This is Voice of San Diego’s weekly spitfire roundup of news. We cover local and regional politics, the environment, education, the border and more. This show features our investigative reporting and interviews with lawmakers and other special guests.
This week, NBC San Diego’s Alexis Rivas shares her story on a local woman's murder. The real story was the phone calls from across the street As Rivas reported, the victim’s neighbors called 911 for nearly two hours — begging for help and relaying what they saw. Rivas discusses the details of that June night, the San Diego Police Department's response to the scrutiny, and what seems a systemic lack of police capacity and slow response times to critical calls. Plus: New trends in old military suicide data, San Diego's other housing failure, Kevin Faulconer's next election plan. See the full NBC story at NBC7.com/policescrutiny Subscribe to the newsletter for this show at vosd.org/pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The doldrums of summer are upon us. To combat the summertime blues, we’re hitting you with summertime news! This week, our hosts share a few stories they're watching in the summer months. Talking points: how to colonize Mars, the great resignation of the San Diego Police Department, who's going to fill those new downtown office buildings. Get the newsletter for this show at vosd.org/pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
San Diego Unified leaders announced they would offer $10,000 dollar signing bonuses for new special education teachers and nurses. This is a new effort by the district to combat a massive labor shortage happening right now. It may seem totally logical: The district has a lot of COVID relief money and needs more staff. But the move also signals a significant shift in policy from unions and union-backed leaders. Pay incentives of any kind, for years, have been totally taboo. This week, we discuss teacher pay and how it could impact schools. Plus: Andy's got the emails that led up to a big housing development decision. And the 101 Ash St. settlement that never was. See all our school stories at vosd.org/education Get the newsletter for this podcast at vosd.org/pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Four months ago, Voice of San Diego reporter Lisa Halverstadt got an email. A local woman, Natalie Raschke, asked Halverstadt to tell her family's story. “My kids matter, they have faces, they deserve to be heard and seen. I’m hoping you can help me achieve that,” she wrote. This week, we share that story. Plus: San Diego's next strategy for 101 Ash St. New street vendor rules. And OMG the Assembly Select Committee on Gasoline Supply and Pricing is here. Keep up with all of Lisa's stories at vosd.org/lisa See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Over the next eight years, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) needed to pass three different tax increases. These increases would fund the grandest of their plans to improve transportation for the whole region and update the ways we get around, large and small. But this week, the first of those three initiatives failed. And it failed fast. We review what happened and why. Plus: Graduations. Big hopes for big buildings on the coast. And the latest election results. Join our fundraising campaign and support the show: vosd.org/give See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We're coming at you live from Novo Brazil Brewing in Chula Vista with special guests and an awesome audience. Talking points: primary election results, "South County" vs. "South Bay," Chula Vista politics, special interests, miniature schnauzers. Guests: Chula Vista City Councilmember Andrea Cardenas Steve Garcia, host of the Emo Brown podcast Support the show and our summer fundraising campaign: vosd.org/give See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Primary is nigh! Though it’s not the blockbuster 2020 election that melted our faces and dominated every inch of social media, our next major democratic exercise is nearly here. (Get those ballots in by June 7 with the help of our Election Guide: vosd.org/ballot.) This week, we check in on the main races we've been watching in the region and the stories behind them. County Sheriff, Chula Vista Mayor, Assembly District 80 and San Diego City Council District 2 are the four horsemen of this non-apocalypse. But rest assured, there's plenty of intrigue to unfurl. Let's get to it. Check out all our election coverage at vosd.org/2022 Follow our homelessness reporting at vosd.org/homeless See you at the live show! Tickets at vosd.org/events See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The redevelopment project of 50-ish acres of land in the Midway area — which comprises Sports Arena, derelict streets and serves as a major junction in San Diego — is only getting more complex. Recently dubbed ‘the new San Diego Special’ by podcast host Scott Lewis, the San Diego City Council this week made a move to get the Midway redevelopment rolling again. This week, we review that meeting. Plus: New COVID quandaries at San Diego Unified schools. Join us on June 9 for our live podcast: vosd.org/events See Andrea's full story about Luis Alberto Antonio Armenta: vosd.org/luis See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We’re coming at you with two interviews this week. First up: Voice's Jakob McWhinney published an authoritative piece on Awaken Church. On the show, McWhinney reviewed some of the historical highlights of the Evangelical Christian movement and its political proclivities. Throughout the pandemic, this church has become highly activated as an anti-vaccine, anti-lockdown, right-wing political engine. And second: The head of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, Tamera Kohler, called us up to unpack the latest homelessness point-in-time count. We discussed the numbers, the caveats, and a few different ways we can understand the crisis right now. Join us for the next Live Podcast at vosd.org/events See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June Primary ballots went out this week. And you know what that means: It’s mailer season! This week, we talk about some of the mailers hitting voters for the Chula Vista mayoral race and what the voters really want. Plus: The race for County Sheriff and confusion at the San Diego Housing Commission. See all our election coverage at vosd.org/2022 Get tickets for our live podcast at vosd.org/events See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.