For the first time in decades, the San Diego County Water Authority’s representatives on the board of the Metropolitan Water District will not enjoy, or have to deal with, the guidance of Chris Frahm, the former chair of the Water Authority, who became the architect of its legal approach to Metropolitan.
In this week’s Politics Report, Scott Lewis broke the news that Frahm’s contract would not be coming back to the board after a tense exchange at the last board meeting .
Read the full Politics Report here. It’s reserved for members of Voice of San Diego.
But we also got listeners up to speed on the drama (before the news that Frahm’s contract would not be renewed) on the podcast Friday.
Why it matters: It’s further indication that the hostile relationship between the Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District is becoming more amicable. Frahm was seen as someone who stoked the conflict between the agency. The Water Authority’s only hope to ease pressure on rate payers in San Diego is to work with Met to sell some of the excess water we have purchased. Otherwise, calls to dissolve the Water Authority or otherwise try to get out of big deals could get louder.
Also on the podcast: The hosts discussed the startling enrollment numbers from San Diego public schools. If the trend continues as projected, there could be lots of school closures, which are very controversial for neighborhoods. They also broke down the mayor’s soft veto of the council’s decision to cut his staff.
Check out the full podcast here.
About That Nuclear Waste
Dozens of stainless steel rods full of spent nuclear fuel line an underground concrete storage bunker near the decommissioned San Onofre Nuclear Power Generating Station.
The concrete bunker storing spent fuel at San Onofre is built to withstand not only earthquakes and tsunamis, but also airplane crashes, sabotage and projectiles hurled by tornadoes.
But it’s still temporary. Congressman Mike Levin, who represents northern San Diego County, has proposed bipartisan legislation to fasttrack solutions. He said he’s frustrated that taxpayers are forking over billions of dollars annually on temporary storage of America’s nuclear waste.
Our Sacramento correspondent Deborah Sullivan recently attended a California Public Utilities Commission meeting devoted to the problem. She reports that costs to dismantle the shuttered plant are climbing even as federal officials scramble to find someplace to store America’s growing pileup of nuclear waste.
“In terms of efficiencies or taxpayer liability, this is crazy,” Levin said at a congressional hearing in May.
Sullivan’s report unpacks the issue and looks ahead to what’s coming next.
Read the Sacramento Report here.
A Look Back At San Diego’s Queer History
Voice contributor Randy Dotinga recently took a deep dive into the history of San Diego’s ever-evolving LGBTQ community.
He found a legacy that reaches back more than a century.
Drawing on pioneering work by La Jolla historian Lilian Faderman, Dotinga reports that gays, lesbians and trans folk have been pillars of San Diego society from the city’s founding.
People just didn’t know it, because, until recently, LGBTQ people mostly kept their identities under wraps.
A few fun examples:
The landmark Villa Montezuma in Sherman Heights was built by musician Jesse Toner and his “secretary” (i.e. lifelong partner) Lawrence W. Tonner. The Queen Anne-style home is now owned by the city and offers tours.
In 1936, La Jolla physician Dr. Eugene Perkins made national headlines when, upon his death, it was revealed Dr. Perkins, married to his wife for 28 years, was actually a biological woman.
And in the 1920s, Alpine was home to the nation’s first drag queen superstar, a stage and film performer named Julian Eltinge.
Dotinga goes on to explain the Navy’s role in boosting San Diego gay culture, the rise of Hillcrest as a vibrant gay neighborhood beginning in the 1970s, the evolving relationship between cops and LGBTQ San Diegans and the history of queer political power in San Diego.
It’s a long legacy. Read the full story here.
In Other News
- Congressional Republicans on Friday approved a bill that slashes funding for public radio and television, including $4 million from KPBS. The cut represents 12 percent of the San Diego radio and television broadcaster’s budget and could result in layoffs and program cuts, General Manager Deanna Mackey told CBS8.
- The Union-Tribune profiled one of the most prolific developers of accessory dwelling units, or ADUs. He defended his work, including some of the most dense backyard apartment projects around.
- UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography last week named Meenakshi Wadhwa, a former NASA scientist and director of Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, as the next director of the renowned ocean research institute. Wadhwa takes up her new position this fall. (Union-Tribune)
- KPBS’ Kori Suzuki reports that a former clerk of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors filed a lawsuit last month accusing Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar of sexual harassment. Former clerk Blanca Acosta alleges in the suit that Escobar made unwanted sexual comments and touched and kissed her without consent. Escobar did not respond to a request for comment.
- Comic-Con is coming, starting Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center. The Union-Tribune reports Hollywood studios are taking a break this year from the showcase of all things geek. But cos-players and costume makers most definitely are not.