Those who are paying close attention understand that San Diego Unified is making significant strides in housing, particularly in the realm of affordable housing for its staff. Last year, district officials signed an MOU with the teachers’ union, committing to develop a plan for housing at least 10 percent of district employees by June. They even designated $206 million from the $3.2 billion bond approved by voters in 2022 for workforce housing initiatives.
Some initiatives have already begun. The district has partnered with a developer for the 260-unit Livia project in Scripps Ranch, which features affordable housing units available first to district employees. In April, the board also sanctioned the initiation of discussions with a developer for constructing affordable housing on the now-empty Central Elementary site – which has been a controversial proposed location for a safe parking area that we have covered extensively.
Tomorrow night’s board meeting signifies an even more substantial advancement: Trustees are set to vote on three items related to workforce housing.
- One item reaffirms the objective of establishing housing for 10 percent of staff on district property over the coming decade while outlining development priorities such as maintaining ownership, maximizing affordability, and fostering “sustainable communities.”
- The second entails issuing a request for proposals from developers for five sites across the district, including the district headquarters at the Eugene Brucker Education Center in University Heights. Officials anticipate the potential to construct 1,500 units of affordable workforce housing at these locations, thereby meeting the goal of providing housing for 10 percent of its staff.
- The final item is an agreement to create a regional housing finance authority in collaboration with the San Diego Community College District. This housing authority is a new initiative under a 2024 law, SB 440, which grants authority members greater flexibility in securing and allocating funds for affordable housing projects and, importantly, exempts them from certain requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, which can often pose significant financial and procedural obstacles to new development. The specific implications for both districts remain unclear as this would be the inaugural housing authority established under this new legislation.
“A society that prices teachers out of the communities where they teach has lost its way,” Board President Cody Petterson remarked during a press conference on Monday, previewing the plans. “We are dedicating ourselves not only to housing at least 10 percent of our certificated and classified staff within the next five years but also to leading our region in the development of community-guided, job-adjacent, transit-supportive, mixed-income affordable housing.”
Regarding the San Diego Trash Fee
If you own a home in San Diego, prepare to adjust your budget for a new fee: waste collection. City officials are still working through the specifics, but anticipate a fee of $53 per month, or $636 annually, to be included on your property tax bill.
How we arrived at this point: In 2022, San Diego voters approved a measure allowing the city to explore and implement a fee for trash collection. Initially, the ballot projects estimated the fee would fall between $23 and $29 per month per customer, but it has now increased.
In the latest episode of Why it Matters, Scott Lewis discusses the implications for San Diegans and compares the proposed fee to those in other cities. Additionally, this proposed fee comes with new services for homeowners, such as free container replacements and curbside bulky item pickups.
The city is organizing open house meetings through April to inform residents about the proposed fees. The next meeting is scheduled for today at 5:30 p.m. at the Linda Vista Library. More meeting details can be found here.
Oceanside Police Exploring ‘First Responder’ Drones
The Oceanside Police Department is contemplating the use of drones to rapidly locate and assess potential crimes, accidents, or other emergency situations.
The department has received a state grant to conduct a 13-month trial of the “first responder” drones, which can autonomously fly to a scene within seconds of a 911 call. This is a shift from the department’s current drones, which require an officer to be on-site before they can be deployed.
Several cities in California already operate first responder drone systems, including Chula Vista, noted as one of the pioneers in launching a similar program.
Previously, Voice of San Diego reported that numerous cities do not consistently disclose how their police drones are utilized and what information they gather. Oceanside’s police officials informed the Union-Tribune that they have established a written policy detailing who can view or disseminate the data collected by the drones.
In Other News
- At least one ICE agent visited a downtown homeless shelter in San Diego last week with a warrant for a specific individual, who was subsequently taken into ICE custody. This visit follows the recent distribution of guidelines for how homeless shelters should interact with immigration officials. (Union-Tribune)
- Extraneous funding from independent committees is significantly influencing the special election for a new District 1 county supervisor. Independent committees have currently raised over five times the amount of funds compared to those controlled directly by the candidates. (Axios San Diego)
- Students and faculty at Cal State San Marcosorganized a walkout and protest on Monday aimed at ensuring all California State University campuses become sanctuaries from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alongside protecting Ethnic Studies and DEI initiatives. (KPBS)
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, and Tigist Layne, and edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
