These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of May 7-May 13.
1. School District Offers Money to Parent of Bullied Students – If She Keeps Quiet and Sends Her Kids Away
Shelly Monroe submitted a complaint to the Santee School District, saying her children were racially harassed and asking the district to bus her children to San Diego. At first, the district told her there were no available funds to meet her demand, she said. But once her story got out, the district offered to compensate Monroe to drive the kids out of town for school. (Rachel Evans)
2. San Diego’s Parklet Problem
They’ve exploded in popularity in cities across the globe, but San Diego has mostly missed the parklet party. The city’s built just two since it launched a parklet pilot program in 2013. (Kinsee Morlan)
3. Mayor Still Mum, But Conservative Allies Move to Crush Downtown Stadium Plans
If you were wondering whether the city’s coalition of conservative business groups was open to supporting the Chargers’ plan for a new convadium in East Village, wonder no longer. (Scott Lewis)
4. Everything We Know About the Climate Action Plan Could Be Wrong
Mara Elliott, a candidate for city attorney, says the Climate Action Plan can’t be enforced until the City Council begins adopting laws around it. Under Elliott’s interpretation, each action the city takes to cut greenhouse gases would become law and would be a requirement — but the plan itself is just a guide. That’s a big departure from the popular understanding of the plan. (Andrew Keatts)
5. Opinion: Chargers’ Plan Puts San Diego Tourism Economy at Risk
Under the Chargers’ stadium plan, San Diego taxpayers would be forced to backfill shortfalls, and the Chargers’ decision to tie its tax plan to our tourism economy makes us vulnerable. (Ray Ellis)
6. Fact Check: San Diego’s Empty Homeless Shelter Beds
City Council candidate Chris Ward claimed 1,500 available beds went unused during last year’s homeless count. But the numbers he’s citing oversimplify the situation. (Lisa Halverstadt)
7. Culture Report: The North Park Building Where You Can Eat, Mingle, Create and Vote
A Port official has a bright idea to fund a lighting project for the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, a new vision for a Normal Street park, a developer sees potential in Tijuana’s Estacion Federal buildings and more in our weekly roundup of arts and culture news. (Kinsee Morlan)
8. What a Business Tycoon Told the Mayor About San Diego’s Climate Plan (Hint: Not Good Things!)
Peter Farrell is a colorful, smart and very conservative scientist and businessman, and he sat down with Scott Lewis for an interview that sometimes seemed more like an argument. (Scott Lewis)
9. Opinion: Citizens’ Plan Is the Only Convention Center Expansion Blueprint That Actually Has a Shot
The Citizens’ Plan provides a path for financing the expansion – paid for by the hotels that will benefit from it – and building it downtown, where it will have maximum positive impact on continued redevelopment of the East Village. (Barbara Bry)
10. Opinion: San Diego’s Undemocratic Primaries Are Ripe for Reworking
Doesn’t a primary election imply that a general election is to follow? So how does the city get away with telling its voters that the first stage of the election, the citywide primary, may not really be a primary at all? (Jeff Marston)