These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Feb. 4-Feb. 10.
1. ‘OMG,’ ‘WTF’: Emails Show SANDAG Knew Forecasts Were Wrong, Went to Voters With False Promise Anyway
Emails obtained by VOSD reveal that top SANDAG officials were told the agency’s economic forecasts — and therefore the numbers it showed voters about last year’s Measure A — were way off almost a year before the 2016 election. Instead of acting, the agency continued to rely on numbers they’d been told were faulty, misleading voters in the process and keeping important information from potential watchdogs. (Andrew Keatts)
2. The Only Problem With the Pro Soccer Plan Is a Big One: How Will They Get the Land?
The effort to build a Major League Soccer stadium is in a hurry of its own design. But a project of this magnitude could take years to approve. To get around that, the group backing the project is going to try to do what stadium proponents across the state have done: a ballot initiative that never actually makes it to the ballot. (Scott Lewis)
3. How San Diego Went From Booster to Skeptic on the State’s Massive Water Project
Gov. Jerry Brown wants to build two 35-mile underground tunnels to keep water coming south through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. The San Diego County Water Authority used to pine for such a plan. But now, emboldened by its drought-proofing projects and wary of shocking ratepayers, the agency is aggressively questioning Brown’s delta tunnels. (Ry Rivard)
4. Roberts: I Should Have Been Told About SANDAG Errors
County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who chairs the SANDAG board and who was one of the public faces of the effort to sell Measure A, said the agency needs to rebuild public trust after Voice of San Diego revealed executives there knowingly misled voters about how much money the measure would have raised. (Andrew Keatts)
5. Why Some Homeless Advocates Oppose the Mayor’s Shelter Plans
Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s plans to address homelessness are drawing jeers from some of the city’s most outspoken advocates. It’s the latest conflict amid a difficult shift toward quickly moving homeless folks into permanent, stable homes instead of shelters or short-term housing first. (Lisa Halverstadt)
6. Good Schools for All: Breaking Down Betsy DeVos
In this week’s podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn talk to Miles Durfee of the California Charter School Association about some of the hottest topics of the charter school debate, and they dissect President Trump’s controversial pick for education secretary. (Adriana Heldiz)
7. Principal Says All Vice Principals in SD Elementary Schools Will Be Cut as Budget Shortfall Gets Real
Principals and parents are bracing for cuts as San Diego Unified School District staff prepare a budget for trustees that could include layoffs to close a $124 million shortfall. The superintendent wrote that she would seek creative solutions to make sure class sizes remain unchanged. (Mario Koran)
8. 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)
9. Finding Academic Success Meant Leaving My Language and Culture Behind
For 18 years, state law in California restricted bilingual education and taught students like me that knowing two languages was a disadvantage. In November, those restrictions were lifted. Now, as school districts across the state grapple with whether to expand bilingual education, they have the chance to show students they don’t have to give up their identity and native language to find success. (Jocelyn Moran)
10. Despite a Strong Economy, Budgets Are Breaking Across San Diego County
The economy is doing well and tax revenues are rising – so why are three of San Diego’s largest government agencies facing massive hits to their bottom lines? (Ashly McGlone)