For more than a year, we’ve been chronicling cases of sexual misconduct in public schools across San Diego County.
The cases are all over the map, both literally and figuratively: They’ve happened in schools in wealthy areas and poorer areas, and in all corners of the county.
In a new feature, we’ve created an interactive map to compile all the cases. Click on a case to see the school involved, the details of what happened and to open the story associated with each one.
We plan to add new cases and stories to the map as the investigation continues.
A Walk in the Park Can Cost You
Camping at the Culp Valley campground in the Anza-Borrego Desert is free; but at the Cibbets Flat Campground off Interstate 8, it’s $14 a night. Some parks have free entry; others charge $15 or more.
In the latest Environment Report, Ry Rivard examines park fees for national parks in California, as well as parks that are part of the state park system and attempts to explain why they’re so varied.
State parks, far more than national parks, rely on entrance and parking fees for funding. Still, individual parks take different approaches.
“Lower fees on weekdays, for example, can encourage people to visit when parks are less crowded, but that can also penalize low-income people who may not be able to take days off to visit,” Rivard notes.
Legislature Reconvenes With Dem Super-Mega-Uber Majority
State lawmakers returned to Sacramento Monday, bolstered by a super-duper Democratic majority. New lawmakers were sworn in, and the first bills of the session were introduced. The Legislature will officially reconvene for its next session on Jan. 6.
As the L.A. Times noted, Assemblyman Brian Maienschein took the oath of office without knowing for certain whether he actually won re-election.
Assemblyman Todd Gloria, as promised, reintroduced his bill to compel counties to start spending piles of Mental Health Services Act funds they’ve amassed. Gloria told us recently that county leaders declined to meet with him last time he introduced the bill, but that he’s hoping they’ll give more input this time around.
Gloria is not the only local lawmaker who plans to revive old bills that failed in previous sessions.
Meanwhile, as the Sacramento Bee reports, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez said she plans to introduce a bill that would make it harder for employers to classify workers as independent contractors.
Maienschein Wins
The last inconclusive major election contest seems to have been resolved Monday. The registrar reported that Assemblyman Brian Maienschein retained a 672-vote lead over challenger Sunday Gover (out of nearly 200,000 votes cast). There are now only a paltry 1,500 votes left to count across the county — not enough in just their district for Gover to pull ahead. Maienschein has won.
That’s fortunate because he was sworn in already Monday.
There had been some consternation among Republicans that Maienschein had left so much money in his campaign account. But the win proves he spent just enough to win. Like, just enough.
And Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and Senate President Toni Atkins’ decision not to oppose Maienschein gained new significance.
Hunter Will Go to Trial Next Fall
The trial for Rep. Duncan Hunter, who is facing 60 criminal counts related to misusing campaign funds, is set for Sept. 10, 2019.
Hunter and his wife will appear in court again in July as well.
“The parties in the case agreed to set dates far in advance because of the complexity of the case and hang-ups caused by technical difficulties in the discovery process,” wrote Morgan Cook in the Union-Tribune.
Hunter won re-election in November despite the indictment.
Historic Violence in Tijuana (No, Not the Caravan)
Tijuana’s Frontera newspaper had a grim tweet Monday. It took a picture of its front page for the day and said “Happy Monday: 4,189 dead” with a picture of Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum. The paper reports that the last two years (his first two as mayor) have been the most violent in Tijuana’s history. If you can read Spanish, here’s the link to Frontera’s story.
When Gastelum appeared at our event, Politifest, he blamed the violence in Tijuana on a police shortage.
He said just like any place, if you go looking for trouble in Tijuana, you’ll find it.
“If you go and visit a place and you look for the tourist places, look for the good behavior, you won’t have any trouble. We do have a problem, yes we do. We recognize it. We have a gun problem,” he said. He is pushing to change a law that allows people caught illegally with firearms to stay out of prison before their trial.
In Other News
- The new director of the city’s Commission for Arts and Culture says he’s committed to protecting arts funding despite looming city budget cuts. (KPBS)
- A new luxury theater complex in the Gaslamp will feature celebrity handprints in concrete, like the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The first celeb to be honored: Pitbull. (Billboard)
- I am so here for “Big Meat”: It’s one of the local food trends that defined 2018, according to San Diego Magazine.
The Morning Report was written by Sara Libby, and edited by Scott Lewis.