Homelessness rose again in San Diego County over the last year, according to the region’s latest annual census.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reports that its volunteers counted 10,605 homeless residents sleeping in shelters or outdoors countywide in January, a total that translates into a 3 percent year-over-year increase.
The latest spike isn’t as dramatic as last year’s surge but as our Lisa Halverstadt reports, an 18 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness and other new data points show the county is continuing to struggle to meet the needs of its existing population and others who are on the brink of homelessness.
Crucial context: The point-in-time count represents a snapshot of the region’s homeless population and the Task Force emphasizes that it should be considered a minimum count. Exhibit A: The Task Force reports about 22,300 people accessed homeless services from October 2022 through 2023, more than double the 10,605 people counted during the January census.
San Diego Unified Superintendent Named in District Police Officer Lawsuit
San Diego Unified Superintendent Lamont Jackson was named in a lawsuit filed by district police officers in December, NBC San Diego reported on Tuesday.
The report came a day after Voice’s education reporter Jakob McWhinney broke the news that San Diego Unified officials had hired a Los Angeles based law firm to perform an internal investigation into Jackson. District officials have not shared what prompted the investigation.
The bulk of the lawsuit, filed by 11 district police officers, alleges that San Diego Unified’s Police Chief engaged in sexual assault and discrimination. But it also claims that following the lawsuit’s filing, Jackson retaliated against Roberto Lozano, one of the officers who brought the suit.
The lawsuit alleges that Jackson dropped into the classroom of Lozano’s girlfriend, who works as a teacher at San Diego Unified, unannounced and without the knowledge of the school’s principal “to intimidate her.”
“Jackson proceeded to give Lozano’s girlfriend an unwelcomed hug and told her class she was amazing, even though the two never met before that day,” the lawsuit reads. It’s unclear if the investigation is connected to the allegations in the lawsuit.
At a Tuesday evening event for San Diego Unified’s classified employees of the year, Jackson and district staff would not speak about the investigation. Jackson’s chief of staff, Enrique Ruacho, said they could not “comment on ongoing investigations.”
City Council Approves Lease for Mission Valley Office Space
The San Diego City Council officially voted 8-1 Monday to lease a Mission Valley office building to house a portion of the city’s Development Services Department workforce. The city is pursuing another lease at a building on West C Street to house the remainder of the workers.
The lease for the Mission Valley building, which will run for four years and is slated to start in the coming months, will cost $10.2 million between rent and operating expenses. The department also anticipates it will rack up $2.6 million in moving and remodel expenses.
City officials have been eager to get staff out of the more than 50-year-old City Operations Building in downtown’s Civic Center for years. In 2019, plans to relocate workers to the infamous 101 Ash St. building dissolved into scandal after asbestos contamination was discovered. The aging City Operations Building requires $45.2 million in deferred maintenance and is plagued by everything from plumbing leaks to broken elevators.
During the meeting, City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera called San Diego’s neglect of the building “a civic embarrassment.”
“There’s nothing to be proud of about the previous administrations and councils that deferred maintenance to the point of leaving our employees in, quite frankly, not only an embarrassing building but one that’s not up to standards from a safety perspective,” Elo-Rivera said.
Song of the Week
Pleasure Pill rose from the pandemic ashes of the more off-the-wall JINX!, which released dozens of songs starting in 2016. That name may also ring a bell because of the band’s prolific postering work over the years. Though some of the delightful eccentricity of JINX! has been stripped away with the reinvention, Pleasure Pill’s decidedly retro sound is indeed infectious.
Pleasure Pill, “I’d Rather Be”: Pleasure Pill’s latest single, “I’d Rather Be,” is about as straightforward as it comes. It’s a fuzzy, love-drunk garage track dripping with nostalgia. Jonah Paz’s bratty croon is framed by a bouncy bassline and some classic guitar riffage. It’s the kind of track that could find an audience anytime over the last 30 years. But calling it straightforward is no knock. You don’t need a gimmick if you can just write a catchy and kickass tune.
Read more about the Song of the Week here.
Like what you hear? Check out Pleasure Pill at Casbah on Saturday, May 25.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.
In Other News
- County supervisors voted Tuesday to seek a construction manager to renovate a former 120-bed treatment facility in National City nearly 18 months after the county acquired it. KPBS reports that supervisors also voted Tuesday to advance a proposed deal with UC San Diego Health to deliver acute psychiatric care and 30 to 45 beds for Medi-Cal patients at the former Alvarado Hospital.
- Imperial Valley has fewer electric car charging stations than nearly any other area in California. (CalMatters)
- Last month, State Farm canceled the insurance plans of more than 2,000 San Diego County policyholders. Now, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is striking back, calling the decision “not very neighborly.” (CBS 8)
- The Union-Tribune reports on a new study that reveals pay disparities among women and people of color when compared to men and White employees at the city of San Diego.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Jakob McWhinney. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.