San Diego Councilmember Joe LaCava said the City Council’s Environment Committee would look into the alleged deaths of seabirds following Fourth of July fireworks in Mission Bay.
“We’ll talk with subject matter experts to better understand what was so different about this year,” said LaCava, the chair of the committee which met Thursday, in response to multiple public commenters who showed up to speak on the issue despite it not being on the committee’s agenda.
Nesting seabirds need more protection from disturbances in Mission Bay, speakers said. Some mentioned that fireworks are also bad for human health.
Why they’re mad: Late last week, the San Diego Audubon Society posted to its Instagram pictures of dead California elegant terns, both adults, chicks and eggs, that had washed off their West Ski Island nesting ground following the Fourth of July weekend. Fireworks and increased boating activity during the festivities scared the birds from their nests, causing some of them to die, the organization alleges.
The city’s take: The city of San Diego acknowledged the West Ski Island nesting ground exists but noted it’s not “an officially recognized nesting area,” according to Benny Cartwright, a city spokesperson. “It does not currently have an official designation in any planning or regulatory documents,” he said.
Escondido Gives State Housing Bill a Thumbs Down
The Escondido City Council Wednesday unanimously voted to send a letter to the California State Legislature opposing a proposed state housing bill that would require cities to consider the needs of homeless populations when planning for housing.
The proposed bill, sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would create two new income categories to represent people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, and local jurisdictions would have to incorporate these new categories in their housing plans and then accommodate new housing for them.
City officials said they don’t support the bill unless it’s amended because it’s confusing, unnecessary and doesn’t address the underlying problem cities have when it comes to housing homeless people: lack of funding.
Our Tigist Layne revealed more details about the bill and Escondido’s drafted letter ahead of the vote Wednesday night. Read that story here.
In Other News
- The city of San Diego is hinting that it’s time to keep pedicabs in check. A council committee approved new rules on Wednesday for how they operate. This comes after complaints from business owners and residents about loud amplified music in the early morning, as well as concerns over price gouging. (Union-Tribune)
- The U-T reports that San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert is considering running for state Senate. Read more here.
- When should police officers chase after vehicles? An oversight board is recommending that the San Diego Police Department consider only initiating pursuits when related to violent felonies. NBC 7 has more on the proposal.
- Nurses at Rady Children’s Hospital are planning on moving forward with a 2-day strike starting on July 22. (10 News)
- The University of California Regents on Thursday signed off on UC San Diego’s plan to build 6,000 new housing units. (Union-Tribune)
- The Metropolitan Transit System board approved a new East County trolley line on Thursday. (Times of San Diego)
Correction: The article, “Sara Jacobs Could Be the Next Nancy Pelosi” previously stated that Jacobs “co-sponsored” a piece of legislation on foreign aid reform. Jacobs sponsored the legislation. It also previously said she worked to ban the U.S. from sending cluster munitions to Ukraine. She worked to ban the sale of cluster munitions to any country.
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer and Tigist Layne.
cv ksa: This is a fantastic addition to the topic—great work!