These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Feb. 11-Feb. 17.
1. Opinion: San Diego Is Taking a Backward Approach to Qualcomm Stadium
Instead of signing off on developers’ plans, San Diego should collectively assess what it wants out of the stadium space, then come up with a plan of action to achieve it. (Howard M. Blackson)
2. SDPD Finds a Way Around State Law Limiting DNA Collection From Juveniles
Last year, police stopped a group of boys in Logan Heights for wearing blue and walking in a public park. They collected DNA swabs from all of them, despite a state law that would seemingly prevent them from doing so. A new lawsuit from the family of one of the boys is challenging department policy. (Kelly Davis)
3. North County Report: Issa Praises Trump, Faces Heat at Home
Pressure is growing in the 49th and 50th congressional districts, Encina power station will keep burning longer than planned, federal data used by North County activists and politicians goes dark and more in our weekly roundup of news from North County. (Ruarri Serpa)
4. San Diego’s Art Scene Can’t Stop Asking Itself: ‘What’s Wrong With Me?’
For years, folks have been organizing panels and discussions on why San Diego doesn’t have a more vibrant arts scene. Here are 10 points that continually resurface in the arts world’s neverending soul-searching quest. (Kinsee Morlan)
5. Developers See a Market for Senior Care Across the Border
Facilities like Serena Senior Care in Rosarito, where about 75 percent of clients are American, are at the forefront of what could become a growing trend in Southern California senior care. (Maya Srikrishnan)
6. 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)
7. How We Got SANDAG’s ‘WTF’ Emails (Hint: Lawyers)
We put in the California Public Records Act request that netted the explosive emails revealing SANDAG officials knew Measure A would not generate $18 billion, as they claimed, before Election Day. Only when we threatened to sue did the agency release the records — two months later. In the meantime, the public voted on a false number. (Andrew Keatts)
8. East Village’s Emerging Arts District Doesn’t Have Much Art
Nearly 30 projects are planned or under construction in East Village, some of which are part of a district that developers have imagined as a home for innovation, design, education and arts — the IDEA District. Yet many of the new projects are displacing the elements it’s meant to embody. The art scene that’s survived for years in the neighborhood’s affordable warehouses is on its way out. (Kinsee Morlan)
9. Sacramento Report: Anderson Becomes a Leading Anti-Sanctuary Voice
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher gets some surprise pushback to a seemingly uncontroversial bill, the toll of public pensions, California considers a homelessness state of emergency and more in our weekly digest of news from Sacramento. (Sara Libby)
10. ‘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)