This post has been updated.
Over the past decade, schools across the country have grappled with a striking decrease in enrollment. Tens of thousands of students have left San Diego County schools in the last decade. Why, then, have the numbers of kids with disabilities increased by nearly 30 percent in the same time period?
The increase is driven by a whole slew of factors. Broadened definitions have made whole new groups of kids eligible for diagnoses like autism, while the destigmatization of disabilities has made families less wary of having their kids identified.
Another striking possibility: Some educators are worried that schools are identifying kids as having disabilities who don’t really have them.
Schools are getting strechted thin. As the number of kids with disabilities has shot up, districts are having to deal with ever-increasing costs. Meanwhile, as the number of students declines, they have less money to shoulder the increases.
Some district leaders say the one-two punch is unsustainable.
Midway Rising Delayed
At his State of the City speech in January, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria pledged the Midway Rising project would go forward for a vote at the City Council in the spring.
It will not. The Union-Tribune reported Tuesday the project is delayed indefinitely.
What’s going on: It’s hard to say but there are three main, very difficult things to do. The city and project developers must get approval for the project. They recently received an endorsement from the state on their theory the project can be built higher than 30 feet despite the coastal building height limit.
But they still need to complete and certify an environmental impact report and the plan to mitigate any impact they have. There’s still widespread speculation the state will consider legislation to exempt the project from lawsuits challenging those plans.
The city and developers also must agree to terms on the lease of the land – nearly 50 acres in the Midway District. The deal will include the terms of the rent and tradeoffs in infrastructure and public spending.
And finally, the city and regional agencies must approve whatever special infrastructure financing district they come up with to help pay for improvements like traffic improvements and public transit.
Rabbitholed
Every now and then I’m reminded that there’s a Wikipedia page for basically everything. This Reddit post linking to a list of films shot in San Diego was exactly that kind of reminder.
There are the famous ones: “Some Like It Hot,” “Top Gun” and, by way of recency bias, “One Battle After Another.” Others jumped out too: “Bring It On,” “Lords of Dogtown” and “My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?” And then there are the more surprising ones: “Funky Monkey” and “Deep Blue Sea,” anyone?
I will add, though, this list is missing quite a few San Diego productions, including one of the most famous: “Almost Famous.”
Did you catch any other notable omissions?
Dredging the Net
A former board member of the local chapter of YIMBY Democrats did some great trolling of Clairemont Mesa on X.
Wesley Morgan drove through the neighborhood and took pictures of local signage telling new residents not to use public street parking.
Drove through Clairemont Mesa today. The community character was 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wHmEBoLYtH
— Wesley Morgan (@WesSDCali) June 15, 2026
Neighbors were apparently upset about new accessory dwelling units, or ADU’s, that have gone up in the neighborhood.
The signs read “No ADU Parking” and “NO PARKING for Backyard APARTMENTS on this street.” Another said the new residents would have “no friends” as a consequence of using the public parking.
In Other News
- The California Coastal Commission approved a city of San Diego plan for overnight closures at more than 35 coastal parking lots. City officials say the plan will deter crime and discourage RV dwellers from overnight parking. (CBS 8)
- Speaking of the city of San Diego, the City Council managed to pass a budget this year without a veto from Mayor Todd Gloria. Councilmember Kent Lee said the Council was careful to tie any ongoing spending to ongoing revenues. (Union-Tribune)
- One more thing on the city: they’re trying to get rid of the stench left by sea lions in La Jolla Cove. City officials say the odor spray will not impact wildlife, but some residents aren’t convinced. (CBS 8)
- The guy who invented Lincoln Logs also built a house in La Jolla. It’s up for sale for $4.5 million. (Union-Tribune)
Correction: Wesley Morgan is a former board member of the local chapter of YIMBY Democrats, not a current board member.
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Mariana Martínez Barba and Scott Lewis. It was edited by Will Huntsberry.
Interesting report as ever. Spellcheck needed here:
Schools are getting strechted thin. As the number of kids with disabilities has shot up, districts are having to deal with ever-increasing costs. Meanwhile, as the number of students declines, they have less money to shoulder the increases.