Morning Report: San Diego Unified Reverses Plan to Close K-8 School
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Our Jakob McWhinney revealed this month that San Diego Unified planned to phase out middle school grades at four of its K-8 schools starting next school year, a decision the district had yet to share with parents.
Earlier this week, Superintendent Fabiola Bagula broke the news that one of those schools – Bethune K-8 in southeastern San Diego – will remain open after two weeks of protests by parents determined to keep their kids’ school open.
McWhinney broke down Bagula’s announcement this week – and her subtle acknowledgement after testimony from Bethune parents and teachers that other schools slated for changes weren’t as successful as Bethune.
“All of the beautiful things that your teachers said, by the way, it’s not happening at the other schools,” Bagula said during a Wednesday night meeting at a Bethune. “It’s happening here.”
Chula Vista’s Politics Are Turning More Purple
In recent years, Chula Vista’s gotten a reputation as a Democratic city.
But as Jim Hinch reports in his latest South County Report, it’s also a city where Republicans are on the rise – and there’s bipartisan support of public safety and fiscally prudent budget moves.
Hinch shared the latest Chula Vista voter registration stats and detailed how the city’s political identity played out at a recent City Council meeting.
Read the full newsletter here.
The Progress Report: More After-School Care
For years, San Diego Unified families have languished on long waiting lists for before- and after-school care. Between searching for programs and waiting in limbo, the search can be a “quiet killer for parents,” our Jakob McWhinney writes.
Two years ago, he wrote about a single father who lost a job, and nearly his sanity, because he couldn’t get an after-school care spot for his son.
It’s a struggle many families, especially working parents face. But now it seems the school district has made progress by more than doubling its after-school care offerings.
McWhinney explains how the district has achieved this and what obstacles remain.
Read the Progress Report here.
Top 48th District Candidates Don’t Live in the District
As a state redistricting measure hurtles closer to Election Day, our Tigist Layne reveals the two top candidates in the 48th Congressional district that may pounce if Proposition 50 is approved don’t actually live in the district.
Those two candidates – Democrats Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Councilmember, and Ammar Campa-Najjar, who previously sought to oust incumbent Darrel Issa – want to represent the district that’s expected to become more friendly to Democrats if the state measure passes.
Both unsurprisingly argued they have what it takes to represent the district – even if they don’t live in it.
Worth noting: Members of Congress aren’t required to live in the districts they represent though four of the five San Diego County representatives in Washington do.
Top City Leader Says See Ya
The city’s chief financial officer is leaving budget-strapped City Hall to become a top bureaucrat at the Port of San Diego.
City Hall reporter Mariana Martínez Barba writes that Matt Vespi’s departure comes at a tense time for the city as its leaders grapple with rate increases to pay for city services.
Vespi’s last day is on Nov. 3.
All eyes on the mayor: “Given the significant workload Matt carries and the mayor’s dual roles as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, it is critical that his successor be identified and appointed quickly,” Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera told Voice. He represented the city of San Diego on the San Diego County Water Authority’s governing board.
Politifest: What Do We Do About Street Homelessness?
San Diego’s homelessness crisis has raged on for years despite significant state and local government spending – and it remains one of our region’s foremost challenges.
Our Lisa Halverstadt has assembled a great panel to propose solutions.
Dr. Margot Kushel of UC San Francisco, who led an unprecedented survey of homeless Californians, will pitch a plan to methodically address encampments and vehicle homelessness.
Retired Marine Colonel Patrick “Paddy” Gough, an advocate behind Sunbreak Ranch, will speak about the triage center for homeless San Diegans.
And Iain De Jong of OrgCode Consulting, a national thought leader on homelessness solutions, will pitch a dramatic increase in supportive housing options for homeless residents and plans to ensure they remain housed.
Interested? Sign up to attend Politifest next Saturday at University of San Diego.
In Other News
- The city’s planning commission on Thursday advanced the Midway Rising plan to redevelop San Diego’s Sports Arena. (Union-Tribune)
- The City Attorney’s Office has filed suit to stop a Barrio Logan recycling business from operating without necessary permits. (NBC 7 San Diego)
- County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe are pitching a subcommittee to game out potential fiscal scenarios for the county and explore funding options – likely including a potential revenue measure – to try to maintain county services amid expected federal cuts and potential economic turmoil. (Times of San Diego)
- The federal government issued a waiver earlier this week giving the feds the go-ahead to speed border wall construction by avoiding more than two dozen environmental laws. (inewsource)
- Scripps Health plans to build a medical campus in San Marcos. (Fox 5 San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
The post Morning Report: San Diego Unified Reverses Plan to Close K-8 School appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
