Should the city seize private property to address its homeless shelter crisis?
Council President Sean Elo-Rivera thinks the city should pursue the process known as eminent domain as it prepares for the closure of hundreds of city-funded shelter beds in coming months. He believes it could give the city more leverage as it seeks new shelter sites.
Mayor Todd Gloria and his team argue it’s a complex and lengthy legal process that won’t supply shelter options quickly enough.
Our Lisa Halverstadt breaks down the arguments over whether the city should try the controversial process to try to deliver more shelter options.
Refresher: By early next year, the city expects to be down 732 shelter beds following the expected closure of several city shelters, including one that shuttered last month.
Get Your Tickets to Politifest
Our annual public affairs summit is only a month away, so get excited. We’ve organized some fascinating discussions and debates among candidates in some of the hottest races.
It’s all happening on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the University of San Diego.
You can get your tickets now at vosd.org/politifest.
Do you have any feedback on content we can produce ahead of Politifest to help you dig deeper into the conversations? Email our managing editor at andrea.lopez@voiceofsandiego.org
Song of the Week
Hex, “The Tower”: Hex’s 2022 single, “The Tower,” is the band’s most fully realized track to date. There are shades of Real Estate-esque jangle pop here and a sense of melancholy that gives me the feeling of watching the world glide by through the passenger seat window. What’s perhaps most impressive is how well every element fits together – the whispered, barely audible vocals, the laidback drum work, the shoegazey guitar lines. It’s a heck of a song and hopefully a sign of what’s to come for Hex.
Read more about the song of the week here.
Like what you hear? Check out Hex at Che Cafe on Thursday, Aug. 15
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
- Samantha Cole, who has documented the sordid fall and criminal history of San Diego’s Girls Do Porn case has a new story of how a San Diego lawyer and a group of unlikely friends tracked the fugitive founder of the site and helped authorities capture him in Spain.
- CalMatters reports that state officials want school districts to turn unused properties into housing for families and teachers. San Diego has a head start. Read more here.
- The mayor of San Jose visited one of the city of San Diego’s safe camping sites this week. Mayor Todd Gloria told reporters during the visit that the sites’ “success” is one of the reasons officials are considering expanding the site, the Union-Tribune reported.
- The city of San Diego is asking residents for input as it considers charging a fee for trash collection. (KPBS)
- Encinitas is trying to get drivers to slow down, but there’s a bit of confusion because of conflicting speed limit signs. (NBC 7)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Jakob McWhinney and Scott Lewis. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.