories of the week is here. Below are the Top 5:
1. San Diego Tried to Beat the Chargers at the NFL Game and Lost
The Chargers might not be good at football, but we should have known this wasn’t a game we could beat them at. (Scott Lewis)
2. Without the Chargers, Qualcomm Stadium Will Still Be a Money Pit
It costs money to keep Qualcomm functioning with or without the Chargers. (Liam Dillon)
3. Chargers Got L.A. But May Not Want It — Here’s What Happens Now
Here are the major questions that arose from the anti-climatic, incomplete resolution of the drama of the Chargers’ bid to move to Los Angeles. (Liam Dillon)
4. Why San Diego Hasn’t Ended Veteran Homelessness Even Though Others Have
Recently, major metros have declared victory over a seemingly intractable problem. Here are three reasons San Diego continues to lag behind. (Lisa Halverstadt)
5. For a Defeat, Things Worked Out Pretty Well for Chargers Owner
San Diego officials are practically begging Dean Spanos to demand more concessions from them. He has a ticket to the newest, best football stadium ever built in the second largest market in the country and an extra $100 million to make a deal here. (Scott Lewis)