Year: 2014

  • Superintendent Forced Into Contradiction on English-Learners

    By Scott Lewis At about the same time that San Diego Unified School District leaders were scrambling to patch together a budget and throwing the future of their English-language learners program into upheaval, they were pleading with the state of California to kill Thrive Public School. Thrive is an elementary charter school trying to get…

  • That Big Investigation of SDPD Isn’t Actually an Investigation

    By Liam Dillon Expectations are high for the Justice Department’s review of the San Diego Police Department. Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman and other have billed it as an “independent audit,” a deep dive to get to the bottom of officer misconduct problems that have plagued the department the past three years. Except…

  • Two Stories of Impact From San Diego’s Minimum Wage Increase

    By Claire Trageser San Diego became one of several cities that recently raised its minimum wage above both the state and federal minimums. Much has been written and many arguments have been made about the positives and negatives of that decision. This is not that kind of story. Instead, this story illustrates the lives of…

  • San Diego Committee Wants Worn-Out Cabs Off the Road

    Taxis lined up in downtown San Diego. | Photo Credit: Sam Hodgson for Voice of San Diego By Megan Burks Of all the days to call a hearing on taxis, the city of San Diego’s public safety committee chose one during Comic-Con, a big moneymaker for cab drivers. But drivers who say they drive unsafe…

  • SD Unified Joins Other Urban Districts to Improve Outcomes for Boys of Color

    By Mario Koran Superintendent Cindy Marten has a message for President Barack Obama: Let’s do this. On Monday, San Diego Unified became one of 60 urban school districts to commit to boosting outcomes for students of color, specifically black and Latino males. The announcement is part an initiative called My Brother’s Keeper that the president…