Cup of Chisme took a break last week, but let me catch you up.
There’s a lot going on.
On Thursday, we spent time with a Shelltown resident who jumped into action during the Jan. 22 storm to unclog a storm drain in an attempt to help his neighbors. Jesse Preciado joined us for a live recording of the VOSD Podcast to share his story.
During the conversation, we asked: What does the community need? He said residents need help with basic needs. Preciado said he spends a lot of time making sure his neighbors get meals and groceries.
“We need a lot of help, we need our houses built we need vouchers for hotel stays,” he told us. “They are struggling with all the losses and money struggles. We’re not rich in that neighborhood.”
The day before, he joined dozens of residents from the southeastern San Diego neighborhoods whose homes were destroyed by the floods to protest. They were angry and worried about what to do next.
“They didn’t do their job, I had to do their job,” Preciado said. “All my neighbors did lose their houses for this reason, just because the city didn’t want to come check the drains.”
One woman told our intern Juan Estrada that she accepted a 14-day hotel voucher, but that was a week ago, and she’s not sure what’s going to happen.
The numbers: As our Will Huntsberry reported, more than 1,000 San Diegans were displaced by the floods. He got to that number by tallying the number of hotel vouchers local government and organizations distributed to families, but as he writes, it’s likely an undercount since some people are staying with friends and family. He also learned how many homes were damaged. You can read that story here.
But let that sink in: More than 1,000 San Diegans are now temporarily homeless.
Related: Our Scott Lewis is following a ballot measure that would raise a tax on properties to pay for stormwater improvements. But how will it work? He explains what proponents might do, and what you, the voters, will likely hear about. Read more here.
The Story of One Apartment Complex
Our Lisa Halverstadt and Juan Estrada reported last week that months before the Jan. 22 storm, managers of an affordable housing apartment complex in Rolando wanted the city to clean the canal that runs alongside the property.
Halverstadt and Estrada write, “The city’s Get It Done website shows there were more than a half dozen requests to clean the channel over the past several years, including in January 2017 when someone submitted a photo showing floodwaters spilling from the canal into Village Green’s parking lot and into multiple apartments.”
But records show that the city said cleaning the channel wasn’t a priority.
Now, more than 50 families are displaced. Halverstadt and Estrada spoke with residents about the damages and losses they are dealing with because of the flood.
You can read the full story here.
Behind Voice: A Parent’s Guide to Schools
We are releasing our 2024 A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools on Monday!
The magazine is our helpful guide to all things education and it’s packed with data to help parents make the best choice for their child. The guide is free to download and you can explore all the content on vosd.org tomorrow. But since you’re reading this, you’re probably a chismoso so here’s a sneak peek of what’s in this year’s guide.
We’re bringing you interviews with experts on after-school care and the Individualized Education Program process. We have performance data on all the schools in the county. And we are providing resources to help you on your journey through San Diego’s education system. Education reporter Jakob McWhinney also wrote a story about one of the greatest issues in education: chronic absenteeism.
More Chisme to Start Your Week
- McWhinney reports that neighbors are fed up with one San Diego school. Residents say the school brings a lot of dangerous traffic to the community and they don’t feel school leaders are trying to be good neighbors. One neighbor recalled a time when students were having a Nerf gun battle from their moving cars. It’s a good story, read it here.
- In the latest Sacramento Report, Deborah Brennan writes that one legislator is modeling a state law after San Diego’s homeless camping ban. This is the second time he tries to make it happen. Will it fizzle out once more? Read the Sacramento Report here.
- I’m moderating a mayoral candidate forum on Saturday, Feb. 24, for the Community Budget Alliance. It’s happening from 6 to 8 p.m. at Porter Elementary School. You can RSVP here, but it’s not required. Hope to see you there! The organizers will have ASL and Spanish translators.
- Happy Birthday Voice of San Diego! We are celebrating our 19th anniversary this month. Please consider making a donation to my favorite Aquarius. Your support will help us produce the content you rely on and love for another 19 years. Donate here to help us reach our goal of $10,000 in the next 48 hours!
- I’ll be out next week so no Cup of Chisme.