The Morning Report
Get the news and information you need to take on the day.
These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week.
1. Border Report: A Caravan Within the Caravan Has Arrived in Tijuana
On Sunday, a group of about 80 LGBTQ Central Americans arrived in Tijuana, the first members of a migrant caravan traveling through Mexico toward the U.S. border since October. The migrants had organized within the caravan itself, electing leaders and taking their own census within the larger group. (Maya Srikrishnan)
2. Politics Report: San Diego’s Wave
The races that are too close to call. Did San Diego finally flip blue? And … are you ready for another election? The mayor is. (Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts)
3. County Appoints Fiscal Adviser to Help Direct Sweetwater
San Diego County Office of Education officials approved Sweetwater Union High School District’s budget Thursday, after initially rejecting it in September, but expressed concerns about the district’s ability to stay solvent in the current year. They also appointed a fiscal adviser to help guide the district out of its current financial jam. (Will Huntsberry)
4. The Blue Wave Brought With it a Candidate Dems Might Prefer to Leave Adrift
Mike Schaefer’s likely addition to the Board of Equalization shows there can be a downside for parties that win wave elections: Those waves can also usher in candidates the party wants to distance itself from. (Jesse Marx)
5. Poway Unified Gives Company Whose Products Failed More No-Bid Contracts
Without asking any critical questions and without considering any alternatives, Poway Unified trustees continue to direct taxpayer money to FieldTurf and praise the artificial turf provider, though its fields have fallen apart prematurely at schools throughout the district. (Jesse Marx)
6. The Four Big Promises SDSU Now Must Deliver in Mission Valley
San Diego State officials woke up Wednesday already feeling the pressure to deliver on a range of promises it, and its friends, have made to the community. Here are the top four we’ll be watching. (Scott Lewis and Ry Rivard)
7. City Spent Almost $2M More on Troubled ‘Smart’ Water Meter Program Than Authorized
The city water department spent $1.8 million more on its “smart meter” program between 2012 and 2015 than the City Council had approved. The kicker? The money went to buy meters from a company that has since told the city and investors about problems with its equipment. (Ry Rivard)
8. A Judge Considers Stepping in After Encinitas Failed – Again – to Pass a Housing Plan
Much of coastal California is opposed to dense development. But opposition in Encinitas has reached unprecedented heights, testing the limits of local control while a statewide housing crisis unfolds. (Jesse Marx)
9. Opinion: One Big Thing Missing From the Latest Homelessness Proposal: Homes
Since it’s not currently clear how a navigation center would specifically reduce homelessness, the city should consider how that money can be more effectively used elsewhere. (Chris Ward)
10. Everything You Need to Know About the Migrant Caravan, and Those That Came Before
The sudden attention on migrant caravans, which aren’t new, leaves out much context about the purpose of the caravans, the conditions driving Central Americans north and what will happen to them as they continue the journey. Here’s what we know. (Maya Srikrishnan)