The Morning Report
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These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week of Sept. 14-21.
1. The Number of Youth in Juvenile Detention in California Has Quietly Plummeted
Major portions of San Diego’s juvenile detention facilities sit empty. And it’s not just San Diego. Falling crime rates, combined with more money for prevention and a changing juvenile justice culture, have virtually emptied California’s juvenile halls. (Will Huntsberry)
2. Districts Shuffle Problem Employees to New Jobs or Schools
When San Diego County public school employees sexually harass a student or colleague, they may be transferred to another job or school site, rather than fired, public records show. The process can leave parents, students and staff unaware of a new employee’s prior misbehavior. (Ashly McGlone)
3. Opinion: Why SDSU Walked Away From the Mission Valley Stadium Negotiations
The university is motivated by expanding higher education opportunities and its campus, while the investors have an entirely different motivation. This critical difference led directly to failed negotiations over the Mission Valley site. (Sally Roush)
4. City Is Poised to Back Down on Plan to Increase Height Limit – Again
San Diego city planners are walking back plans to let developers build taller buildings near a new transit station at Tecolote Drive. Residents have fiercely opposed plans to allow more housing along the new Mid-Coast Trolley corridor. They’ve now twice won concessions from the city. (Andrew Keatts)
5. Just How Close SoccerCity and SDSU Got to a Deal and How it All Fell Apart
For a year, the mayor’s office, San Diego State University executives and FS Investors worked to put together a deal to transform the land into a joint soccer-football stadium. They came as close as it gets to an agreement, until it all fell apart. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how that happened. Now the onetime partners are backing competing ballot measures to reimagine Mission Valley. (Scott Lewis)
6. Grossmont School District Paid Worker Who Made Lewd Comments $80K to Leave
Grossmont Union High School District paid a warehouse worker accused of routinely ogling female students and making sexual remarks $80,000 to leave, and agreed to keep misconduct reports secret from prospective employers. The worker said he participated in lewd talk among coworkers but not in front of students. (Ashly McGlone)
7. Politics Report: Bry, Gloria Eye Mayor’s Office
SANDAG tapped its new director, but not without a bit of drama. Plus: Big spending on SoccerCity, the Politifest lineup and more. (Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts)
8. Downtown’s Free Transit Service Is San Diego’s Most Expensive by Far
The civic organizations behind Free Ride Everywhere Downtown, or FRED, consider the program a success and are even discussing expanding it. But for all the benefits, the trips cost more than twice that of a ride on public transportation. (Andrew Keatts)
9. Sacramento Report: What San Diego’s Rail-Connected Future Holds
How lawmakers lobby Gov. Jerry Brown on the bills he hasn’t signed yet, the DA has charged a woman who accused an Assembly candidate of improper behavior with making false statements and more in our weekly roundup of news from Sacramento. (Sara Libby)
10.More Than $1B Has Gone Into Opening Up the Border – Here’s What It’s Done So Far
In the last few years, the region has expanded one port of entry, opened a cross-border airport hub and a new transit center and expanded highway infrastructure near the border. A new port of entry is in the works. Here’s a rundown of the upgrades that have come online, and what we can expect to see in the near future. (Maya Srikrishnan)