{"id":255778,"date":"2025-09-26T09:24:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T09:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/255778\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T09:24:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T09:24:14","slug":"morning-report-san-diego-unified-reverses-plan-to-close-k-8-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/255778\/","title":{"rendered":"Morning Report: San Diego Unified Reverses Plan to Close K-8 School"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Jakob McWhinney revealed this month that San Diego Unified planned to phase out middle school grades at four of its K-8 schools starting next school year, a decision the district had yet to share with parents.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Superintendent Fabiola Bagula broke the news that one of those schools \u2013 Bethune K-8 in southeastern San Diego \u2013 will remain open after two weeks of protests by parents determined to keep their kids\u2019 school open.<\/p>\n

McWhinney broke down Bagula\u2019s announcement this week \u2013 and her subtle acknowledgement after testimony from Bethune parents and teachers that other schools slated for changes weren\u2019t as successful as Bethune.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the beautiful things that your teachers said, by the way, it\u2019s not happening at the other schools,\u201d Bagula said during a Wednesday night meeting at a Bethune. \u201cIt\u2019s happening here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Chula Vista\u2019s Politics Are Turning More Purple<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Chula Vista City Hall on July 10, 2025. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

In recent years, Chula Vista\u2019s gotten a reputation as a Democratic city.<\/p>\n

But as Jim Hinch reports in his latest South County Report, it\u2019s also a city where Republicans are on the rise \u2013 and there\u2019s bipartisan support of public safety and fiscally prudent budget moves.<\/p>\n

Hinch shared the latest Chula Vista voter registration stats and detailed how the city\u2019s political identity played out at a recent City Council meeting.<\/p>\n

Read the full newsletter here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The Progress Report: More After-School Care\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Children play soccer after school at Chollas-Mead Elementary School on Feb 19, 2025. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

For years, San Diego Unified families have languished on long waiting lists for before- and after-school care. Between searching for programs and waiting in limbo, the search can be a \u201cquiet killer for parents,\u201d our Jakob McWhinney writes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two years ago, he wrote about a single father who lost a job<\/a>, and nearly his sanity, because he couldn\u2019t get an after-school care spot for his son.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a struggle many families, especially working parents face. But now it seems the school district has made progress by more than doubling its after-school care offerings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McWhinney explains how the district has achieved this and what obstacles remain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read the Progress Report here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Top 48th District Candidates Don\u2019t Live in the District<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"AA woman walks in front of Garden Farms Market in Lakeside on Dec. 10, 2022. \/ Photo by Ariana Drehsler<\/p>\n

As a state redistricting measure hurtles closer to Election Day, our Tigist Layne reveals the two top candidates in the 48th Congressional district that may pounce if Proposition 50 is approved don\u2019t actually live in the district.<\/p>\n

Those two candidates \u2013\u00a0 Democrats Marni von Wilpert, a San Diego City Councilmember, and Ammar Campa-Najjar, who previously sought to oust incumbent Darrel Issa \u2013 want to represent the district that\u2019s expected to become more friendly to Democrats if the state measure passes.<\/p>\n

Both unsurprisingly argued they have what it takes to represent the district \u2013 even if they don\u2019t live in it.<\/p>\n

Worth noting: <\/strong>Members of Congress aren\u2019t required to live in the districts they represent though four of the five San Diego County representatives in Washington do.<\/p>\n

Read the full story here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Top City Leader Says See Ya\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"MatthewMatt Vespi during a San Diego Water Authority meeting in Kearny Mesa on July 27, 2023. \/ Photo by Ariana Drehsler <\/p>\n

The city\u2019s chief financial officer is leaving budget-strapped City Hall to become a top bureaucrat at the Port of San Diego<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

City Hall reporter Mariana Mart\u00ednez Barba writes that Matt Vespi\u2019s departure comes at a tense time for the city as its leaders grapple with rate increases to pay for city services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vespi\u2019s last day is on Nov. 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All eyes on the mayor:<\/strong> \u201cGiven the significant workload Matt carries and the mayor\u2019s dual roles as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, it is critical that his successor be identified and appointed quickly,\u201d Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera told Voice. He represented the city of San Diego on the San Diego County Water Authority\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n

Read more here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Politifest: What Do We Do About Street Homelessness?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Eduardo Romero who is homeless packs up his belongings after speaking with police officers in front of the San Diego Public Library on Dec. 10, 2024 in the East Village. \/ Ariana Drehsler for Voice of San Diego<\/p>\n

San Diego\u2019s homelessness crisis has raged on for years despite significant state and local government spending \u2013 and it remains one of our region\u2019s foremost challenges.<\/p>\n

Our Lisa Halverstadt has assembled a great panel to propose solutions.<\/p>\n

Dr. Margot Kushel of UC San Francisco, who led an unprecedented survey of homeless Californians<\/a>, will pitch a plan to methodically address encampments and vehicle homelessness.<\/p>\n

Retired Marine Colonel Patrick \u201cPaddy\u201d Gough, an advocate behind Sunbreak Ranch<\/a>, will speak about the triage center for homeless San Diegans.<\/p>\n

And Iain De Jong of OrgCode Consulting, a national thought leader<\/a> on homelessness solutions, will pitch a dramatic increase in supportive housing options for homeless residents and plans to ensure they remain housed.<\/p>\n

Interested? Sign up to attend Politifest<\/a> next Saturday at University of San Diego.<\/p>\n

In Other News<\/strong><\/p>\n