Few joys in life match a breezy summer night gossiping with good friends over cold drinks. And in this first-ever “Happy Hour” special episode, that’s what we’ve got for you.
Hosts Scott Lewis and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña chat with guests Alain Stephens, reporter from The Trace, and Greg Moran, investigative reporter formerly with the The Union Tribune.
Our stories:
"Selling Sunset" star tied to landlord who tried to burn tenants out.
Secret stories of the gun industry and the U.S. government.
A short and expensive history of San Diego desalination.
How the Fat Leonard scandal that blew a hole in the U.S. Navy.
Watch out for Alain's podcast with The Weekly Briefing by The Trace: thetrace.org/newsletter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Hour: Guns, Fat Leonard and ‘Selling Sunset’

This is Voice of San Diego&rsquo;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.

News

Politics

News Commentary

This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts have the latest on a couple big stories we've been following.
But first we'll circle back to a topic we covered a while back — the regulation of street vendors — which is now creating problems for some yoga instructors and luxury picnic businesses that have been operating on public land. 
Plus: Education reporter Jakob McWhinney on why all schools aren't using research-backed methods for teaching kids how to read. The hunt for a new county CAO sparks threats of a lawsuit. San Diego City Council appears unimpressed by revised lease terms for a proposed homeless shelter.
Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

County Boss Search Gets Mean

This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts dive into three burgeoning beefs between local politicos.
The hunt for a new county CAO has become highly political, and more recently devolved into a debate over what white people are allowed to say in Spanish. 
Editor Scott Lewis pulls back the curtain on the backlash from some local leaders over statements candidate Bridgette Browning directed at Chair Nora Vargas during a labor rally.
Plus: South Bay leaders battle over proposed landfill. A bidding war between the supes and a local nonprofit over a Vista ranch. An update on Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed mega-shelter.
Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trash Talk

Senior investigative reporter Lisa Halverstadt has been watching the city of San Diego's real estate deals for years.
101 Ash St. was a notorious real estate endeavor in which the the city entered a lease-to-own deal for a downtown high rise. The deal was quickly engulfed in scandal and asbestos. After years of lawsuits and a criminal investigation, taxpayers paid more than $200 million dollars and the building remains vacant.
So, when Mayor Todd Gloria unveiled a big new deal for a big new building to be a new homeless mega shelter, Halverstadt dug in.
This week, Halverstadt discussed how this building came to the attention of city staff and the motivations of the man trying to sell it.
Plus: A new softball scandal. What "fire SDG&E;" really means. Goodbye to Nate.
Subscribe to the North County report: vosd.org/northcounty See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Man Behind the Mega Shelter

It wouldn’t be a presidential election year without a massive list of ballot measures. But a big one that would have stuck it to San Diego Gas & Electric's power supremacy was stalled — in large part because of a labor union.
This week, we discuss a feud between SDG&E; and public power proponents that played out in front of a San Diego City Council committee.
Plus: The forgotten history of Midway. Students walk out of Logan Memorial. Our fight for public records.
Join the fight for public records: vosd.org/court
Get the environment report: vosd.org/environment See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Power Struggles

There was always a theory that if we were going to legalize cannabis, the people who used to get in trouble for selling it should get a chance to sell it again.
The city of San Diego secured a grant to give people like that a leg up. But now it looks like they'll have to send the grant money back.
This week, host Andrea Lopez-Villafaña shares an update to the city's Cannabis Social Equity program.
Plus: The uncanny valley of education. Big questions and budget woes decelerate Mayor Todd Gloria's homeless shelter deal.
Get the environment report to avoid swimming in poop water: vosd.org/environment See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Hour: Guns, Fat Leonard and ‘Selling Sunset’

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