Voice of San Diego Podcast

A million dollars has already gone into the big county supervisors race from outside groups – most of it in support of mayor Kevin Faulconer, and if you’re in the district, you can tell from your mailbox. Usually mail waits until ballots are out. 

That’ll be our introduction into Politifest Week. We’ve been trying to run the show like normal while preparing for our big annual gathering. We’re going to go t...

Why the San Diego Republican party has had it with Carl DeMaio. Nobody has been more influential than him in the party but resources are now  going to flow to DeMaio’s opponent in a closely watched Assembly race. We’ll get into the beef. 

Also, we’ve got more details on the allegations of sexual harassment against former San Diego Unified Superintendent Lamont Jackson. New documents reveal the allegations against him from two forme...

The city of San Diego stands to lose hundreds of shelter beds. Mayor Todd Gloria is proposing one solution: move some people from the Golden Hall shelter to the city’s safe camping sites. 

Feels like the city and county are going backwards on shelter. We’ll dig into it. 

University researchers raised an alarm about a toxic gas in the Tijuana River Valley, but the county says there’s no reason to panic right now. 

And moments after ...

San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in the state, fired its superintendent. It appears trustees have already settled on his successor. We’ll talk about what she apparently doesn’t want to talk about. 

It’s been 10 years since California banned plastic bags at grocery and liquor stores. Now a San Diego lawmaker is trying to get the state to ban plastic bags at grocery stores. Why one of the statistics is s...

A few months ago Jakob here broke news that San Diego Unified School District had commissioned an investigation into its superintendent for alleged misconduct. Now, they’ve apparently finished that investigation. We’ll tell you what we know. 

For months, Nathan Fletcher’s advocates have said he was wrongly accused of assault and that soon enough, they’ll have the receipts to prove it. A new court filing last week revealed text me...

Mayor Todd Gloria didn't speak at this year's Democratic National Convention, but it's no secret that he's tight with Vice President Kamala Harris. The crew talks about their friendship and whether Gloria could be headed to Washington if Harris wins in November. Jakob also takes a look back at Harris' record as attorney general of California, and senior investigative reporter Will Huntsberry discusses his latest reporting on foster...

The Padres made franchise history with their latest winning streak and Scott can't wait to tell the crew about it. Also on the show this week: San Diego Unified gets slapped with significant Title IX violations, Cajon Valley School District tests a new state law and local foster care charity New Alternatives is the subject of a Voice investigation into its finances.

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One of the mayor's employees, a city police officer, is running to try to oust him. Larry Turner, a retired Marine, wants to make big changes to the police department. He wants to reduce pensions for future city employees, including police, and perhaps use bankruptcy to get there. He opposes a new sales tax for the city, which is on the November ballot. He thinks we could reapportion the hundreds of city special project funds to cl...

The city of San Diego is building a massive wastewater-to-drinking water recycling plant. It's going to cost billions and will require tearing up roads in the process. But after years of dumping sewage into the ocean, it may be time for a change. Plus, Lisa Halverstadt is back on the show this week with updates on county detox beds, the Hope @ Vine mega shelter and her take on Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent executive order.

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Voice of San Diego's environment reporter MacKenzie Elmer joins the show to talk about a spate of recent bird deaths in the city. Advocates say fireworks are to blame. She also has the latest on the flood prevention measure that just got pulled from the November ballot. Senior investigative reporter Will Huntsberry is back again this week, this time with north county reporter Tigist Layne. They've got a two-part series out now abou...

Water is about to get more expensive, but not for the reasons you might think. The region is water-rich following a record-setting rainy winter, but San Diegans still have to pay off decades-old investments provoked by drought times. That could mean big changes on your water bill starting next year. Also on the show this week: Jakob's got an update on the sexual misconduct case against a former associate principal at Hoover High Sc...

AI has arrived at San Diego high schools in the form of a grading tool called Writable. Some confused school board members aren't exactly sure how. One thing's for sure: AI is rapidly changing the way teachers teach and students learn. Also on the show today, will there ever be a perfect place for homeless shelters? The short answer is no, but the city keeps on trying. Plus, North County reporter Tigist Lane on her latest Carl DeMa...

A local media outlet announced it was acquired by Arizona State University and will shift to a nonprofit business model. It's the latest in a series of moves by ASU to strengthen its presence in the San Diego area. But what does it mean for local news? Plus, big changes at the fast casual restaurant chain Rubio's, a new "power cocktail" being served up by San Diego Community Power and the impending closure of the downtown men's she...

Reporter MacKenzie Elmer dug into the city of San Diego’s first audit of its contract with SDG&E. The big takeaway? The cost of burying powerlines has gotten way out of hand. She tells us how the city is using new leverage to try and get answers. Plus, a tribute to San Diego legend Bill Walton, the latest in the search for the next county administrative officer and why there's now a bidding war for Green Oak Ranch in Vista.

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