San Diego is close to entering the power business. Back in October, the city’s plans to form its own electric utility to provide green power. The city believes it can provide cleaner and cheaper electricity than the region’s long-time energy monopoly, San Diego Gas & Electric. If the City Council approves the mayor’s proposal, San Diego would become a  In other words, the city will have its own government-run power agency. And like most agencies, the city will have to figure out who will run it. That would include a board, likely made up of elected officials and then run by staff, who would lean on outside consultants. On this week’s podcast, hosts Sara Libby and Scott Lewis are joined by Voice of San Diego reporter Ry Rivard, who explains . Meanwhile, SDG&E, which would still provide the power lines to run the city’s electricity, is trying to . Also on the podcast, the crew discusses the push to make it easier to build housing, which includes for new housing near transit. Hero of the Week Departing County Supervisor Ron Roberts got our hero of the week. While he has left a lot of work for his predecessors to do to make a dent in the mental health and homeless crises, he does have one legacy we'll be able to see for a long time: the Waterfront Park downtown. As he ends his long career in public service, we decided to recognize that achievement. Goat of the Week The San Diego Police Department and officials at Montgomery High School get the goat this week after they  as cover so police officers could arrest four students who allegedly committed serious crimes off campus. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

In the past couple of weeks,  due to the recent influx of Central American migrants who are seeking asylum in the United States. President Donald Trump deployed troops to the border to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Local residents in Tijuana have . And Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum has spoken out against them. At the same time, the migrants themselves have grown desperate as the process of requesting asylum has become more difficult in recent weeks. All that tension reached a fever pitch on Sunday, when  after hundreds of migrants rushed toward the border. In this week’s podcast, host Scott Lewis sits down with Voice of San Diego reporter Maya Srikrishnan to discuss what exactly led up to that moment. Also on the podcast, Lewis and Andrew Keatts go over the fiery trash talk that’s been happening at City Hall. Plus, Lisa Halverstadt answers  submitted by our readers in a new  segment. One last thing: Don’t forget to check out . Lewis sat down with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and County Supervisor-elect Nathan Fletcher, two of San Diego’s most influential politicians, and talked about a wide range of issues. Hero of the Week This week’s hero is Superior Court Judge Ronald Frazier, who’s  an Encinitas law giving locals final say over major land-use changes. Goat of the Week The Carlton Gallery in La Jolla gets the goat. San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott  for allegedly trafficking in ivory, which is illegal under state law. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

Two of San Diego’s most influential politicians joined us this week for a special podcast episode. Since they’re married, we thought it would be interesting if they came in together. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez is perhaps the most high-profile elected Democrat in town, and has earned a statewide reputation for passing big-ticket legislation and chairing one of the most powerful committees in Sacramento. Her husband, County Supervisor-elect Nathan Fletcher, will soon be the lone Democrat on the Board of Supervisors, but has already been described by officials from local labor groups as someone they expect to lead their movement in the coming years. Gonzalez and Fletcher came into the studio for wide-ranging discussion with Scott Lewis on how they met, how they manage a politically-relevant relationship, what they see in the future of San Diego’s Democratic Party and what they gleaned from some of the most closely watched races this year. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

There are a lot of things that need to get done in San Diego. The city still needs to figure out how it will tackle the , how it's going to get the money to and what type of regulations it will impose on . But there's been progress on at least one issue.  After months of arguing over Airport Authority’s vision for an expanded Terminal 1, region leaders met earlier this week to  will bring the trolley to the airport once and for all. Before the summit took place, Assemblyman Todd Gloria wrote an stressing that local leaders "cannot let this be another 'San Diego special' where obvious solutions to long-running problems die for the lack of vision, leadership and action." That got us thinking: What exactly defines a "San Diego special?" In the latest podcast episode, hosts Scott Lewis, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts unravel the issues that have politically paralyzed local leaders over the last couple of years. Also on the podcast, plotting with two of his associates to kidnap and murder a business partner in Mexico. VOSD’S Jesse Marx joins the crew to explain how that incident affects the image of the marijuana industry after the passage of Proposition 64. Hero of the Week In honor of Thanksgiving, our hosts unveil what they are thankful for. Answers include dog infrastructure in San Diego, Ariana Grande and Michael Jordan. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

Even when Election Day is over, it’s not really over. The San Diego County Registrar's Office can sometimes spend weeks counting all the ballots that continue to trickle in from across the region. As of Friday morning, . More often than not, the initial results can help us identify the winners and loser of each race. Others are too close to call. Several we didn't see coming this year. On this week’s podcast, hosts Scott Lewis, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts talk about some of the surprises that have unfolded as new vote totals roll in. Also on the podcast, Lewis sits down with Brigette Browning, president of , a labor union that represents hotel and food service workers, to talk about their  at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp hotel, a potential special election to fund a Convention Center expansion and more. Hero of the Week Our hero this week is Gene Cubbison. The longtime NBC 7 reporter  on the job. We wish the dean of San Diego political journalism well! Goat of the Week  His race against Joel Anderson for a seat on the Board of Equalization shows how there can be a downside for parties that win wave elections. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

San Diego’s political landscape is changing. Up in North County, for Democrat Mike Levin, who beat Republican Diane Harkey by 7 points. The seat had been long been held by Republican Rep. Darrell Issa. But the city of San Diego received the biggest shocker of them all. Two Democrats vying for a seat on the City Council were able to . As of Friday morning, Monica Montgomery led Council President Myrtle Cole 56 percent to 44 percent. And Councilwoman Lorie Zapf lost her re-election campaign to Jen Campbell by 12 points. That gives Democrats a 6-3 majority on the City Council, meaning they can pursue a progressive agenda without worrying about the mayor’s veto. So, what does this all mean for the future of politics in San Diego? On this week’s podcast, hosts Scott Lewis, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts sit down with Ashley Hayek, president of GoldenState Consultants, and Dwayne Crenshaw, CEO of Rise San Diego, to analyze the most surprising outcomes of Tuesday's election. Also on the podcast, the crew considers Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s role after several of his preferred candidates and plans failed Tuesday. The  that he's a lame duck. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

What a night. San Diego voters weighed in Tuesday on a number of issues, including a $3.5 billion school bond, the future of the Mission Valley stadium and number of local races. On a special podcast, hosts Scott Lewis, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts go over their picks in last week's Voice of San Diego Election Draft and discuss some of the biggest takeaways from the midterm election. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

In case you didn't know, San Diego doesn't have a football team. It's fine. We've moved on.  But sometimes we long for the excitement that comes with the sport, including the draft.  To quench that thirst while previewing the upcoming election, this week's podcast features the inaugural Voice of San Diego Election Draft. Hosts Scott Lewis, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts select the local races they think are the most exciting ones to watch on Tuesday night. Some of their picks include San Diego City Council races —  — that could dramatically shake up the makeup of the Council. Plus, the crew explains  would go to removing lead from water in San Diego Unified schools, an issue bond backers have made central to the campaign. Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

During election season, voters often have a hard time identifying clear distinctions between local candidates. A lack of voter knowledge and overlapping issues in small communities can create a haze, leaving folks to depend on candidate's political party affiliation as the only guide. Such is the case in the race to represent District 2 on the San Diego City Council, where incumbent Lorie Zapf, a Republican, is running against Democrat Jen Campbell. On this week's episode, hosts Scott Lewis, Sara Libby and Andrew Keatts explain how both candidates seem to be in lockstep when it comes to some of the most contentious issues. For starters, both Zapf and Campbell are against increasing the height limit along the new Mid-Coast Trolley line. They agree the Midway area could accommodate new housing, but are very concerned about traffic issues there. They've also echoed each other on short-term vacation rentals. This week,  approved in July placing strict limits on when residents can rent out their homes. This week's show is part of a series of episodes dedicated to the most interesting races in the upcoming election. Check out our episodes on the races for City Council  and . Also check out the from some of the debates at this year's . Voice now has a podcast texting club for listeners. To join, text the word “podcast” to 619-202-9051. We’ll send you links to new episodes weekly and solicit questions and ideas for future podcasts.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg come from different political perspectives but they’re both grappling with thousands of people living on the street and the health and safety problems that creates. In Tijuana, Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum is dealing with similar problems – and some very different ones. All three of them joined us at  to talk about the challenges facing each of their cities. As Voice of San Diego’s Maya Srikrishnan noted in a , Gastélum acknowledged the record number of homicides and escalating violence in Tijuana after dodging questions from reporters within the last year. He said police shortages and Mexican firearms laws are to blame. “We don’t have enough policemen,” he said. “And Tijuana is growing so fast that the young man, the young person can find work anywhere else with better pay than working as a policeman.” Meanwhile, Faulconer and Steinberg said their biggest concerns center on homelessness and the lack of affordable housing across the state. “How can the wealthiest state in the country, with all of our resources, why do we allow this to continue and to grow?” said Steinberg. Faulconer said there are several solutions to the problem, but urged county officials to invest more on mental health services —  with County Supervisor Ron Roberts.