Two San Diego influencers are tired of waiting for city leaders to do something about homelessness.
Padres managing partner Peter Seidler and restauranteur Dan Shea announced they are prepared to buy tents to temporarily house hundreds now sleeping on the street, reports VOSD’s Lisa Halverstadt.
The city just needs to provide land, and they need contracts with outside agencies to operate the tents.
They’re not the only ones frustrated with Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s lack of action on the homelessness front, Halverstadt writes.
City Councilman Chris Ward, who represents the downtown neighborhoods most impacted by homelessness, also made some short-term proposals in a memo Wednesday. He called for the city to discuss whether Golden Hall or the former Chargers practice site could serve as short-term housing options for homeless people, Halverstadt reports.
Faulconer’s office said the mayor is “trying to ensure both stakeholders and key details are lined up before he proceeds” but welcomes the financial commitments from Seidler and Shea.
Sacramento Report: Labor-Friendly Changes to SANDAG Bill
In this week’s Sacramento Report, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts look at the labor provisions added to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher’s AB 805, which would reform the San Diego Association of Governments.
“We went back and looked at why Measure A failed, and one of the big problems was this hang-up on not having job quality language,” Gonzalez Fletcher told Keatts.
Libby also talked about the cap-and-trade extension that passed in Sacramento this week and how San Diego Assemblyman Rocky Chavez was one of the handful of Republicans who supported the legislation.
VOSD Podcast: Tijuana Taxi Turf War
The rise of ride-sharing companies like Uber has disrupted the taxi industry in Tijuana and the yellow cab drivers that have worked there for decades aren’t happy about it.
On this week’s podcast, Keatts and Kinsee Morlan sit down with Derrik Chinn and Alejandro Torres from the tour company Turista Libre to discuss the Tijuana taxi cab turf war and its connections to Tijuana politics.
Keatts also talks with Montgomery Monica, a candidate for the San Diego City Council District 4.
Quick News Hits
• San Diego unveiled proposed regulations for the growing, manufacturing and testing of marijuana. (Union-Tribune)
• The city of San Diego will renegotiate a five-year contract with the police union after employment numbers reach an all-time low point since 2000. Here’s some more background on the San Diego Police Department’s officer shortage. (NBC7)
• You can find where your high school ranks in AP scores compared with other schools in California here. (inewsource)
Top Stories of the Week
These were the top five most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of July 14-21. View the full top 10 list here.
1. In the Most San Diego Dispute Ever, County Workers Are Fighting for the Right to Wear Flip-Flops
The newest front in the labor negotiations between the San Diego County government and union workers is Casual Tuesday. (Ry Rivard)
2. For Women, Hillcrest Isn’t the Only Gayborhood
When the census data is mapped, you can see a divide that may surprise those who assume Hillcrest is the local gay mecca: Lesbian couples are much more widely distributed around the county than their gay male counterparts, who tend to cluster in and around the progressive haven of Hillcrest. (Randy Dotinga)
3. Everything We Know About Summer Stephan’s Role in the Stephanie Crowe Murder Case
Interim DA Summer Stephan has defended her role in prosecuting three teen boys for the murder of 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe, and suggested major decisions were made before she joined the prosecution. But interviews with key players, media reports and court records shed light on how important she was to the case and what went wrong. (Ashly McGlone)
4. San Diego Unified Has an Overwhelming List of Problems, and the District Should Lean Into Them
San Diego Unified, under Superintendent Cindy Marten, has been obsessed not with fixing its problems but with denying they exist. (Scott Lewis)
5. Once Again, Major Homeless Policy Might Be Driven by Lawyers, Not Lawmakers
The city’s been hit with another class action lawsuit over its interactions with homeless San Diegans. The lawyers behind the suit say they hope to force policy solutions they believe the city has dragged its feet on. (Lisa Halverstadt )