These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week.
1. Sweetwater Braces for Layoffs
The Sweetwater Union High School District is planning to cut 30 percent of its central office staff as it deals with its budget crisis. Assistant principals and psychologists will also be let go, but so far it is unclear how many, said one board trustee. (Will Huntsberry)
2. Charges of Fake Clubs Are Roiling the County Democratic Party
Party activists allege that several Democratic clubs in the South Bay exist only on paper and that one consultant controls them — and much of the candidate endorsement process by extension. (Jesse Marx and Andrew Keatts)
3. Culture Report: An Independent San Diego Bookstore Is Growing
Verbatim Books’ expansion means more events and more books for a thriving bookstore scene. (Julia Dixon Evans)
4. Politics Report: Gonzalez Rains Fire on Chamber Delegation
Multiple people dunked on GOP Chairman Tony Krvaric this week, plus: The Dems’ new chair wants the party to focus more on SANDAG. (Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts)
5. Case of a Poway Teacher Who Sent Inappropriate Texts Is Still Stirring Anger, Two Years Later
Nearly two years after parents of a 17-year-old student complained to Westview High School officials that a physical education teacher was sending inappropriate text messages to their daughter, the school is still dealing with the fallout from the case. (Kayla Jimenez)
6. Strippers Keep Stealing San Diego’s Political Spotlight
Sign-holding dancers upset over a worker classification bill chanted, “Strip my clothes, not my rights,” during a protest outside Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s downtown San Diego office Thursday. The wild scene was far from the first time the exotic dancing industry has found itself at the center of legal and political debates in town. (Lyle Moran)
7. Schools That Have Changed Their Stories
In 2008, Sherman Heights Elementary had some of the lowest test scores in the San Diego Unified School District. Today, it is one of the highest-performing schools in the community. Some San Diego schools are working to change their narratives through language curriculum, design-thinking and buddy programs. Here are a few. (Kayla Jimenez and Scott Lewis)
8. Docs Shed Light on SDSU Mission Valley Spending
Documents released by SDSU show one consultant jumped directly from doing work for the university to doing work for the SDSU West campaign. But SDSU officials won’t clarify where the $1.6 million they spent crafting the Mission Valley plans came from. (Ry Rivard)
9. San Diego Explained: How Sweetwater’s Financial Crisis Unfolded
In the latest San Diego Explained, VOSD’s Will Huntsberry and NBC 7’s Catherine Garcia break down how the Sweetwater Union High School District ended up facing financial chaos. (Adriana Heldiz)
10. Once Scrappy Upstarts, Community Choice Agencies Could Become the New Power Monopoly
Community choice energy agencies, sometimes pitched as an alternative to local power monopolies, could soon become the only games in town as companies like PG&E and SDG&E look to exit the power-buying business. (Ry Rivard)