Morning Report: County Dems Are So Close to Tapping Reserves…And Yet So Far
Fresh off an election that handed them a majority, Democrats on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a long-held dream: Tapping the county’s emergency bank […] The post Morning Report: County Dems Are So Close to Tapping Reserves…And Yet So Far appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
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Fresh off an election that handed them a majority, Democrats on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a long-held dream: Tapping the county’s emergency bank account to cushion the blow of federal budget cuts.
There’s just one thing: Democrats have the votes to change the county’s reserve policy. But they need at least one Republican vote to access the cash,
Our Lisa Halverstadt dug into the fine print and discovered state law requires at least four votes to draw down county reserves outside the county’s normal annual budget process.
Neither of the Board’s two Republicans responded to Halverstadt’s requests for comment on how they might vote.
Odds don’t favor a yes. Desmond already expressed opposition to the reserves plan. And Anderson has shown no love either, though he’s supported county efforts to assess the potential impacts of federal cuts.
Democratic Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, one of the plan’s architects, said Dems will plow ahead despite the risk of Republican opposition.
Podcast: Peters Dishes on Fletcher Scandal, Redistricting and La Jolla Secession
We had U.S. Rep. Scott Peters on the podcast Friday. He had a lot to say about the case against former County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher that a judge recently dismissed.
“I think he was really wronged by this woman,” the congressman said of Fletcher and Fletcher’s accuser, Grecia Figueroa.
On redistricting: Last week, the state Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom agreed to to ask voters to approve a new map for congressional districts, including the one Peters represents. For 20 years, California has let an independent commission do that job.
“It’s a terrible thing to do, and we absolutely have to do it,” Peters said. It’s important for Democrats, he said, to do everything they can to provide a check on Trump.
On La Jolla: Peters’ longtime Chief of Staff MaryAnne Pintar was one of the people who signed the petition to push for independence for La Jolla from the city of San Diego. So where’s he?
“I’m not gonna get in the way of them making the case. I think they should do their study,” Peters said. The petition provoked the Local Agency Formation Commission to commission a study of what the cost of secession would be and what “alimony” La Jolla may have to pay to make it right for San Diego.
We discussed more: immigration enforcement, the future of the Democratic Party and more. You can listen to all the podcasts here.
Related: Recent polling shows Californians are split over a ballot initiative authored by Democrats that would temporarily suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission and redraw voting districts to put more Democrats in Congress. (KPBS)
Can San Diego Prepare for Its Senior Population Boom?
An existential challenge is barreling toward San Diego. And almost no one knows about it.
In the latest installment of our 20 Years of Impact series, reporter Will Huntsberry takes on San Diego’s coming senior population boom.
Residents 65 and older are San Diego’s fastest growing population group. In fact, they’re the only growing group.
That’s a problem.
San Diego is not ready to become a place with more old than young people. Already, the number of homeless seniors is rising, as is the number barely clinging to the housing they have..
One solution might be hiding in plain sight. What if we regarded seniors as a resource rather than a challenge, Huntsberry asks?
Creative answers to that question just might be the cultural shift San Diego needs to take advantage of its coming demographic transformation.
Sacramento Report: State Leaders Scramble to Lower Gas Prices
Get ready for sticker shock at the pump.
California has long been a leader in trying to reduce America’s dependence on gas-powered cars.
With the Trump administration taking aim at the state’s environmental policies, the full cost of those policies is about to be borne by California drivers.
Eight-dollar-a-gallon gas, anyone? That’s the prediction from one expert.
Our Sacramento correspondent Deborah Sullivan reports legislators, including several from San Diego, are tackling the problem with a range of bills.
It’s unclear, though, whether any of the proposals will pass. Or whether they’ll make a dent in anticipated price surges.
Plus: California Democrats respond to aggressive gerrymandering in Texas by voting to bypass an independent commission and redraw electoral district boundaries to boost the number of Democrats in Congress.
Read the Sacramento Report here.
Politifest 2025: How Do We Solve the Child Care Crisis?
Affordable, quality child care is challenging to find and staff are not paid enough to stay in the field. At this year’s Politifest, community leaders will offer solutions to tackle the crisis in different ways.
Buy your tickets to Politifest today.
In Other News
- Oceanside will use police drones as first responders in a 13-month state-funded pilot program. Police say drones, already used as first responders in Chula Vista, will help to assess emergencies before officers arrive. (Union-Tribune)
- The Metropolitan Transit System is seeking public input on how to deal with its looming $120 million deficit. As ridership and costs rise, the transit agency plans to seek new revenue from state coffers or a possible ballot measure. (KPBS)
- SeaWorld was set to unveil its revamped Journey to Atlantis ride over the weekend. The 21-year-old ride got a complete makeover, including a new storyline for riders and enhanced visual effects. (Fox5)
- San Diego city officials on Friday announced completion of $6.9 million in improvements at Robert Egger Sr.-South Bay Community Park in Egger Highlands. The revamped park features new play and fitness equipment, a new basketball court and new shade structures, drinking fountains and security lighting. (NBC)
The Morning Report was written by Jim Hinch and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.
The post Morning Report: County Dems Are So Close to Tapping Reserves…And Yet So Far appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
