San Diego’s recent hepatitis A outbreak gave the city a rude awakening, and now local officials are scrambling to combat the public health crisis.
Earlier this week, Mayor Kevin Faulconer pushed forward a homeless shelter plan that’s languished for months. It involves pitching three temporary tents – in Barrio Logan, Midway and East Village.
The tents, though, are just a temporary fix, and details about how the region plans on finding permanent sources of housing remain hazy.
On this week’s podcast, City Councilman Chris Ward sits down with hosts Scott Lewis and Sara Libby to explain the city’s new shelter plan and what officials mean when they call the tents “bridge structures.”
“Buildings don’t build themselves overnight, so what do you do in the meantime?” Ward said. “We need to do something more immediate, and this is one of those solutions.”
Also on the podcast, Libby and Lewis take a look at the city’s new marijuana supply chain regulations.
Plus, several people, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, have been trolling the Chargers as the team starts its first season sans San Diego, and it’s hilarious.
Hero of the Week
Longtime Union-Tribune columnist Dan McSwain, who recently announced his departure from journalism altogether, is our hero. McSwain was a voice San Diego most definitely needed, one that was willing to call for accountability. The VOSD family wishes him the best.
Goat of the Week
This week’s goat goes to the San Diego Unified School District. Again. The district’s communications director Maureen Magee bragged on Twitter that the district has been improving its response rate to pending public records request. But there are still many requests that haven’t been answered — including some of our own that are approaching 200 days with no answer.