vosdpodcastnetwork201707

There's no one comprehensive strategy behind educating English-learners in California. Instead, it's a mishmash of programs, many of which leave students struggling to learn English for years. This week, cohosts Scott Lewis and Laura Kohn discuss...

When students' stellar test scores are called into question in the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver," actor Edward James Olmos, playing a real-life high school math teacher whose success story the move is based on, calls out the racial motivations behind the investigation. "Those scores would have never been questioned if my kids did not have Spanish surnames and come from barrio schools, you know that," Olmos says in the movie. San Diego Unified School District board trustee John Lee Evans invoked that same racial sentiment when calling into question Voice of San Diego's series of stories looking into the district's impressive 91 percent graduation rate. "We've had a lot of criticisms and questions about it," Evans said in a recent board meeting. "How is that possible? How is it possible with an urban district with such a diverse population could produce this level of graduation? I'm reminded of the movie that some of you may have seen, 'Stand and Deliver.'" On this week's podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts dig into Evans' accusation and explain the basis for VOSD's reporting on the district's stunningly high grad rate. There were 8,745 kids when the class of 2016 entered the district as freshmen, yet the number used when calculating the 91 percent graduation rate was just 6,428. (Editor's note: the numbers Lewis uses in the podcast aren't quite right; the ones listed here are the correct numbers.) VOSD's Mario Koran simply asked where the students missing from the final grad rate number went. He found that many struggling students were pushed to charter schools, which helped put the 91 percent graduation rate into context. Craft Beer Bubble Not Bursting Anytime Soon Last year, 21 new craft breweries opened in the county, and San Diego Brewers Guild's president Jill Davidson said the region's on pace to open even more this year. Davidson, who's also the sales manager for Pizza Port, joined the podcast this week to talk about San Diego's craft beer scene. She discussed a few government regulations, at the state and local levels that breweries are up against, and also put to rest any concerns about San Diego's craft beer boom. "We are now a mature industry," she said. "That doesn't mean a bubble is bursting. ... It just means you have way less room for error as a business owner. It means you need to focus first and foremost on quality, because that is always what has differentiated San Diego beer. It's what made us the capital of craft." Also on the podcast, Keatts criticizes San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman's insistence that the media is to blame for the department's failure to hire enough officers, and Lewis questions San Diego Unified's proposal to lay off another 200 employees to help close a $124 million budget shortfall. Hero of the Week San Diego Natural History Museum paleontologists discovered fossil remains of a mastodon that showed evidence of modification by early humans. That's a huge discovery, since the fossils are estimated to be about 130,000 years old, and it's long been thought that people didn't live in the Americas until about 15,000 years ago. The science journal Nature published the findings this week, and while not everyone is buying it, the discovery is making waves across the world. Goat of the Week Peter Navarro, an adviser to President Donald Trump, gets a big goat for continuing to push to revoke the North American Free Trade Agreement. Navarro has ties to San Diego, a region that would suffer some serious economic repercussions if the trade deal fell apart.

Activist Hugo Castro was propelled into the spotlight after he posted an unsettling Facebook Live video from the side of a freeway near Mexico City. In it, he said his life was in danger. After he shot the video, Castro disappeared for nearly five days before he was finally found, wounded on a street in Tlalnepantla de Baz, a city in the state of Mexico. KPBS border reporter Jean Guerrero has been keeping a close eye on the story. She had recently followed Castro, the volunteer coordinator for nonprofit Border Angels, as he bought and delivered supplies to migrant shelters in Tijuana. Guerrero joined podcast hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts this week to talk about the harrowing details of Castro's saga. She said she had just talked to Castro's partner, Gaba Cortes, who said she wanted to get Castro to a hospital in the United States as quickly as possible because she's concerned about his safety. Guerrero also offered some insight into who might be behind Castro's ordeal. There's still a lot of uncertainty at this point, but she said organized crime in Mexico could be to blame. "Migrants are one of the main sources of income for drug cartels who have, over the past 10 years, largely diversified into things like human trafficking and kidnapping," Guerrero said. Also on the podcast, Lewis and Keatts discussed District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis' announcement this week that she's stepping down from her post in July so she can possibly run for a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. She's already hand-picked her successor. The two also talked about Ry Rivard's story about how Emerson-Bandini Elementary School's plumbing needs were held up to voters as one of the reasons they should approve tax hikes to fund school repairs, yet those repairs still haven't happened. In the meantime, alarming levels of toxic chemicals have been found in the drinking water at Emerson-Bandini. Hero of the Week Castro earned the recognition this week for his work on behalf of migrants. Goat of the Week The latest census of San Diego’s homeless population makes clear that the issue need more attention than ever. While there is some urgency building around the homeless problem, it isn't enough and city and county leaders must do more.

When the San Diego Unified School District announced its official graduation rate this week, it did something unusual. It also released a page of "important facts" about what goes into graduation rates, organized into a series of questions a concerned citizen might ask about the numbers. It was intended as a response to the last few months of reporting by our Mario Koran on the things that are and aren't included in the news that the district had a 91 percent graduation rate in 2016. The district doesn't mention VOSD or Koran directly or indirectly, but it's pretty clear. On the podcast this week, Sara Libby and I go through some of Koran's most significant findings, and break down how the district chose to obliquely respond to them. It was an interesting maneuver, to say the least. We also broke down Ashly McGlone's latest findings in her months-long investigation into FieldTurf, the company that makes artificial turf fields that a bunch of local schools have purchased. The fields have been failing way ahead of schedule, and upgraded fields that schools bought to avoid those problems are now having their own problems too. Plus, the lead proponents for and against San Diego's major pension reform initiative from 2012 joined the show to break down this week's big from a state appeal court upholding the city's reform plan. Michael Zucchet, head of the city union that challenged the initiative, and April Boling, a lead proponent of the citizens' initiative, joined the show to analyze the ruling and game out its implications. Hero of the Week: Steve Fisher, who retired as the San Diego State University's head basketball coach this week after an 18-year career in which he transformed the program into a national player. Goat of the Week: the city of Oceanside, for seemingly backpedaling on a plan to pursue a road diet on Coast Highway. We gave the city hero status a year ago for the same project, but promised at the time we'd make the city a goat if it lost its nerve. We had no choice.

Ready or not, a special election is on its way in November. On the ballot will be Mayor Kevin Faulconer's proposed hotel tax hike to fund a Convention Center expansion, and help pay for road repairs and projects or services to alleviate San Diego's homelessness crisis. The bulk of the money raised through the tax hike would go toward the estimated $650 million bay-front expansion of the Convention Center. Gil Cabrera, vice chair of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, joined the podcast this week to make the case for why voters should care about the size of the facility. He told hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts that a bigger Convention Center means more money for the city. Cabrera said the center has a huge economic impact, but because of its current size can't host two big conventions concurrently, which means lost revenue. "As more and more of these high-value conventions drop off the rotation for San Diego, you're going to have a full center that makes less money and that's the fear if we keep it where it is today," he said. Plus, he said, since the money would be pulled from the hotel tax, tourists would be paying for the expansion while residents would reap the financial rewards (if that sounds familiar, it's because the Chargers used the same argument when they tried to get voters to build them a new downtown stadium). Cabrera also addressed some questions about the plan, including the issue with a plot of land called Fifth Avenue Landing that's currently leased by two businessmen whose plans don't include a Convention Center expansion. Keatts and Lewis also dug into the mayor's lack of a plan for how, exactly, the city will spend the new tax money on homelessness. Right now, there is no real plan, but the mayor's office is pushing that as a plus, not a minus, since it will allow for flexibility. East Village's Remarkable Moment East Village is in the middle of a historic building boom. Keatts is currently living in East Village and he said with the cranes in the sky, the construction holes in the ground and the homeless encampments covering the sidewalks, it's truly a surreal moment for a neighborhood undergoing such rapid change. Also on the podcast, Lewis and Keatts talk about how the 2018 election field is already starting to take shape and the two give a status update on Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher's bill to reform SANDAG, the regional transportation agency embroiled in financial issues revealed by Voice of San Diego. Hero of the Week The winner this week is the therapy dog that wouldn't drink out of a water bowl at the shared campus of Emerson-Bandini Elementary School and the San Diego Cooperative Charter School 2 in Mountain View. The dog's hesitancy resulted in the discovery of dangerous lead in the water. Goat of the Week FieldTurf USA gets the goat this week for its turf sports fields. The products they've sold to San Diego schools keep falling apart.

We thought we might have a year to breathe after the great Ballot Measure Blizzard of 2016. We were wrong. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer this week submitted his official request to the City Council to put up a special election in November. His primary concern is a hotel-room tax increase to fund the expansion of the Convention Center. The bulk of the money would go to that. However, it's expected that a much smaller amount would fund road repair and homeless services. As we discuss in this week's podcast, this seems dangerous. While the Convention Center and streets effort have clear goals, the homeless funding does not. The mayor and council are playing with fire if they push hard for a tax for homeless services without identifiable goals and an exact plan for what the money would fund. If the new revenue stream passes, but the city doesn't make any significant dent in the homeless crisis playing out in the streets, it could poison future discussions on the need for new tax revenue to alleviate the problem. The mayor is essentially saying: We know we need a tax increase, we're just not sure what for right now. Cynically, it almost looks like it's meant to make sure the Convention Center expansion has a better shot. We'll see what the City Council does to clarify things. It also seems clear that the November ballot will include the SoccerCity plan. The measure would allow a development group to gain control of the city-owned land at Qualcomm Stadium and clear permitting obstacles for a large development of homes, an entertainment district and a riverfront park. Oh, and a stadium. We previously did an in-depth interview with Nick Stone, one of the leaders of the proposal. We pushed him on a number of the specifics. The group announced this week that it had gathered enough signatures and submitted them to the city for verification. If they're valid, the city can decide either approve it outright, or give voters the the chance to decide by pushing it to a special election. It's looking more and more likely that it ends up going to a special election. On this week's show, we also looked into Attorney General Jeff Sessions' warning to cities about cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts and heard out State Sen. Joel Anderson's views on SB 54, the bill law enforcement officers are warning would shield violent offenders from immigration authorities. Here's a different take. Ever so slowly, we're getting more sophisticated with the podcast. Editing it a little better and sharper. Highlighting sponsors. Making it a little cleaner. The effort seems to be showing. Downloads are increasing and we're meeting more and more people who value the show. If you have ideas for guests or topics we should include, email Scott Lewis at [email protected]. If you'd like to sponsor the show and also have your company, event or idea highlighted, email Erin Zlotnik at [email protected].

The Qualcomm Stadium site is up for grabs, and it's looking more and more like SoccerCity and San Diego State University are facing off over it. The group of private investors who floated the SoccerCity ballot initiative have hired a flock of signature-gatherers working to get voters' support. Meanwhile, SDSU this week presented Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the city with its list of needs and wants for the Qualcomm Stadium site, including the university's desire to buy a big part of it for use in 30 to 50 years. On this week's podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts dove in to what SDSU's big announcement means for the SoccerCity plan. The school hasn't exactly come out against the initiative, but school officials did make it clear their not satisfied with what's on the table. Aside from possibly weighing in on the merits of the SoccerCity initiative, which, if it's not approved by City Council, could go to a special election, San Diego voters may have another big decision to make come November. Lewis and Keatts talked about Faulconer's plan to ask for a special election so the city can try to pass a tax hike to fund an over $600 million bayfront expansion of the San Diego Convention Center. The tax hike would also be used to pay for homeless services and road repairs, but Lewis and Keatts think it's a risky political move since San Diegans who vote yes will likely expect to see big, quick visible improvements in roads and homelessness, and so far the city does not have one clear plan for how to get more people housed. What Is a Good California Republican? Where does a good Republican stand on issues like free trade and cross-border commerce? It's an interesting time for Republican politics, especially in California, where right-leaning politicians seem more disconnected from the mainstream party line than ever. Ron Nehring, former head of both the county and state Republican Party and spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, joined the podcast this week to talk about the current state of San Diego and California's Republican Party. He said the party needs a big booster shot in the form of a strong and likable Republican candidate for governor. "That governor candidate has to define our party and communicate in a way that appeals to the broad cross-section of a very, very diverse state," he said. Nehring said he thinks Faulconer could be that guy since he appeals to people who don't necessarily think of themselves as Republicans. Also on this week's podcast, Lewis and Keatts check in on the SANDAG situation and update listeners on local politicians' opposition to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher's bill that proposes sweeping changes to the agency. Hero of the Week The 2017 World Baseball Classic gets a big pat on the back this week. Its exciting games won the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. At Petco Park Saturday night, the World Baseball Classic created an electric atmosphere that reminded fans of what the game and the stadium can be. Goat of the Week The San Diego City Council gets goated this week for its party-line vote rejecting a change to school board elections. Passing the proposal would have made San Diego Unified School District's elections work the same way City Council elections do, but those who opposed it said that's not important. Those same folks recently pushed and passed Measure K and said just six months ago that making elections consistent was indeed very important.

San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott says anyone running vacation rentals in San Diego isn't allowed within the city's current zoning rules. In a memo released this week, Elliott clearly states that short-term vacation rentals are not allowed in residential or commercial areas. Her city attorney predecessors, however, said things weren't nearly as black and white. Councilman Chris Cate joined hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts and shared his reaction to the big short-term rental shift. He said he was taken aback by the opinion, partly because it was so blunt in saying the use is illegal without much attempt to explain why Elliott's two predecessors were wrong. A City Council committee will meet next Friday to discuss short-term rental rules, and Cate shared details of his proposal, which, among other things, would separate whole-home rentals and home-sharing and allow them but require permits and  fees that would help pay for enforcement. "Even if you ban them, you're still going to need the enforcement because otherwise they're going to go underground," he said. Gonzalez: Time to Reform SANDAG Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez joined the podcast this week to talk about the details of her SANDAG reform bill. Gonzalez introduced AB 805 after Voice of San Diego revealed that SANDAG leadership knowingly overstated how much money a sales tax hike would bring in and understated costs of transportation projects voters approved in 2004. The bill proposes sweeping changes to how the region's transportation planning agency makes decisions and would also change who audits the agency. Gonzalez said the VOSD series on SANDAG hammered home the need for a new leadership structure at the agency. "Where's the accountability here?" she said. "It's time to reform it. It's time to take it on and not pussyfoot around." Also on the podcast, the density battle over building new homes around new trolley stops rages on, and Lewis shared a story about his friendly beach encounter with local Syrian families, some of whom left the war-torn country just months ago. Hero of the Week The San Diego Hall of Champions sports memorabilia museum gets the nod this week for agreeing to move to Petco Park to make room for the new Comic-Con museum. No goat this week, sorry folks.

The Cajon Valley Union School District has nailed personalized learning. The approach gives more control to students and lets them build on their own strengths with the help of technology tools and a flexible curriculum. This week,...

SANDAG's faulty economic forecast system, which the agency knew about but didn't acknowledge until after Andrew Keatts revealed the problem, isn't the only thing that's been obscured from public view. This week, Keatts reported that the agency in charge of regional transportation projects also hid the fact that the cost of the projects it promised to voters in the TransNet program have risen by about $8 billion. It's now clear that SANDAG's revenue projections were far too high and its estimated project costs far too low, which means there's now a $17 billion funding shortfall. In this week's podcast, hosts Scott Lewis and Keatts talk about SANDAG's botched numbers and what it could mean for the future of transportation in the region. SoccerCity Proposal Numbers and Its SDSU Problem The investors behind the SoccerCity proposal want to turn Qualcomm Stadium and the parking lot surrounding it into a mixed-use development that includes a joint-use Major League Soccer and San Diego State football stadium, housing, an entertainment district and a big river park. Among the plan's detractors is Carl DeMaio, a radio host who's been talking about how the plan would mean a measly $10,000 payment to the city for the Qualcomm Stadium site. Lewis looked into that claim, and found that while the $10,000 number is indeed in the plan, it's listed as the minimum amount the mayor could determine the land is worth. Keatts and Lewis also talked about the plan with Beau Lynott, who runs Kabeer Thirty, a website covering San Diego State Aztecs football. A big part of the discussion surrounding the proposal is focused on SDSU's desire for a bigger stadium than the one envisioned in the plan. "San Diego State can probably kill this if they walk away from this completely," Lynott said. Also on the show: Kirby Brady and Mark Cafferty of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation discuss their recent report that says SoccerCity will give the region a $2.8 billion economic boost. Lewis also talked about his problem with news organizations that claim to be impartial and objective, and the hosts analyze a recent tiff between city attorney Mara Elliot and a few City Council members. Hero of the Week The city of San Diego and its auditor's office, which earlier this year looked at traffic and pedestrian fatalities and identified the most dangerous intersections, get a nod for identifying these problem places and pledging to fix them by this summer. Goat of the Week Yup. Yet again, San Diego Unified School District earns the Goat of the Week dig, this time for gutting its internal audit department, a strange move for an organization that needs a good oversight arm.