As I’m writing this on Friday, Jan. 3, all I can think is, 2025 is going to be nuts.
It’s only the third day of the year, but San Diego is already down one county supervisor, sex scandals are still making headlines and, as we revealed, key funds that help deliver homes to homeless and low-income San Diegans have dried up.
If you took the last week off to relax, good for you. But welcome back!
Grab some cafecito because I have what you need to know to start your week.
A Look Back Before a Look Forward
We wrapped up our annual series on what we learned in 2024. If you missed any of those stories, you can catch up here.
Our reporters chased the biggest stories and helped San Diegans understand their communities. We also ended the year with a story by Lisa Halverstadt about how San Diego County officials have prepared to enact a conservatorship expansion law.
I’ve heard many community members talk about this law, which makes it easier to force drug users into treatment, as the answer to our region’s homelessness crisis.
Some view it as the tool that will allow police officers to get homeless people — mostly the individuals who draw the most complaints — off the street. The harsh reality is the new law isn’t going to magically solve the problem.
As Halverstadt revealed, while county leaders have done a lot to prepare, the region is still missing a key part of the puzzle: treatment beds. You can read her story here.
Help Wanted: New Supe
San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas has decided not to take office for the term voters just re-elected her for. At least three prominent elected officials have declared they plan to run for the seat.
Note: The supes still have to vote this week if they want to appoint or hold a special election, but it’s very likely they won’t appoint someone to the seat.
Vargas represents District 1 which includes the cities of National City, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the city’s of San Diego’s southern neighborhoods (Barrio Logan, Lincoln Park, San Ysidro and more).
On the latest episode of the VOSD Podcast, I talked with my co-hosts about what’s at stake for this race. You can listen to the episode here.
Our South County reporter Jim Hinch will be covering the race. If you have any tips or questions about the race, you can contact him at jim.hinch@voiceofsandiego.org.
Update on Nathan Fletcher Suit
Our Lisa Halverstadt and Will Huntsberry recently revealed that Nathan Fletcher’s accuser has formally dismissed her most serious allegations against him — at least for now, they write.
Background: In 2023, a former Metropolitan Transit System employee, Grecia Figueroa, dropped a bombshell lawsuit against the agency and Fletcher, who was then a County Supervisor and chair of MTS. She accused Fletcher of sexual harassment and assault, and she claimed the agency fired her in retaliation.
The lawsuit destroyed Fletcher’s political career. He has repeatedly claimed that their relationship was consensual.
We’ve been following the story as new information has revealed the extent of their interactions and ongoing battles over text messages.
The latest: “An attorney for Grecia Figueroa, whose allegations imploded Fletcher’s political career, recently sought to nix her claims of sexual assault and battery and gender violence — though her legal team left open the possibility they could be refiled. Figueroa’s lawyer also moved to permanently drop discrimination and retaliation claims against Fletcher tied to Figueroa’s February 2023 firing from the transit agency. Those claims remain against MTS,” Halverstadt and Huntsberry reported.
You can read the full story here.
No More Housing Vouchers
Lisa Halverstadt also revealed that the city’s housing agency no longer plans to give out project-based vouchers to specific low-income housing projects.
What they are: These Section 8 vouchers are provided to developers to subsidize rents for people who have low incomes. These vouchers are different than the ones families apply for individually because these are tied to specific projects.
The San Diego Housing Commission, which is responsible for handing out the vouchers, told Halverstadt that they don’t have the resources to give any more out for the next several years. They say that the federal money behind those vouchers hasn’t kept up with rising rents in San Diego.
Why it matters: As Halverstadt writes, “The change could have reverberations on housing production for especially vulnerable San Diegans for years to come.”
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- A music teacher in South County is retiring. Keith Ballard has helped a mariachi program blossom at one school, but many parents fear the program won’t survive without him. South County reporter Jim Hinch wrote a fascinating profile about Ballard and the program’s future. You can read it here.
- Our editor Scott Lewis wrote a column about how our region should move forward in 2025. Yes, we are facing a lot of challenges, but we “can’t look away from the screaming,” he writes. Read it here. It’s really good.
- Sacramento reporter Deborah Brennan spoke to Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre about her new role as chair of the Coastal Commission. While reporting that story Aguirre also announced her bid to replace Supervisor Nora Vargas. Brennan spoke to Aguirre about how she would would use both roles to bring more attention to the Tijuana River sewage crisis. Read the Sacramento Report here.