One union zigged. Now, another has decided to zag.
In the special election for county supervisor, the union representing county workers decided to throw its support behind Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre.
Last week, the construction workers union decided to support San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno.
The competing unions — and their deep political war chests — signal a dog fight is likely ahead in the special election to replace Supervisor Nora Vargas. Union money means advertising and door-knocking power, both of which will be important to victory.
Still holding out: As of press time, the Labor Council still hadn’t made up its mind on who to back, but, as our Jim Hinch reports, it also seemed poised to support Aguirre.
In other recent races, the major unions have all supported the same candidate.
North County Report: Homeless Projects TBD
Last year, the state gave Oceanside and Vista roughly $11 million to clear a homeless encampment and move people into shelter and permanent housing.
That was last April, but so far, the project has yet to get off the ground. It is still in the planning phases, an official told our Tigist Layne.
The official said he doesn’t know exactly when boots will actually hit the ground to begin the project. He hopes “as soon as possible,” he said.
Read the full North County Report here.
San Diego Students See Little Progress in Nationwide Tests
The nation’s report card held few bright spots. The so-called report card is the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test given to fourth and eighth-grade students.
San Diego Unified students, however, performed better than the national and California average, according to scores released by the U.S. Department of Education. The district has consistently been one of the top-performing large urban districts.
Unfortunately: It’s not that San Diego Unified students saw significant academic improvements, it’s that other kids did really bad. Students in California and nationwide saw a decline in three of four performance areas, with fourth-grade math being the only area with progress.
Related: Education reporter Jakob McWhinney has been closely following how schools have recovered from the pandemic. As he reported last week, only 13 percent of schools in San Diego are performing better than they did before Covid.
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In Other News
- The Union-Tribune reports that the County is adding a crisis stabilization unit for people experiencing mental health crises. This one will open inside Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and serve Medi-Cal patients.
- Oceanside’s planning commission approved a 199-unit affordable apartment complex despite neighborhood opposition. The project originally included 400 units, but the developers reduced the size after residents raised concerns about increased traffic. (Union-Tribune)
- Dozens of volunteers set out this morning to conduct the region’s annual census of people living on the street. Last year, San Diego County saw a 3 percent spike in the number of people experiencing homelessness, according to point-in-time count data. (CBS 8)
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Scott Lewis and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
Thanks for making this topic so approachable.