San Diego News Fix

Continuing our coverage of the 2022 general election, today you'll hear from both candidates in the race to represent California's redrawn 52nd Congressional District, which includes southern San Diego County. Republican minister/business owner Tyler Geffeney is challenging Democratic Rep. Juan Vargas, who is seeking a sixth term in the U.S. House of representatives. Both candidates met with the San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board on Zoom recently. In this episode, you'll hear the first 20 or so minutes of each of their interviews. To hear the full conversation, go to sandiegouniontribune.com/2022electionvideos.

Continuing our coverage of the 2022 general election, today you'll hear from both candidates in the race to represent California's redrawn 51st Congressional District, which includes central San Diego and parts of East County. Republican small business owner Stan Caplan is challenging Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs, who is seeking a second two-year term. Both candidates met with the San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board on Zoom recently. You'll hear Caplan's takes on Jan. 6, the pandemic, which he put in air quotes, climate change, inflation and more. From Congressmember Jacobs, you'll hear about cross-border contamination, border wait times, learning loss during the pandemic, national defense and Roe v. Wade. These clips have been condensed and edited. To hear the full conversation, go to sandiegouniontribune.com/2022electionvideos.

The 2022 general election takes place Nov. 8th, and voting starts a month before. To help you prepare, the San Diego Union-Tribune opinion section has created a voter guide, endorsement guide and more. Today we're joined by editor and publisher Jeff Light, managing editor Lora Cicalo, and opinion and editorial director Matthew T. Hall.

California's 50th Congressional District covers parts of San Diego County, including Escondido, San Marcos, Rancho Bernardo, La Jolla, Hillcrest and Coronado. Republican business owner Corey Gustafson cofounded Dogleg Brewing Company. He's challenging Democratic Rep. Scott Peters, who is seeking a sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Union-Tribune Editorial Board met with both candidates on Zoom to discuss a variety of issues. Here's what they had to say about the U.S. Mexico-border.

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, the San Diego Spirits Festival is back Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24th and 25th. Now in its 13th year, the festival will take place at the newly renovated Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. Tickets include unlimited cocktails, live entertainment, gallery access and more. Liz Edwards is the founder of the festival.

Today we're focusing on California's 49th Congressional District, which represents northern San Diego County and part of southern Orange County. Democratic incumbent Mike Levin is seeking a third term and is challenged by Republican businessman/nonprofit executive Brian Maryott, a former mayor of San Juan Capistrano. In this episode, you'll hear from both candidates on climate change and nuclear energy.

California’s 48th Congressional District is a newly redrawn district, which covers much of East San Diego County. Stephen Houlahan is a Democratic registered nurse and former Santee City Council member. He's challenging Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who is seeking his 11th term in Congress. Congressman Issa declined an interview with The Union-Tribune Editorial Board. In this episode, you'll hear from Houlahan on issues such as climate, education, guns, immigration and more. The full meeting as well as election guides and endorsement guides are online at sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion.

Nora Vargas is a San Diego County Supervisor for District 1, which includes the South Bay, and she's the first Latina to hold the job. Before taking this seat in 2021, Supervisor Vargas worked with Planned Parenthood and Southwestern College, where she took classes before earning her bachelors and masters degrees. In this interview, Supervisor Vargas discusses making the system work for everyone, civility (or lack thereof ) in public meetings, standing up for the little guy, and more.

Union-Tribune en Español editorial director Lilia O’Hara; Rafael Fernández de Castro, director of the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies at UC San Diego; Union-Tribune managing editor Lora Cicalo; and editor and publisher Jeff Light discuss the upcoming Baja Journalism Contest to recognize Mexican journalists and the attacks on journalism in the U.S. We’ll be announcing the details of the second Baja Journalism Contest soon. Please continue to check sandiegouniontribune.com for updates.

If you're a fan of live music and saving money, this segment is for you. Live Nation has just announced a new, so-called "Club Pass," where you pay a one-time fee for access to fall concerts at House of Blues or the Observatory. Abby Hamblin is the editor of Pacific Magazine.

San Diego is making changes to the city’s 42 neighborhood planning groups. The changes are meant to encourage diverse membership and improve organization, but critics say it's a developer-driven effort to crush public-opposition to housing.

A new homeless shelter opened in San Diego this week. Located in the Midway District, the shelter has 150 beds, and it's the first in the region to offer mental health and addiction services on site. Gary Warth covers homelessness at the U-T.

California Proposition 28 would take require the state to set aside money for arts and music education, and it's expected to generate up to $1 billion per year, with an emphasis on lower-income schools. Austin Beutner is behind the initiative. He's the former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent, and was also a former publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Name Drop is all about the fascinating people in, around and from San Diego. My guest today is Dr. Brad Perkins. Dr. Perkins is the chief medical officer at Karius, the developer of a non-invasive blood test that can detect more than 1,000 pathogens at once. In the past he worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There he studied anthrax and was also in charge of innovation there, making sure that the CDC ran more efficiently. I spoke to Dr. Perkins earlier this week about Monkeypox and its chance of becoming endemic, and we chatted a little more about his background.

Name Drops are all about the amazing people who live in our region and make it so great. My guest this week is Jodi Cilley. Jodi is a filmmaker, entrepreneur and educator in San Diego. She's the founder of Film Consortium San Diego and the San Diego Film Awards. She's taught film at UCSD, San Diego City College and other institutions. She's produced over 100 projects, including web series, short films, TV specials, documentaries and commercial projects and more. In this interview we talk about her life in Tijuana, her passion for film and what makes a great story, as well as her humble upbringing and how that shaped her.

Union-Tribune tourism and hospitality industry reporter, Lori Weisberg; criminal justice and legal affairs reporter, Greg Moran; managing editor Lora Cicalo; and editor and publisher Jeff Light discuss the largest Ponzi scheme ever uncovered in San Diego and the mastermind behind the scam, Gina Champion-Cain.

Third Avenue in Chula Vista used to be a sleepy downtown stretch. There were a few local businesses there, but it was far from a destination. Now, Third Avenue is a popular destination for food, drinks and entertainment. Pam Kragen is a food and features writer at the U-T.

Street sweeping schedules are changing throughout San Diego. The good news is, it's supposed to keep waterways cleaner. The bad news is, parking rules are changing and if you're not careful, you could get a ticket. David Garrick covered this story for the U-T.

Leonard Glenn Francis, aka "Fat Leonard," is the mastermind behind the worst public corruption scandal in U.S. Navy history. He was arrested in 2013, pleaded guilty to his charges in 2015, and has been on house arrrest since 2018. And now, weeks before his sentencing, he's gone missing. U-T reporter Greg Moran has the story.

The role libraries play in our communities is expanding. The San Diego Central Library in downtown will hire a social worker to help homeless patrons, who make up the majority of visitors each day. Gary Warth covers homelessness for the U-T.

Union-Tribune editor and publisher Jeff Light, director of subscriber analytics and revenue Anthony Basilio, and managing editor Lora Cicalo discuss the upcoming Labor Day “print holiday.”

This Labor Day weekend, the Barona Band of Mission Indians will hold their 50th annual powwow celebration. The three-day event is free, and will feature dances, drum performances, traditional foods and vendors. Lauren J. Mapp covers indigenous communities for the Union-Tribune.

Gina Champion-Cain has made headlines for the past three years for scandalous reasons. But for decades before that, she captured more positive media attention. She was the cover girl for downtown San Diego’s revitalization, beginning in the 1990s. She appeared on magazine covers and newspaper articles, lauded as a dealmaker, a real estate guru and a restaurateur. Champion-Caine was a business powerhouse with a big smile, long black hair and a charming personality. She seemed invincible. San Diego even named a day after her. Now she’s a convicted felon with a title no one else can claim — the architect of San Diego’s biggest Ponzi scheme.

Tuesday marked one year since the United States pulled troops from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year-war. On Monday, President Joe Biden called the leaders of two volunteer organizations who have helped Afghan allies leave the country and relocate to the U.S. One of those organizations was Afghan Evac, which was founded in San Diego by veteran and humanitarian Shawn VanDiver.

The first Monkeypox death occurred today in the United States. The person was an immunocompromised adult living in Houston, Texas. While the mortality rate for monkeypox is low, the news adds a new level of concern. Dr. Brad Perkins is the chief medical officer at Karius, and is a former CDC official.

Anne Mauler is the vice president of marketing at Soapy Joe's car washes. She's in charge of bringing in new ideas and making the experience fun. This summer she created an NFT scavenger hunt for customers. In this interview we talk about bringing creativity to your job, focusing on mindfulness, what makes San Diego such an amazing place and more.

Professor Justin Brooks, co-founder of the California Innocence Project, joins Union-Tribune public safety editor Dana Littlefield, managing editor Lora Cicalo; and editor and publisher Jeff Light to discuss the case that inspired him to start the California Innocence Project at the California Western School of Law in 1999.

California has banned the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035. It's a bold move that's expected to influence other states to take similar actions. While it might be a challenging transition, supporters say it's necessary to curb greenhouse gases. Opponents worry about the cost and carmakers' ability to make the change. Rob Nikolewski covered energy at the U-T.

If you look out into the ocean from Coronado this Saturday, you might see a part of Kumeyaay heritage. Kumeyaay students, professors and community members will sail 50 traditional tule boats Saturday.

Chula Vista is closing its Harborside Park for at least 90 days. In recent years, the park has become a campsite for the homeless and reportedly attracts illegal activity.

Inflation is still up in San Diego, but not as much as it was in the first half of the year. The inflation rate for the San Diego metro area was 7.3 percent in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. Phillip Molnar is a business reporter at the Union-Tribune.

Doug Marker is the founder of DeathRacer, a skateboarding club for older adults. Doug was a pro skater when he was younger, but he set skateboarding aside for years while he raised a family and worked. Now that he's retired, he and some buddies decided to pick it up again, and their story is an inspirational one, about community, a can-do attitude regardless of your age, and frankly, just having fun.

Alison Reid, one of the owners of DIESEL, A Bookstore; Union-Tribune managing editor Lora Cicalo; and editor and publisher Jeff Light discuss why the annual San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books is important to the community and the book industry.

The San Diego Festival of Books is back in person and on line this weekend on Saturday, Aug. 20. Fiona Leung is the director of events and strategic sponsorships at the Union-Tribune.

Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo is the last functioning nuclear power plant in California. It was slated to shut down in 2025, but Gov. Gavin Newsom is now raising the prospect of keeping it open. Rob Nikolewski covers energy at the Union-Tribune.

San Diego County wants to create a database that lists homeless people by name. The Board of Supervisors showed unanimous support for the idea on Tuesday, and will study the proposal's feasibility over the next 90 days. San Diego County is home to more than 8,500 people who are experiencing homelessness. Gary Warth reports on homeless issues at the Union-Tribune.

Mental health care workers in San Diego County are underpaid compared to their peers throughout the state, and many are feeling burnt out. That's the top line finding of a recent report by the San Diego Workforce Partnership. Paul Sisson has more.

A Mexican cartel shut down Tijuana over the weekend by setting vehicles on fire throughout Baja California. The cartel seemed to be sending a message to the Mexican government for jailing some of its members. Union-Tribune reporter Wendy Fry has been covering this story.

My guest this week is Dr. Krishnan Chakravarthy. Dr. Chakravarthy is an anesthesiologist who specializes in pain management. He was trained at Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins, and today he teaches at UC San Diego, works at the VA Hospital in La Jolla and also runs his own laboratory.

U-T community engagement specialist Bella Ross, Pacific and community guides editor Abby Hamblin, government and Watchdog editor Sam Schulz, managing editor Lora Cicalo, and editor and publisher Jeff Light discuss the ethics around story digital analytics and whether journalists should worry about subscription conversions.

The San Diego Festival of Books kicks off Saturday, August 20th. The event is in-person this year at the University of San Diego, and there will also be virtual events. Fiona Leung is the director of events and sponsorship at the Union-Tribune.

A new program in San Diego offers free solar installations to customers who qualify. It's called the San Diego Solar Equity Program, and it's a partnership between the city of San Diego, SDG&E and the Center for Sustainable Energy. Union-Tribune energy reporter Rob Nikolewski has more.

Since March 2020, there have been more than 11,000 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. A stunning 40 percent of those incidents have happened in California, and many of those incidents take place on public transit. To address this, State Sen. Dave Min introduced Senate Bill 1161.

The narrowly passed $369 billion climate package approved by the Senate on Sunday could bring money to San Diego. That funding could be used on rooftop solar, zero-emissions vehicles and more. Nationally, it's expected to reduce emissions by 40 percent over 2005 levels. Union-Tribune reporter Deborah Sullivan Brennan has more.

Taylor McCabe is an artist with an upcoming project at the children's museum, a vintage clothing pro who works at La Loupe Vintage and a degree-holder in relgious studies with an emphasis on cults.

Immigration reporter Kate Morrissey, Baja California reporter Wendy Fry, lead video journalist Alejandro Tamayo, managing editor Lora Cicalo, and editor and publisher Jeff Light discuss the award-winning work from Union-Tribune journalists.

Old Town has long been a tourist destination, but that could be changing. Since the Old Town Urban Market opened nine months ago, even locals are flocking to the outdoor food hall. Located at Congress and Twiggs streets, the market is home to eight local Latino-owned businesses. U-T food writer Pam Kragen visited the space recently.