We Got a Border Sewage Plan

This week, the Voice of San Diego crew was joined by Joey Safchik, host of NBC San Diego's "Politically Speaking," and there was a lot to get through! First, a bittersweet news update. Reporter Jakob McWhinney broke a story last week about an organization embedded in San Diego's law enforcement community that hired a controversial figure. After the outrage, the hire got rescinded. But it didn't stop there – the whole organization has since dissolved entirely. No one says you can’t redeem yourself, but in the end you have to own what got you there.  Also on the show: Our intern Naomi Granata released an article revealing the staggering amount Airbnb spent on lobbying in San Diego, all to kill a proposed tax on vacation rentals and vacant second homes. We dug through the numbers.  Finally, we dive into the midterm election ballot. We covered a few races worth watching: 48th Congressional District: Democrat Marni Von Wilpert faces Republican Jim Desmond in one of ten House races nationally that could flip control of Congress. State Senate, District 40: Former City Attorney Mara Elliot and nonprofit leader Kristie Bruce-Lane, who’s backed by controversial conservative Carol DeMaio, battle it out to replace termed-out Republican Brian Jones. San Diego City Council, District 2: Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey faces off against Deputy City Attorney Nicole Crosby. Bailey just confirmed he voted for Trump in 2024. Could that have an impact on voters?  San Diego City Council, District 4: Incumbent Henry Foster is challenged by political outsider Martha Abraham, who's making the case that a Foster win could leave the council without a single woman. Prop 40:The billionaire tax — a one-time, 5 percent tax on California's billionaires to fund healthcare. This would be the first time the state has ever taxed assets, as opposed to income and property. It’s complicated and many people are split on it.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's podcast episode, our hosts explain how two county supervisors are proposing the region address the Tijuana River sewage crisis. As our MacKenzie Elmer reported, San Diego County Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra-Lawson Remer think the county, and the county taxpayer, should treat the river. We unpack their proposal on the show. We also have updates: First up, two bills we were following related to the Midway Rising project are sitting on the governor's desk. Next, a scandal involving a former sheriff's deputy with a history of assaulting women blew up days after we reported on his new job as a chaplain. Lastly, new developments related to the Islamic Center shooting and the breakdown of the Muslim community's relationship with City Hall.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of the VOSD Podcast, host Scott Lewis sits down with Michael Zucchet, general manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Association. They get into pension underfunding and the failed 2024 sales tax measure. (Oh yeah, this is a very nerdy episode.) They also unpack a heated debate over whether San Diego’s workforce is bloated — as some critics claim — or stretched thin by hundreds of new parks and services added since 2015. Also on the show: They also get into labor costs and pensions, a trash-bin “lid lifter” mandate and questions over the Port Commission’s handling of Harbor Island. 0:00 Intro1:10 The City's Pension Underfunding History5:25 Revenue Measures: Trash Fee & Hotel Tax7:57 Sales Tax Attempts & the 2024 Measure11:25 Debating the City's Workforce Size15:50 Budget Cuts in the "Era of Austerity"24:15 Clarifying What Layoffs Really Mean27:20 The City's Reactive Budget Cycle30:31 New Revenue Ideas & Rollout Growing Pains35:46 Labor Costs, Pensions & Wages43:58 The "Lid Lifters" Trash Bin Controversy47:10 New Parks Without New Staff50:24 Port Commission & Harbor Island52:58 Closing & CreditsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this bonus episode of the VOSD Podcast, the crew sits down with Prebys Foundation CEO Grant Oliphant. They discuss efforts to revitalize downtown's Civic Center, including a planned partnership between the city of San Diego, San Diego Community College District, and possibly, the San Diego Unified School District. Also on the show: The crumbling state of City Hall and a nod to Balboa Park needing similar attention. 0:00 Intro & Guest Welcome4:41 History of Redevelopment Attempts14:08 Three Moves: Experts, Buildings, Vision15:21 San Diego Unified Declines to Join the JPA21:59 What Is a JPA? (Explainer)26:48 The Vision for the Civic Center34:23 Callback: Joe LaCava's Hot Take41:43 City Hall's Physical Dysfunction44:05 Grant's Hot Take: Balboa Park & a Treasures Tax47:07 Closing & Sign-OffSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Voice of San Diego crew sits down with City Council President Joe LaCava to unpack a controversial Sacramento maneuver reviving the Midway Rising development, revisit the Mission Bay bathroom closures and who's really to blame for the budget fallout, and dig into La Jolla's secession talk. The conversation closes on lighter fare — SeaWorld's fireworks-to-drone-show transition and the escalating conflict between beachgoers and La Jolla's growing sea lion colony. 0:00 Welcome & Guest Intro: Council President Joe LaCava0:45 Midway Rising & the SB 344 "Gut and Amend"8:35 City Council's Land Use Process & Timeline15:39 Traffic Concerns in OB and Point Loma16:47 Mission Bay Bathrooms: The Follow-Up24:23 Who's to Blame for the Budget Cuts?29:34 La Jolla Secession Talk33:00 District 2 Election35:13 State Mandates & Budget Pressure36:44 SeaWorld: Fireworks vs. Drone Shows39:37 Sea Lions and the La Jolla Cove ClosureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Todd Gloria announced this week that San Diego is reopening the 13 Mission Bay Park restrooms it shut down last month in budget cuts, after a public poop photo helped force the reversal — reportedly for around $200,000. Also this week: Marvel's Gaslamp Quarter sign fine, Comic-Con's extension through 2030, the back-to-school heat debate, untrained special-needs substitutes, and Sacramento's missing votes. 0:00 Mission Bay Bathrooms Reopen10:33 Marvel's Gaslamp Quarter Sign Fine21:29 Back-to-School: Why So Early and So Hot?25:24 Special Needs Students Getting Untrained Substitutes34:06 "No Vote Recorded"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Del Mar's city council cut its summer recess short this week for an emergency meeting — and came out of it asking for criminal investigations into California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a Del Mar Fairgrounds board member. At the center of it all is Seaside Ridge, a 249-unit housing project proposed for Del Mar's North Bluff. A resident's letter raised questions about ties between the fairgrounds board member and a string of warning letters Bonta sent pressuring Del Mar to approve it — and despite formally referring the matter for investigation, city officials insist they're not accusing anyone of wrongdoing. Also on the show: A downtown gas station sidestepped pedestrian-safety rules with the help of a $15,000 lobbyist, the city closed public restrooms in Mission Bay while funding new playgrounds nearby, and we debuted our first-ever Summer playlist. 0:00 The Great Encinitas Parking Panic5:10 Mission Bay's New Playgrounds, Closed Bathrooms6:17 How San Diego Funds Mission Bay10:46 No More Driveways on Market Street11:59 A Gas Station With Seven Driveways17:34 The $15K Lobbyist Who Changed the Vote21:08 How City Lobbying Actually Works28:51 Del Mar Demands an Investigation38:02 Debuting Our Summer PlaylistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forget the birds and other environmental impacts, are taller buildings messing with lunar cycles? On this week’s show, our hosts explain how a proposed bill would stop building height from being treated as a significant environmental impact under state law. State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson spoke about SB 958 at a committee hearing in June and explained how environmental laws have sometimes been used to slow housing projects. She cited Midway Rising and litigation that has stood in the project’s way. “Despite years of analysis and multiple EIRs, the most recent ruling from the California's fourth district court of appeal determined that environmental review when related to building height needed to include aspects that were not typically analyzed, including impacts on airflow, atmospheric conditions, lunar cycles, and wildlife attraction,” she said. Lunar cycles? Co-host Scott Lewis explains what’s at stake and why we’re going to keep talking about SB 958. Also on the show: The state is moving forward with a mesh barrier to deter suicides on the Coronado Bridge. They also plan to install AI cameras. 00:00:00 - The Padres Poncho Debate  00:04:15 - Politicians Performing: Bill Wells' Band & Scott Peters' Pull-Ups  00:08:47 - Mission Bay Restroom Closures & El Niño Budgeting  00:18:47 - SB 958, Midway Rising, and Lunar Cycles  00:26:28 - Politifest 2026 Announcement  00:28:03 - Coronado Bridge Suicide Prevention & AI Cameras  00:37:16 - Sea Lions in La Jolla & The Viral Kicking VideoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest episode, our hosts tackle everything from Comic-Con building wraps to California’s housing crisis. First up! A proposal to give Chula Vista City Council members raises crashed and burned following public outcry and quid pro quo allegations from the mayor. Then: While special education enrollment numbers explode everywhere, a school district in Del Mar is seeing a 43 percent drop. Jakob McWhinney explains the trend. Finally, Will Huntsberry joins the show to explain why it takes years and a lot of money to build affordable housing. Plus, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to streamline affordable housing funding. 00:00:00 - Salad Scares, Cold Shrimp, & Comic-Con Building Wraps00:09:13 - Chula Vista's Failed Charter Reform & Cardenas Rumors00:25:12 - PoliticsFest, Mailbag, & Set Updates00:28:18 - Del Mar’s Unprecedented Special Education Drop00:41:04 - Fixing the High Cost of California Affordable HousingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's nothing worse than needing a restroom and not being able to find one. San Diego just made it a lot harder to find one.  On this edition of the podcast, Scott Lewis was back and wanted to share his thoughts on how bad the cities decision is to close down public restrooms. The crew also discussed why public restrooms are so important with the recent outbreak of Cyclospora across the country.  Finally, we talk about a rushed charter reform effort in Chula Vista backed by a major labor union. The proposed measure would extend council term limits and increase council members' salaries to $110,000, all with minimal public input. 00:00 - Intro: Cyclospora & Explosive Diarrhea   03:20 - Meet the Team & The Parking Ticket   04:26 - The Truth About the Lettuce Parasite  07:55 - The Public Restroom Crisis & Mission Bay   15:10 - The Voice of San Diego Summer Playlist   22:25 - Politifest Announcement & Donor Shoutouts   24:40 - County Contracting Embezzlement Scandal   30:45 - Chula Vista's Rushed Charter Reform   39:10 - Outro & Credits   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.