Author: admin

  • A San Diego Refugee and Real Estate Professional Talk Politics

    By Megan Burks Mariam Ali recalls trying to rent an apartment when she arrived in San Diego 25 years ago after fleeing Somalia. She was receiving public housing assistance. “The white guy came and he was like, ‘Do you work?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not working. I receive government assistance.’ And he was like, ‘Oh,…

  • Council District 9 Candidates: No to Stadium, Yes to Sanctuary City

    The four candidates running to replace San Diego Councilwoman Marti Emerald met at a forum Wednesday night and agreed on most of issues, from not using public money on a football stadium to boosting homeless services to making San Diego a sanctuary city. The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, was at the…

  • Who’s the Establishment Candidate in San Diego Council District 9?

    By Megan Burks The neighborhoods that make up San Diego’s City Council District 9 have stark differences. Low-income residents in City Heights and Southcrest share their council member with upper-middle class residents in Kensington and the College Area. The four Democrats running in the June 7 election to represent those communities aren’t as distinctive, yet…

  • Lot on El Cajon Boulevard May Soon Be Vacant No More

    Beryl Forman and Tootie Thomas discuss plans for an empty lot along El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights, April 14, 2016. By Megan Burks The state’s redevelopment program to invest in blighted communities left behind a lot of successes when it dissolved in 2012. But it also left behind a lot of empty lots —…

  • What’s Behind the Lopsided Enrollment Numbers at Hoover High’s Tech Academy

    By Rachel Evans At Hoover High School’s Academy of Information Technology, students learn an array of technical skills from website design and coding to software and systems development. Ellen Towers, a teacher who left a career at General Motors, launched AOIT at the school in 2003. The academy has more than 500 graduates. But there’s…