More than six years ago, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl helped launch a division focused on addressing homelessness and quality-of-life concerns such as open drug use.
Now the city’s top cop has assigned more officers to the Neighborhood Policing Division to crack down on crimes tied to homelessness and link unsheltered San Diegans with services.
Our Lisa Halverstadt reports most of those additional officers are also new to the department and will bolster the department’s enforcement bandwidth for about three months before another crop of new officers replaces them. More officers have also been assigned to the department’s Homeless Outreach Team that connects homeless residents with shelter and a new unit aiming to aid vulnerable residents who often inspire countless 911 calls amid struggles with addiction or other health challenges.
Wahl says the new assignments are a response to increasing demands on the department to address the homelessness crisis and that he hopes they can help put a dent in the problem. Homeless service experts and advocates, however, have long argued that police interactions – particularly enforcement – do more to hurt than help homeless residents.
South County Report: New President, New Local Priorities
For some local elected officials, the return of President Donald Trump has changed how they view their next term, writes South County reporter Jim Hinch.
Take newly reelected National City Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, for example. While he’s holding firm to his pledge to provide more affordable housing, he acknowledges that may change if Trump cuts federal funding for such projects.
In the face of Trump’s pledge to deport millions, Rodriguez also pledged to ensure local law enforcement follow state law that restricts them from cooperating with immigration enforcement agencies.
Also in the South County Report: Hourly employees at the utilities provider Sweetwater Authority will vote on whether they want to join the 800,000 strong union IBEW, and some Imperial Beach residents are still dissatisfied with a bus line that runs from Otay Mesa to the city’s pier.
Read the South County Report here.
Deadly Failure: A Sailor’s Struggle in a Fractured Mental Health System
NBC 7 has released a new documentary based on the reporting of Voice of San Diego reporter Will Huntsberry. The documentary follows the story of Petty Officer 2nd Class Tiara Gray. While in the Navy, she began to experience deep bouts of depression and, despite being marked not fit for duty multiple times by mental health professionals, a therapist who saw her only once changed that designation. She ultimately died aboard the USS Essex in 2018 off the shores of San Diego.
The documentary premiered Monday but will play again at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13 on NBC 7. It can also be viewed online.
Song of the Week
surcarilita, “walking online”: Much of surcarilita’s 2023 album “mírala mirando,” features guitar – sometimes crunchy, sometimes acoustic. The closing track, “walking online,” flips the script, turning instead to dreamlike puffs of synth that conjure the feeling of floating through an 8-bit landscape. Still, sucarilita’s fabulous twee sensibilities remain, as does the DIY production and singer Ana Cossio’s whispered vocals. Read more about the song of the week here.
Like what you hear? Check out surcarilita live on Friday, Nov. 22.
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
- The City of San Diego has dismantled a sprawling homeless encampment on a series of tidal islands in the San Diego River that at one time housed nearly 100 people. Officials ultimately removed 155,000 pounds of debris. (Union-Tribune)
- Multiple communities from Point Loma to Pacific Beach continue to complain about streetlight outages – some of which have persisted for years. (CBS 8)
- According to a new study from the mortgage website LendingTree, last year 35 percent of the homes in San Diego County were valued at $1 million or more. (Union-Tribune)
- Interested in doing a whole lot of extremely important work for very little pay? Apply to be on San Diego County’s Grand Jury for the 2025-26 year.
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt and Jakob McWhinney. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
“those additional officers are also new to the department and will bolster the department’s *enforcement bandwidth*…”
please PLEASE don’t use stupid idioms in new and creative ways such as this.
“… one time housed nearly 100 people. Officials ultimately removed *155,000 pounds* of debris.”
every time a homeless camp is destroyed the news notes an absurd amount of trash that is left over. does anyone truly believe that homeless folks lugged an average of 15,500 pounds EACH to this (fairly) remote and hidden site??