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It was an unusually newsy week for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, whose work often goes under the radar.
In this week’s podcast, Sara Libby and Scott Lewis dive into the various ways in which the board made headlines.
VOSD’s Maya Srikrishnan broke the news this week that the board is considering following Orange County’s lead and jumping into a lawsuit between the Trump administration and the state of California — on Trump’s side. The lawsuit is over the state’s sanctuary policies that limit police cooperation with immigration enforcement. The supervisors will meet in closed session to discuss that issue, and another fight Trump and California are having over the 2020 census.
Also on the podcast, our hosts discuss an interesting move being made by one of the Board of Supervisors candidates in District 5.
Jacqueline Arsivaud is banking on the idea that residents are anti-development, and is tying her candidacy to the Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside initiative on the November ballot, which would force a public vote on developments that don’t fit within the county’s zoning plan.
If passed, the initiative would be a harsh blow to developments that have been pushing for the board’s approval for years.
Also on the podcast: Lewis and Andrew Keatts interview Christian Ramirez, who is running to represent District 8 on the San Diego City Council.
Ramirez was at one point diagnosed with lymphoma — which he attributes to growing up in a pollution-heavy San Diego neighborhood where industry and residential homes sit next to each other. As an adult, Ramirez says he still suffers from health issues, but now he wants to do something about it.
“I have a 4-year-old kid now and I want to make sure that he grows up in a healthy, clean environment,” he said. “And that’s really the reason why I am running for office.”
Prior to joining the race, Ramirez worked in Washington D.C. on border and immigration policy issues for Alliance San Diego, an organization that advocates for social justice.
He says he returned home because he wants to represent San Diegans who have been underserved for decades.
“It’s shameful that 40 years later, Otay Mesa, Logan Heights and Barrio Logan are among the most polluted communities in the county of San Diego,” he said. “All in District 8.”
Beyond environmental issues, Ramirez is looking to take a firm stance on other issues that affect local minorities, something he says Councilman David Alvarez isn’t doing.
“I think David has done as much as he could for District 8. I think that often times political ambitions may have gotten in the way of reaching agreements that we needed in the Council to improve the quality of life of District 8,” Ramirez said. “That’s not what I’m about.”
Hero of the Week
Our hero this week goes to Cali Brown, who was named California’s Deputy First Dog earlier this week. She’s a two-month-old bordoodle — a mix of a poodle and a border collie — and will assist “First Dog Colusa Brown in herding staff at the State Capitol,” the governor’s office announced.
Goat of the Week
97.3 The Machine gets the goat this week. San Diego’s new sports radio station faced a big-time backlash after one of its hosts, Kevin Klein, posted a tweet that joked about suicides at the Coronado Bridge. The Padres, which had just announced a partnership with the station, aren’t happy and urged the station to change direction.