San Diego News Update – Sept 6: Poway Road Canyonization, San Diego Housing Crisis, Pt Loma Gay Marriage, Ben Kalasho

I'm back! I took a 2-month vacation but now I am back with my San Diego Local News podcast. We will cover Poway Road Canyonization, San Diego Housing Crisis, Micro Units, Vacant Homes, Pt Loma Gay Marriage, Ben Kalasho in El Cajon, Escondido Joor Muffler Man, National City Bike Lanes, Snapdragon Stadium, CA's Flavored Tobacco Ban Backfiring and more! It’s Wednesday September 6, 2023. Here’s what John Riley thinks: Poway Road Canyonization Powegians are freaking out about all the development along Poway Rd. The 4-story Fairfield development is going in at the site of the former Poway Bowl and thrift stores. A recent letter to the editor said it was the “canyonization” of Poway Rd with tall buildings on either side. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2023-08-29/our-readers-write North Park Micro Units An apartment building in North Park has an innovative approach to helping solve the San Diego Housing Crisis. Their micro units of approx. 600-800 sq ft offer an upgraded, minimalist living environment. The complex has very few parking spaces. They hope residents will use mass transit, bikes, or walking. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2023-08-27/micro-unit-apartment-building-north-park San Diego Vacant Homes Are evil rich people squatting on vacant homes and keeping them off the market? Well, there are 16 million vacant homes in America and only 500,000 homeless. That makes sense in the Rust Belt, but not in San Diego. Less than 1% of housing units are vacant for more than 6 months a year. Even if they were fully occupied it would barely put a dent in the housing crisis. https://sdhc.org/news-release/residential-vacancies-study-published/?fbclid=IwAR0STswGoFGw2zCkLIhpJ1kbuiL4sIFFDiz6mEHo96MDqBveJdJ4LBdbBag https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/story/2023-08-11/san-diego-housing-package-gloria-sb-10-homelessness-poverty Pt Loma Gay Marriage A pastor at Point Loma Nazarene University was fired from his post for disagreeing with church doctrine on gay marriage. Wait…  didn’t Christ preach about loving thy neighbor? Why is the church so slow to evolve? https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/religion/story/2023-08-18/san-diego-nazarene-pastor-fired-for-same-sex-marriage-stance Ben Kalasho, former El Cajon Councilman, wanted for arrest Former El Cajon City Councilman, Ben Kalasho, is wanted by the police. He and his wife were busted for contempt of court and failed to show up for his 8-day jail sentence. This is a guy that used fake social media profiles to disparage local residents and business…  while he was on city council. He also runs the Miss Middle East USA Pageant and reportedly failed to pay the winner the prize money….  And, get this, offered another contestant a rigged win if she slept with him. Where is Dog the Bounty Hunter? https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2023-09-01/arrest-warrants-issued-ben-kalasho-el-cajon Escondido Joor Muffler Man Every time I drive through Escondido I smile when I see that big statue of the guy holding the muffler. It’s a time warp to another era. The Joor Muffler Man was recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning’s website. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/story/2023-09-01/joor-muffler-man-in-escondido-gets-some-national-press National City Bike Lanes More bike lanes! Hooray! Cities are evolving as suburban areas become more urban. Plus, with the e-bike revolution, more people are riding bikes. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/national-city-looking-to-add-more-bike-lanes-with-new-master-plan/509-3c784b27-5733-4fb7-9059-58a348998c2f Snapdragon Stadium experience I went to Snapdragon Stadium for the first-time last Saturday. What a great experience! Really nice concessions, amenities, digital signage, and sight lines. The Aztecs football program deserves our support!