The Morning Report
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I’m what you might call a news junkie. A politico. Also, a person who gets paid to follow, write, edit and produce news for a living.
But when I went to assign reporters to various measures for our big reader’s guide to the many local ballot measures facing voters this November, I found myself saying, “Wait, what is that measure? And that one?” There was a lot that was completely unfamiliar. It’s a daunting ballot, no matter how closely you follow this stuff.
You’ve probably heard about the two stadium-related measures, one being pushed by the Chargers and one from attorney Cory Briggs that would remake the city’s hotel tax system. But how much do you know about Measure F, which deals with the probationary period for deputy city attorneys? Or Measure H, which addresses changes to the city’s purchasing and contracting department?
We’ve got you covered. And on top of having this straightforward guide to the 14 local measures (that’s when you combine countywide measures and those in the city of San Diego), you’ve also got two months to study up.
Everyone’s Begging the Mayor to Have an Opinion
Last week on the VOSD podcast, Scott Lewis and Andy Keatts debuted a new segment called Faulconer Watch, a weekly check-in on whether Mayor Kevin Faulconer has articulated a position on the Chargers’ stadium plan — you know, the biggest decision facing the city at the moment, and something you might expect its leader to voice an opinion on.
Turns out Scott and Andy aren’t the only ones on the edges of their seats.
Some of the biggest names in city politics, many of them supporters of Faulconer, are ratcheting up the pressure for him to weigh in.
A number of San Diego business and political leaders released a letter to the mayor urging him to oppose the stadium, including Irwin Jacobs, Manpower CEO Phil Blair, San Diego County Taxpayers Association CEO Haney Hong, former San Diego EDC CEO Julie Meier Wright, Tourism Authority CEO Joe Terzi and others. They cite the many unknowns within the Chargers’ ballot measure and distaste for “(subsidizing) a billionaire team owner.”
The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, run by former Mayor Jerry Sanders, a big Faulconer ally, has already endorsed Measure C.
No, Homeless Folks Don’t Flock Here for the Weather
It’s something you’ll often hear people say with an air of authority: San Diego has lots of homeless people because they come here for the weather and the beaches.
The problem is there’s not really any proof this is true.
In a new analysis for the Union-Tribune, Dan McSwain examines the San Diego-is-a-sunny-homeless-magnet theory.
“If perfect climate is drawing misery to our streets, there are no fundamental social policy failures to fix. Bus tickets, backed by jail terms, would suffice. … Even basic logic doesn’t quite explain the recent, alarming increase. San Diego has been sunny and mild for thousands of years,” he writes.
Back in June, Lisa Halverstadt called the idea that homeless people flock here from other cities for the sunny weather to be one of the biggest and most persistent myths about San Diego’s homeless population:
The Regional Task Force on the Homeless … estimated that 70 percent of San Diego’s unsheltered homeless population became homeless in San Diego and that just 24 percent became homeless elsewhere before coming here.
Dolores Diaz, who leads the Task Force, has noted that migration within San Diego – particularly, to downtown San Diego – is far more common.
Quick News Hits
• Two bodies found in the surf near Border Field State Park “may have floated up to Imperial Beach from south of the border,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. (NBC San Diego)
• Starting Tuesday, Stone Brewing will have a new CEO. KPBS spoke with longtime CEO Greg Koch about the transition. Koch will now be focusing “on the art, taste, color and layers that make a beer Stone.”
• Rep. Darrell Issa is among several members of the House who “routinely violate a Defense Department ethics policy that regulates how they can use their experience in uniform when campaigning for office.” Candidates are supposed to include a disclosure on their campaign websites clarifying that they’re not endorsed by the armed forces if they include references to their service or photos of themselves in uniform. Issa has not included the disclosure on his campaign site or in mailers. (Union-Tribune)