The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
VOSD’s debuting a new feature known as Storyboard, which features stories from teachers, parents, students and experts that offer insight on ways improve the education system for multilingual families and students learning English. Mario Koran explained the effort here.
Our first passage comes from VOSD contributor Jocelyn Moran, an SDSU journalism student. She opens up about feeling forced to abandon the Spanish language her family members spoke, in order to succeed in school and the conflict she still feels about later being enrolled in a wealthier, mostly-white school that paved the way for her success.
“A child should not have to choose to give up either a proper education or their identity, and a parent shouldn’t have to choose that for their child either,” Moran writes.
Sacramento Report: Big Questions on Hueso’s Deportation Bill
San Diego Sen. Ben Hueso’s attempt to offer legal counsel to immigrants facing deportation got lots of attention this week as California ramps up its battle against President Donald Trump’s policies.
Sara Libby details the outstanding questions on Hueso’s proposal, which the senator hopes will be fast-tracked to address what he believes will be an urgent need under Trump.
Also in the Sacramento Report: The lowdown on Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to bolster cross-border relations, Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s visit to an SDSU class on the Voting Rights Act and many more statehouse news nuggets.
Good Schools for All: The Deal on DeVos
U.S. senators are expected to decide next week whether Trump nominee Betsy DeVos, a school choice advocate, will become the nation’s next education secretary.
And Trump’s DeVos pick has left parents in California and elsewhere with lots of questions about what her appointment could mean for public and charter schools.
Good Schools for All cohosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn tackled DeVos’ record and chatted with Miles Durfee of the California Charter School Association about the latest debates on the charter school front in this week’s podcast.
VOSD Podcast: New Stadium Game?
Weeks after our painful breakup with Chargers football, San Diego’s already thinking about another sport.
An investment group is pitching a joint-use soccer and San Diego State football stadium surrounded by an entertainment district, housing and a new riverfront park.
Yet co-hosts Lewis and Andrew Keatts are urging caution. In this week’s podcast, the duo covers what the city and taxpayers should be watching for and take some input from Mike Stone, a key player in the investment group pushing the MLS stadium development.
The Travails of Tourism
Outgoing San Diego International Airport CEO Thella Bowens is making headlines on her way out.
Inewsource and CBS 8 found Bowens racked up more than $340,000 traveling to nearly two-dozen countries during her six-year tenure, a figure that far outpaces colleagues at other West Coast airports.
The Airport Authority argues those trips, which were paid for with airport funds, were crucial given the local business community’s interest in drawing more nonstop international flights.
In a coincidence of timing, the Times of San Diego reports Bowens was honored at the Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner Thursday night for “transforming the airport into an international gateway.”
• The San Diego Tourism Authority went public Friday with its concern that President Donald Trump’s travel ban could hurt local tourism.
• Cabbies who packed a Thursday Airport Authority meeting hoping to persuade the board to allow more of them to ferry riders walked away disappointed, Speak City Heights reports.
Quick News Hits
• Mayor Kevin Faulconer has declared a state of emergency following recent storms, a move that will help the city secure assistance for post-storm repairs. (10 News)
• Nearly a month after the Chargers decided to leave San Diego, Chargers employees are facing down a deadline of their own. (Union-Tribune)
• A 28-year-old who was part of a rape ring that preyed on drunk women in the Gaslamp has been sentenced to eight years in prison. (NBC 7 San Diego)
The Week’s Top Stories
These were the top five Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3. Click here to see the full top 10.
1. 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)
2. A High-Speed Train From San Diego to L.A. Is Possible Even Without High-Speed Rail
The stretch from Los Angeles to San Diego is one of America’s busiest travel corridors. Yet the plans for California’s high-speed rail prioritizes the route from Los Angeles to San Francisco instead. There are steps Southern California officials could take in the meantime, however, that would drastically improve rail services and encourage more people to ride. (Alon Levy)
3. The City Is on a Collision Course With Pot Delivery Services
Dozens of marijuana delivery services operate with hardly any regulation. City Council members may shut that down Tuesday when they evaluate a set of proposals on medical and recreational marijuana regulation. (Maya Srikrishnan)
4. Pot Is Legal – But in San Diego, Growing, Storing and Testing it May Not Be
Though recreational marijuana use is now legal statewide, no place in the county is considering allowing the activities involved in creating and distributing it. (Maya Srikrishnan)
5. 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)