Voice of San Diego Podcast

Voice of San Diego Podcast

This is Voice of San Diego’s weekly spitfire roundup of news. We cover local and regional politics, the environment, education, the border and more. This show features our investigative reporting and interviews with lawmakers and other special guests.

Episodes

March 15, 2024 52 mins

This week, the San Diego City Council voted to explore the creation of a special tax district. Some called it "a major subsidy" to a large-scale project that would redevelop Sports Arena and the surrounding area.

This special tax district could generate extra funds to make the big project possible, especially for all the extra infrastructure needed to serve the housing units that developers promised. The specific name for this kin...

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The March Primary seemed like a boring lemon but we’re going to squeeze some juice out of it.

The VOSD Podcast is not the place for your Biden-Trump angst or opinions of how "feisty" the State of the Union was. This is the place for commentary on the city attorney "vibes vote," and to drill down Council districts and mayoral candidates.

This week, we discuss the Primary results.

Note: This podcast was recorded on Thursday aftern...

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March 1, 2024 52 mins

Gird your loins! It's Primary time. 

This week, on the last podcast before the March 5 election, we run through the ballot — from U.S. Senate to City Council.

The electorate seems unenthused. Politico reports this election is on track for record-low turnout. And it kind of makes sense. California voters aren't tipping the scales on the Presidential election. Even the California Senate race (despite shattering spending records) is...

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February 23, 2024 46 mins

Last week, senior investigative reporter Will Huntsberry reported that some residents in southeastern San Diego have lost trust in local government.

Staff at the San Diego mayor’s office called that reporting “dangerous.” 

This week, we discuss the original story, how residents felt about the city's neglect during the January floods, and responses by the mayor's communication staff.

Plus: City Council District 4 candidate Chida ...

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February 16, 2024 47 mins

It’s Mailer Season! And we are reaching novel levels of creativity.

This week, we perform high-level media criticism — LOL — on recent political mailers and materials that employed new, subversive strategies.

From County Supervisor to the San Diego Mayor's race, we have a new evolution of local politics playing out by mail. And billboard. And lawn sign.

Plus: A preview of local races ahead of the March election. And southeast re...

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February 9, 2024 58 mins

A throng of VOSD Podcast nerds nestled into the Modern Times Beer + Coffee outpost in Midway this week. Our pod crew was ready to dive headfirst into big city projects, taxes and fees.

But first, we brought up Voice environment reporter MacKenzie Elmer and a resident she recently profiled.

During the Jan. 22 storm, Jesse Preciado dove into rising floodwaters on his Southcrest street. He stripped down and got to work unclogging a ...

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February 2, 2024 46 mins

Southeastern San Diego residents have long sought help with stormwater management. Infrastructure inequities have plagued southern neighborhoods that hug the I-5. They've pleaded to local leaders for solutions. Now, after the Jan. 22 deluge hit underserved streets — and after more rain this week — they may finally see momentum.

This week, we discuss San Diego's stormwater system deficit. And San Diego City Council President Sean E...

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January 26, 2024 41 mins

Late last week, we got new filings in a lawsuit against former County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher — including Instagram messages between Fletcher and the woman who accused him of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

The two exchanged hundreds of messages and planned ways they could be alone. The messages show the woman, Grecia Figueroa, expressed interest on several occasions, including after the encounters she said were abusive.

...

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January 19, 2024 52 mins

Next week, volunteers with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness will sweep county streets to try to count all unhoused residents.

It's a critical event that offers a broad view of our foremost crisis for 2024. But where do we stand now?

This week we discuss the city of San Diego's new homelessness fundraising campaign — and what it could do to alleviate the crisis. Plus, we review current County numbers and what the U.S. Supre...

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January 12, 2024 51 mins

This week, we pull apart San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria's State of the City address— reviewing his biggest talking points and assessments of the city's crises, including: 

  • Reforming Prop 47
  • Retail theft
  • Homeless shelter solutions
  • Expediting permit applications
  • Potholes and roads

In his speech, Gloria declared the city is getting stronger every day. Let's discuss. 

Plus: San Diego Unified student school board member...

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January 5, 2024 37 mins

We're gearing up for the State of the City address. Next week, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria will explain his vision for the city. So this week, we review the last address and make predictions for this year.

We're thinking: Homelessness. SB 43. Sales tax. Road repair love. A big development project reveal.

We'll be watching the address closely and will have takeaways in the next day's Morning Report. Don't miss it: vosd.org/morning

...

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December 29, 2023 67 mins

Content warning: This episode contains explicit language.

In preparation for the dawn of 2024, we've made a playlist by some of San Diego's finest music nerds. In addition to the songs, this episode is full of CBD kombucha, old friendships and reflection of the region's music scene.

Host Jakob McWhinney brought in some of his favorite local luminaries to discuss the past, present and future of San Diego music — and the meaning of...

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December 22, 2023 47 mins

This week, host Andrea Lopez-Villafaña drops her interview with new County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.

This conversation happened fresh off a big week for Montgomery Steppe. She served on the San Diego City Council until the election for Council President, casting the deciding vote to secure Sean Elo-Rivera's position.

Then she was sworn in as Supervisor, replacing Nathan Fletcher to represent District 4 in the heart of ...

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December 15, 2023 37 mins

Arguably the biggest local politics story of the year was the collapse of former County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.

He was one of the most powerful elected officials in the region, on the fast track for state Senate. But he resigned from the Board of Supervisors and as Metropolitan Transit System board chair after he was accused of sexual harassment and assault by an MTS employee.

This scandal spawned two big stories that shaped ...

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December 12, 2023 81 mins

We want to make sure your podcast feed is full for all the time off and travel you've got coming up. So this week, we have an extra episode for you — another Happy Hour with a few of our friends.

We're joined by USA Today reporter (and Voice alum) Will Carless and local entrepreneur, brewer and podcaster, Steve Garcia.

Talking points:

  • Humane Society pets sold as snake food
  • The rising cost of everything
  • Failure, softball ...
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December 8, 2023 59 mins

Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is making more news these days as he seeks a seat on the County Board of Supervisors.

And this week he opined on some big homelessness ideas.

Sunbreak Ranch is a farfetched plan that the city of San Diego could create a camp — far from residential areas — to provide shelter and services to unhoused folks. The idea gained steam as local philanthropists got behind it. And now, Faulconer's in.

...

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December 1, 2023 49 mins

Scott Lewis, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Jakob McWhinney are cooking up the hottest beef that dropped this week.

We revived a reporting series dedicated to the feuds that light up public affairs and demonstrate how the region works. We call it Beef Week. (Credit to Voice Podcast alum Sara Libby.) Let's fire 'em up:

  • Everyone vs. Todd Gloria
  • Pickleball vs. Tennis
  • Palomar Health vs. Board Members
  • San Diego Water Authority vs...
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November 17, 2023 49 mins

Two women face eviction from their Golden Hill duplex. The building owner seeks to redevelop their building into a dense residential structure. It’s a crappy situation for the current residents. But the project could turn four units into 108.

That’s in the works due to the city of San Diego’s Complete Communities plan from 2020. This week, we discuss the new version of the plan that came to the City Council this week — and why it ...

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Senior investigative reporter Will Huntsberry is back with a new revelation about the nonprofits that staff concession stands for the region's biggest events at places like Petco Park and Snapdragon Stadium.

At least one nonprofit, he recently found, didn't really exist. And the once ad-hoc system to staff awkward schedules for sport seasons has morphed into something shady. Nonprofits, which get a cut of the revenue, need a lot o...

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November 3, 2023 55 mins

Former Voice of San Diego editor Andrew Donahue called us up this week. He dove into the sale of the Union-Tribune and has resurfaced to explain his findings. In short: It's the beginning of the end for the U-T.

In this episode, Donahue reveals new details from the day of the sale — how a rep for the new owners, Alden Global Capital, quickly appeared and started to pull apart the paper.

We also review the U-T's recent owners, its...

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