California voters will weigh in on 10 statewide ballot measures this November. Much of the attention is focused on Prop. 36, a tough-on-crime measure that would roll back criminal justice reforms enacted 10 years ago.
But three other measures deserve just as much attention because they have the potential to reshape California’s infrastructure for decades. Our Deborah Sullivan explains:
- Proposition 2 would authorize $10 billion in state bonds for modernization of K-12 schools and community colleges. Debate over the proposition centers on whether it would provide badly needed upgrades to cash-strapped schools or saddle California residents with decades of higher taxes.
- Proposition 4 would authorize another $10 billion in bonds for water projects, wildfire prevention and other climate-related goals. Nearly half would go to water upgrades, a significant issue in a state where roughly one million residents lack safe drinking water. Proponents say the money is needed to make up for recent state budget cuts.
- Proposition 5 would make it easier for cities and counties to raise money for affordable housing, roads, water projects and fire protection. Currently, local governments need two-thirds approval to float infrastructure bonds backed by property taxes. Prop. 5 would lower that threshold.
Read more in the Sacramento Report here.
More Allegations Against San Diego Schools Chief
The Union Tribune reported Friday that the San Diego Unified School District received but never disclosed three more sexual misconduct and cronyism allegations against the former superintendent, Lamont Jackson. The allegations date back to 2021 and were quietly buried after district officials deemed them not worthy of legal action.
The unreported allegations add to a yearslong pattern at the district of dismissing or concealing incidents of sexual misconduct involving teachers or other staff. The Voice of San Diego first began reporting on the problem in schools countywide seven years ago.
The controversy swirling around Jackson has enveloped other district officials. As our Will Huntsberry and Jakob McWhinney reported last week, former district officials say new superintendent, Fabiola Bagula, helped to perpetuate a climate of fear, silence and quid pro quo sexual harassment. In one particularly disturbing incident, a former district employee claimed that “Bagula ordered Mrs. Hazel to speak to her in a ‘baby girl’ voice while cowering and bowing towards her.”
You can find a full archive of our coverage here.
Politics Report: That ‘Progressive Carl DeMaio’
We pulled this section from the Politics Report. If you’d like to receive the newsletter in your inbox, become a Voice of San Diego member here.
Carl DeMaio, the firebrand conservative who promises Californians he is going “to take back their state from socialism” wouldn’t be the typical candidate you would associate with “progressive” causes.
But politics can be strange, writes Voice editor Scott Lewis.
DeMaio’s various committees have given $95,000 to help progressives with a “Progressive California Voter Guide.”
The slate mailer went out to voters calling on them to “DEFEND CHOICE” – as in reproductive freedom and access to abortion services — in the 75th Assembly District DeMaio is campaigning to represent. It attacks his fellow Republican and rival in the race, Andrew Hayes as a “MAGA Extremist” who signed a pledge to “outlaw all abortions – ‘from conception’ – with no exceptions.”
Here’s the thing: There is no actual group running the “Progressive California Voter Guide.” It’s just DeMaio, writes Lewis.
Read the Politics Report here.
VOSD Podcast: On the latest episode, our hosts explain why the Republican Party of San Diego is going to war against DeMaio. They also have a few updates on the leadership shakeup at San Diego Unified and the stink in the South Bay.
Listen to the full episode here.
In Other News
- The race to supply the fuel of the future is coming to San Diego’s backyard, the Union-Tribune reports. Lithium miners in Imperial County are eying a potentially rich source of the mineral that powers batteries in cell phones and electric cars. Also raising hopes in the resource-rich but job-starved region: a new San Diego State University research center near the Salton Sea that will study energy issues and offer opportunities to local students.
- More than a year after suing SeaWorld for $12 million in back rent and fees owed since the pandemic, the city of San Diego is still waiting for resolution. But a recent court ruling in Florida might speed things up, according to the Union Tribune. A judge there ruled that SeaWorld also owes Sesame Workshop nearly $10 million in licensing fees that the company stopped paying while its Sesame Place parks, including one in Chula Vista, closed during the pandemic.
- Axios San Diego reports that a new state database shows racial profiling by police is on the decline in San Diego. The database, compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle, finds that racial disparities in SDPD stops have fallen for the last four consecutive years. That’s good news for residents of Barrio Logan and surrounding areas, whose anger over racial profiling launched the political career of San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe.
The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.