Aside from both being Southern California beach communities, there are few similarities between Coronado and Imperial Beach. One is wealthy, the other is not. One leans Republican, the other is Democratic.
But in one important way, they are identical: Between 2018 and the end of last year, neither city had permitted any affordable home.
The reasons for that matching number are likely opposite, according to the CEO of a group that represents affordable home builders. Imperial Beach wants affordable housing, but doesn’t have the funding to build it. Coronado has the funding, but doesn’t want the housing.
School Enrollment Collapse: What About Private Schools?
Our story released yesterday about the declining enrollment in schools throughout the San Diego region got a lot of people talking. Districts everywhere are going to face tough decisions about closing schools and more.
Many asked about private schools. Is the public school enrollment decline just because people are flocking to private options? Not really.
The numbers: In 2014, private school enrollment in San Diego County was 36,588 and in 2024 it was 37,123. That 535 student change is a pretty negligible increase. There are some public charter schools and others seeing major increases but not enough to balance the decline elsewhere. We’ll have more on that soon.
And homeschooling? We’re still waiting on the latest data but, in 2023, we gathered some numbers. Homeschoolers are required to register with the state and in 2022, there were 4,029 homeschool students in San Diego County. That was about 1,900 students higher than pre-pandemic levels, but down from the peak during the pandemic of 5,392.
Neither of those numbers, however, come close to explaining the about 27,000 student drop from 2014 to 2024.
Kevin Faulconer Has a Job
Mayor Kevin Faulconer speaks at a press conference for Operation Shelter at Home. / Photo by Brittany Cruz-Fejeran
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is the new CEO of the Lincoln Club “… and he’s ready to protect jobs and push back against policies that make San Diego more expensive,” the Club wrote.
Since his term as mayor ended in 2020, Faulconer ran for governor and also for county supervisor. He spent time as a lobbyist.
Fun fact: The last two elected Republicans in the city of San Diego now run the Chamber of Commerce (Chris Cate) and the Lincoln Club.
Song of the Week
Sun Jelly, “Say It First”: Sun Jelly specializes in retro-feeling psychedelic garage rock. The band’s hooky mixture comes complete with subtly warbling vocals, tinkling keys and bursts of muscular guitar riffage. Open your arms wide and let the paisley-tinted crunchiness hit you like a sunburn.
Like what you hear? Check out Sun Jelly at Soda Bar on Tuesday, July 22.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.
In Other News
- The San Diego City Council voted Monday to approve buying $65 million worth of trash cans. (Union-Tribune)
- Chula Vista’s sanitation workers have stayed on strike for several days prompting Republic Services to send workers from Phoenix and Imperial Valley to collect the untouched trash bins. (CBS 8)
- A dining staple of Barrio Logan may be forced to sell its land and business next March after the owners failed to meet a deadline for gradually paying off several thousands in back property taxes. (Union-Tribune)
- The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority was awarded $15 million to help retrofit 250 eligible homes with aircraft sound insulation. (Times of San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Scott Lewis and Tessa Balc. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.