Buckle up and grab a snack. We’re hitting the road.
This week on the VOSD Podcast, hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña are taking you on a drive through the week’s local news.
Before we go: Has everyone gone to the bathroom?
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced days ago that the city is now dedicated to placing a public bathroom within a five-minute walk of anywhere downtown.
This comes after weeks of reports by VOSD’s Lisa Halverstadt and local journalist Bella Ross about the lack of public bathrooms and its impact on pedestrians and homeless folks. Homeless San Diegans, who largely congregate downtown, are acutely hit by this problem as evidenced by the recent shigella outbreak.
Let’s hit the road: SANDAG
Keatts this week laid out some major developments at the regional transportation agency and its initiative to charge drivers for every mile they drive. That idea is pretty much dead.
The mechanics of such a fee were hard to figure out anyway. How do you determine, for sure, the number of miles driven on San Diego roads only?
Regardless, a band of progressive local leaders blocked the idea as part of a larger plan by the agency to reduce emissions and meet all its goals. Now, SANDAG must adopt a new plan to meet state requirements by the end of the year.
Final Destination: City Council President
In a surprising move, the San Diego City Council ousted President Jen Campbell — replacing her with Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera.
On the podcast, our hosts recap how it went down in council chambers this week and who ultimately determined the presidency pick.
Plus: We deliver a brief history of the role, which emerged in 2004 as the strong mayor form of government was installed in San Diego. Since then, council presidents of years past have done little to shape the city. Will Elo-Rivera break the mold?
Support the Pod Squad
We’re in the throws of our fundraising campaign right now. On the show, our hosts thanked some fans who donated so far and wrote us nice notes. Here are a few:
Oksana – I appreciate local news presented thoughtfully. I recently started to listening to your podcast. I love it.
Andres – According to Spotify, I listened to the VOSD Podcast for 2,264 minutes in 2021. (They gave for every minute listened.)
Jack – VOSD Rocks!
Thanks to everyone who’s donated so far. You can support this show specifically by giving at vosd.org/podcast2021.