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San Diego State University is not an island. That may seem obvious, but Gov. Gavin Newsom had to say so explicitly after county supervisors asked the state to exclude SDSU's COVID cases from the county's overall numbers. At the time of our recording this week, San Diego was poised to head to the most restrictive purple tier, which would tighten rules for businesses.

This week on the VOSD podcast, we stewed over these arguments from the county and how one could slice up numbers to navigate the less-than-intuitive color scheme that determines what counties can and can't do.

Register for Politifest 2020 today! We have a full schedule of events at this year's virtual, week-long summit. Check it out at politifest.org

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We discarded the first podcast recording we did Thursday and recorded a new emergency episode after NBC 7 retracted its bombshell story about Assemblyman Todd Gloria and the 101 Ash St. scandal.

Read our latest Politics Report to catch up on the scandal.

Come for a breakdown of the unfolding drama. Stay for an exploration of how journalism works and the dilemmas this development opens up.

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Even by the standards of this new, weird world in which the pandemic and President Donald Trump combine for seemingly a hundred major news items a week, it was a big news week.

VOSD alone had major stories about MTS's draconian fare policies, an explosive account from a Sheriff's employee of what she says really happened leading up to a suicide in the Vista jail, two possible ethics violations by Council candidate Kelvin Barrios and more.

In this episode of the VOSD Podcast, Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and I ran down several of these big developments. (And in a shocking twist, Scott talked about schools.)

One programming note: Perhaps bigger than all of these big stories is the drama that unfolded after NBC San Diego published a new story on the 101 Ash St. scandal. That piece broke as we were recording, and the ensuing fallout happened afterward. For more on that, check out this week's Politics Report.

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In San Diego, single-family zoning reigns supreme. So supreme, in fact, that in a whopping 70 percent of the land where it's legal to build housing, only single-family housing is allowed.

That jaw-dropper and how we got to it was the subject of a deep dive into the origins of San Diego's single-family zoning laws by Andrew Keatts this week.

On the podcast, he gave a rundown of how San Diego's original single-family zoning law came to be and how it's defined life in San Diego ever since.

KPBS, VOSD Join Forces in COVID Lawsuit

Speaking of how life in San Diego is being defined, we have new updates on our effort to force San Diego County officials to provide more detailed information about coronavirus outbreaks locally. KPBS has joined our lawsuit to compel the county to provide records under the California Public Records Act.

County Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten drove home the importance of that effort when she was pressed for details about how the county addresses community outbreaks. She said only, confusingly, that the county would "monitor and continue doing the same thing we've always been doing" to address them.

Drama in D9

Also on the podcast this week, we broke down the scandal that bubbled up this week involving Kelvin Barrios, a City Council candidate hoping to replace his former boss, Council President Georgette Gómez, in District 9.

Barrios is the subject of a criminal investigation through the DA's office and previously paid a fine levied by the state Fair Political Practices Commission related to his spending of campaign funds. Gómez told us this week she's "pausing" her endorsement of Barrios' campaign, which is a tier of endorsement that's new to us.

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This week, we are trying to keep up with the ever-changing drama of rideshare companies' fight against state labor law. Plus: SANDAG head Hasan Ikhrata makes big waves with small donations to local campaigns. And this November, one race could change transit in the region.

Catch Scott Lewis's interview with the guy who's going to run San Diego's election, Michael Vu: voiceofsandiego.org/athome

Keep up with our biggest stories and local news updates with The Morning Report: voiceofsandiego.org/morning

 

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On this week’s VOSD Podcast, hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby break down the confusing fight that played out this week over whether candidates should be allowed to tout the Union-Tribune’s endorsement in their ballot statements, and what those endorsements actually mean.

The crew also details why it’s such a reversal that Republicans are suddenly warning of the dangers of mail voting. Not only have high-profile Republicans, like San Diego GOP Chairman Tony Krvaric, consistently utilized mail voting themselves, the party as a whole has pioneered outreach efforts to those voters and relies on party members who take part in mail voting.

We also hosted a town hall event this week laying out the issues involved with the new crop of private schooling options that have come up in the absence of physical schools. The conversation was great, and we’ve included a snippet of it during the second half of the show.

To listen to the entire town hall event, go to vosd.org/schoolsyoutube.

 

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This week, we assess the latests city attorney news, a weird yet commonly used language law and a new wave of for-profit school programs. 

Plus: An interview with a scientist hoping to open things up with open air solutions. Kim Prather is an atmospheric chemist working with schools around the country to develop plans to reopen schools safely.

Keep up with our livestream series, Voice of San Diego at Home: voiceofsandiego.org/athome

Subscribe to the Morning Report: voiceofsandiego.org/morning

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This week, we unpack the story behind a major building purchase flub by the city of San Diego — and how it fits into the mayor's race.

Our livestream show is back! Voice of San Diego at Home streams at 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Find it on social media and vosd.org/athome

Subscribe to Scott, Andy and Sara's newsletters at vosd.org/newsletters

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This week, we review the 2015 shooting of Fridoon Nehad — an illuminating story as San Diegans face a November ballot measure that could give a police oversight committee more power. Plus: when body-worn cameras fail and streetlight cameras that police are watching.

We have 10 regular VOSD newsletters. Follow your interests at vosd.org/newsletters

Give your local business or nonprofit a boost. Learn about how we can help at vosd.org/boost

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This week, we review what COVID testing problems mean for schools and other normal-life things. Plus: Housing advocate Ricardo Flores argues for dismantling single-family home zoning, and thus, racism.

Keep up with all our stories and local news with the Morning Report. Get it at vosd.org/morning

If you have a local business or nonprofit that needs a boost, we have a project made to help. Find out more at vosd.org/boost

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