This is our last podcast before the recall election on Sept. 14.
Among the slew of candidates vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom is a man VOSD has covered for years: former mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts have reported on Faulconer’s career for a long time now; they know him well. On the show, just days before the election to determine the state’s leadership, Lewis and Keatts review Faulconer’s trajectory over the last few months, as well as his mayoral tenure to assess what’s gone wrong in his pursuit of higher office. He’s currently trailing candidates with less experience and political cred.
Related: For those of you who’ve already filled out the two-question ballot, you may have noticed Faulconer’s designation is not “former San Diego mayor” because that’s not allowed by state rules. Instead his title is businessman/educator. Keatts explained on the podcast — and in this story — what that’s all about.
COVID, Currently
This week, it looked like COVID-19 may have started to wane in San Diego. On the show, we reviewed the county’s weekly report that shows case numbers going down and hospitalizations stabilizing.
Since March, the county has counted over 2,000 San Diegans who have gone to the hospital due to COVID-19. Of those, 96 percent were unvaccinated.
Among the region’s most vulnerable — homeless folks and school kids — this week was a mixed bag. VOSD’s Lisa Halverstadt found that following the surge of the delta variant, the city and county are struggling to maintain a testing regimen to ensure the safety of people in shelters.
On the other hand, Lewis’s assessment of San Diego Unified is positive. The county’s largest school district opened for the new year a few weeks ago. They have a fully virtual learning option, while giving lots of attention to air quality, masking and testing for its students.