A couple of months ago, Escondido city leaders adopted a new homelessness policy that prioritizes public safety and calls for a city-run homeless shelter that serves only homeless individuals with ties to Escondido.
Inspiration for much of the policy came from Huntington Beach.
City leaders visited a homeless shelter in Huntington Beach last year as part of their research process. They praised Huntington Beach’s large city-owned shelter that required sobriety and prioritized its own homeless residents.
Escondido leaders also commended Huntington Beach for its lack of visible homelessness on the city’s streets.
Though it didn’t end homelessness, city officials say they made significant progress.
Still, the plan and some aspects of Huntington’s overall approach to reducing homelessness have received some criticism from homeless advocates.
Environment Report: Mayor Proposes Diverting Money Away from Communities Most Vulnerable to Climate Change
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wants to use money that was set aside to help communities most susceptible to the impacts of climate change to help close the city’s budget deficit.
The money would come from San Diego’s Climate Equity Fund, which is funded from San Diego Gas and Electric and state gas and transportation taxes. It was set up in 2021 to help communities that are most vulnerable to climate change.
Those communities are typically lower income communities of color that have historically been underserved.
Money from the Equity Fund is supposed to pay for projects that will help low-income communities better resist the impacts of climate change.
Our MacKenzie Elmer writes that Gloria, just a few months ago, applauded himself for the progress he’s made on his Climate Action Plan. Now, he’s proposing taking millions of dollars away from communities that need it the most.
The city of San Diego is currently facing a $200 million structural budget deficit.
Read the Environment Report here.
San Diego Is Still Behind On Behavioral Health Resources. Here’s Why
San Diego County’s behavioral health system has been severely clogged for years.
The situation became much worse when Tri-City Medical Center closed its mental health care unit in 2018, and Covid-19 compounded the problem even more.
Since then, county leaders have made plans to replace Tri-City’s closed mental health unit, remodel existing space at the former Alvarado Hospital in La Mesa and build new facilities in Chula Vista and Escondido, the Union-Tribune reported. But those plans are still far from being a reality.
The U-T spoke to behavioral health experts who said the situation is similar to tackling homelessness – neighborhood opposition, struggles with permitting, increasing costs of labor and materials and government red tape have contributed to the slow-moving progress.
Related: Our Lisa Halverstadt has previously reported about what has led to the county’s perpetual struggle with its behavioral health system, and how recent state actions are putting pressure on the county to fix it.
In Other News
- A San Diego school district has been relying on bottled water for years because its drinking water from its water well has had unsafe levels of arsenic since at least April 2012. Leaders at Warner Unified School District say bureaucratic red tape has delayed efforts to fix the problem. (Union-Tribune)
- Recent rocket launches by Space X and other companies have resulted in loud noises and debris falling into the ocean. The California Coastal Commission is now asking questions about their impacts on the environment. (Union-Tribune)
- The San Diego County Office of Education has a new leader. The county Board of Education has tapped Gloria E. Ciriza to become its first female superintendent. KPBS has more on Ciriza.
- Environmental groups are hoping to overturn new rooftop solar rules that slash the financial compensation solar customers receive when their systems generate more electricity than they consume. The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear their appeals in the next few months. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.