These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Apr. 2-Apr.8.
1. Opinion: The Chargers’ Plan Asks Too Much of Taxpayers
The Chargers are asking us to increase the tax paid by visitors while spending less money persuading them to come here. (Chris Cate)
2. San Diego Politicos Pan Chargers’ Convadium Plan
Things seemed to be falling into a place for a downtown convadium. Then the Chargers released their funding plan, and local politicos didn’t have a kind word to say about it. (Lisa Halverstadt and Andrew Keatts)
3. A Hotel Tax Hike Has Been in the Chargers’ Playbook for a Long Time
The gulf between what the Chargers are willing to spend on a stadium, and what San Diego politicians seem willing to contribute, proved too big to bridge. (Scott Lewis)
4. SD Police Hoping to Rehire Retirees — and It Could Save the Chief’s Job Too
A wave of retirements is expected from the San Diego Police Department and Chief Shelley Zimmerman is among them. She’ll be forced out of her job in 2018 unless something changes. (Andrew Keatts)
5. San Diego Explained: Homeless Camp Clean-Ups
The growing downtown homeless population – and increased real estate developments downtown – have prompted a rise in complaints with the city’s environmental services department about trash, abandoned items and waste near increasingly-common homeless encampments. (Lina Chankar)
6. Culture Report: Keeping Convoy Culinary and Cultural
Chula Vista’s Third Avenue gets a makeover, Zaha Hadid’s La Jolla design still in the works and more in our weekly roundup of arts and culture news. (Kinsee Morlan)
7. The Guys Who Want to Rep Downtown Don’t Want a Downtown Convadium
City Council contenders Anthony Bernal and Chris Ward believe an East Village stadium would eliminate promising possibilities for valuable downtown plots and rob the city of resources they think should go elsewhere. (Lisa Halverstadt)
8. One Paseo May Have to Skip Planning Commission Vote
One Paseo, a project that has seen more than its share of strange twists, is facing one more. (Andrew Keatts)
9. Despite Loss in Court, Water Supplier Still Sticking San Diego With Big Bills
A judge determined the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was charging San Diego too much to deliver water to San Diego from the Colorado River. But San Diego will be asked to keep paying the improper rates, as Metropolitan is appealing the ruling and refusing to change the prices in the meantime. (Ry Rivard)
10. Labor’s Kasparian Takes Issue with Dem Chair Divulging Details of Meeting
On last week’s podcast, Francine Busby, chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party gave a candid description of what happened in a very important recent meeting where they party decided on endorsements. Mickey Kasparian, president of the local United Food and Commercial Workers and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, said it was too candid and she was wrong. (Scott Lewis)