The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Mar. 19-Mar. 25.
1. The Chargers Are Readying Their Own Convadium Tax Hike — But the Mayor’s Not on Board
The Chargers have spent the week furiously trying to put together an initiative that would raise the hotel-room tax to fund construction of a new convention center and stadium. A big wrench has come into play: a bombshell court decision that would lower the bar for stadium measures to a simple majority vote. (Scott Lewis)
2. Dem Leader: Party Faces ‘Stealth GOP Takeover’ Bid
A confidential memo obtained by Voice of San Diego alerts Democratic Party insiders that Anthony Bernal, who’s running to represent District 3 on the San Diego City Council, was actually a stalking horse for the Republican Party. Another threat facing local Dems, according to the memo: Mitt Romney. (Andrew Keatts)
3. ‘You Can’t Arrest Your Way Out of a Problem’
San Diego County’s new probation chief says his focus has always been on “intervention and prevention before suppression and enforcement.” (Kelly Davis)
4. San Diego Decides: The District 9 Divide
Zooming in on the races for mayor, city attorney and District 9. (Colin Thomson)
5. Parents Just as Wary of Neighborhood Schools as They Were Five Years Ago, New Study Shows
A new study shows 42 percent of parents across San Diego Unified choose to send their kids to schools outside their neighborhoods. That’s about the same percentage of students as 2011, when the district made neighborhood schools its No. 1 priority. To reverse the trend, the school board is looking to spend bond money building new schools, renovating old ones and adding more online courses. (Mario Koran)
6. Lilac Hills Initiative Includes Several ‘Get Out of Lawsuit Free’ Cards for Developer
With its decision to have voters weigh in on Lilac Hills Ranch, a sprawling housing project in Valley Center, the project’s developers don’t just see a more viable path to approval – they also see a way around many of the issues that have long dogged the project. (Maya Srikrishnan)
7. Deteriorating Buildings Just Sexy Enough to Fund Other School Needs
The district’s facilities chief and Scott Barnett, the former school bond trustee and a big backer of Proposition Z, defend the district’s use of bond money for items like technology and new stadiums over repairs to school buildings. “There are never press conferences or ribbon-cuttings for new roofs or parking-lot repaving,” Barnett said. (Scott Lewis)
8. What SeaWorld’s Big Shift Means for Its San Diego Park
SeaWorld has agreed to end its orca breeding program, and theatrical shows that feature the whales. (Lisa Halverstadt)
9. Undeterred, Lawmakers Revive Failed Bills for a Second (or Third, or Fourth) Try
Bringing failed legislation back year after year isn’t uncommon, but it takes a good strategy to do it successfully. Legislators say it often involves a tricky mix of persistence, flexibility and personality. (Anita Chabria)
10. Look at Your Tent Cities, San Diego
Homeless tents and encampments are cropping up across the region, making it hard to ignore San Diego’s homeless problem. (Lisa Halverstadt)