These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of May 6-May 12.
1. San Diego Labor Council Leaders Form New Coalition After Being Ousted by National AFL-CIO
After months of turmoil, the national AFL-CIO and President Richard Trumka decided to take over the San Diego Imperial-Counties Labor Council, ousting its leaders. (Scott Lewis)
2. Vista Is the New Frontier for Growth in San Diego
Rich suburbs have no more room and are experiencing low population growth. Meanwhile, the highest growth in San Diego County is in lower middle-income Vista. Together, these two trends show how poor transportation and growth-restricting zoning limit the county’s access to good jobs. (Alon Levy)
3. Mayor’s Homelessness Czar Is Out
Stacie Spector, who led Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s efforts to combat homelessness, is out after seven months on the job. (Lisa Halverstadt)
4. Emails: Some Climate Action Plan Goals Were ‘Not Based on Anything’
The city’s Climate Action Plan has won national praise for its ambitious goals and enforcement mechanisms. But when the plan was being written in 2014, city staffers said one of the plan’s main goals wasn’t based on anything and that they didn’t think the city had any real chance of reaching it, according to emails released by the city as part of a public records request. (Andrew Keatts)
5. New San Diego Unified Data Offers Clearest View Yet of How Many Students Left for Charters
New records obtained by Voice of San Diego quantify for the first time how many struggling students in the class of 2016 left district high schools and how many of them were not on track to graduate. The records also reveal which schools students left. Top among them were high schools in poorer areas like Lincoln High and Morse High. (Mario Koran)
6. Jacobs Center Is Changing Its Strategy After Years of Stalled Development Progress
The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation’s long-running effort to revitalize 60 acres in southeastern San Diego has been plagued by roadblocks, including some of the its own making. (Lisa Halverstadt)
7. North County Report: Issa Goes From Undecided to Decisive on Health Care
By-district voting spreads to another North County city, why Vista is seeing the most population growth in the county and more in our weekly roundup of news from North County. (Ruarri Serpa)
8. Stephan to a Growing Chorus of DA Appointment Critics: ‘Come Out and Face Me’
Two candidates seeking the interim DA appointment say they won’t run in 2018 in order to keep the race a fair fight. Summer Stephan, the leading candidate for the appointment and in the 2018 race, says the idea that appointing her would bypass voters is “illusory.” (Andrew Keatts)
9. At Some District High Schools, Grad Rates Are Climbing as They Lose More Students
A closer look at data from individual high schools reveals a trend that might seem contradictory at first glance: Schools whose graduation rates are rising are simultaneously losing a significant number of students to charter schools and schools in other parts of town. (Mario Koran)
10. One of San Diego Unified’s Big Money-Saving Moves Will Actually Cost Money
District documents show an early retirement incentive offered to teachers will actually begin costing the district money in two years. (Ashly McGlone)