These were the most popular Voice of San Diego stories for the week.
1. Environment Report: What the Super Bloom Says About Backcountry Development
A looming deal and heavy snowfall are easing tensions on the Colorado River, a survey boosts arguments made by fans of rooftop solar and more in our biweekly roundup of environmental news. (Ry Rivard)
2. Opinion: San Diego Should Make the Most of Once-in-a-Generation Shot to Re-Examine SDG&E Deal
If we are going to allow a for-profit utility to use our streets, sidewalks and parkways for electric service, let’s get the best deal for our city, for future generations and for the environment. (Bill Powers and Jay Powell)
3. One Doctor Is Responsible for a Third of All Medical Vaccine Exemptions in San Diego
Dr. Tara Zandvliet has written nearly one-third of all 486 medical exemptions from vaccinations for the entire San Diego Unified School District, according to vaccination records obtained by Voice of San Diego. Medical exemptions have been climbing since a 2015 state law limited parents’ ability to obtain personal belief exemptions. (Will Huntsberry)
Multiple activists and Democratic Party officials say San Diego Unified Trustee Kevin Beiser had known since at least December that one or more men were prepared to go public with accusations against him, and that he held meetings and discussions trying to identify the accusers before they went public. (Andrew Keatts)
5. A Local Water Board Paid an Employee Not to Work There. Now He’s on the Board
Five years ago, the Sweetwater Authority paid one of its engineers $175,000 to drop a lawsuit against the water district if he agreed to never work there again. Now, the engineer, Hector Martinez, is one of seven board members in charge of running the district. (Ry Rivard)
6. After Decades of Slow-Going, City Plans to Speed Up Utility Undergrounding
Over the next five years, the city plans to start work on 150 miles of projects – nearly as much as it’s done in the past 15 years. The city has also learned a lesson from the effort: It’s no longer making promises about when it all might be finished. (Ry Rivard)
7. Four Men Accuse San Diego Unified Trustee Kevin Beiser of Sexual Misconduct, Abuse
Four men say they were groped, harassed or assaulted by San Diego Unified Trustee Kevin Beiser. One of them this week filed a lawsuit against Beiser, alleging sexual harassment and assault. (Andrew Keatts)
8. New Ruling Sheds Some Light on Pension Reform’s Future, But Big Questions Remain
On Monday, the Court of Appeal declined to invalidate Proposition B, the city’s legally dubious 2012 pension reform measure, but it confirmed employees must be compensated for lost benefits. It’s not yet clear how much that will cost. (Ry Rivard)
9. San Diego Unified Settles Case Over Shelved Anti-Islamophobia Policies
San Diego Unified recently settled a lawsuit targeting its planned – and later shelved – anti-Islamophobia efforts, bringing an end to a multi-year legal battle in which parents and other groups accused the school district of seeking to give Muslim students special treatment. (Lyle Moran)
10. Sacramento Report: Atkins, Gloria Wary of Bill That Would Suspend Coastal Height Limit
Assemblyman Todd Gloria’s bill sails through committee despite vaccine opponents’ objections, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer lobbies California Governor Gavin Newsom for an increase in homelessness funds and more.