Two years after Shelltown residents scrambled onto rooftops to escape rising flood waters, community members are still dealing with trauma and health impacts.
Environment reporter MacKenzie Elmer and intern Rami Alarian spent time in the neighborhoods checking in on how survivors were doing. The pair quickly noticed a trend: A lot of residents were talking about health issues.
In a new story, our reporters reveal that January 2024 flood survivors are dealing with skin infections that won’t go away, bone pain and breathing problems.
“Medical care often falls by the wayside in the chaos of disaster recovery, leaving survivors vulnerable to worsening health conditions over time,” one expert writes.
Residents organized a march this month to bring attention to the emotional, financial and physical issues they are dealing with two years later.
You can read the full story here.
Quick Recap: Trash and Parking Fees
San Diego’s single-family homeowners will pay a lower fee for trash collection thanks to a new deal city officials approved this week.
As our editor Scott Lewis predicted, opponents of the trash fee agreed to drop a lawsuit and repeal efforts, in exchange for city officials lowering the fee. This deal enables the city to avoid a meteor-sized hole in the budget and saves the opponents from a messy and expensive fight.
One interesting addition: The deal also includes getting rid of the fees to park in Balboa Park. Lewis explained on the VOSD Podcast that the addition was likely made to sweeten the deal. Someone get Lewis a Walter Mercado cape already.
Speaking of Messy …
One City Council race in South County is getting extra dirty.
For his latest newsletter, Jim Hinch gave readers a sneak peak at some of the rumors and allegations he has heard as the June 2 primary election inches closer.
One race especially is getting a lot of attention because of one candidate’s campaign tactics, Hinch writes. This is in the Chula Vista City Council District 2 race.
Councilmember Jose Preciado is running for re-election. His opponent, Angelica Martinez, recently circulated a poster that featured a photo of Preciado from several years ago when he weighed more than 600 pounds.
He has since lost half that weight, Hinch writes. The poster backfired on Martinez.
“Is a disagreement on a policy matter so much that I have to be…belittled?” Preciado told Hinch. “I find it despicable.”
You can read more in the South County Report.
More from Hinch: San Diego is mourning the deaths of three beloved Muslim community members who were killed during Monday’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. The alleged shooters, two radicalized teenagers, were found dead in a vehicle after the attack.
Hinch attended a vigil for the victims. Here’s what he witnessed.
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- Friendship Park has become a sort of graveyard for dead birds. Voice contributor Kate Morrissey has more in her latest Border Report.
- Our readers are really loving this story about how a school district hired a private investigator to spy on a student’s family. If you missed it, you can read it here.
- County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer’s proposal to reform county government is inching closer to your November ballot. She made a key change to her pitch and has to get one more vote before it’s on the ballot. Read more here.
“As our editor Scott Lewis predicted, opponents of the trash fee agreed to drop a lawsuit and repeal efforts, in exchange for city officials lowering the fee.”
dear ms managing editor, this is NOT what Lewis predicted; after the agreement failed, he ONLY predicted that a deal *would* be reached.
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(continued) which, let’s face it, wasn’t really much of a reach.