San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit responded to video of a group of officers beating a black man during an arrest in much the same way local law enforcement officials have responded to other incidents in which officers hurt or killed someone: by immediately vilifying the person on the receiving end of violence, and by publicly releasing selective evidence that bolsters their case. (Sara Libby)
2. State Blasts San Diego Unified’s English-Learner Program for Serious Flaws
A state report found many English-learner students in the district “are not receiving consistent, comprehensive instruction” in English language development, and cast doubt on how the district reclassifies students as proficient in English. (Will Hunstberry)
3. SANDAG’s New Chief Welcomes Heat, Calls Consensus of the Past a Lie
By design or accident, Hasan Ikhrata is remaking the role of SANDAG director, from behind-the-scenes consensus-builder to bold iconoclast. But the elected leaders who support his plan have not had his back as he faces pushback from North County and East County politicians. (Andrew Keatts)
4. New South Bay Rapid Bus Is Falling Far Short of Ridership Expectations
After three years in construction and even longer in planning, the $139 million bus line from Otay Mesa to downtown isn’t delivering. (Andrew Keatts)
5. Opinion: The Poway Shooting Was a Terrorist Attack, Not One Man Gone Mad
The alleged shooter who killed one person at the Chabad of Poway synagogue may have arrived at the scene alone, and pulled the trigger alone. But he was part of an increasingly organized terrorist network that is refining its techniques and ideology as it pursues an armed fascistic insurgency. (Scott Lewis)
6. San Diego Homeless Deaths Doubled in the Last Decade
The number of homeless San Diegans who died last year reached 134, up from 53 in 2010. Service providers say it’s time to take medical care into the streets to help save lives. (Lisa Halverstadt)
7. A Little-Known Company Is Quietly Making Massive Water Deals
In the past several years, Los Angeles-based Renewable Resources Group has helped sell 33,000 acres of land to California’s most powerful water agency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Documents obtained by VOSD raise fresh questions about those deals. Now, Renewable may be working on another deal that could rearrange the distribution of water in California forever. (Ry Rivard)
8. Gómez Tones Down Changes to Inclusionary Housing Policy
Neither builders nor Council President Georgette Gómez’s allies on the left are thrilled with where she’s landed on a policy that has become progressive’s biggest policy goal over the last year. (Lisa Halverstadt)
9. North County Report: The Coast News Is Anxiously Watching State Worker Classification Bill
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s bill to limit which workers can be classified as independent contractors has lots of employers anxious, including the Coast News, whose journalists are mostly freelancers. (Jesse Marx)
10. Escondido Changed the Name of Special Ed Teachers to Skirt Caseload Rules, State Says
The state told Escondido Union School District it couldn’t evade laws capping student-teacher ratios simply by renaming certain positions. In response, the district used taxpayer dollars to initiate a lengthy court battle testing its interpretation of the law. (Will Huntsberry)