The Close Ties Between a Councilmember’s Staff and His Campaign
Critics, including the mayor, question Councilmember Jose Rodriguez’s recent hiring of politically connected staff two months before the election. Rodriguez denies wrongdoing.
Morning report
Morning Report: When City Business Looks a lot Like Campaigning
In National City, some critics say Jose Rodriguez, a councilmember, is using city funds to help fuel his reelection campaign, reports our new South County reporter Jim Hinch. The line between campaigning and city business is sometimes thin in cities…
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Editor Picks
Billions of Dollars Later, Some San Diego Unified Students Still Dealing with Hot Classrooms
Taxpayers have voted to give San Diego Unified School District $11.5 billion over the last 16 years with the express purpose of bringing working air conditioning to every classroom in…
VOSD Podcast: Gassy Dispute in South Bay
The smell of sewage from the Tijuana River Valley is so bad, researchers are studying if the stink is posing a public health risk. It is, according to preliminary results…
Assembly Candidate Carl DeMaio Accused of Campaign Finance Violations by Police Advocacy Group
A complaint filed by the largest police advocacy group in the state accuses Carl DeMaio and Reform California of violating multiple campaign finance laws.
recent POSTS
Border Report: How Immigration Status Restricts Homeownership
Owning a home in the United States doesn’t require any specific immigration status, but undocumented immigrants often face roadblocks in the process.
Cup of Chisme: The Mayor’s Plan
Raymond Hill spent days trying to get into shelter. He’d wake up early — as early as 3:30 a.m. — to line up at the city’s Homelessness Response Center, which…
Politics Report: GOP Goes to War Against DeMaio
Late on April 8, in the headquarters of the Republican Party of San Diego County, Carl DeMaio had three negotiators representing him. He had just failed to get the party’s…
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Education
A Fight in an Elevator Is Roiling Rancho Santa Fe School District
Nearly three months ago, a board member for the one-school Rancho Santa Fe School District allegedly attacked the husband of another. The tension from that incident has been bubbling under…
New San Diego Schools Superintendent Didn’t Mention Misconduct or Victims in Speech to Principals
Over multiple district communications since Lamont Jackson’s firing, there’s been a group of people conspicuously missing: those who brought the allegations against him.
The Learning Curve: Some Board Members Have No Intention to Search for New Supe
San Diego Unified board members seem ready to put the Lamont Jackson debacle behind them and move forward with his number two. Some community members and employees are still deeply…
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ENVIRONMENT
Supervisor Vargas: There’s No Toxic Gas Concern in Tijuana River Valley
County air quality and public health experts combat alarm over toxic gas reports from university researchers in South Bay.
After Battery Fire, Evacuations, Agencies Try to Quell Online Anxiety
The fire department found no toxic air pollutants at dangerous levels and evacuation orders mistakenly went out to people miles from the fire zone, officials said.
Environment Report: ‘Compostable’ Bag Likely Not What It Claims to Be
If you’re throwing your purportedly compostable HippoSak produce bag in the home compost bin, you should probably stop.
NORTH COUNTY
North County Report: How Four Mayors Want to Take on Homelessness
Four North County mayors weighed in on camping bans, Housing First and mental health and substance abuse resources.
Why Vista’s Mayor Wants a Rival Councilmember Out So Badly
Vista Republican Mayor John Franklin wants to unseat Councilmember Katie Melendez this November.
North County Report: Carlsbad’s Infamous Smoking Ban
Carlsbad’s new smoking rules don’t allow residents to smoke in their homes. Here’s how it will impact tenants and landlords.
opinion and commentary
Why Design Matters
How we experience the shape of our cities defines how we feel, how we get about and how we decide where we want to be.
Now Is Not the Time to Block San Diego’s Transition to Clean Power
A moratorium on battery energy storage facilities risks the ability to make our power grid more reliable — while hampering progress on the region’s clean energy goals.
Imperial Beach Students: Everybody Deserves Clean Air and Water
We are a group of students, most of whom attend Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach. During our spring semester, we worked together with scientists at UC San Diego’s…
POLITICS
Time for a Reckoning at San Diego Unified
Just three weeks after the United States Department of Education slammed San Diego Unified School District for its handling of sexual harassment complaints, its superintendent has been dismissed after a…
Sacramento Report: The Crime-Fighting Measure on the Ballot
Proposition 36 aims to control theft and drug use, but critics say it would swell prison ranks.
Sacramento Report: California Strikes a Deal with Google to Fund Journalism
Google has reached a settlement with California to fund journalism organizations and speed up artificial intelligence development. But a major journalism union and some lawmakers say it lets Google off…
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