An all-boys Catholic high school has long been a fixture in the Altadena neighborhood.
In more recent years, it’s also been a source of controversy among residents who say it hasn’t been a good neighbor.
As our Jakob McWhinney writes, Altadena residents have complained about dangerous traffic they say is fueled by the school and what they describe as its’ unwillingness to work with the community.
School leaders, meanwhile, argued that they have tried to address concerns. One confessed he sees the school as an “easy target” and wondered aloud whether a couple residents were behind the pushback.
Sweetwater’s Floating Solar Array Is Ruffling Feathers
A group of South County residents voted Wednesday to formally oppose a proposed floating solar array atop a drinking water reservoir in their community.
The Sweetwater Valley Civic Association, a community group formed in 1949 according to its website, unanimously agreed to write a letter to its water district, the Sweetwater Authority, expressing disapproval of the project. The members were particularly dismayed by the lack of transparency around the project’s details, brought to light by one of the association’s members, Karen Henry.
Josie Calderon-Scott, a Sweetwater board member who does not serve on the association but was in attendance Wednesday, said the first time she heard about the solar project was at the board’s June meeting – when it was first introduced and the water district’s general manager asked the board to approve an agreement with Noria Energy to design the array as a sole-source contract.
“I support green energy and solar … but it doesn’t need to be over our drinking water especially when we can’t get the transparency to what else is going on,” she said.
The project was pitched as a 3.75-megawatt array that could save the water district $500,000 in energy costs per year, money that could be put toward lowering expenses or water rates, Carlos Quintero, the district’s general manager, told Voice of San Diego. Quintero had told the board in June it needed to move quickly in order to secure renewable energy credits from San Diego Gas and Electric.
Unsheltered Man Dies Outside San Diego City Hall
A 39-year-old man who appeared to be homeless was found dead outside the San Diego City Hall complex on a cold, rainy morning earlier this week.
City Councilman Joe LaCava announced the death during a Wednesday City Council budget committee meeting, hours after a 911 call reporting a man who appeared to be deceased in Civic Center Plaza.
“We had a homeless individual pass away on the community concourse, all by himself trying to get shelter from the rain,” LaCava said. “We don’t know why he passed away.”
Unsheltered residents have long gathered underneath covered areas at the City Hall complex, especially when it rains.
San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Mónica Muñoz said police and firefighters were called to the scene just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, but that police quickly confirmed the man had died.
Lt. Daniel Meyer, a police spokesman, said there were no signs of foul play.
Meyer and Muñoz did not elaborate on the potential cause of the man’s death. The Medical Examiner’s Office is now investigating.
A harsh reminder: As 10 News reported this week, recent storms have been punishing for unsheltered residents desperate to stay dry. The station spoke to one man who said he took refuge in an abandoned apartment.
In Other News
- The Union-Tribune reports that San Diego City Councilmembers this week called for the city to direct more cash toward storm drain and channel cleaning despite a hefty projected budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins in July.
- NBC 7 San Diego reports that some National City residents are blaming city infrastructure for flooding that forced them out of their homes.
- The Union-Tribune revealed that SANDAG is facing a potential class-action lawsuit from a driver who says he was wrongly charged by the agency’s troubled toll-collection system along state Route 125.
- NBC 7 San Diego talked to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about federal aid and San Diego infrastructure needs in the wake of recent flooding.
- 10 News reports that the Padres have announced a memorial ceremony for now-former chairman Peter Seidler next month.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.