These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Jan. 21-Jan. 27.
1. Is San Diego a Sanctuary City and What Does That Even Mean?
There’s no one policy or criteria that makes a place a sanctuary city. Yet two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on Wednesday — including one that would crack down on sanctuary cities — could impact the city of San Diego, the county and the state bigly. (Sara Libby)
2. Lincoln High’s Middle College Program Takes Another Disastrous Turn
The last semester of Lincoln High School’s Middle College program was so plagued with problems it ended with school district officials brokering a deal with the San Diego Community College District to withdraw dozens of students in order to avoid Fs on their transcripts. (Mario Koran)
3. The Only Consistency to Padres’ Uniforms Is Inconsistency
While Padres fans wait for the new tradition of winning to take hold, they need something to identify with. And, when you can’t recognize the players on the field, it’d certainly be nice to recognize the team. (Dallas McLaughlin)
4. Despite Reforms, City and County Pension Funds Are Billions Short
The latest shortfalls mark new troubling heights for each pension fund, surpassing levels that rocked the city during the pension scandal of the early 2000s. (Ashly McGlone)
5. Why I Left San Diego’s Art Scene Behind
Between the unsustainably low prices, the lack of any attempt to sell the work and endless opportunities to work for free, there’s little hope for an emerging artist to succeed on any sort of financial level in San Diego. (John Raymond Mireles)
6. Housing, Soccer, Housing and More Ideas for the Qualcomm Stadium Site
A new proposal for the Qualcomm Stadium site includes a $200 million stadium, a river park, student housing and more. It’s unclear whether San Diegans will get to weigh in with a public vote, but there’s no shortage of opinions about how this should play out. We asked local urban planners, architects and community members what they want to see happen to the site. (Voice of San Diego)
7. Is the Drought Over? Depends on Which One We’re Talking About
It’s still too soon to know if the drought is truly over. We can’t predict the future, for one thing. Nor can we agree on what is meant by “drought.” President-elect Donald Trump, the California Department of Water Resources, the U.S. Drought Monitor and some top climate scientists all have different definitions. (Ry Rivard)
8. Spanos Isn’t Selling the Chargers and the Team’s Not Moving Back
Some keep holding onto glimmers of hope that the Chargers will come back to San Diego under new ownership. But there are policies and other complicating factors in place to prevent that from happening. (Beau Lynott)
9. San Diego Unified’s Looming Budget Cuts Now Top $124 Million
Despite warnings from San Diego Unified’s new CFO Patricia Koch last month, some board members held out hope a growing economy would send more money their way. That didn’t happen, and now at least $124.4 million must be cut from the district’s budget. (Ashly McGlone)
10. VOSD Podcast: Padres Boss on the Vacuum the Chargers Left and East Village’s Future
In a refreshingly candid interview, Ron Fowler, executive chairman of the group that owns the San Diego Padres, fielded all sorts of big questions. (Kinsee Morlan)