Voice of San Diego Podcast Voice of San Diego

This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts have the latest on a couple big stories we've been following.

But first we'll circle back to a topic we covered a while back — the regulation of street vendors — which is now creating problems for some yoga instructors and luxury picnic businesses that have been operating on public land. 

Plus: Education reporter Jakob McWhinney on why all schools aren't using research-backed methods for teaching kids how to read. The hunt for a new county CAO sparks threats of a lawsuit. San Diego City Council appears unimpressed by revised lease terms for a proposed homeless shelter.

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This week, the Voice of San Diego hosts dive into three burgeoning beefs between local politicos.

The hunt for a new county CAO has become highly political, and more recently devolved into a debate over what white people are allowed to say in Spanish. 

Editor Scott Lewis pulls back the curtain on the backlash from some local leaders over statements candidate Bridgette Browning directed at Chair Nora Vargas during a labor rally.

Plus: South Bay leaders battle over proposed landfill. A bidding war between the supes and a local nonprofit over a Vista ranch. An update on Mayor Todd Gloria's proposed mega-shelter.

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Senior investigative reporter Lisa Halverstadt has been watching the city of San Diego's real estate deals for years.

101 Ash St. was a notorious real estate endeavor in which the the city entered a lease-to-own deal for a downtown high rise. The deal was quickly engulfed in scandal and asbestos. After years of lawsuits and a criminal investigation, taxpayers paid more than $200 million dollars and the building remains vacant.

So, when Mayor Todd Gloria unveiled a big new deal for a big new building to be a new homeless mega shelter, Halverstadt dug in.

This week, Halverstadt discussed how this building came to the attention of city staff and the motivations of the man trying to sell it.

Plus: A new softball scandal. What "fire SDG&E" really means. Goodbye to Nate.

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It wouldn’t be a presidential election year without a massive list of ballot measures. But a big one that would have stuck it to San Diego Gas & Electric's power supremacy was stalled — in large part because of a labor union.

This week, we discuss a feud between SDG&E and public power proponents that played out in front of a San Diego City Council committee.

Plus: The forgotten history of Midway. Students walk out of Logan Memorial. Our fight for public records.

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There was always a theory that if we were going to legalize cannabis, the people who used to get in trouble for selling it should get a chance to sell it again.

The city of San Diego secured a grant to give people like that a leg up. But now it looks like they'll have to send the grant money back.

This week, host Andrea Lopez-Villafaña shares an update to the city's Cannabis Social Equity program.

Plus: The uncanny valley of education. Big questions and budget woes decelerate Mayor Todd Gloria's homeless shelter deal.

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It was a big week for things that used to be things.

The Republican Party of San Diego County, once a local political juggernaut, lost its chairwoman after an internal battle over Carl DeMaio, who is running for state Assembly against Andrew Hayes.

Despite DeMaio’s efforts to drag a Democrat to the runoff, he will face Hayes, a fellow Republican.

This week, we discuss the endorsement battle that threatened to splinter an already weak political faction — and ultimately led to the emergence of a new party leader.

Plus: Students learning online are performing way worse than their in-person peers. SDSU isn't interested in a Mission Valley arena.

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