The Primary is nigh!

Though it’s not the blockbuster 2020 election that melted our faces and dominated every inch of social media, our next major democratic exercise is nearly here. (Get those ballots in by June 7 with the help of our Election Guide: vosd.org/ballot.)

This week, we check in on the main races we've been watching in the region and the stories behind them.

County Sheriff, Chula Vista Mayor, Assembly District 80 and San Diego City Council District 2 are the four horsemen of this non-apocalypse. But rest assured, there's plenty of intrigue to unfurl. Let's get to it.

Check out all our election coverage at vosd.org/2022

Follow our homelessness reporting at vosd.org/homeless

See you at the live show! Tickets at vosd.org/events

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The redevelopment project of 50-ish acres of land in the Midway area — which comprises Sports Arena, derelict streets and serves as a major junction in San Diego — is only getting more complex.

Recently dubbed ‘the new San Diego Special’ by podcast host Scott Lewis, the San Diego City Council this week made a move to get the Midway redevelopment rolling again.

This week, we review that meeting. Plus: New COVID quandaries at San Diego Unified schools.

Join us on June 9 for our live podcast: vosd.org/events

See Andrea's full story about Luis Alberto Antonio Armenta: vosd.org/luis

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We’re coming at you with two interviews this week.

First up: Voice's Jakob McWhinney published an authoritative piece on Awaken Church. On the show, McWhinney reviewed some of the historical highlights of the Evangelical Christian movement and its political proclivities. Throughout the pandemic, this church has become highly activated as an anti-vaccine, anti-lockdown, right-wing political engine.

And second: The head of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, Tamera Kohler, called us up to unpack the latest homelessness point-in-time count. We discussed the numbers, the caveats, and a few different ways we can understand the crisis right now.

Join us for the next Live Podcast at vosd.org/events

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June Primary ballots went out this week. And you know what that means: It’s mailer season!

This week, we talk about some of the mailers hitting voters for the Chula Vista mayoral race and what the voters really want.

Plus: The race for County Sheriff and confusion at the San Diego Housing Commission.

See all our election coverage at vosd.org/2022

Get tickets for our live podcast at vosd.org/events

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This week, we break down an effort by SANDAG to get a transit tax on the November 2022 ballot and a few other measures that are starting to take shape.

Plus: A 101 Ash St. thing we can't let go. And new numbers — and a new idea — on homelessness.

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This week, we're bringing you an episode of the Emo Brown podcast — a Chula Vista-based show recorded at 3 Punk Ales brewery, hosted by Steve Garcia.

Garcia recently called up VOSD host and CEO Scott Lewis to join the show. We liked it so much we wanted to share it with you. Lewis and Garcia talked about Lewis' personal history, journalism, VOSD's purpose in San Diego and some of the biggest issues facing the region, such as education inequality, housing and homelessness. Plus, how to keep up with — and support — local news.

Note: This podcast contains expletives.

Check out The Emo Brown Podcast wherever you like to listen. emobrown.com

Support Voice of San Diego and our mission at vosd.org/donate

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Scott Lewis has called it: The Sports Arena and its surrounding land is officially a San Diego Special. (That is an intractable, San Diego-specific problem brought on by maladministration and/or crummy leadership.)

This week, we discussed the state of the current bidding process to remake the area and prioritize a new arena — while the housing crisis looms over us all.

Plus: Palm trees are a menace. The "political genius" of 101 Ash St. Charity leaders flip a house.

Join us on May 4 for our next in-person event. See details at vosd.org/events

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For weeks now, we’ve been waiting to see if the San Diego County fair will actually happen.

Headlines and rumors suggested San Diego's most prized carnival spectacle was in jeopardy because of a lawsuit that seized the state district that oversees the fair.

Voice North County reporter Tigist Layne has been following the fair-y tale and joins us week to explain how this unique slice of San Diego land is governed, the details of the suit and where the Fairgrounds and its CEO stand now.

Plus: The Chula Vista mayor's race. And the San Diego City Council decides on potential ballot measures.

RSVP to our next live event at vosd.org/events

Keep up with our coverages at vosd.org/morning

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Nowadays, more resources are being thrown at the homelessness crisis than ever and there are still more unhoused San Diegans than ever — many of whom use camping-style tents as a lifeline, refusing shelter beds. So, what now? 

This week, we discuss how personal tents changed the homelessness crisis and what it means for leaders fighting for solutions to our region's biggest problem.

Plus: Big transit hub news. Midway and Sports Arena updates. And did you hear Gold Coast Drive?!

Check out Scott's story on tents and homelessness at vosd.org/tents

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When one discusses the future of San Diego, there’s typically a shared, unspoken assumption: We’ll keep growing.

Everything we need to power a prospering region hinges on that assumption, too. Infrastructure, housing, the airport, drive-thru Starbucks.

But we’re not growing. We're shrinking (dying if you wanna get dramatic about it). This week, we discuss the data that tells the story of our population change — and the questions we must answer about the troubling future of our region.

Plus: The Assembly District 80 special election. That big truck problem in Barrio Logan. Andy's mustache.

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