Rebecca Taylor, the chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, died as a result of a motorcycle accident in Utah on Tuesday. Taylor was on a cross-country trip on a motorcycle and hit from behind by another vehicle, 10 News reported.
Taylor, 40, previously served as an aviation electrician in the US Navy — and also as an advocate for victims of sexual assault. She grew up in Ocean Beach and served on the OB Town Council, NBC 7 reported.
She had been chair of the Democratic party since 2022.
Multiple officials, including Mayor Todd Gloria, Rep. Sara Jacobs and Rep. Scott Peters issued statements mourning her death.
“Team Peters lost one of its brightest alumni stars last night, and we are heartbroken,” Peters wrote on X. “We met Becca Taylor when she worked as an organizer in our 2014 re-election campaign. It was a tough and tense one, but above the dull roar of a packed campaign office, we could hear Becca’s distinct and upbeat voice cheering others on, a one-person pep squad.”
North County: Trains, Camping Bans and Housing Plans
Our Tigist Layne has you covered with all the latest goings on in North County government in her latest North County Report. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
Escondido: The city is pushing back against a new state law that requires cities to do more to find housing, specifically, for people experiencing homelessness. The law would create new bureaucratic categories related to income that cities need to follow. Escondido doesn’t like that. The city’s other concern is that Sacramento is trying to force cities to deal with homelessness, but not providing funding.
Del Mar Fairgrounds: San Diego County officials want to move train tracks in Del Mar off the eroding bluffs and underground. They had proposed running the tracks underneath the Del Mar Fairgrounds, but the agricultural district board that runs the fairgrounds unanimously voted to oppose that option.
San Marcos: In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a controversial ruling related to homelessness, San Marcos has voted to enact a ban that will prevent homeless people from camping on public property even when shelter space is available.
Read the North County Report here.
We Want to Hear From You
Hi, Voice education reporter Jakob McWhinney here.
Once a month, I put out a special report on new methods, programs and initiatives at San Diego schools aimed at moving the needle on student success. That can range from helping vulnerable students perform better to educating parents on the importance of sending their child to school every day.
You can read some of my past stories here. If you have been recently impressed by a program at your child’s school or simply heard of something that you’d like to see featured, get in touch.
Click here to send me an email.
Mr. Barrera Goes to Sacramento
For the past 16 years, Richard Barrera has served on San Diego Unified’s Board of Education. Over his long tenure, he’s become an outsized influence on the board, but now, he’s got a new appointment. State Superintendent of Education Tony Thurmond has brought Barrera on as a Senior Policy Advisor.
Barrera said he will work on special projects for the California Department of Education that “go beyond the traditional scope of the [California Department of Education].” He won’t be stepping away from his role as a board member at San Diego Unified.
One of the big projects Barrera will be focused on is helping to accelerate the surging interest in developing housing on district-owned land.
“That’s a big opportunity around the state and we want to encourage more and more districts to take advantage of that opportunity,” Barrera said.
San Diego Unified has multiple projects in the pipeline and even included language prioritizing the construction of workforce housing in the bond measure voters approved in 2022. But there’s opportunities for housing across the state, Barrera said, referencing a study that found California school districts own about 75,000 acres of potentially developable land that, should districts take the leap, could result in the creation of millions of units.
One barrier is that current state law only allows school districts to spend bond money on workforce housing rather than housing for families. Potentially helping to craft and push legislation that changes that is another task on Barrera’s new plate.
“If you take the things that school districts are most wanting to do and … the most ambitious ideas that school districts have and you sort of coalesce districts and stakeholders throughout the state, to really start to advance ideas, accelerate ideas. I think It’s an exciting opportunity,” Barrera said.
“And that’s what [Thurmond] wants to do. He wants to really go after some big ideas.”
Another Month, More Sobering Homelessness Data
For the past 27 months in a row, the number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County has outpaced the number moving into homes.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reported Wednesday that 1,172 people became homeless for the first time in June and 989 exited homelessness.
The bottom line: Local efforts to combat homelessness haven’t kept up with the flood of people losing their homes.
In Other News
- Forget sexy streets, it’s all about sexy sidewalks. A new county grand jury report says that San Diego needs to prioritize fixing sidewalks. (Union-Tribune)
- And speaking of sidewalks, the San Diego City Council voted to keep its sidewalk vending permit fee at $38. This permit allows street vendors to legally operate in areas of the city. Times of San Diego reports that since the city started collecting permit fees in March 2024, it has collected $46,406. City staff had originally recommended that the fee be as high as $230.
- The city of Chula Vista is planning on adding a small soccer field to Harborside Park. The city closed the park two summers ago following safety concerns over homeless encampments. (Fox 5)
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Lisa Halverstadt and Jakob McWhinney.