Lincoln High School is again on the search for a new leader.
The school’s principal Jose Soto-Ramos, as well as all three of the school’s vice principals, were dismissed from their positions Wednesday, the day after the school year ended.
VOSD’s Will Huntsberry reports San Diego Unified leaders have repeatedly promised to help improve the southeastern San Diego school, which has had below average performance in several areas, including academics and school attendance. Soto-Ramos was the school’s fifth leader in 12 years.
“Lincoln is a beast of a school with a lot of problems. We need people with the will and the skill to lead it,” said Francine Maxwell, a parent and community member who has been involved with Lincoln for many years.
Faulconer Details Density Plan
It took five months, but we’re getting more of the details of San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s proposal to increase housing density by eliminating height limits for apartment and condo projects built near transit lines.
The proposal would, the U-T reports, affect 11 percent of the city — from Old Town to Encanto to Sorrento Valley. That doesn’t include the coastal zone, where height limits are capped at 30 feet, but developers would be allowed to build thicker projects there.
If they meet certain criteria set by city staff, developers would also be able to bypass community planning groups, the planning commission and the City Council.
Officials estimate that around 20 percent of the units would be rent-restricted for low-income residents.
Issa’s Nomination Has Languished for Nearly a Year
Former Rep. Darrell Issa’s nomination to the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has languished in the Senate for nearly a year while Democrats and Republicans engage in procedural combat.
In the North County Report, Jesse Marx considers Issa’s whereabouts and how the politics of California’s 49th Congressional District have changed in such a short period of time.
Issa is no longer raging against the abuses of executive power, which is how he made his name on the national level. Instead, he’s been spending his free time defending the Trump administration from congressional oversight.
At the same time, Issa’s replacement, Rep. Mike Levin, has been carrying a number of progressive proposals, one of which would require that all new vehicles emit no emissions by 2040.
Marx also has an update on Encinitas public records policy. Threatened with a lawsuit, the City Council has asked staff to keep emails for two years rather than 30 days.
Hunter’s Wife to Change Plea
Margaret Hunter, who was indicted alongside her husband, Rep. Duncan Hunter, on campaign finance-related charges, is scheduled to appear in federal court Thursday to change her plea of not guilty, the Union-Tribune reports.
It’s not immediately clear whether she’s agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against the East County congressman. At recent hearings, the two have stopped appearing jointly and no longer sit together, the U-T noted.
After the charges were filed last summer, Duncan Hunter blamed his wife on national television for the alleged misuse of more than $250,000 worth of political donations on personal expenses. She worked as the campaign’s treasurer.
If the charges are true, Scott Lewis wrote at the time, Hunter crossed a line that’s intended to keep the democratic process honest by becoming personally indebted to the people who want something from the government.
In Other News
- The buried lede here is not that Uber plans to begin delivering food by drone in San Diego. It’s that Juniper & Ivy’s off-menu burger will be available for delivery. (Venturebeat)
- Border Patrol agents are dropping off asylum-seeking migrants in tiny towns like Blythe, leaving nonprofits and churches scrambling to take care of them. (Los Angeles Times)
- Three port-a-potties in East Village are costing the city $29,000 a month to operate. (KPBS)
- San Ysidro High School’s valedictorian gave a graduation speech that went viral this week. The student told CBS 8 she wanted to bring attention to the school’s lack of support for students.
Correction
Wednesday’s Morning Report mischaracterized how city officials plan to shift $1.6 million in state grant funds to accommodate a new homeless tent shelter. The reallocated money will support operations at the 17th Street and Imperial Avenue tent.
The Morning Report was written by Megan Wood and Jesse Marx, and edited by Sara Libby.