Morning Report: Jails Fill After Prop. 36
EM - News Moderator 
Last year, California voters backed Proposition 36 to crack down on repeat drug and theft offenders and try to direct those struggling with addiction into treatment rather than jails and prisons.
Now, the county sheriff’s office reports the number of people staying in county jails has spiked. As of Friday, 511 people with Proposition 36 charges were being held in county jails.
Further complicating matters: The sheriff’s office told our Lisa Halverstadt that Proposition 36 defendants often have significant physical and behavioral health challenges, putting more strain on an agency that has for years come under fire for deaths in its jails.
Worth noting: Proposition 36 didn’t come with local implementation funding. A state budget deal earlier this year promised funding for behavioral health, court and public defender costs but not for law enforcement and jail operations. Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved Sheriff Kelly Martinez and Supervisor Jim Desmond’s push for the county to lobby for such funding and at the urging of Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, more money to support case management, treatment infrastructure and other services for Proposition 36 offenders too.
About that treatment: The Union-Tribune recently reported that Proposition 36 defendants are often left to find treatment on their own.
The Mayor Also Wants More Money from Sacramento
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wants more help to battle the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis with help from his friends at the state, reports our Nadia Lathan.
In an interview with Lathan for our weekly Sacramento Report, Mayor Gloria discussed how funding continues to be a top priority for his administration. He talked about state programs like the Community, Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment program, known as CARE Court and why cities need more funding – even with ongoing slashes to federal budgets.
“I struggle to see how we can be effective with half the funding,” said Gloria.
County Spares Tijuana River Gardeners
Following weeks of community angst and behind-the-scenes legwork, the county of San Diego announced Friday it had found a new manager for the embattled Tijuana River Valley Community Garden.
The garden, the largest community garden in the county, had faced imminent closure after the small natural resources agency that previously managed it abruptly pulled out and issued eviction notices amid heightened fears of Tijuana River sewage pollution.
The threatened closure had posed a public relations headache for recently elected South County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre after gardeners blamed sewage warning signs Aguirre had urged county officials to erect near the river for prompting the evictions.
But Aguirre quickly pivoted and worked behind the scenes to keep the garden open. “It’s so important to my constituents,” she said.
Gardeners were jubilant. “We are ecstatic,” said gardener Henry Martinez.
VOSD Podcast: Prop 50 Is a Go
Results are in for California’s special election on Proposition 50, which means new congressional district maps are a go. The podcast crew breaks down how this shifts the 48th District, currently represented by Rep. Darrell Issa, who said he’s not going anywhere.
Speaking of political shakeups, former Poway City councilmember Tony Blain resigned after an overwhelming recall vote this week. The team chats through the detailed list of charges against the “comically corrupt” local politician.
Have You Gotten Tickets to Brews & News Yet?
Whether you’re an avid listener of San Diego’s most popular public affairs podcast, or just hoping to meet our team of journalists, Brews & News will be an awesome opportunity to get the inside scoop on San Diego happenings.
It’s all going down on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at Soda Bar.
Join CEO and Editor-in-Chief Scott Lewis, Managing Editor Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña, education reporter Jakob McWhinney, and social media star Bella Ross for this special recording.
We will also have limited quantities of our 20th Anniversary beer from 3 Punk Ales available for purchase.
To get your tickets and learn more about the event, please visit our website by clicking here or visiting vosd.org/BrewsandNews.
In Other News:
- As San Diegans continue to feel the effects of the federal government shutdown, KPBS reports how delays in Calfresh benefits are putting seniors’ health at risk. In San Diego County nearly 100,000 seniors rely on Calfresh. The county announced Friday full November Calfresh/SNAP benefits are being delivered.
- Speaking of shutdown, NBC 7 San Diego has the latest on the expected reductions at the San Diego International Airport and how San Diegans can plan for travel cancellations. In Washington, D.C., there appears to be a break in the standoff and the end of the shutdown may be soon.
- Grocery prices are also soaring across the board.The Union-Tribune reports how some San Diegans are getting creative with their budgets and purchases.
- The Union-Tribune also reports the San Diego Housing Planning Commission approved a proposal Thursday to boost homebuilding by weakening historic preservation rules.
- A safe parking lot for homeless San Diego students got final approval Friday, reports the Union-Tribune. Officials said they hope to open the 40 parking spots before Thanksgiving with San Diego Unified students and families getting first dibs.
- A sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Millennial Tech Middle explains why poorly funded after-school programs are not experiments in the latest Voice of San Diego letter to the editor.
- Housing leaders appear willing to support a rent increase on low-income San Diegans to ensure they keep their vouchers, reports the Union-Tribune. The San Diego Housing Commission reviewed the proposal in a public meeting on Friday, and will vote on the measure in early December.
The Morning Report was written by Mariana Martínez Barba and Jim Hinch. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and Scott Lewis.
The post Morning Report: Jails Fill After Prop. 36 appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
