These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Aug 20-Aug 26.
1. What I Learned Helping My Sister Use California’s New Law to End Her Life
Less than two months after the state’s new aid-in-dying measure went into effect, my sister used the law to obtain a lethal dose of drugs. “I’d rather be free than entombed in my body,” she told me. (Kelly Davis)
2. I’m a Young Techie. Here’s What San Diego Needs to Do to Keep Me.
Please don’t make me work in Sorrento Valley. (Alexander Bakst)
3. Another Principal Problem, Another ‘Special Assignment’ at San Diego Unified
A San Diego Unified investigation found Serra High’s principal might have lied about his credentials. Instead of dismissing the principal, the district moved him to a “special assignment” position – a lateral move that allows him to keep his $143,000 yearly salary. At least 13 principals have been moved to similar roles, some after experiencing problems. (Mario Koran)
4. Museum of Contemporary Art to Cut Jobs, Close La Jolla Campus Ahead of Expansion
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is eliminating eight full-time positions and 20 part-time positions, and closing its La Jolla campus beginning in January. The layoffs come in anticipation of the museum’s big expansion, which will triple the exhibition space of the La Jolla location. (Kinsee Morlan)
5. SDPD Officer Faced No Discipline or Internal Affairs Interviews After Controversial Shooting
Because California has one of the strictest laws in the nation when it comes to when details on officer discipline must be made public, civil lawsuits like the one filed against San Diego Police Officer Browder represent the rare instance when the public can see how – or if – the department is punishing or otherwise addressing officer behavior. (Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby)
6. Without a Safe Place to Park, Those Living in Their Cars Are Stuck in Neutral
This year’s annual homeless census found nearly 1,850 people sleeping in cars, RVs or other vehicles across the county, more than double the total in 2015. (Lisa Halverstadt)
7. San Diego’s Housing Ladder Is Losing Its Bottom Rung
A San Diego ordinance says property owners can’t convert or tear down an SRO without agreeing to replace the lost units and pay each long-term tenant two months’ rent to cover relocation costs. But owners of 22 downtown SROs, representing more than 2,100 units, successfully applied for an exemption from the 2004 law. Of those, nearly half no longer exist. (Kelly Davis)
8. Fact Check: Will a Sales Tax Hike Relieve Traffic Congestion?
The San Diego Association of Governments hasn’t been shy about touting the benefits county residents will feel if they pass its proposed ballot measure in November. One of the proposal’s major selling points is that the projects the measure would fund will relieve traffic congestion. We found SANDAG thinks of traffic relief differently than a typical commuter might. (Maya Srikrishnan)
9. Fiesta Island Now a Homeless, RV Haven
A new law banning oversized vehicles from parking overnight on city streets might have fueled the creation of an unauthorized campground in Mission Bay. People who live in cars and recreational vehicles have increasingly settled on Fiesta Island. Now the city’s stepping up enforcement. (Lisa Halverstadt)
10. The Generational Divide Over Myrtle Cole’s Racial Profiling Remarks
In the weeks since District 4 City Councilwoman Myrtle Cole said black-on-black crime justified racial profiling by law enforcement, a split has emerged in the community. Younger advocates have called for her resignation, while established community leaders have urged reconciliation. (Rachel Evans)