Category: News

  • O’Connor’s Building Getting Facelift to Become Innovative School

    Video Credit: Brian Myers, Media Arts Center San Diego By Megan Burks A new outdoor eatery is coming to El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego’s mid-city area. Think Crack Shack — a trendy fried chicken restaurant that hatched in Little Italy last November. Patrons order at a window then find seating on an elaborate patio, complete…

  • Could All-Latino Slate Motivate Higher Voter Turnout in City Heights?

    By Claire Trageser For years, one wealthy and mostly white San Diego neighborhood has effectively decided who represents an entire City Council district — a district that’s 50 percent Latino. The Kensington neighborhood wields the power in District 9 because the residents there vote. In the last general election, Kensington’s turnout was 30 percentage points…

  • Many Latino, African-American Students Opting Out of AP Classes

    By Megan Burks The San Diego Unified School District surveyed its 11th- and 12th-graders this year and found nearly 2,000 students who would do well in advanced placement courses but haven’t enrolled. The high school classes offer college credit and a competitive edge. That gap is more pronounced among Latinos and African-Americans. A third of…

  • Bill Would Let Cabbies, Other Independent Contractors Organize

    By Megan Burks Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez has introduced a bill that would open the door to collective bargaining for independent contractors. The bill seems to aim squarely at mobile app companies like Uber, but more industries could be affected. The bill would allow 10 or more workers to negotiate as a group with their hosting…

  • The District’s Ambitious New Plan to Serve English-Learners

    I opened a story last year by zooming in on Ángel Solorzano, a student at Kearny High. Solorzano arrived at Kearny speaking very little English. When he met his new principal, Ana Diaz-Booz, the two communicated in sign language. He was one of 32,000 English-learners in San Diego Unified schools who aren’t proficient in English.…