President Donald Trump is at war with fake news – and so are most journalists.
But many of those journalists seem to have a different definition of the term than the president.
So what’s fake news, anyway?
Our Scott Lewis put together a definitive guide to the various categories of fake news, from satire to gaslighting to regular ol’ real news that contains factual mistakes (that’s not fake news, by the way, but many people have started calling just about everything “fake news”).
County Board Tumult Stalled Investigations
The county Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board is charged with ensuring law enforcement accountability But over the last year, it’s had some accountability issues of its own.
VOSD contributor Kelly Davis, who’s previously reported on the group’s growing backlog of death investigations, finds in a new story that the group failed to ensure its now-departed leader stayed on top of his job responsibilities.
Instead, meetings were canceled and citizen complaints were dismissed because they languished for too long with no action while former executive officer Patrick Hunter stayed on the job.
Sacramento Report: The Taxes Biz Leaders Wouldn’t Mind
The Regional Chamber of Commerce took a somewhat surprising message to Sacramento this week: It’s open to new taxes and fees for transportation and affordable housing.
“It’s time to make sure that our businesses are in a state that has the basic infrastructure for them to carry out their business functions and for their employees to enjoy a moderately nice quality of life,” a Chamber policy manager told our Ry Rivard.
Also in this week’s Sacramento Report: Sara Libby celebrates – ahem, reports on – a state Supreme Court ruling that clarifies government folks’ emails and texts are public records and provides context on a bill that would double the number of community college programs that let students earn bachelor’s degrees.
What the Rain Means for SD’s Homeless
San Diego’s inclement weather shelters have seen an influx of homeless folks seeking refuge as the region’s experienced record-breaking rainfall.
The San Diego Housing Commission told me Friday that rain’s meant the agency, which helps pay for 280 extra downtown shelter beds on cold and rainy nights, could spend more than the $75,000 initially set aside by the city and the commission for their portion of the cost. In fact, they’ve likely already used up all that cash. City officials will know for sure after bills from most recent storms come in.
The city and the commission collectively cover a portion of costs for the temporary shelter beds downtown at Father Joe’s Villages and PATH Connections Housing, which means the nonprofits are facing potentially larger-than-expected bills, too.
A Housing Commission official told me her agency is committed to continue to pay its share of shelter costs.
But an official at Father Joe’s Villages acknowledged the nonprofit, which houses up to 250 extra folks on rainy nights, may need some extra assistance if the cold, rainy weather continues.
“We’re willing to stick it out with the city. We think we can make it through the season provided the city continues to support us as they have been but we always can use additional help,” said Bill Bolstad, Father Joe’s chief development officer.
PATH, which sets up an extra 30 beds on rainy nights, says it’s confident it can handle additional nights.
• KPBS reports that Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s Housing Our Heroes program, which pledged to house 1,000 homeless veterans by the start of this month, has fallen short of that target. I wrote about why the mayor’s initiative wasn’t housing veterans as rapidly as hoped back in December.
VOSD Podcast: Mortgage Rates Down, Murder Rates Up
This week’s VOSD podcast focuses on two pretty serious topics: mortgages and murders.
Co-hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts chatted with housing market analyst Rich Toscano about San Diego housing trends, including surprisingly reasonable mortgage payments.
And San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Lyndsay Winkley told the story behind San Diego’s increasing murder rate and how our crime rates compare with those elsewhere.
Quick News Hits
• City Council Republicans want to change the way school board elections are held to bring them in line with other elections throughout the county. Part of their plan involves instituting term limits.
• A state agency is investigating SDG&E for potentially violating a state lobbying law. (KPBS)
• Activists are trying to stop the city’s longtime predator-killing program in Mission Bay Park. (Union-Tribune)
• Courthouse News Service reports El Centro just forked over the largest police misconduct settlement in the history of the Southern District of California, the federal district court that covers San Diego.
• Former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger is still peeved by San Diego environmentalists who fought the Sunrise Powerlink years ago. (Men’s Journal)
The Week’s Top Stories
These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Feb. 25-Mar. 3. Click here to see the full top 10.
1. How SoccerCity Dies
Soon, signature-gatherers will get to work on behalf of the plan to build an MLS stadium and development on the Qualcomm Stadium site. If the City Council green-lights the project, you can likely expect to see a new round of signature-gatherers in town, this time as part of an effort to kill the plan by forcing it to the ballot. (Scott Lewis)
2. The Most Memorable Acts of Protest Art at the Border
There’s been an uptick in art projects happening at the border now that President Donald Trump is in office. With so much attention on the border, it’s worth taking a quick look at some of the art that’s attempted to tackle the prickly issues surrounding it. Here are 20 instances of gutsy, controversial art that has explored the border. (Kinsee Morlan)
3. Struggling Students Moved to Online Charters, Boosting District’s Record Grad Rate
Data provided by five charter schools offers a window into the way San Diego Unified benefited from a system that allows it to unload its lowest-performing students and maintain a graduation rate above 90 percent. (Mario Koran)
4. An Idea to Help the Homeless Languished for Years — Then Two Powerful Businessmen Got on Board
Proposals for a homeless intake facility for years failed to gain traction but the idea is now a central piece in Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s plan to address homelessness. What changed? For one, two powerful business leaders who have the mayor’s ear took a strong interest in the idea. (Lisa Halverstadt)
5. Why High Home Prices Don’t Necessarily Mean High Home Payments
While San Diego homes are unusually expensive, low rates have been keeping a lid on monthly mortgage payments. But low rates don’t assure high home prices — the two have actually had a very inconsistent relationship in the past. (Rich Toscano)
6. There’s One Money-Saving Move San Diego Unified Won’t Try — Here’s Why
As San Diego Unified moves to cut more than $100 million from its budget, there’s one avenue to potential savings the district doesn’t seem to have explored – perhaps because it’s one of the most controversial and least popular moves in the book: closing schools. (Mario Koran)