Rep. Sara Jacobs comes from privilege. Born in Del Mar, she’s a White, Ivy League grad and the granddaughter of one of the richest men in San Diego, Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs.
But the lane she’s carved out for herself in Congress is far from what her background may lead one to expect. Instead, she’s drawn on that background to push for policies she believes will create a more fair America for working people, Jacobs told reporter Will Huntsberry.
Jacobs has one of the most progressive voting records of any House member and has stacked her plate with tricky foreign affairs and military assignments. She’s the youngest member of the House Democrats’ leadership team and has reached across the aisle to work with House members whose views on some issues she finds odious. She’s also taken tough, lonely positions on bills supported by much of the Democratic party.
Jacobs’ close working relationship with Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pelosi has also put her on a glide path toward lasting power in the House. Flush with money and in a safe seat, Jacobs could become one of San Diego’s most powerful politicians in generations.
County to Pursue New Tiny Home Project Despite Bad News From the State
County supervisors decided Tuesday to move forward with a sleeping cabin project in Lemon Grove even if the state won’t help pay for it.
Last month, board Chair Nora Vargas persuaded other supervisors to rescind a previously-planned tiny home project in Spring Valley that faced community pushback and had been backed with a $10 million pledge from the state. At the time, Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe persuaded her board colleagues to ask county officials to explore whether they could pursue a smaller Lemon Grove site instead and try to hold onto the state grant.
The state gave the county an answer hours before Tuesday’s vote. It essentially said no. On Monday, the state’s Department of General Services sent the county a termination notice saying the county has blown through deadlines tied to the state grant and appeared unlikely to meet the state’s deadlines to expend the $10 million grant and finish the project by Dec. 31, 2025. The county had hoped to open the Spring Valley site in November 2025.
Politico broke the news on the letter early Tuesday, reporting that San Jose is now set to get the state cash initially set aside for San Diego County. A Governor’s Office spokesperson panned the county in a statement sent to Voice of San Diego.
“San Diego County could not move with the urgency the housing and homelessness crisis demands,” spokesperson Izzy Gardon wrote in an email. “The governor is committed to accountability, and we will not allow local delays and opposition to impede the state’s unprecedented efforts to get people off the streets and into housing.”
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Contactless Pay Now Available on MTS
San Diego just made it much easier to pay for public transit by adding tap-to-pay aboard its buses and trolleys.
Now riders on Metropolitan Transit System buses and trolleys can tap their credit card, Apple Pay or Apple Watches – virtually anything equipped with contactless pay options – on fare validators. Previously, the only option was to download the Pronto app, load money onto a virtual ticket and scan a QR code to pay.
But transit advocates and riders complained Pronto was so cumbersome that many riders gave up or didn’t pay. Voice of San Diego reported last May that so few people were paying for their trip around the time Pronto launched, the transit system was losing millions of dollars in farebox revenue.
That’s key as San Diego approaches big events like Comic-Con, which can draw over 150,000 people to downtown, many of whom use transit to navigate near the conference center.
Adding the service cost MTS $1.2 million, according to MTS spokesman Mark Olson. That was a service the MTS board didn’t elect to move forward with immediately when it signed a $37 million, 10-year contract with Innovations in Transportation, Inc, the Pronto app’s developer.
Song of the Week: ‘We Conquer the World’
My first introduction to Bang Bang Jet Away came nearly a decade ago, when I stumbled across the excellent tune “Like a Tiny Grasshopper,” on SoundCloud. The song is a retro gem that presaged some of the paisley-infused neo-psychedelia feel of early Foxygen.
But with each subsequent release, of which there are many scattered like rare trading cards across streaming platforms, Bang Bang Jet Away has added depth to its unique sonic tapestry, even while maintaining the homespun feel. There’s the sparse, ominous pondering of “Quotidian Barbarian,” the fleshed-out 90s indie rock of “You Slept With My Best Friend,” and the tinkling bravado of “Cocaine Company.”
It all recalls something I deeply miss about the pre-algorithm days of music: when a band’s catalog didn’t like the same song arranged for different keys.
Bang Bang Jet Away, “We Conquer The World”: Taken from last year’s EP, “Graves,” Bang Bang Jet Away’s “We Conquer The World,” hits you with a beautifully fuzzy wall of guitar sound. It has shades of Brian Jonestown Massacre’s early work if Anton Newcombe was capable of writing a more complex vocal line. Accompanied by a bustling bass line and singer Matt Binder’s charmingly snotty vocals, the track exudes an easy confidence. It’s a sing-along for a sunny Saturday morning.
Like what you hear? Check out Bang Bang Jet Away at Casbah on Saturday, July 20.
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
- Just two years after its creation, a civilian oversight panel meant to monitor the use of surveillance equipment in San Diego no longer has enough members to even meet quorum for meetings. (KPBS)
- California’s Board of Education has ruled the Cajon Valley Union School District illegally removed mentions of LGBTQ+ individuals from its sex education curriculum. (NBC 7)
- Between 2020 and 2023, the only age group in San Diego that grew was people 65 and older, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. Even given the 9 percent increase in seniors, San Diego’s overall population fell by nearly 1 percent. (Axios)
- The organization that operates the Del Mar Fair opposes SANDAG’s plans to relocate rail lines underneath the fairgrounds, citing worries that the project could prevent the fair from happening for years to come. (KPBS)
- County supervisors voted Tuesday to crack down on corporate landlords. (Times of San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Lisa Halverstadt and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Lisa Halverstadt and Will Huntsberry.
This article is biased! Here is a more balanced article.
If you want radical islamists terrorists running this country vote for Sara Jacobs.
If you care for America and democracy vote for Bill Wells!
https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2024/04/24/oped-is-rep-sara-jacobs-a-friend-or-foe-of-israel/
Sara Jacobs is a young politician, who has not archived anything on her own. Coming from the wealthy family she builds her campaigns on family money and false promises. She supports woke culture and doesn’t stand for the majority of her constituents.