These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Feb. 9-16.
1. How Police Stumbled Onto a Human Smuggling Ring — At a House They’d Been Called to 53 Times
Neighbors called the cops 53 times on a home in Chula Vista. But it took pure dumb luck for Border Patrol and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department to discover a human smuggling ring inside. (Adriana Heldiz)
2. Politics Report: San Diego’s Blue Wave May Not Be Big
In this week’s roundup: A political data maven puts potential anti-Trump passion in context for local races, an update from signature gatherers, a potential riff in unions on the supervisor race and a new Yimby club. (Andrew Keatts and Scott Lewis)
3. Yeah, Stone Brewing Probably Has a Good Case Against MillerCoors and Keystone
In order to prevail on this claim, Stone doesn’t have to prove actual confusion — meaning, they don’t have to produce consumers who bought Keystone Lite on the mistaken belief that it was a Stone Brewing product. Stone simply has to demonstrate likelihood of confusion. (David Lizerbram)
4. In Crowded CA-49, Applegate Positioned Himself to Run for County Supervisor
As Democrats jockeyed for position in the crowded 49th Congressional District, pressuring each other to step aside to cull the field, Doug Applegate changed his primary residency — which would have made him eligible to run for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. (Jesse Marx and Andrew Keatts)
5. Papa Doug’s #MeToo Moment: 5 Takeaways from the U-T’s Misconduct Imbroglio
Hotel magnate Doug Manchester’s ambassador bid is in jeopardy over accusations he presided over a ‘toxic,’ sexist workplace as the Union-Tribune’s owner. (Randy Dotinga)
6. While Suicides off Coronado Bridge Add Up, Lighting Project Raises Concerns It Could Get Worse
Prevention strategies remain elusive as lighting promises to boost bridge’s profile. Last year, 18 people jumped to their deaths, the second-largest death toll ever. (Randy Dotinga)
7. King-Chavez Community High School Faces Another Year of Mass Teacher Turnover
Turnover is such an issue that King-Chavez CEO Tim Wolf took the loss of seven educators, nearly a quarter of his staff, in one year as good news. After all, 14 teachers left midyear last school year. (Mario Koran)
8. Dumanis Collected Pension and Salary in Last Two Years as DA
Bonnie Dumanis has pledged not to collect a salary and a pension if she is elected to the County Board of Supervisors. But it turns out, she already did that during her final two-and-a-half years as the county’s district attorney. (Ashly McGlone)
9. New Tijuana Air Cargo Park Could Mean More Flights to Asia, More Commerce for SD
While tensions about international trade increase, San Diego and Tijuana keep building stronger ties. More air cargo and trade between Tijuana and Asia will also increase the number of passenger flights between Tijuana and Asia. San Diego businesses that want to export to Asia would be able to go via Baja California instead of Los Angeles. (Maya Srikrishnan)
10. Solving San Diego’s Housing Crisis Requires Creativity, Compassion and Courage
The proposed redevelopment of Penasquitos Village is an example of our modern-day housing challenges. But we shouldn’t let reluctance and resistance allow nothing to get done. (John Seymour)