Voice of San Diego Podcast

San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in the state, fired its superintendent. It appears trustees have already settled on his successor. We’ll talk about what she apparently doesn’t want to talk about. It’s been 10 years since California banned plastic bags at grocery and liquor stores. Now a San Diego lawmaker is trying to get the state to ban plastic bags at grocery stores. Why one of the statistics is shocking. And we’re back with one of our favorite recurring segments: Climate change promises that are fun to make but really hard to pull off. This week? Battery facilities. Recent fires have caused a panic and may lead to bans. But where else are they going to store power for when the sun doesn’t shine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago Jakob here broke news that San Diego Unified School District had commissioned an investigation into its superintendent for alleged misconduct. Now, they’ve apparently finished that investigation. We’ll tell you what we know. For months, Nathan Fletcher’s advocates have said he was wrongly accused of assault and that soon enough, they’ll have the receipts to prove it. A new court filing last week revealed text messages his accuser sent that do not help her case at all. We’ll review. Finally, the county quietly lifted a major barrier to building housing in unincorporated areas of San Diego because of a case involving a recycling plant. We’ll explain how that happened. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Todd Gloria didn't speak at this year's Democratic National Convention, but it's no secret that he's tight with Vice President Kamala Harris. The crew talks about their friendship and whether Gloria could be headed to Washington if Harris wins in November. Jakob also takes a look back at Harris' record as attorney general of California, and senior investigative reporter Will Huntsberry discusses his latest reporting on foster care charity New Alternatives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Padres made franchise history with their latest winning streak and Scott can't wait to tell the crew about it. Also on the show this week: San Diego Unified gets slapped with significant Title IX violations, Cajon Valley School District tests a new state law and local foster care charity New Alternatives is the subject of a Voice investigation into its finances. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the mayor's employees, a city police officer, is running to try to oust him. Larry Turner, a retired Marine, wants to make big changes to the police department. He wants to reduce pensions for future city employees, including police, and perhaps use bankruptcy to get there. He opposes a new sales tax for the city, which is on the November ballot. He thinks we could reapportion the hundreds of city special project funds to close the deficit. Voice Editor-in-Chief Scott Lewis talked with Turner about how he would change city government if he were to win. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott and the team catch up on what he missed, including a big development in the local stormwater tax which won't make it onto the November ballot. They also discuss the latest development in the city's organic waste recycling program and share some honest admissions about their own green bin behavior. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The city of San Diego is building a massive wastewater-to-drinking water recycling plant. It's going to cost billions and will require tearing up roads in the process. But after years of dumping sewage into the ocean, it may be time for a change. Plus, Lisa Halverstadt is back on the show this week with updates on county detox beds, the Hope @ Vine mega shelter and her take on Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent executive order. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voice of San Diego's environment reporter MacKenzie Elmer joins the show to talk about a spate of recent bird deaths in the city. Advocates say fireworks are to blame. She also has the latest on the flood prevention measure that just got pulled from the November ballot. Senior investigative reporter Will Huntsberry is back again this week, this time with north county reporter Tigist Layne. They've got a two-part series out now about a youth gymnastics scandal in Santee. You can read their stories here and here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voice of San Diego's Will Huntsberry joins the show this week to discuss his new profile on Rep. Sara Jacobs. She's defied expectations with her voting record and is poised to become very powerful in Washington. Reporter Lisa Halverstadt also comes on to give an update about the Hope @ Vine mega shelter, which is facing a crucial City Council vote on Monday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The calls for President Biden to leave the presidential race have reached a fever pitch, and this week Rep. Scott Peters weighed in. If Biden does drop out, Bella has a prescient prediction for when he might do it. Plus, Scott points out all that we still don't know about the proposed mega shelter and Jakob makes a pitch for revamping the city of San Diego flag. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A brief history of drinking on the beach, an update on impending water rate hikes and what the Grants Pass ruling means for San Diego. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Water is about to get more expensive, but not for the reasons you might think. The region is water-rich following a record-setting rainy winter, but San Diegans still have to pay off decades-old investments provoked by drought times. That could mean big changes on your water bill starting next year. Also on the show this week: Jakob's got an update on the sexual misconduct case against a former associate principal at Hoover High School, Scott talks state tax initiatives with local implications and Bella shares field notes from a visit to the Spring Valley shelter site that just got nixed after pushback from its neighbors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott sits down with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria to talk about the big issue on everyone's mind: homelessness. They also discuss a proposed 1-cent sales tax increase and why the City is cracking down on beach yoga. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI has arrived at San Diego high schools in the form of a grading tool called Writable. Some confused school board members aren't exactly sure how. One thing's for sure: AI is rapidly changing the way teachers teach and students learn. Also on the show today, will there ever be a perfect place for homeless shelters? The short answer is no, but the city keeps on trying. Plus, North County reporter Tigist Lane on her latest Carl DeMaio story, and reporter Jakob McWhinney has a new investigation into grades versus test scores. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A local media outlet announced it was acquired by Arizona State University and will shift to a nonprofit business model. It's the latest in a series of moves by ASU to strengthen its presence in the San Diego area. But what does it mean for local news? Plus, big changes at the fast casual restaurant chain Rubio's, a new "power cocktail" being served up by San Diego Community Power and the impending closure of the downtown men's shelter, Golden Hall. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reporter MacKenzie Elmer dug into the city of San Diego’s first audit of its contract with SDG&E. The big takeaway? The cost of burying powerlines has gotten way out of hand. She tells us how the city is using new leverage to try and get answers. Plus, a tribute to San Diego legend Bill Walton, the latest in the search for the next county administrative officer and why there's now a bidding war for Green Oak Ranch in Vista. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts share big news on the county CAO search and the region's latest homelessness numbers. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness just dropped the data from it's annual point-in-time count, which shows the crisis is slowing down compared to last year, but remains worse than ever. Plus: Education Reporter Jakob McWhinney shares what he knows about an investigation into San Diego Unified superintendent Lamont Jackson, and the owners of Fashion Valley Mall announce plans to close a major retailer in exchange for more housing. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts have the latest on a couple big stories we've been following. But first we'll circle back to a topic we covered a while back — the regulation of street vendors — which is now creating problems for some yoga instructors and luxury picnic businesses that have been operating on public land. Plus: Education reporter Jakob McWhinney on why all schools aren't using research-backed methods for teaching kids how to read. The hunt for a new county CAO sparks threats of a lawsuit. San Diego City Council appears unimpressed by revised lease terms for a proposed homeless shelter. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts dive into three burgeoning beefs between local politicos. The hunt for a new county CAO has become highly political, and more recently devolved into a debate over what white people are allowed to say in Spanish. Editor Scott Lewis pulls back the curtain on the backlash from some local leaders over statements candidate Bridgette Browning directed at Chair Nora Vargas during a labor rally. Plus: South Bay leaders battle over proposed landfill. A bidding war between the supes and a local nonprofit over a Vista ranch. An update on Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed mega-shelter. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior investigative reporter Lisa Halverstadt has been watching the city of San Diego's real estate deals for years. 101 Ash St. was a notorious real estate endeavor in which the the city entered a lease-to-own deal for a downtown high rise. The deal was quickly engulfed in scandal and asbestos. After years of lawsuits and a criminal investigation, taxpayers paid more than $200 million dollars and the building remains vacant. So, when Mayor Todd Gloria unveiled a big new deal for a big new building to be a new homeless mega shelter, Halverstadt dug in. This week, Halverstadt discussed how this building came to the attention of city staff and the motivations of the man trying to sell it. Plus: A new softball scandal. What "fire SDG&E" really means. Goodbye to Nate. Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.