Voice of San Diego Podcast

Behind San Diego's Pitch to Amazon


Listen Later

San Diego has thrown its hat in the ring to become Amazon's second home. Last month, more than 200 cities in the country submitted proposals to host Amazon's second headquarters, where the company plans to create 50,000 jobs and invest $5 billion. San Diego offered multiple options – including Mission Valley, downtown and Chula Vista — and highlighted the region's diverse community and proximity to the U.S-Mexico border. The city of Chula Vista even threw in a $400 million incentive package to sweeten the deal. On this week's podcast, hosts Andrew Keatts, Scott Lewis and Sara Libby demystify the Amazon bidding war by talking to Mark Cafferty, CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, the nonprofit that took the lead on putting together the proposal. Cafferty discussed what goes into a proposal like this, San Diego's strengths that got touted in the pitch (we've got an educated workforce and California is nice and sunny) and the region's admitted weaknesses, like our mediocre transit system and a high cost of living. Cafferty also said winning the bidding war and having Amazon open in San Diego would be good, but that it could come with some major strings attached. “Whoever gets this is going to have to be putting in decades worth of urban planning around it," he said. "How would you accommodate 50,000 people, and how would you build a much better, if not a world-class transit system?" Also on the podcast, Libby, Lewis and Keatts talk about how some local families are spending $500 a year or more on San Diego Unified school bus fees. And if they don't pay, the district refers them to a collection agency. Hero of the Week Our hero this week is Pat Finn. After years working at KPBS and organizing the public radio station's Roundtable news segment, Finn is leaving her full-time gig, but will still do some freelance work. Goat of the Week El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells gets the goat this week after claiming that nearly all homelessness is linked to drug or alcohol abuse. We fact checked his statement and found it false.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Voice of San Diego PodcastBy Voice of San Diego

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

198 ratings


More shows like Voice of San Diego Podcast

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

91,069 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,526 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,872 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,182 Listeners

KQED's The California Report by KQED

KQED's The California Report

398 Listeners

San Diego News Now by KPBS Public Media

San Diego News Now

95 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

87,552 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,683 Listeners

Political Breakdown by KQED

Political Breakdown

190 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,242 Listeners

Fiction - Comedy Fiction by The Sunset Explorers

Fiction - Comedy Fiction

6,445 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,403 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,051 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

10,910 Listeners

Apple News In Conversation by Apple News

Apple News In Conversation

1,618 Listeners