Morning Report: State Housing Laws Are Working in Encinitas

To the deep disappointment of some residents, Encinitas is seeing a boom in new home building. The city permitted far more homes in 2024 than in previous years — and that’s exactly what state officials want. 

Encinitas, in fact, is a case study in how state housing laws are working as intended, reports our Will Huntsberry. 

The boom in new construction can be traced back to 2018 when a judge forced Encinitas to upzone parts of the city to allow for more density and taller buildings. Encinitas upzoned more than a dozen properties — and it is those properties where new home construction is happening. 

Encinitas residents “hate it,” said Mayor Bruce Ehlers. 

While the majority of new homes are only affordable to people with “above moderate” income, roughly 22 percent of the homes permitted since 2021 have been reserved for people with “very low,” “low” and “moderate” income. 

“The city spent 30 years trying to dodge its obligation to build multi-family housing… I’m not surprised people are upset we’re finally building [it,]” said one person.

Read the full story here. 

A Behavioral Health Facility Planned for Palomar Health Just Lost $50 Million

A 120-bed behavioral health facility planned for Palomar Health recently lost $50 million in funding from the state. The reason? Palomar’s financial troubles.

The project is called the Palomar Health Behavioral Health Institute and is expected to cost a total of $104 million. It received a $50 million state grant from the California Department of Healthcare Services earlier this year as part of the Proposition 1 behavioral health infrastructure bonds that voters approved in 2024.

But that funding is no more.

The state agency rescinded the award in August because Palomar couldn’t meet “match” requirements to complete the funding plan, the Union-Tribune reported.

The news is a dagger to a region that is in desperate need of more mental health services. North County especially doesn’t have inpatient mental health services available for hundreds of thousands of residents.

Voice of San Diego has previously reported that Palomar Health, a public healthcare district that operates Palomar Medical Centers in Escondido and Poway, is grappling with significant financial loss.

The hospital system experienced a more than $100 million operating loss last fiscal year and had to enter into a forbearance agreement with its lenders after breaching financial covenants on more than $700 million in debt. Read more about the district’s financial state here.

The Learning Curve: The Manosphere and Boys

School-age boys are being bombarded with manosphere content, writes our Jakob McWhinney. 

What is manosphere content you ask? “The phrase describes a loose network of communities and content creators that range from incels to pick-up artists and everything in between,” writes McWhinney. 

The rise of manosphere figures like Andrew Tate is definitely having an impact. McWhinney talked to USA Today reporter Will Carless, who just released a documentary about the phenomenon. 

Carless spoke in depth about his experience with the phenomenon, including conversations he had with one second grade teacher who is constantly dealing with boys treating young girls terribly in new ways. 

One author claims that the misogynist attitudes being propagated are foundational to mass violence and extremism. 

Read the Learning Curve here. 

You’re Not Alone. We Are Getting Mailers Too 

For this week’s Why It Matters segment on KPBS, our editor explained why you’re getting a bunch of mailers in your mailbox.

“A fall that was supposed to be free of elections has turned into a big and expensive political fight centered on redistricting,” Scott Lewis writes. 

So much for enjoying our pumpkin spice lattes in peace. 

Related: As our Deborah Brennan reported, if California voters in November approve Proposition 50, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa’s seat is in trouble. The congressmember’s former foe, Ammar Campa-Najjar, already announced he’s running. San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert announced her campaign on Wednesday. (KPBS) 

Lewis explains how other districts in San Diego would be affected. Read more here. 

In Other News

• The owners of the abandoned California Theatre have put the building on the market, but the Union-Tribune spoke to real estate experts who say the building, and the area it’s located in, is going to be a tough sell to potential buyers.
• Capradio’s Insight host spoke to the architect behind California’s proposed congressional districts about Proposition 50 and more. 
• San Diego Botanic Garden’s stinky corpse flower has started to bloom. (NBC 7) 
• Have you ever heard a council meeting described as “chippy?” That’s how NBC 7 describes the National City’s City Council discussion on its new retail license program for tobacco businesses. 

The Morning Report was written by Will Huntsberry, Tigist Layne and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.

The post Morning Report: State Housing Laws Are Working in Encinitas appeared first on Voice of San Diego.