These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Nov. 26-Dec. 2.
1. Liquor Licenses Have Become Gold in Pacific Beach, Causing Fights Among Tenants and Landlords
A de facto cap on new liquor licenses in Pacific Beach has made the ones that exist extremely valuable. They’re selling for as $1 million and are having a dramatic effect on property values and tenant-landlord relationships. (Jonah Valdez)
2. The Demise of Beachtown BBQ and the Fight for Liquor Permits in PB
In May of this year, owners of a Pacific Beach restaurant decided to rebrand their business, changing its name. By October, the restaurant faced an eviction notice. But the name-change row might have been just a side drama. The closure is another consequence of the skyrocketing value of liquor licenses in Pacific Beach. (Jonah Valdez)
3. SANDAG Nears Deal to Develop Clairemont Trolley Station Site After Threatening to Seize Property
Protea Properties is optimistic it’s reached a deal with SANDAG to build roughly 40 condos, retail space and commuter parking for a new trolley station on three and a half acres at Clairemont Drive, on the new $2.1 billion Mid-Coast Trolley line set to open in 2021. The agency had held the threat of eminent domain over the developer’s head for months. (Andrew Keatts)
4. Homelessness Is Exploding Downtown: What We Know (and Don’t) About Why
By all measures, homelessness is spiking and tent cities downtown are proliferating. (Lisa Halverstadt)
5. What Gaspar’s Win Means for the County Board of Supervisors
The Board of Supervisors will again be composed entirely of Republicans. Supervisor-elect Kristin Gaspar’s stances on housing and growth were difficult to discern. While mayor of Encinitas, she opposed many developments but she was also supported in the campaign by many builders. Democrats still believe a majority on the board is in the offing. (Maya Srikrishnan)
6. Downtown Hoteliers Fear Homelessness Could Hurt Business
Downtown hoteliers worry growing street homelessness could hamper local tourism, and they’ve taken their message to the mayor. (Lisa Halverstadt)
7. San Diego Explained: Real Problems With Artificial Turf
Over the last decade, more than 20 taxpayer-funded artificial turf fields in San Diego County have fallen apart before their warranties expired. (Kinsee Morlan)
8. City Heights Liquor License Fight Reveals Blurry Line Between Community Concerns and Business Interests
City Heights residents are never happy about alcohol permits being approved in their neighborhood, but one has sparked a whole new level of pushback. The man leading the charge against a proposed 7-11’s alcohol permit owns a competing business nearby. The new permit would come with a number of restrictions intended to ease community concerns, but community members are unmoved. (Maya Srikrishnan)
9. School District Retroactively OK’d More Than $200K for Foster Investigation
When the San Diego Unified school board opened an investigation into then-trustee Marne Foster, it capped the cost of the probe at $40,000. In the end, the district never made the report public — but it paid $228,000 for the effort. (Mario Koran)
10. The Case for Fact-Checkers in a ‘Post-Truth World’
Before I start, here’s what you need to know about me: You know that person at the party who corrects everyone? The know-it-all nobody really wants to talk to, because they start every sentence with “Actually … ”? (Brooke Binkowski)