Courts statewide have for decades placed youth who commit serious crimes to prison throughout the state but on Friday, the state’s four remaining youth detention facilities will close.
But more than four years after Gov. Gavin Newsom first announced the change, advocates tell Voice of San Diego contributor Kelly Davis that counties including San Diego are struggling to line up programs and services that match the state’s offerings.
A soon-to-be released 20 year old offender who has been learning computer coding at a Ventura facility told Davis he’s been disappointed with the programs he’s found since he was transferred to the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility in Otay Mesa. And others who work with youth and advocate for youth in the facility are also flagging problems.
The county’s chief probation officer, meanwhile, told Davis her agency has been working with various partners to ramp up offerings.
Homeless Camping Ban Set to Take Effect July 29
Mayor Todd Gloria on Thursday signed a controversial homeless camping ban into law, setting the stage for related outreach and enforcement to begin July 29.
Per city rules, an ordinance takes effect 30 days after the mayor signs it barring any referendums or legal challenges.
After an amendment to the ordinance, Gloria’s team also committed to open the first of two safe sleeping sites by July 1 – and to enact the ordinance 30 days after it opened. The first campsite at 20th and B streets began slowly welcoming unsheltered residents on Thursday.
Refresher: The ordinance bans camping on public property when shelter is available and at all times in certain yet-to-be determined parks, within two blocks of schools and shelters, along waterways and at transit hubs. We’ve previously reported on the police department’s enforcement plan, how the new law could transform East Village, how it could impact other neighborhoods and people with disabilities living outdoors, the city’s shelter shortage and more.
- In a new op-ed, Danny R. Avitia of the San Diego Downtown Democratic Club argues the ordinance is a flawed approach to addressing the city’s complex homelessness crisis.
In Other News
- Shark sightings aren’t necessarily on the rise, as this CBS 8 story portends. Instead, a two-year study published this month by a marine biology expert at Cal State Long Beach used drones to show that surfers and swimmers are in close proximity to sharks – even the much-feared but misunderstood great white – a lot more often than we realize.
- Carlsbad is the most-expensive place to buy a home, according to a study by RealtyHop. Homeowners there spend more than 69 percent of their income on mortgage and property taxes. (CBS 8 and ResearchGate)
- Marvel Studios announced it’s not coming to San Diego, a potentially catastrophic announcement for San Diego’s Comic-Con International comic book convention. That and the actors guild could quite possibly go on strike soon, which means stars of the silver screen would probably bail on Comic-Con as well. Writers, on strike since May, will also be missing one of San Diego’s biggest attractions in summertime. (Union-Tribune)
- Smoke from wildfires in Canada delayed the San Diego Padres Thursday away game a full 45 minutes. Pittsburgh Pirates’ star Andrew McCutchen donned a face mask to round the bases after hitting a single in the first inning. (NBC 7)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.