San Diego 101

When parents get involved at school, that generally means their kids will do better.

But getting involved isn’t easy — at least not for all parents. School districts can be baffling bureaucracies, filled with tons of committees and confusing acronyms that all impact the quality of a kid’s education.

In this final episode of the season, we break down how schools work — and how parents have made it work for them. (Plus, hosts Maya and Adriana call up their own parents.)

Resources for parents of kids with disabilities: 

iepday.org

efrconline.org

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Homelessness, and what causes it, is complex. Our own assumptions about people who experience homelessness can often keep us from fully understanding the big, complicated issue that it is.

In this episode, we’re going to hear from experts and people who have experienced homelessness to explain what’s right — and what’s wrong — about our most common assumptions.

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The 2020 Census data shows that San Diego is more diverse than ever, with especially large growth in its Asian and Latino populations.

But there are also big, thriving communities that we have very little information about. They're effectively hidden by the Census, a standard bearer of data for the country. So, who are these hidden communities? And how can they be revealed?

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To get involved in local government or follow the news, you need to understand why local politics are the way they are. So in this episode, we're going to hit you with some (short) history.

We're going to go back about 18 years — roughly when the region's newest voters were being born. We'll guide you through the scandals that shaped San Diego, explain how the region's leadership shifted from predominantly Republican to Democrat and share tales of those who have risen to power and shaped the region.

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You’ve probably noticed that San Diego is a really expensive place to live. The city has a large homeless population, the cost of rent eats away our paychecks, and for most people, buying a home is out of reach.

For years, we’ve been hearing about the housing crisis in San Diego and throughout the state of California. But how has it gotten so bad?

In this episode, we're going to explain how we got here — and how a long legacy of racist housing policies made the crisis worse for communities of color. Plus, we're going to build some affordable housing right here in the podcast.

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Local government can get complicated. But there's one major distinction you need to understand in order to follow it all: the difference between the city government and the county government.

In this episode, we spoke with a few government experts to help us understand what the city does, what the county does, who the representatives are for each — and what you need to know to make it work for you. Let's roll some School House Rock music!

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Throughout San Diego – and across the country – there are lots of meetings happening, in which communities are talking about how they can maximize the power of their vote by creating new maps.

This is because every 10 years all sorts of political entities from cities to school districts to state legislatures go through a process called redistricting.

In this episode of San Diego 101, we're going to explain how this process works, who's drawing the maps, and how normal people get sucked into the process to harness political power.

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Warning: This episode mentions suicide and contains graphic descriptions of killings by police officers.

In light of several highly-publicized killings by police officers in recent years, more and more people have started demanding change to how law enforcement do their job and how they interact with society. Cops have the ability and authority to take life. So, who keeps them accountable? We'll explain that and what you need to know now about the state of law enforcement and police reform.

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We’re going to hit you with two stories about two men who suddenly had to figure out local government — after it completely changed their lives.

One became a political activist after spending months in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. The other became one of the youngest city councilmembers ever in San Diego after realizing how the city's government had left his community behind.

Here’s how they changed San Diego – and how you can, too.

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Keeping up with the issues and institutions that shape our region can be confusing. That’s where we come in. We’re going to teach you how the whole region works — and the people and systems that govern San Diego. With each episode, you’ll learn a little bit more so you can get involved in the decisions that impact your life.

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