By Megan Burks
While we’re out researching and writing full-length features, 140 characters can go a long way in helping us keep readers up-to-date. But some tweets deserve more than that.
That’s why I’m beginning a weekly feature here on SpeakCityHeights.org called Tweet City Heights. Each Friday, I’ll bring you the week’s Twitter chatter as it relates to City Heights. I’ll summarize news from other parts of the Web, even other parts of the state and nation. You’ll get a peek at the latest community health data and a front row seat to the short-form conversations that keep San Diego journalists moving.
You can follow us on Twitter and get updates as they’re happening @spkcityheights.
Chihuahua Turf Wars
This week started with my favorite story tip thus far, given to us by Ken Eby-Gomez at the City Heights Farmers Market on Saturday. He told me about a pack of feral Chihuahuas that chase down cyclists along Orange Avenue. Scott Lewis, CEO of media partner voiceofsandiego.org, assured his Twitter followers that the assignment would be waiting on reporter Adrian Florido’s desk when he returned from vacation this week.
We’re wondering where the pint-sized tormenters came from, just how vicious they really are and whether Adrian can take notes from a moving bicycle.
Follow Scott Lewis on Twitter @vosdscott and Adrian Florido @adrianflorido.
Summer Widens Achievement Gap
Voiceofsandiego.org education reporter Emily Alpert shared an article on “summer learning loss” from Thoughts on Public Education. It details new research on how summer break widens the achievement gap between low-income students and their middle-class peers.
According to the researchers, students whose families can’t afford enrichment activities like summer camps and travel enter the new school year a full month behind where they left off in the spring.
A group of nonprofits, including the City Heights Foundation and City Heights Business Association, are collaborating to provide a list of free or affordable activities aimed at beating this summer slump. You can access the calendar online here.
Follow Emily Alpert @emilyschoolsyou.
Free Lunch Program Under Fire
One such effort, a San Diego Unified School District program that offers free summer lunches for youth, came under fire this week. San Diego Union-Tribune’s Watchdog desk questioned whether free meals should continue to be offered to all youth regardless of family income level in affluent areas. The program has a no-questions-asked enrollment policy so kids don’t become embarrassed or refuse the offer altogether.
The Watchdog’s investigation resulted in the closure of a La Jolla site and public criticism of the expenditure. All other sites remain open, including four in City Heights.
Though the article notes that the federal government reimburses the district for every meal served in the program, there seemed to be a misunderstanding about it being a drain on district coffers. One source called the program “fiscally irresponsible,” noting that her son’s class had to forego an elementary school graduation ceremony because of district cuts.
I spoke with Blanca Melendrez, director of Network for a Healthy California, who said “it is a shame that confusion like this occurs” and reaffirmed that it is a federally funded program.
The article and resulting conversation about whether eligibility should remain open reminded me of a 2010 survey of adults navigating food stamp enrollment. More than half the respondents said they denied being hungry because they were embarrassed. The report discussed the need for hassle-free enrollment and sensitivity throughout the process so those in need would feel comfortable asking for help.
Follow Watchdog @sdutWatchdog.
Journalist Admits to Being Undocumented
On Wednesday, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas set Twitter abuzz after admitting in the New York Times that he came to the country illegally. If you read anything this weekend, make it his essay on the emotional turmoil he’s experienced lying to friends, employers and readers for nearly two decades.
The article was a psychological cleanse for Vargas, but also for a nation that hasn’t seen immigration reform in decades. It spurred Define American, an effort to get Americans to examine and clarify their rhetoric on illegal immigration. All week, people have been tweeting their thoughts on the issue.
It seems to have gotten lawmakers moving, too. The California Dream Act, which would grant undocumented students Cal Grants, passed another state Senate committee the same day.
Follow Jose Antonio Vargas @joseiswriting and Define American @DefineAmerican.
Are Somali Chilcare Workers Feeling the Pinch of CalWORKS Cuts?
There were several tweets this week about the state of social safety-net programs as budget cuts made by the state legislature in March begin rolling out this summer. One such cut was to CalWORKS, or welfare aid.
Families of three are now receiving about $60 less than they did at the beginning of the year. To put that into perspective, they’re getting what families would have been given in 1987, according to California Budget Project.
The cuts also dig into funds for childcare services provided through CalWORKS. I asked followers whether Somali childcare workers in City Heights, whose clients typically pay with CalWORKS aid, are feeling the pinch as a result.
I’m still waiting for responses. If you or someone you know is being affected by CalWORKS cuts, please email spkcityheights@gmail.com.
Get state budget and legislative news by following @HealthyCal and @CABudgetProject.
Bringing The Color Back to North Park Produce
Mid-City CAN linked to this video of its Youth Council painting a mural to be mounted on the North Park Produce store façade. The grocer’s original mural was tagged with graffiti, requiring it to be covered with patchy, beige paint. The mural is scheduled to go up today at 1:00 p.m.
Follow Mid-City CAN @midcitycan.