For non-San Diegans (like today’s humble Morning Report writer) maybe you weren’t aware: Many schools have not historically offered middle school sports.
San Diego Unified changed that in the 2021-22 school year. And, it turns out, people LOVED it, as our Jakob McWhinney found out.
The district offered just soccer in that first year, but the response from teachers and families was so overwhelmingly positive that middle schools added six more sports in the following years.
Nearly 6,000 middle schoolers signed up to play sports last year.
To learn more about the impact on families and classrooms read the Progress Report here.
Richard Barrera for State Superintendent
San Diego Unified board member for life (jk that’s not a thing) Richard Barrera has announced he will run for state superintendent of public instruction.
Barrera has been called “one of the most influential and least known politicians in San Diego County,” as we reported in a profile of him back in 2016.
Barrera comes from the world of labor and perhaps because of that his detractors have superimposed on him a superhuman ability to shape events within San Diego Unified.
“Those who have worked with Barrera attribute to him charming, near mythical qualities: He never carries a pencil because he remembers everything… One time he walked into a government agency on a whim and walked out with thousands of free bus passes for poor students… Everyone, even people who hate his politics, likes him,” our reporters wrote in the profile.
Paid Parking Peeves
Among the many changes proposed for San Diego city services in the coming months, few have more people worked up than the idea of implementing paid parking in Balboa Park.
Social Media Producer Bella Ross visited the park this week to ask residents how they feel about the change, and explains how changes to parking management could improve the park experience. Watch it here.
How the County Plans to Address its Budget Hole – For Now
The county’s top bureaucrat released a proposed $8.6 billion budget on Thursday that addresses a projected $138.5 million spending gap – and could change significantly as the county confronts uncertainty around the economy and state and federal cutbacks.
Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton’s proposal avoids layoffs but calls for the county to eliminate 190 positions via vacancies and attrition. The largest share of those positions are in the county department focused on linking vulnerable San Diegans with safety net programs. The county says these reductions will lead to enrollment delays but will not eliminate services for people eligible for them.
As The Union-Tribune reports, the budget reduces the county’s capital projects spending by roughly two thirds and makes cuts to the county’s finance and land use and environment operations.
What the budget proposal doesn’t do: Shelton didn’t propose pulling from the county’s large reserve account, a decision that county spokesperson Tammy Glenn said is partly because the county’s rainy-day fund is now below the required two months of operating cash.
What’s next: The county will host events later this month to gather input on its budget. Per county rules, the Board of Supervisors must adopt a budget by the end of June. Glenn wrote in an email that the county is closely monitoring federal and state moves and economic conditions. She said the county’s revised budget set to be released June 12 will incorporate “additional factors gathered through late May” and that county officials expect to give supervisors “quarterly opportunities to amend the budget based on state and/or federal actions or other unknown factors” after the budget is approved.
Water Talks
Yesterday, our Scott Lewis sat down with Dan Denham, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, for a special recording of the VOSD Podcast.
As water rates have continued to soar, some have brought up the idea of dissolving the agency that delivers our water, as we reported.
Lewis went on KPBS to explain why the Water Authority is facing an existential crisis and how changes could impact all residents. You can watch the clip here.
Our interview with Denham will be in our podcast feed today. Subscribe to the most popular public affairs podcast in San Diego here.
These Boots Are Made for… Smuggling Birds?
Not all boots are made for walking.
Officers at the border arrested a man this week for trying to smuggle six exotic parakeets inside his cowboy boots. He also hid six birds in the seats of his Jeep.
The 54-year-old man allegedly put the birds inside nylon stockings and stuffed them into his boots. The Union-Tribune has a photo here.
Some of the birds died and others were badly injured.
Help Us Celebrate World Press Freedom Day
May 3 is World Press Freedom Day and we’re reminded of the essential role the free press plays in our community and in democracy in general.
Please join Voice of San Diego’s legacy society through a planned gift to Voice’s endowment. These gifts provide a source of stability and sustainable funding to ensure our community has access to local news in perpetuity.
Click here to support Voice of San Diego’s Endowment.
In Other News
- On Thursday, the city’s increased hotel tax went into effect. There are three different rate bands. The highest applies to those nearest the city’s convention center. (10 News)
- KPBS created a new map that shows where ADU building would be restricted if a package of ADU-reform proposals from Mayor Todd Gloria are passed. (KPBS)
- San Diego’s tourism industry braces for a bad year. (Union-Tribune)
The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
The county is short 1.63% of an $8.5 billion budget and it’s laying off people? What is so immutable in the $8.5 billion budget that a shortfall of less than 2% triggers layoffs? This is like coming up $81.50 short on a month’s take home pay of $5000 and having to sell stuff to pay that month’s bills. If you can’t manage finances better than that, you shouldn’t be in office.