As a deadly opioid crisis raged in San Diego, many people who wanted to stop using couldn’t get help.
There were only about 70 county-contracted detox beds for the hundreds of thousands of San Diegans with Medi-Cal insurance – and not one could be found in the city of San Diego.
In a series of stories starting in early 2023, our Lisa Halverstadt documented the shortage of detox beds, the excruciating waits for care and providers’ struggles to open more beds. If someone was ready to stop using, they had a very small window before the severe pain and discomfort would lead them to find their drug again.
We were missing that window every day. People who wanted help were essentially hoping to win the lottery.
Leaders of Father Joe’s Villages read those stories as they experienced the heartache and death of the opioid crisis and detox shortage firsthand. They began considering whether they could open detox beds.
They did it. In a new story, Halverstadt explains what it took for Father Joe’s to deliver a 44-bed detox facility.
South County Report: Big Changes at California’s Largest Elementary-Only District
This summary has been updated.
Trustees of the Chula Vista Elementary School District signed off on big changes this week, reports our Jim Hinch.
At a packed board meeting Wednesday, leaders discussed the potential slashing of millions from the budget and parted ways with a senior administrator, who had been under investigation.
The changes come as parents demand accountability and the district navigates declines in enrollment and revenue.
Parents also got riled up about a policy adopted last month that would bar them and other members of the public from entering school campuses. While some agreed it makes campuses safer, others felt it prevented them from seeing what’s going on inside schools.
Trustees voted to amend the policy to allow parents to accompany their children to classrooms in the morning.
Earlier this year, Hinch also reported that Jason Romero, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, was put on leave after an audit found issues with the department’s record-keeping and hiring practices. The district and Romero have stated that Romero’s leave was unrelated to the audit. Romero’s lawyer said in an email that Romero was placed on leave because of a separate district review of “after‑hours use of a football field by the NFL Flag Football League of San Diego, a nonprofit youth program in which Mr. Romero volunteers as a coach.” The board voted unanimously to approve an agreement pursuant to which Romero will resign from the district with an undisclosed severance package.
Read the South County Report Here.
Update: This summary and the Dec. 17 story to which it pertains have been updated. The updated story can be found here. A joint statement from the district and Romero can be found here.
A correction has been added here.
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In Other News
- Chula Vista’s City Council unanimously approved a 10-year lease renewal with Elite Athlete Services to continue day-to-day operations at the Elite Athlete Training Center. The center, which trains future Olympians, will be taken “to the next level” said Mayor John McCann. (Union-Tribune).
- Speaking of City Councils, Poway voted to meet next week to give final approval on a June 2 date for a special election to fill the District 2 seat. The vote comes following the dramatic fall of former Councilmember Tony Blain, who was ousted after a lawsuit and slew of criminal charges were brought against him. (KPBS).
- Parents and teachers in the South Bay district are outraged after the school board unanimously voted to close Central Elementary and approve an interim superintendent’s pay package for nearly $18,500 a month. With declining enrollment and revenue, the district says two other schools could also be on the chopping block. (NBC 7 San Diego).
- A new developer has entered the San Diego real estate market. A company affiliated with affordable housing developer, Vintage Housing, bought an 18-story skyscraper for $21 million downtown and plans to turn it into low-income housing. (Union-Tribune).
The Morning Report was written by Mariana Martínez Barba. It was edited by Scott Lewis.