Why the trolley doesn’t connect to San Diego’s airport is one of the most frequent questions we field from readers.
But, as Andrew Keatts reports, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and SANDAG chief Hasan Ikhrata are pitching a new vision that would finally let people take transit to the airport.
Dubbed “San Diego Grand Central,” their plan would utilize the current SPAWAR site and “would combine 70 acres of Navy property with the Old Town Transit Center. Trolley, Coaster and bus riders could take a rail-based people mover, possibly through a tunnel running under the naval base and airport runway, though they’re considering above-ground options as well,” Keatts writes.
Though the plan certainly moves the needle after decades of talk, one thing that’s still not clear is how it would all be paid for.
“It’s going to cost money,” Ikhrata said. “I believe there is the greatest potential for a public-private partnership. The airlines will be a big partner when it comes to financials, some private entities that are interested in having their systems there, some private developers who are interested in developing there. But no question about it, SANDAG will have to pay their fair share.”
Revisiting San Diego’s Last Teacher Strike
As teachers in Los Angeles consider a strike that could shut down the second-largest school districts in the country, our Will Huntsberry looks back at the 1996 teachers strike in San Diego.
The strike started for the reasons most strikes do – pay. After five days, the strike ended when teachers got a nearly 15 percent raise.
San Diego Unified Trustee Richard Barrera, who has been through five contract negotiations in his 11 years on the board, said that while we haven’t had a strike in over two decades, we may eventually have another.
“It comes down to the wire a lot,” he said. “It’s really tough finding solutions because of the fact schools don’t have enough money in California. That’s true in L.A. and that’s true here. I think the idea that we would never see a strike in San Diego is not realistic.”
In Other News
- Federal atomic energy regulators, power company officials and a prominent UCSD professor are all pushing back against a pair of reports by a Del Mar-based nonprofit that claim the region’s economy is endangered by the way nuclear waste is being stored at a beach beside the failed nuclear power plant at San Onfore. The professor, David Victor, said the reports by the Samuel Lawrence Foundation were prepared by people “way out of their depth.” (Union-Tribune)
- A man died attempting to rescue his dogs amid high waves and rough water in Ocean Beach. Members of the new professional lacrosse team had to be rescued from the ocean near Sunset Cliffs. (NBC San Diego)
- Nearly 2,500 new hotel rooms will likely be ready for check in this year in San Diego. (San Diego Business Journal)
- Fire insurance premiums could go down for some rural homeowners because new ratings show improvements in the ability of the San Diego County Fire Authority to fight fires. (Valley Roadrunner)
- Bo Mazzetti was re-elected as chairman of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians tribal council. (Valley Roadrunner)
- Someone has been squatting in Tony Gwynn’s former home in Poway. Meanwhile, despite his aversion to the color brown, Padres owner Ron Fowler seems likely to bring back the team’s old colors. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Ry Rivard, and edited by Sara Libby.