Morning Report: Oceanside, Carlsbad See Progress on Homeless Encampment 

In 2021, city leaders in Oceanside and Carlsbad received an $11.4 million state grant to move all of the homeless people living along a four-mile stretch of State Route 78 into housing. The project got off to a slow start, but four years later, it’s showing promise.

Outreach workers from four homeless service providers canvassing the stretch of land one zone at a time. In the first zone the organizations tackled, they interfaced with 65 people. So far, 11 households have moved into supportive housing units, with 16 more set to move in the coming weeks. Some of those newly housed residents have been living at the encampment for nearly 10 years.

Each client will receive two years of supportive housing funded by the state grant. During that period, the newly housed residents will work with counselors and case managers to find stable employment that, hopefully, will ensure they don’t end up back on the streets.

Read the full story.

Water Agency Demands Retraction of PFAS Claims, Former Board Member Refuses

Two weeks ago, a former board member for Sweetwater Authority, the agency that provides water to about 200,000 people in South County, alleged that officials at the organization knew water in Sweetwater reservoirs contained elevated levels of PFAS chemicals years before they said they did. Now, lawyers for the agency are demanding the former board member retract those claims. 

Sweetwater Authority first announced they’d found elevated levels of PFAS, chemicals linked to elevated risk of cancer, late last year. They’d discovered those elevated levels in October, agency officials claimed. But a former board member for the agency, Josie Calderon-Scott, told South County reporter Jim Hinch officials had actually known about the levels as far back as 2021.

Those statements, the lawyers wrote, “are false and untrue, are defamatory, and create alarming confusion for residents served by the authority.” 

Calderone-Scott, however, is sticking to her claim.

“They’re trying to bully me to be afraid,” Calderon-Scott said. 

Read the full South County Report.

War Over the Future of San Diego’s Neighborhood Services Heats Up

Four San Diego City Councilmembers lettered a memo to the Independent Budget Analyst last week calling for adjustments to Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget, which currently includes major cuts to libraries, parks and other city departments.

The memo suggests targeted cuts to library services. They want to retain operating hours at some low-income branches rather than Gloria’s preferred approach of uniform cuts across all 37 branches. They also seek to restore some recreation center hours, bathroom operations in Mission Bay and Shoreline Parks, and the city’s beloved fire pits (albeit, for a reservation fee).

Where’s the money coming from? The memo proposed ramping up a plan to charge for parking in Balboa Park (no later than Labor Day) to increase the city’s projected revenues for the upcoming fiscal year. There’s also mention of increased fines for expired meters and the acceleration of paid parking for Mission Bay — a lengthier process that will be subject to approval by the Coastal Commission.

The memo also suggests cutting some managerial positions across various city departments and a “mandatory week-long furlough of all unrepresented, unclassified employees.”

One last shot at Central Elementary: One of the specific budget priorities will likely be familiar to Voice of San Diego diehards. Nearly two years ago, San Diego Unified leaders floated a plan to develop a safe parking site at a now-vacant school in partnership with city leaders.

Providing a place for homeless families with children to sleep seemed like an easy win, but the project ultimately fell apart because of funding issues. Communications snafus along the way ended up angering pretty much everyone involved, including Elo-Rivera, a staunch supporter of the proposal. Now, it looks like he’s giving it one more go. Exactly how much it would cost, though, is still “TBD,” according to the memo. 

What’s next? The City Council is set to vote on the budget on June 10, but any changes to Gloria’s proposal are vulnerable to a mayoral veto.

Prepare for a budget showdown.

City-Backed CARE Court Reform Bill Dies

A state bill that San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria co-sponsored to try to spur more conservatorships for people with serious psychotic illnesses who languish in the CARE Court process is dead.

SB 367, which sought to empower players beyond the county to order investigations that could lead to involuntary care for people struggling in CARE Court, was among the hundreds of bills halted during last week’s suspense process. CalMatters reported that lawmakers cited the state’s large budget deficit as they killed dozens of bills on Friday.

Gloria had teamed with state Sen. Ben Allen of Santa Monica and the California State Association of Psychiatrists on SB 367 after recognizing that the county wasn’t proactively exploring potential conservatorships for struggling CARE participants, a connection the mayor emphasized in 2022 as he lobbied for CARE Court. That link convinced many families who supported CARE Court that the process could be a lifesaver for loved ones who didn’t succeed in the program.

Allen said Tuesday he remains committed to CARE Court reforms.

“Our families are the ones who suffer the most when our mental healthcare systems do not meet the needs of our most vulnerable,” Allen wrote in a statement.  “We know that more coordination and avenues to care are needed, and I maintain my commitment to this priority as we continue learning from the real experiences of our novice and ever-evolving CARE Court program.”

Song of the Week 

Blair Gun, “Beat that Happened”: On the gleefully Pavement-esque “Beat Happened,” Blair Gun rewind the clock twenty years to the heyday of the intersection of alt, indie and punk rock. The song’s chunky chord progression and lead singer Joedin Morelock’s infectiously slacker vocals would sound right at home blasting from a 1995 Geo Metro with one sideview mirror. Heck, even the lyrics pay homage to bygone musical eras, namechecking The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, REM and The Talking Heads. “I just love the beat that happened/nobody can ever match it now,” Morelock sings. He may be right.  

Like what you hear? Check out Blair Gun at Soda Bar on Sunday, June 1.  

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

• San Diego Unified officials have released a draft of a proposed cell phone ban. The ban would prohibit middle schoolers from using phones during all school hours, but allow high schoolers to use them during lunch and between classes. (Axios) 
• Amidst the Trump administration’s talk of rolling back constitutional protections for undocumented immigrants, one San Diegan’s story highlights what could happen without Habeas Corpus, the legal right requiring that evidence is present to detain an individual. (KPBS)
• SANDAG officials have for months been previewing alternate routes for the rail lines lines perched on rapidly eroding cliffs in Del Mar. The lines have been hit with frequent closures in recent years because of bluff collapses. Now, they’ve added a new option to the menu: leave them where they are. (KPBS) 
• Encinitas City Council voted to extend the Safe Parking Lot program through the end of 2025. While council members were willing to offer JFS a longer-term contract, JFS officials said they currently have funds to run the program only through the end of this year. ( Union-Tribune)

The Morning Report was written by Bella Ross, Jakob McWhinney, Lisa Halverstadt and Tess Balc. It was edited by Scott Lewis.