These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of July 30-Aug 5.
1. Exclusive: Padres Chairman Lays Out Concerns with Chargers’ Plans
When the Chamber of Commerce endorsed the Chargers plan for a new stadium in downtown San Diego, one member of its board of directors abstained. We wanted to find out why and ended up with an exclusive interview with Padres Chairman Ron Fowler. (Scott Lewis)
2. When Your Noisy Neighbor Is the United States Military
During the public comment period for the Navy’s new Coastal Campus, Coronado said the community is “already significantly impacted with traffic,” hearing noise from traffic and aircraft, breathing air degraded by soot from trucks and airplanes, and dealing with “ever diminishing access along coastal shorelines.” (Ry Rivard)
3. Meet San Diego’s Craft Beer Attorney (Trademark Pending)
Helping small craft breweries trademark their names or products is a big chunk of Candace Moon’s business. She said the friendly craft beer culture often helps with mediation efforts when conflicts over trademarks come up. Things haven’t gone as smoothly, though, as she fights for her own trademark. (Kinsee Morlan)
4. The Kindergarten Shock
Like with anything in education, equipping more children to enter kindergarten prepared won’t be easy. We could extend transitional kindergarten to all students. We could expand slots for universal preschool and vouchers for good preschools. We could massage the standards. But whatever we do, new parents need to know right away that they must set their kids’ educations in motion from the beginning. (Scott Lewis)
5. San Diego Explained: The Colorado River’s Waning Water
In this week’s San Diego Explained, NBC 7 San Diego’s Monica Dean and Voice of San Diego’s Ry Rivard talk about the Colorado River’s receding waters’ impact on San Diego, and dig into why the region’s water officials aren’t part of the doomsday discussion. (Kinsee Morlan)
6. Climate Plan’s Biggest Booster Threatens to Sue to Enforce It
One of the authors of the city’s Climate Action Plan says four new community plans would let emissions increase, even while claiming to be consistent with the city’s mandate to slash emissions. (Andrew Keatts)
7. District Banking on $20M Charter School Building Paying Off in the Long Run
This week, the San Diego Unified school board approved $20 million in bond money so Innovations Academy, a charter school in Scripps Ranch, can build a new school. Many parents and residents and Scripps Ranch opposed the school board’s decision because it means the district is one step closer to building an apartment complex on the land where Innovations Academy currently sits. (Mario Koran)
8. The Drought’s Water-Rate Paradox
At least two local agencies that plan to cut rates are walking a fine line: They are cutting prices because they expect demand to go up. At the same time, they are still talking about the importance of conserving water. But too much conservation means sales won’t rebound and water agencies might have to raise rates again. (Ry Rivard)
9. The Locals Are Getting Restless With State Housing Laws
In response to state laws, cities are pursuing contradictory local initiatives that put them “between the devil and the deep blue sea.” (Maya Srikrishnan)
10. VOSD Podcast: The Conservative Case Against a Downtown Stadium
City Councilman Chris Cate joined the podcast this week to talk about why he opposes the Chargers’ plan for a downtown stadium. (Kinsee Morlan)