Politics
California State Auditor Releases Scathing Report on Regional Housing Needs Assessment
On March 17, Michael S. Tilden, the Acting California State Auditor, issued a blistering critique of the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and its Regional Housing Needs Assessments (RHNA). The Auditor found problems in the HCD methodology that may have inflated RHNA requirements by hundreds of thousands of housing units. The Auditor concludes […]
District 3 Citizens Express Frustration During Zoom Meeting with Councilman Whitburn
After several attempts to talk to someone from Councilman Stephen Whitburn’s office, I elected to participate in a Zoom meeting with him that was initiated by his office. I thought, “Maybe I can talk to him directly since calls and emails to his office are going unanswered.” By the way, I should mention, the reason […]
Candidate for District 2 Shares Her Perspective of City Council
Mandy Havlik has a different perspective on what a City Council member should be doing. It is why she is running for office and what makes her stand out in a crowded field. Mandy says she brings an extraordinary amount of diversity to a much-changed district after the drawing of new maps. “I am going […]
Mission Hills Garden Club Seeks Your Help
By Rebecca Long, president The Mission Hills Garden Club was founded in 1998 to bring together friends and neighbors, to share our knowledge and love of gardening; to educating and supporting those interested and to beautifying our community. Over the years, we worked to expand our outreach from putting on the first San Diego garden […]
Affordable Housing at What Cost
by Paul Krueger A new definition of “affordable housing”: $2,000 monthly rent for a 480 square-foot, one- bedroom, one-bathroom ADU. Building industry consultant admits it’s “absurd, from the stand-point of affordability” The permit application for a multi-unit rental complex on a single-family lot confirms that two of the apartments will be reserved for an affordable […]
Giving Thanks Two Years Into a Pandemic
The past couple of years have been challenging on many levels. There were ups and downs, to be sure. Having my adult daughter living at home for almost a full year was wonderful, though we all agreed it was best when she moved back to school to finish her graduate degree. Not spending 90 minutes […]
Assemblyman Ward Uses Emotion Not Logic for his Response
By Lisa Sinclair The fact that Assemblymember Ward relies so heavily on emotion to justify his vote for SB 9 and SB 10 should raise a red flag—especially since his statement doesn’t align facts with reality. What Senator Atkins authored and what Assemblymember Ward voted for will destroy single-family neighborhoods and do nothing to provide affordable […]
Assemblymember Chris Ward’s Statement on his support for SB 9 and SB 10
When asked why Assemblymember Chris Ward elected to support SB9 and SB10, which received major opposition from his constituents, he responded with the following: “For years Californians across the state have been living paycheck to paycheck, in cars or in crowded, unstable housing situations, struggling under the weight of astronomical housing costs. This crisis touches […]
San Diego’s Stealth Government: Read the Fine Print
By Kate Callen Political troubadour Pete Seeger had an apt formula for comparing education and experience: “Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get when you don’t.” For decades now, San Diegans unschooled in reading the fine print have lost hundreds of millions of dollars to painful experience: the public […]
Homeowners and Residents Across the State Protest SB10
By Danna Givot From San Diego to Mt. Shasta, homeowners and their representatives are speaking out against the state legislature’s ill-conceived effort to eliminate single-family zoning. I’m adding my voice to that tidal wave of opposition because I’m convinced that SB 10 also presents an ethical and probably indefensible legal problem for our elected officials. […]
