In cities across California, there are many more poor people than there are apartments reserved for them. But when cities keep waiting lists for low-income apartments, they usually don’t have a way to make sure those apartments go to the poor people who already live there.
National City just passed an ordinance that would give preference to existing residents when the city builds new, low-income apartments. They hope it’ll keep poor people from getting pushed out of the cities they live in because of increasing housing costs.
“My church fought for 12 years so that those apartments be built there. And it would only be fair if the people of National City who fought for it have a priority,”Carmen Arroyo, a National City resident, told our Maya Srikrishnan.
Sacramento Report: Maienschein on Chronic Homelessness
Assemblyman Brian Maienschein started a program geared at more effectively helping chronic homelessness in San Diego. Now he’s introduced two bills that would help cities across the state pursue some of that program’s most essential elements more easily. In this week’s report on the statehouse, we have a Q-and-A about his bills. Plus, a state bill would force cities to recycle more of their wastewater, and reactions from the local delegation on the state’s new budget.
Podcast: Skepticism and Science
Earlier this year, Scott Lewis had a long conversation with one of San Diego’s most prominent businessmen, who among other things voiced his skepticism of man-made climate change.
Now we’ve got a climate scientist from Scripps Institute of Oceanography on the show to explain the research that has led the overwhelming majority of experts to conclude the earth is getting warmer, humans are contributing to it, and it’s creating major problems for the future of humans living on earth.
Tijuana Shelters Swell With Haitians
KPBS’ Jean Guerrero digs into the immigration chain reaction that is filling up shelters in Tijuana. There are Haitian refugees who settled in Brazil after the earthquake now fleeing to Tijuana in hopes of coming to the United States. Once in Tijuana, they’re meeting other would-be immigrants to America from around the world. “Their children played together as they communicated in a mix of gestures, smiles, French, Spanish and Portuguese,” Guerrero writes.
In Other News
• A court threw out a lawsuit brought by San Diegan Evan Parent that said MillerCoors tricked consumers into thinking Blue Moon was a craft beer. The Judge was none other than Gonzalo Curiel.
• The city finally settled a long-running lawsuit with Kinder Morgan over petroleum products from the company’s gas farm that seeped into the ground underneath the city-owned Qualcomm Stadium. As part of the settlement the company is giving the city $20 million and will pay future clean-up costs.
Last year, Lisa Halverstadt dispelled the recurring myth that the gas plume would deter a future stadium project in the area, if in fact the Chargers and city had agreed to a deal to build one there. She followed up with a Fact Check on Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani’s claim that the plum made a project there impossible. She found it was Huckster Propaganda.
• San Diego’s unemployment rate falls to 4.2%, its lowest level since 2007.
• Fire officials are preparing for a heat wave and possible fires.
Most-Read Stories of the Week
Here’s a link to the list of our 10 most-read pieces of the week. Below is our Top 5.
1. Three Myths About San Diego’s Homeless Population
We’ve all heard tales of the homeless migrating to San Diego or heard someone suggest most homeless people don’t want to leave the streets. None of that is entirely true. (Lisa Halverstadt)
2. All-Star Game Prompted Rocks to Deter Homeless Encampments, Emails Show
City officials said anti-homeless rocks were installed at the request of Sherman Heights residents. Emails show they were added as part of preparations for the All-Star Game at Petco Park. (Kelly Davis)
3. District PIO Drops a Joke on Us We Aren’t Taking
The chief spokesman of San Diego Unified School District made a joke, twice, that we couldn’t laugh off. (Scott Lewis and Sara Libby)
4. Chargers Plan Opponents Pick a Name and Start Fundraising
A new committee called “No Downtown Stadium – Jobs and Streets First” is getting ready to launch a political campaign against the Chargers ballot measure. (Scott Lewis)
5. Yes, Short-Term Vacation Rentals Are Hurting San Diego
Entire-home short-term vacation rentals have become a very real and serious problem in San Diego and elsewhere. Short-term vacation rentals are affecting affordable housing here and in other cities. (Tom Coat)