Big changes are ahead for San Diego’s waterfront.
On this week’s podcast, VOSD’s Sara Libby sits in for Scott Lewis and joins Andrew Keatts for a discussion of the big development decisions under way at the Port of San Diego. Keatts went to this week’s public hearing about the proposals to redevelop Seaport Village, and said both the Port and the public clearly favored one proposal.
The frontrunner is an idea by Protea Waterfront Development that includes a public beach, a 500-foot observation tower, an aquarium, a micro hotel, a youth hostel and more.
Keatts and Libby also discuss an interesting debate that played out between Councilman Chris Cate and Jeff Marston of the Independent Voter Project at a City Council meeting this week.
Cate and Marston sparred over a ballot measure that proposes big changes to the way city elections work.
“This is obviously rushed,” Cate said of the proposal. “Anyone who thinks this is not a political process is either naive or doesn’t understand what is happening right now. … This is politics pure and simple.”
I also sit in Lewis’ seat this week for the second half of the show to talk about VOSD’s latest installment of Meeting of the Minds, where we rounded up some of the city’s arts leaders for a night of presentations about the work they’re doing.
Also on the podcast, Libby and Keatts talk about Proposition 57 and Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s role leading the charge against the measure that, if adopted, would result in one of the biggest changes to sentencing in decades. Plus, Keatts talks to Nicholas McCann, host of VOSD Podcast Network show “The Kept Faith,” about how San Diego handled the All-Star Game.
Hero of the Week
Dalouge Smith, president and CEO of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservancy, gets a nod for his organization’s work expanding music education to Chula Vista and other elementary schools in the region.
Goat of the Week
Former Poway Unified Superintendent John Collins gets goated after he was fired Sunday by the district school board for allegedly taking more than $300,000 in extra pay. Collins’ attorney says they’ll be fighting the claims.