Trash piled up for days once again in Chula Vista as residents rode out another strike between Republic Services and its unionized sanitation workers.
P.O.’d Chula Vistians raised hell at a special City Council meeting assembled to address the garbage. Just three years ago, sanitation workers for the same company staged a five week work stoppage protesting low pay and workplace conditions.
So, how could this happen again? And why did the city seem helpless to stop it?
Our Jim Hinch takes a crack at the answers in his latest South County Report.
The Rosecrans Shelter Is Closing Next Week
The Midway District homeless shelter forced to close after a budget kerfuffle between Mayor Todd Gloria and the county will shut down next week.
Early Thursday, the remaining 16 residents of the city-funded Rosecrans shelter next to the county’s health complex received flyers notifying them of a July 25 closure.
As he faced a major budget shortfall, Gloria nixed funding for the shelter in his budget, arguing the county should pay for it and that a planned demo of a next-door building would make the project untenable. Supervisors tried to chip away at the cost of keeping the shelter open but wouldn’t agree to pick up the nearly $5 million tab to operate it. The City Council ultimately decided to allocate cash to buy the city’s housing agency and Alpha Project more time to ramp down the shelter.
The latest: As of last Wednesday, 90 Rosecrans residents had moved to other programs and 16 into permanent housing. From mid-April through last week, 17 people opted to leave the Rosecrans shelter rather than accept another option.
Housing Commission Senior Vice President Casey Snell said all Rosecrans residents have been offered beds elsewhere and that her agency is holding some spots in other programs to accommodate Rosecrans residents.
“Staff will continue to connect with the remaining shelter residents daily to assist them to transfer to a different shelter,” Snell wrote in an email. “However, some shelter residents may choose not to utilize one of the alternative shelter options available to them.”
One Rosecrans resident told Voice she is preparing to move onto the street once the shelter closes because she’s heard negative things about other options and is upset by how the shelter closure has played out.
“I’m so tired of all of this,” she said.
A Brief History of Gay Dining in San Diego
Most of us have either frequented or can aptly describe what it’s like to visit a gay bar or club. But what the heck is a gay restaurant?
Our Randy Dotinga dives into the flavorful and flamboyant history of San Diego’s queer dining scene. It began – as many stories do in this town famous for its Navy presence – around World War II which brought many sailors – including gay men and lesbians – to the area. They’d replace the dining crowd after five-thirty, but would “have to keep their hands on the table” to avoid trouble with the police, recalls the former owner of the Brass Rail restaurant.
Importantly, gay restaurants fostered a sense of safety for their patrons in the mid-20th century when it was particularly dangerous to publicly display ones gayness. So rose San Diego’s “gayborhood” or Hillcrest in the 1960s as LGBTQ pride began to flourish. The ensuing decades were the “golden age of gay dining” where being queer, out and hungry was something to publicly celebrate.
Check out Dotinga’s article to find out which restaurants – still open today – are products of this proud history.
Fact Check: No, ICE Was Not Staging at the Spring Valley Swap Meet
Last week, a viral video caught our eye.
It claimed to depict ICE agents staging at the Spring Valley Swap Meet, and it had more than 350,000 views. Some commenters were calling for a boycott for what they perceived as a betrayal of the immigrant community.
The thing is, that video isn’t accurate.
Voice’s resident TikTok sleuth Bella Ross was able to confirm this with immigration officials and the sheriff’s office, but misinformation spreads like wildfire and it’s entirely possible that the swap meet will take a big hit either way.
Check out our latest video on Reels or TikTok to see the receipts, as well as some tips on how to navigate online claims.
Some News About Voice of San Diego
The San Diego region is grappling with a series of challenges – from an affordability crisis to federal cuts and budget shortfalls.
Voice of San Diego is convinced our region is strong enough to confront them and as our Scott Lewis writes, we’re making some changes to meet this moment.
Last week, we welcomed new City Hall reporter Mariana Martínez Barba. Two of our veteran reporters also have new assignments.
Lisa Halverstadt will refocus on San Diego County as it faces federal cuts and an ongoing homelessness and behavioral health crisis.
And Will Huntsberry’s investigations will delve into the regional housing shortage that’s driving San Diego’s soaring cost of living.
Martínez Barba, Halverstadt and Huntsberry welcome your story tips!
Read more about changes at Voice.
In Other News
- The Union-Tribune writes that city of San Diego residents are unlikely to avoid pricey water and sewer rate hikes following a review from a consultant.
- Two audits are out on the region’s response to devastating January 2024 floods. 10 News reports that a city audit is backing many concerns raised by residents affected by the disaster. The Union-Tribune reports that a county audit of a contractor that placed impacted families in local motels wasn’t so blistering – and that County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe isn’t satisfied it was a deep enough dive.
- San Diego police are cracking down on people living in vehicles in Mission Bay. (CBS 8)
- NBC 7 reports that many San Diego Community College District students will be eligible to be automatically admitted at San Diego State starting in fall 2026.
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Lisa Halverstadt and Bella Ross. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.