LIVE! From Soda Bar

The city has a new budget. There was a veto. A veto override and then an Instagram slam. We have a special guest, Councilmember Vivian Moreno is here. She’ll give us the insider take.  And the push to raise the minimum wage for hospitality workers is going forward.  And, the mayor has a new job!   SHOW NOTES   INTRO 00:00:00   SEGMENT 1 00:00:39 - Support VOSD   SEGMENT 2 00:06:39 - Vivian Moreno   SEGMENT 3 00:11:06 - Mayor’s IG Story “Today, some on the City Council attempted to fully override my veto—and failed. While the Council chose to override some items, the restored hours at libraries, rec centers, and lakes that San Diegans rely on will remain in place.” Mayor Todd Gloria SEGMENT 4 00:28:51 Audio Clips: 00:23:28 - Marni Van Wipple on the Council override of the Mayor’s veto.Start at 1:44:42 "I want to thank the Mayor for all the work ... whole city at once"   SEGMENT 5 00:28:51 Minimum Wage Hike   00:30:53 - Diana Puetz, Padres ITEM-1: Hospitality Minimum Wage Ordinance for Certain Workers at Hotels, Event Centers, Amusement Parks, and Zoos Within the Geographic Boundaries of the City of San Diego Start at 57:05 - 57:29  "The ordinance doesn't apply broadly or equitably ...... Why doesn't that apply to your own workforce."   00:34:45 Brigette Browning, Labor Council ITEM-1: Hospitality Minimum Wage Ordinance for Certain Workers at Hotels, Event Centers, Amusement Parks, and Zoos Within the Geographic Boundaries of the City of San Diego Start at 1:50:37 - 1:51:05 “I want to applaud you all ...... for the workers who work in their hotels.”   SEGMENT 6 00:46:01 Supes Race   SEGMENT 7 00:55:59 Hot Take   TRT 00:58:31   Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, managing editor Bella Ross, social media producer Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer. Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy: Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County. Become a Member: Voice Member BenefitsJoin today and receive insider access.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The mayor does not want a chief operating officer gosh darn it! The most dysfunctional budget cycle in the city of San Diego continues with a big list of vetos from Mayor Todd Gloria.  And the biggest political battle in San Diego is finally nearing its end. Our reporter Jim Hinch went to a debate between Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and he’ll tell us how the race is looking.    SHOW NOTES INTRO 00:00:00   SEGMENT 1  00:01:14 - Support VOSD :) When we hired Tigist Layne to cover North County three years ago, we set out to provide northern cities with the coverage they deserve. But to keep doing that work, we need YOUR support.  Escondido resident, Jack Raymond, has put forth a $50,000 match to fund our North County coverage for the rest of the year. We have just $18,000 left to raise to meet our match and to keep our journalism going.  Support Tigist's reporting and Voice in North County by giving at vosd.org/givenorthcounty and have your gift matched today.  SEGMENT 2 00:03:44 - SDUSD Superintendent Vote  https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/06/18/san-diego-unified-has-a-new-permanent-superintendent/ San Diego Unified Has a New (Permanent) Superintendent by Jakob McWhinney   SEGMENT 3 00:10:07 - Billboard Story Update and Corrections https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/06/14/politics-report-prepare-for-digital-billboards/ Politics Report: Prepare for Digital Billboards by Scott Lewis   SEGMENT 4 00:23:28 - D1 Supe Race Update https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/06/18/supe-candidates-spar-over-taxes-homelessness-and-trump/ Supe Candidates Spar Over Taxes, Homelessness – And Trump Democrat Paloma Aguirre and Republican John McCann made their pitch to voters in a televised debate Tuesday. But the real star of the show, given how often his name came up, might have been President Donald Trump. By JIm Hinch    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal immigration agents are trying to hit their quotas of people to arrest and deport and it’s causing some distressing scenes across California. On the eve of big protests, where are we headed? We’ll grapple with it.  For the first time in more than 100 years, owners of single family homes in the city of San Diego will have to pay for trash pickup. It almost didn’t happen. We’ll go through the tense meeting.  And with that, the city balanced its budget, sort of. The Council wants to take some big risks.    Show Notes: The Learning Curve: ICE Arrest in Oceanside Highlights Impact of Immigration CrackdownJob Corps Trump’s Cuts Thrust San Diego Students into Chaos and HomelessnessWhen President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly announced the shuttering of the more than 60-year-old Job Corps program at the end of May, many students who live at the San Diego site didn’t have a place to go. It’s only gotten more chaotic. San Diego City Council Avoids a Whole Lotta Budget Cuts, for Now The city’s budget for the year that begins in July is balanced – at least for now – with the help of assumptions the city will more swiftly pursue paid parking at Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo, move forward with digital billboard ads, charge fees on credit card transactions at parking meters and cut about a dozen additional positions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An immigration raid in the early dinner hours at a popular restaurant in South Park has led to a week of backlash among local leaders. We’ll talk about what we know.    We’re in the final days of this epic budget process at the city of San Diego. Will the beloved fire pits survive???   And finally, the giant water agencies based in San Diego and Los Angeles have resolved their 15-year legal dispute. We’ll explain how interesting it is and a fascinating little fight they started right after it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s memorandum time in the city of San Diego’s budget saga. Councilmembers may be headed for a historic standoff with the mayor. We’ll do a little history lesson to show how interesting it could get.    Only 58 percent of San Diego Unified high schoolers are on track to graduate. Rather than get them on track, they’ve decided to create a new trackSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There had been some controversy about whether the Mayor and San Diego City Council would have to dip into reserves to handle their budget deficit – now it appears they have no choice. We’ll explain how bad the city’s finances are getting.    South County is now home to a massive hotel and convention center many years in the making. The mayor of Chula Vista like all south bay officials was proud. But he quickly distanced himself from his real estate company that appears ready to cash in on an adjacent project.    And Jakob’s got an update from the telenovela that is Grossmont Union High School District.   SHOW NOTES:  (Links to VOSD articles mentioned during the show and links for further reading) San Diego County Grand Jury Findings VOSD: Grand Jury Finds Faults in San Diego Unified’s Bond Program Among the report’s findings, the grand jury concluded the district had ‘consistently failed to inform,’ voters of bond-induced tax rate increases or provided detailed lists of projects. San Diego Budget Crisis KPBS: San Diego’s highest paid city employees? Cops racking up overtime and earning over $400,000 City of San Diego City of San Diego Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2026 Draft Budget and May Revision. Chula Vista Mayor and Amara Bay VOSD: Chula Vista Mayor Distances Himself from His Own Real Estate Company  Chula Vista Mayor John McCann’s real estate company filed paperwork enabling it to do business under the same name as a high-profile bayfront redevelopment project McCann has promoted as mayor. After Voice of San Diego asked about the arrangement, McCann said he was divesting himself from the company. GUHSD Drama Continues to Unfold VOSD: Grossmont Board Gives Final ‘Yes,’ to Layoffs, Inks Six Figure Resignation Settlement with Chief of Staff After months of uproar, Grossmont Union’s board did what everyone was scared they would – they finalized layoff notices. Later that night they also approved a settlement agreement with a district administrator whose journey back to Grossmont sparked concerns of serious conflicts of interest. Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, managing editor Bella Ross, social media producer Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer. Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy: Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County. Become a Member: Voice Member BenefitsJoin today and receive insider access.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The city of San Diego is officially at legal war with La Jolla separatists. Why a ballot measure push a couple years ago is related.  The mayor’s revised budget is still pretty ugly and still gets rid of beach bonfire rings. And finally the budget also has set up an nasty little standoff between the city and county over a homeless shelter in the Midway area. They have stopped letting people into the tent and the operator is furious.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the crew brought their notes and their game to Soda Bar where they recorded the podcast before packed house, as Scott, Andrea, Jakob and Bella welcomed Keene Simonds, the Executive Officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission, to the lively LIVE podcast recording session. Recorded live at Soda Bar, Wednesday May 7, 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we sat down for an in depth interview with San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham. He filled us in with some deep water knowledge during this week’s show.   SHOW NOTES: (Links to VOSD articles mentioned during the show and links for further reading) VOSD: San Diego Council Bashes County Water Authority Over CostsCouncilmembers say they want to see steep cuts in spending by the region’s major water buyer. One suggested refusing to pay the city’s water bills.  by MacKenzie ElmerJanuary 17, 2025 The Truth About the Cost of Water: Dismantling the Water Authority Would Harm All San Diegansby Jim MadafferApril 28, 2025 Axios:  Elo-Rivera to San Diego Water Authority: Lower rates, or else Andrew Keatts        See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another guest this week. Hot off her state of the county speech, County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is joining us.  Our South Bay reporter did a deep dive into what happened after Chula Vista Mayor John McCann helped secure the release of a woman convicted of fraud several years ago. She’s being sentenced today on another charge.  And we had a story this week out of Encinitas where a homeless service provider is being attacked online and blamed for the increasing visibility of homelessness in the beach town.    SHOW NOTES:  (Links to VOSD articles mentioned during the show and links for further reading) INTRO 00:00:00   SEGMENT 1 00:00:53 Spring Fundraising Campaign One week left Goal - 100 new members and $150k by April 29 All gifts will be matched up to $10k thanks to a generous anonymous donor. Donate at vosd.org/podpeople and leave a message about why you support Voice.  Here’s what our members said about why they donate: Leticia S. wrote, “Your paper has been the only one we as latinos have been able to count on to tell our story on various issues important to our small community of Fallbrook. You don't ignore us and you tell the truth.” Martha D. said, “No one else is focusing on the areas that you do. Also your reporting is succinct, explanatory, and free from rambling opinion. Thank you for continuing to do what you do!” Marjorie W. wrote, “you are increasingly a sane voice in this chaotic world” Thank you to those who have supported our work! You can become a supporter too by going to vosd.org/podpeople. Leave us a message about why you support and we’ll read a few in the next episode. Again, that’s vosd.org/podpeople  Brews and News Live Podcast Brews and News Live Podcast is back! It's time to embrace your inner news nerd and talk about the latest scoops with our pod crew on Wednesday, May 7 at Soda Bar. Brews and News Live Podcasts are opportunities to meet our journalists, play audience games, enjoy a beer and listen to San Diego’s most popular public affairs podcast live.  If you missed our beer launch party, you can still try our anniversary beer at Brews and News. Plus, every Brews and News attendee will be entered to win one of two baseballs signed by our Padres favorite - Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. You won’t want to miss out. Buy your tickets now and learn more at vosd.org/livepod. Again that’s v-o-s-d.org back slash l-i-v-e-p-o-d. SEGMENT 2 00:04:54 Banter SEGMENT 3 00:09:14 John McCann Chula Vista Mayor Helped Free a Felon Who’s Going Back to Prison with Her Brother – A Lot Happened in Between SEGMENT 4 00:11:12 County Supervisors: Unvited GOP County Supes: Dem Didn’t Invite Us to State of County Speech SEGMENT 5 00:13:01 DOGE Effects on the County The State of the County Resistance SEGMENT 6 00:25:58 Terra Lawson-Remer on Gloria’s Homeless Critique Politics Report: The ‘Era of Austerity’ Is Here SEGMENT 7 00:28:39 Encinitas Gets Ugly with Homeless Blame Anonymous Account, Neighbors Target Provider as Homelessness Surges in Encinitas  SEGMENT 8 00:38:11 Terra’s Activism Past SEGMENT 9 00:44:00 Hot Take: Leave Fire Pits Alone (From the archives) San Diego Council Seeks to Snub Out Some Beach Bonfires San Diego’s City Council wants to clarify that open fires are only allowed in concrete fire pits. Beachgoers could still cook on propane-powered grills. by MacKenzie Elmer May 23, 2022   TRT 00:51:26   Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego. Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, managing editor Bella Ross, social media producer Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer. Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy: Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County. Become a Member: Voice Member BenefitsJoin today and receive insider access.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.