Editorial: Rest in peace, Jimmy Carter, America's greatest ex-president
Jimmy Carter’s death at 100 in his hometown of Plains, Ga., on Sunday will lead to more tributes of him as a person than a president for a singular reason. He was the nation’s greatest ex-president, and there is no debate.
![The immediate reaction to county Supervisor Nora Vargas’ bombshell announcement on Dec. 20 — that she would not serve a second term to represent her South County district after being easily re-elected last month — was to wonder what Vargas meant when she said the decision was due to unspecified “personal safety and security reasons.” It’s well-documented that the Democrat has faced bitter criticism, most recently over her push against county cooperation with President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration policies. She has also described dealing with personal harassment and death threats. But a Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said she faced “no known or […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SUT-L-BOSMIGRANTUPDATES-12.jpg?w=398 "The immediate reaction to county Supervisor Nora Vargas’ bombshell announcement on Dec. 20 — that she would not serve a second term to represent her South County district after being easily re-elected last month — was to wonder what Vargas meant when she said the decision was due to unspecified “personal safety and security reasons.” It’s well-documented that the Democrat has faced bitter criticism, most recently over her push against county cooperation with President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration policies. She has also described dealing with personal harassment and death threats. But a Sheriff’s Department spokesperson said she faced “no known or […]")
![The saga over whether the City Council will go along with Mayor Todd Gloria’s push to turn a 65,000-square-foot vacant Middletown warehouse into a massive homeless shelter continued to unfold Monday. That’s when council members were given a private briefing on “price and payment terms” for a potential lease agreement with a long-term price tag previously estimated at about $1 billion. Few specific details subsequently emerged, but there was little sense that Gloria had made headway in overcoming the many concerns that emerged this summer. At a July council meeting, the mayor’s case that the city had an urgent need […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sut-l-11-largest-homeless-shelter.jpg?w=132 "The saga over whether the City Council will go along with Mayor Todd Gloria’s push to turn a 65,000-square-foot vacant Middletown warehouse into a massive homeless shelter continued to unfold Monday. That’s when council members were given a private briefing on “price and payment terms” for a potential lease agreement with a long-term price tag previously estimated at about $1 billion. Few specific details subsequently emerged, but there was little sense that Gloria had made headway in overcoming the many concerns that emerged this summer. At a July council meeting, the mayor’s case that the city had an urgent need […]")
![The recent board meeting of the San Diego Association of Governments, the region’s lead transportation planning agency, came after an unprecedented year in which nearly a decade of doubts about SANDAG’s honesty and competence came into sharp focus. First came the March announcement that the U.S. Justice Department had begun an investigation of the agency […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sut-l-1435395-sandag-response_NEL-007_199600328.jpg?w=136 "The recent board meeting of the San Diego Association of Governments, the region’s lead transportation planning agency, came after an unprecedented year in which nearly a decade of doubts about SANDAG’s honesty and competence came into sharp focus. First came the March announcement that the U.S. Justice Department had begun an investigation of the agency […]")
![In a news cycle packed with major breaking events, it got little attention last month when the California Fair Political Practices Commission reported that Poway Unified School District broke clearly written state laws to use taxpayer dollars to pay for 60,000 campaign mailers that brazenly lobbied voters to approve a $488 million school bond in early 2020. For that, Poway Unified leaders should be thankful. Their claim that the violations were unintentional is laughable. The mailers the district sent out didn’t even mention who was paying for them, making it far less likely the hard-sell language would raise eyebrows among […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sut-l-trash-fees-nel-001.jpg?w=132 "In a news cycle packed with major breaking events, it got little attention last month when the California Fair Political Practices Commission reported that Poway Unified School District broke clearly written state laws to use taxpayer dollars to pay for 60,000 campaign mailers that brazenly lobbied voters to approve a $488 million school bond in early 2020. For that, Poway Unified leaders should be thankful. Their claim that the violations were unintentional is laughable. The mailers the district sent out didn’t even mention who was paying for them, making it far less likely the hard-sell language would raise eyebrows among […]")
![The announcement that Jerry Sanders, 74, is retiring in coming weeks after 12 years as CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce was big news. Besides leading the chamber, where he helped the binational CaliBaja economy to prosperous new heights, the San Diego State alum also enjoyed a generally successful seven-year run as […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SUT-L-Jerry-Sanders.jpg?w=127 "The announcement that Jerry Sanders, 74, is retiring in coming weeks after 12 years as CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce was big news. Besides leading the chamber, where he helped the binational CaliBaja economy to prosperous new heights, the San Diego State alum also enjoyed a generally successful seven-year run as […]")
![When it comes to the lessons of the 20th century, the parallels between Donald Trump’s views on public health and the global economy are striking. Even though vaccinations were the single largest factor in increasing life expectancy from 47 to 80 in the developed world — one of civilization’s greatest accomplishments — the president-elect keeps company with people who insist vaccines do more harm than good. Even though the explosion in international trade was among the key factors in gross economic productivity per person increasing more than 600% across the planet from 1900 to 2000 — another of civilization’s greatest […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/AP19235467131683.jpg?w=132 "When it comes to the lessons of the 20th century, the parallels between Donald Trump’s views on public health and the global economy are striking. Even though vaccinations were the single largest factor in increasing life expectancy from 47 to 80 in the developed world — one of civilization’s greatest accomplishments — the president-elect keeps company with people who insist vaccines do more harm than good. Even though the explosion in international trade was among the key factors in gross economic productivity per person increasing more than 600% across the planet from 1900 to 2000 — another of civilization’s greatest […]")
![Donald Trump says so many seemingly off-the-wall things that many Americans may hope it’s all empty blather. That needs to change. With less than two months until Trump’s return to the Oval Office, an immigration earthquake looms. Unlike his first term, Trump will enter the White House with a competent, task-solving chief of staff in Susie Wiles. And he will do so while surrounded by policy aides who are far more likely to be empowered true believers than those he hired the last time around. Trump has repeatedly said he will use the obscure Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Election_2024_Trump_19536-4.jpg?w=132 "Donald Trump says so many seemingly off-the-wall things that many Americans may hope it’s all empty blather. That needs to change. With less than two months until Trump’s return to the Oval Office, an immigration earthquake looms. Unlike his first term, Trump will enter the White House with a competent, task-solving chief of staff in Susie Wiles. And he will do so while surrounded by policy aides who are far more likely to be empowered true believers than those he hired the last time around. Trump has repeatedly said he will use the obscure Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to […]")
![The defeat of Measure E — which would raise the city sales tax from 7.75 cents to 8.75 cents per dollar — now seems close to mathematical certainty. As of Thursday evening, the tax hike proposal trailed by 4,821 votes after 568,000-plus votes had been counted. The gap has gotten steadily smaller over the past […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sut-l-trash-fees-nel-001a.jpg?w=128 "The defeat of Measure E — which would raise the city sales tax from 7.75 cents to 8.75 cents per dollar — now seems close to mathematical certainty. As of Thursday evening, the tax hike proposal trailed by 4,821 votes after 568,000-plus votes had been counted. The gap has gotten steadily smaller over the past […]")
![In 2019, after The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Watchdog team first documented excessive deaths at the jails run by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the agency was dismissive. While the comprehensive report showed at least 140 jail deaths from 2009 to 2019 — an appalling mortality rate that was the highest among large counties in the state — Sheriff Bill Gore disputed nearly all the key findings. As new deaths kept being reported, however, Gore began offering lip-service promises of reforms. But a scathing state audit — which Gore saw a draft of before he abruptly left office in February […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SUT-L-JAIL-DEATHS_001.jpg?w=132 "In 2019, after The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Watchdog team first documented excessive deaths at the jails run by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the agency was dismissive. While the comprehensive report showed at least 140 jail deaths from 2009 to 2019 — an appalling mortality rate that was the highest among large counties in the state — Sheriff Bill Gore disputed nearly all the key findings. As new deaths kept being reported, however, Gore began offering lip-service promises of reforms. But a scathing state audit — which Gore saw a draft of before he abruptly left office in February […]")
![In November 2016, though shocked by Donald Trump’s unexpected victory, many pundits predicted that as president-elect, Trump would moderate and drop many of his extreme views. For the most part, that didn’t happen. But the same hope recurred after Trump’s less shocking win on Nov. 5, especially following his selection of veteran Florida political operative […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/LPT-L-POOLS-HOPE-0628-02-BM.jpg?w=132 "In November 2016, though shocked by Donald Trump’s unexpected victory, many pundits predicted that as president-elect, Trump would moderate and drop many of his extreme views. For the most part, that didn’t happen. But the same hope recurred after Trump’s less shocking win on Nov. 5, especially following his selection of veteran Florida political operative […]")
![The city of San Diego was not witness to the incumbent purges seen elsewhere in California, most notably in the defeats of San Francisco’s mayor and Los Angeles County’s district attorney. But if city leaders think this week’s election results were a pat on the back from contented San Diegans, they’re deluding themselves. As of […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SUT-L-flood-1401654-ka-008.jpg?w=133 "The city of San Diego was not witness to the incumbent purges seen elsewhere in California, most notably in the defeats of San Francisco’s mayor and Los Angeles County’s district attorney. But if city leaders think this week’s election results were a pat on the back from contented San Diegans, they’re deluding themselves. As of […]")
![It’s still possible that Measure G — which would raise the sales tax by a half-cent countywide to help the San Diego Association of Governments pay for its very costly plan for regional road repairs, expanded bus and rail transportation, and more — will pass. It trailed by 30,000-plus votes as of Thursday afternoon, but […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/sut-l-1435395-sandag-response-nel-004a_1077375081_187541368.jpg?w=136 "It’s still possible that Measure G — which would raise the sales tax by a half-cent countywide to help the San Diego Association of Governments pay for its very costly plan for regional road repairs, expanded bus and rail transportation, and more — will pass. It trailed by 30,000-plus votes as of Thursday afternoon, but […]")
![The U-T Editorial Board welcomes the landslide victory of Proposition 36 — the most significant result as of Tuesday night’s deadline for the completion of Wednesday’s Opinion page — as a triumph of sanity on public safety. It will no doubt be seen in some quarters as a revival of California’s lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key era. But the circumstances are different now than in 1994, when 72 percent of voters approved harsh “three strikes and you’re out” sentencing rules. In 2014, 60 percent of voters backed Proposition 47, the measure that Proposition 36 would fix, despite strong warnings that it went too far […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TDB-L-JEWELS-1011-01.jpg?w=140 "The U-T Editorial Board welcomes the landslide victory of Proposition 36 — the most significant result as of Tuesday night’s deadline for the completion of Wednesday’s Opinion page — as a triumph of sanity on public safety. It will no doubt be seen in some quarters as a revival of California’s lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key era. But the circumstances are different now than in 1994, when 72 percent of voters approved harsh “three strikes and you’re out” sentencing rules. In 2014, 60 percent of voters backed Proposition 47, the measure that Proposition 36 would fix, despite strong warnings that it went too far […]")
![In normal circumstances, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to visit the region to personally review one of its most pressing problems would be welcome. But when it comes to the Tijuana-South Bay sewage disaster, Newsom’s visit Monday instead was one more attempt to sell the narrative that the slow-motion federal and state response to years of massive toxic spills reaching our shores actually reflects good-faith governance. That is just not true. The problem would have been solved years ago if the federal government had declared it to be a emergency, clearing the way for an expedited fix, as was done last […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SUT-L-NEWSOM-SEWAGEVISIT-2.jpg?w=132 "In normal circumstances, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to visit the region to personally review one of its most pressing problems would be welcome. But when it comes to the Tijuana-South Bay sewage disaster, Newsom’s visit Monday instead was one more attempt to sell the narrative that the slow-motion federal and state response to years of massive toxic spills reaching our shores actually reflects good-faith governance. That is just not true. The problem would have been solved years ago if the federal government had declared it to be a emergency, clearing the way for an expedited fix, as was done last […]")
![When deciding whether to support state Propositions 2 and 4 — which would each authorize the sale of $10 billion in bonds — the central question is the credibility of elected leaders’ claims. Will Proposition 2 really be tightly focused on upgrading decrepit school facilities? Will Proposition 4 really be tightly focused on infrastructure needed […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/OCR-Z-GAS-PRICES-MM-01.jpg?w=125 "When deciding whether to support state Propositions 2 and 4 — which would each authorize the sale of $10 billion in bonds — the central question is the credibility of elected leaders’ claims. Will Proposition 2 really be tightly focused on upgrading decrepit school facilities? Will Proposition 4 really be tightly focused on infrastructure needed […]")
![The fundamental importance of the government acting in a neutral fashion in handing its basic duties is reflected in the fact that the U.S. Constitution has two separate provisions barring “bills of attainder” — legislation that imposes punishment on a specific person or group of people without a judicial trial. But earlier this month, some members of the California Coastal Commission blithely violated this principle to reflect their pique with SpaceX owner Elon Musk. Despite strong support from the U.S. military, which regularly uses SpaceX rockets to carry a variety of payloads into space, SpaceX’s request to schedule more launches […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/LDN-SX-400th-launch-1025-19.jpg?w=111 "The fundamental importance of the government acting in a neutral fashion in handing its basic duties is reflected in the fact that the U.S. Constitution has two separate provisions barring “bills of attainder” — legislation that imposes punishment on a specific person or group of people without a judicial trial. But earlier this month, some members of the California Coastal Commission blithely violated this principle to reflect their pique with SpaceX owner Elon Musk. Despite strong support from the U.S. military, which regularly uses SpaceX rockets to carry a variety of payloads into space, SpaceX’s request to schedule more launches […]")
![The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board’s deep and amply justified concern about the judgment of city leaders was rekindled in early 2023 when Mayor Todd Gloria came forward with a bold “Civic Center Revitalization” plan potentially costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Our fear was that this would be an encore to previous Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s disastrous 2016 agreement to enter into a 20-year, $127 million lease-to-own deal for a decrepit 19-story office building at 101 Ash Street. When Gloria tried to sell his lightly vetted plan by saying he will not “let the failures of the past paralyze […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/OCR-L-SUPERMARKETVIRUS-JAG-4.jpeg?w=117 "The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board’s deep and amply justified concern about the judgment of city leaders was rekindled in early 2023 when Mayor Todd Gloria came forward with a bold “Civic Center Revitalization” plan potentially costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Our fear was that this would be an encore to previous Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s disastrous 2016 agreement to enter into a 20-year, $127 million lease-to-own deal for a decrepit 19-story office building at 101 Ash Street. When Gloria tried to sell his lightly vetted plan by saying he will not “let the failures of the past paralyze […]")
![The homogenization of San Diego City Hall has led to unhealthy groupthink among elected officials. This is why in February the U-T Editorial Board was happy to endorse Coleen Cusack, a hard-charging attorney, in the race for council District 3, which has Hillcrest at its center and includes parts of Mission Valley, Mission Hills and downtown. We often disagree with Cusack, but she brings up smart, contrary takes on housing, treatment of the homeless and law enforcement that deserve to be heard. Incumbent Stephen Whitburn, by contrast, sees city success stories wherever he looks. He even downplayed the city’s failure […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SUT-l-RIVERA-HOSKINS-SPLIT.jpg?w=132 "The homogenization of San Diego City Hall has led to unhealthy groupthink among elected officials. This is why in February the U-T Editorial Board was happy to endorse Coleen Cusack, a hard-charging attorney, in the race for council District 3, which has Hillcrest at its center and includes parts of Mission Valley, Mission Hills and downtown. We often disagree with Cusack, but she brings up smart, contrary takes on housing, treatment of the homeless and law enforcement that deserve to be heard. Incumbent Stephen Whitburn, by contrast, sees city success stories wherever he looks. He even downplayed the city’s failure […]")
![Except for the divisions over school closures during the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s rarely been a sense that a significant part of the community felt that San Diego Unified has lost its way. For decades, the district has been firmly run by an establishment dominated by district employees, with trustees often deferential to staff. That must change. On Aug. 9, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released a stunning report that found San Diego Unified had failed to properly respond to any of the 253 reports and complaints of sexual harassment and assault of […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SUT-v-Crystal-Trull.jpg?w=132 "Except for the divisions over school closures during the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s rarely been a sense that a significant part of the community felt that San Diego Unified has lost its way. For decades, the district has been firmly run by an establishment dominated by district employees, with trustees often deferential to staff. That must change. On Aug. 9, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released a stunning report that found San Diego Unified had failed to properly respond to any of the 253 reports and complaints of sexual harassment and assault of […]")
![Proposition 32 — the latest state ballot measure seeking to raise the minimum wage — is being framed as an easy, painless way to help many households make ends meet. But The Union-Tribune Editorial Board believes a far more instructive way to view the measure is as a referendum on how California is being governed. A “yes” vote is an embrace of the same political establishment whose decisions have led to California having the highest percentage of people living in poverty. This picture almost never improves. We see housing “reforms” that have tiny effects, while building union-allied state legislators block […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IDB-L-MCDONALDWALK-0402.jpg?w=132 "Proposition 32 — the latest state ballot measure seeking to raise the minimum wage — is being framed as an easy, painless way to help many households make ends meet. But The Union-Tribune Editorial Board believes a far more instructive way to view the measure is as a referendum on how California is being governed. A “yes” vote is an embrace of the same political establishment whose decisions have led to California having the highest percentage of people living in poverty. This picture almost never improves. We see housing “reforms” that have tiny effects, while building union-allied state legislators block […]")
![With enrollment down in most parts of California but with compensation costs still going up because of automatic salary increases and soaring pension costs, school districts should sweat the spending of every last dollar. Instead, officials’ first reaction to budget pressure has often been to figure out how to use costly long-term borrowing to cover short-term obligations. Millions of electronic devices that work on average for less than two years will be paid off by school bonds not maturing until the 2040s and 2050s. Locally, funds from a 2008 San Diego Unified bond were immediately used for routine maintenance. No […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SUT-l-MESA-College-render.jpg?w=136 "With enrollment down in most parts of California but with compensation costs still going up because of automatic salary increases and soaring pension costs, school districts should sweat the spending of every last dollar. Instead, officials’ first reaction to budget pressure has often been to figure out how to use costly long-term borrowing to cover short-term obligations. Millions of electronic devices that work on average for less than two years will be paid off by school bonds not maturing until the 2040s and 2050s. Locally, funds from a 2008 San Diego Unified bond were immediately used for routine maintenance. No […]")
![In March, after San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria scored an anemic victory in the primary over little-known rivals, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board wrote that we hoped the independent candidate who advanced to November’s vote would have a learning curve that made him a legit alternative to the often-disappointing Gloria. San Diego police officer Larry Turner, we wrote, “should seek to develop a broad understanding of the challenges the city faces — then offer his own ideas on how to improve the city’s responses.” Turner, alas, has not only failed on this front, he’s become a much worse candidate, […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SUT-L-mayoral-debate-017.jpg?w=132 "In March, after San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria scored an anemic victory in the primary over little-known rivals, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board wrote that we hoped the independent candidate who advanced to November’s vote would have a learning curve that made him a legit alternative to the often-disappointing Gloria. San Diego police officer Larry Turner, we wrote, “should seek to develop a broad understanding of the challenges the city faces — then offer his own ideas on how to improve the city’s responses.” Turner, alas, has not only failed on this front, he’s become a much worse candidate, […]")
![Before the March primary, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board endorsed incumbent county Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer in District 3, which includes communities from Carlsbad to Coronado. We cited her determined work with fellow board Democrats to make the county do a better job handling its public health responsibilities. The best example was adding 37 mobile […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SUT-L-Ash-Street-2.jpg?w=128 "Before the March primary, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board endorsed incumbent county Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer in District 3, which includes communities from Carlsbad to Coronado. We cited her determined work with fellow board Democrats to make the county do a better job handling its public health responsibilities. The best example was adding 37 mobile […]")
![In a city that has a 30-year history of making bizarre mistakes on pension funding decisions and faux pension “reforms,” awful real estate deals and more, the need for San Diego to have a strong city attorney who won’t bend to political grandstanding is obvious. The idea that elected leaders have learned from these mistakes […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SUT-L-City-Attorney-Ferbert-1.jpg?w=121 "In a city that has a 30-year history of making bizarre mistakes on pension funding decisions and faux pension “reforms,” awful real estate deals and more, the need for San Diego to have a strong city attorney who won’t bend to political grandstanding is obvious. The idea that elected leaders have learned from these mistakes […]")
![The coming landslide win for Proposition 36 will be a triumph for truth over spin. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has long supported criminal justice reform. But in real time, we saw the obvious flaws of Proposition 47 — the November 2014 measure that Proposition 36 is meant to fix. It changed many “nonviolent” felonies into misdemeanors in a ham-handed way that incentivized certain crimes. Eleven months later, The Washington Post dispatched a reporter to San Diego who wrote an unforgettable account showing the incredulity of law enforcement over the new status quo: “instead of arresting criminals and removing them […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/sut-z-oe-skelton-0620-2.jpg?w=132 "The coming landslide win for Proposition 36 will be a triumph for truth over spin. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has long supported criminal justice reform. But in real time, we saw the obvious flaws of Proposition 47 — the November 2014 measure that Proposition 36 is meant to fix. It changed many “nonviolent” felonies into misdemeanors in a ham-handed way that incentivized certain crimes. Eleven months later, The Washington Post dispatched a reporter to San Diego who wrote an unforgettable account showing the incredulity of law enforcement over the new status quo: “instead of arresting criminals and removing them […]")
![Are the San Diego Unified School District’s elected leaders aware of bad conduct and dysfunction — or are they happy to be kept in the dark by a staff bent on self-preservation? Does the district have an internal culture that sees protecting the jobs of adult employees as much more important than what’s best for […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LPT-L-MARTEN-VISIT-0604-422A5955.jpg?w=132 "Are the San Diego Unified School District’s elected leaders aware of bad conduct and dysfunction — or are they happy to be kept in the dark by a staff bent on self-preservation? Does the district have an internal culture that sees protecting the jobs of adult employees as much more important than what’s best for […]")
![Proposition 35 — the “Provides Permanent Funding for Medi-Cal Health Care Services” initiative statute — is a numbingly complex measure related to how the state appropriates about $8 billion in annual revenue from taxes on health plans like Kaiser Permanente’s. This revenue is used to help pay for costs in Medi-Cal, the federal-state program relied […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/EEUU_INMIGRACION_HOSPITALES_36196-1.jpg?w=132 "Proposition 35 — the “Provides Permanent Funding for Medi-Cal Health Care Services” initiative statute — is a numbingly complex measure related to how the state appropriates about $8 billion in annual revenue from taxes on health plans like Kaiser Permanente’s. This revenue is used to help pay for costs in Medi-Cal, the federal-state program relied […]")
![A key selling point for Proposition 5 on the Nov. 5 California ballot is that it defends democracy. By lowering the constitutional threshold to pass local bond measures from two-thirds to 55 percent, residents can “protect” themselves from the tyranny of the majority. But that presumes that the Golden State has a well-functioning democracy. It doesn’t. From liberals like George Skelton to moderates like Dan Walters to libertarian-conservatives like Steven Greenhut, commentators of all stripes have documented how this one-party state resists accountability. This is reflected in public fury over a lack of progress on housing and homelessness. Guess what […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/LPT-L-POINT-HOUSING-0614-01.jpg?w=117 "A key selling point for Proposition 5 on the Nov. 5 California ballot is that it defends democracy. By lowering the constitutional threshold to pass local bond measures from two-thirds to 55 percent, residents can “protect” themselves from the tyranny of the majority. But that presumes that the Golden State has a well-functioning democracy. It doesn’t. From liberals like George Skelton to moderates like Dan Walters to libertarian-conservatives like Steven Greenhut, commentators of all stripes have documented how this one-party state resists accountability. This is reflected in public fury over a lack of progress on housing and homelessness. Guess what […]")
![The practice of local and state governments using 30- or 40-year borrowing to pay for short-term needs used to be considered irresponsible. In a 2010 interview with editorial writers for The San Diego Union-Tribune, then-California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said long-term borrowing that wasn’t focused on making long-term improvements was an awful idea — because […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0831_NWS_LDN-L-THINNING-0831.jpg?w=132 "The practice of local and state governments using 30- or 40-year borrowing to pay for short-term needs used to be considered irresponsible. In a 2010 interview with editorial writers for The San Diego Union-Tribune, then-California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said long-term borrowing that wasn’t focused on making long-term improvements was an awful idea — because […]")
![For the third time in recent years, state voters are being asked to expand cities’ and counties’ power to control rent. Proposition 33, the latest such measure to make the ballot thanks to the deep pockets of its sponsors, the Santa Monica-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would repeal a state law that says local rent control laws can’t be used on single-family homes and on homes built since February 1995. It would also allow local laws to set requirements on what landlords can charge new renters, not just how much they can increase the monthly bill for individuals and families they […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/OCR-L-CoreLogic-July-0906-10.jpg?w=117 "For the third time in recent years, state voters are being asked to expand cities’ and counties’ power to control rent. Proposition 33, the latest such measure to make the ballot thanks to the deep pockets of its sponsors, the Santa Monica-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would repeal a state law that says local rent control laws can’t be used on single-family homes and on homes built since February 1995. It would also allow local laws to set requirements on what landlords can charge new renters, not just how much they can increase the monthly bill for individuals and families they […]")
![For more than 180 years after the nation’s founding in 1776, America’s attitudes toward sexism and sexual discrimination, harassment and violence were deeply troubling. But by the mid-20th century, there was an increasing understanding that these toxic problems were inevitable with a societal power dynamic in which men dominated nearly every aspect of life. This […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SUT-L-SDUSD-HQ-1.jpg?w=117 "For more than 180 years after the nation’s founding in 1776, America’s attitudes toward sexism and sexual discrimination, harassment and violence were deeply troubling. But by the mid-20th century, there was an increasing understanding that these toxic problems were inevitable with a societal power dynamic in which men dominated nearly every aspect of life. This […]")
![The never-ending stories coming out of City Hall that make San Diegans incredulous, angry or both continued this week when details of a 50-page report by City Auditor Andy Hanau went public. It documented how often Mayor Todd Gloria and his staff violated contracting rules by increasing spending limits without City Council approval. The audit […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/sut-l-1419212-Mayor-Gloria-002.jpg?w=125 "The never-ending stories coming out of City Hall that make San Diegans incredulous, angry or both continued this week when details of a 50-page report by City Auditor Andy Hanau went public. It documented how often Mayor Todd Gloria and his staff violated contracting rules by increasing spending limits without City Council approval. The audit […]")
![The announcement last week that a sprawling multiagency effort targeting human trafficking during Comic-Con had led to 14 arrests and to 10 potential victims receiving help from authorities was both a welcome sign of aggressive law enforcement and a troubling reminder of how entrenched sex trafficking is in the San Diego region. Officers posed as sex customers and solicited sex on chat websites. They were part of a task force that included the state Department of Justice and CHP, Homeland Security and the FBI, National City and San Diego police, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Those the task […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/LDN-L-SB50-SOHA-0108.jpg?w=136 "The announcement last week that a sprawling multiagency effort targeting human trafficking during Comic-Con had led to 14 arrests and to 10 potential victims receiving help from authorities was both a welcome sign of aggressive law enforcement and a troubling reminder of how entrenched sex trafficking is in the San Diego region. Officers posed as sex customers and solicited sex on chat websites. They were part of a task force that included the state Department of Justice and CHP, Homeland Security and the FBI, National City and San Diego police, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Those the task […]")
![Last week, San Diego hosted one of its biggest tourist events of the year, Comic-Con International 2024. It brought in an estimated $160 million to our local economy, according to the San Diego County Regional Chamber of Commerce. That includes a big boost for hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants and ride-hailing services. But downtown San Diego is not the picturesque scene it once was, and locals know it. So do city officials. On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of anti-camping laws that prohibit homeless people from sleeping in public areas. Yet many visitors who came to the Gaslamp District […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/59d8588a-a24b-40e0-8c44-060def4bc82b.jpg?w=116 "Last week, San Diego hosted one of its biggest tourist events of the year, Comic-Con International 2024. It brought in an estimated $160 million to our local economy, according to the San Diego County Regional Chamber of Commerce. That includes a big boost for hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants and ride-hailing services. But downtown San Diego is not the picturesque scene it once was, and locals know it. So do city officials. On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of anti-camping laws that prohibit homeless people from sleeping in public areas. Yet many visitors who came to the Gaslamp District […]")
![California is full of problems that its leaders are unable to fix, starting with the very related high cost of housing and high levels of homelessness. But what should drive San Diegans bonkers is that on one of the region’s biggest problems — the sewage nightmare shutting beaches, sickening people and causing a steadily spreading stench in the South Bay — elected officials know exactly how to solve it. They could do so by quickly upgrading deficient infrastructure in Tijuana and, to a much lesser extent, on the U.S. side of the border. They just won’t act. Instead, we see […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sut-l-1440565-coronado-sewage-0427-007-2.jpg?w=126 "California is full of problems that its leaders are unable to fix, starting with the very related high cost of housing and high levels of homelessness. But what should drive San Diegans bonkers is that on one of the region’s biggest problems — the sewage nightmare shutting beaches, sickening people and causing a steadily spreading stench in the South Bay — elected officials know exactly how to solve it. They could do so by quickly upgrading deficient infrastructure in Tijuana and, to a much lesser extent, on the U.S. side of the border. They just won’t act. Instead, we see […]")
![Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday that he was dropping out of the presidential race was the right one for the nation. The president’s cognitive decline became impossible to deny after a 24-day stretch in which he froze repeatedly during a debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump and then followed it up with a series of shaky or worse public performances. Biden’s disturbing habit of losing his train of thought and then saying “anyways” as he tried to remember what he was talking about was on repeated display last week in his disjointed speech to the NAACP. Until Sunday, Biden, 81, reportedly […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AP24194016371138.jpg?w=132 "Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday that he was dropping out of the presidential race was the right one for the nation. The president’s cognitive decline became impossible to deny after a 24-day stretch in which he froze repeatedly during a debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump and then followed it up with a series of shaky or worse public performances. Biden’s disturbing habit of losing his train of thought and then saying “anyways” as he tried to remember what he was talking about was on repeated display last week in his disjointed speech to the NAACP. Until Sunday, Biden, 81, reportedly […]")
![The fact that homelessness remains so pervasive in San Diego — despite a dozen-plus years of escalating efforts by our elected leaders — may explain why Mayor Todd Gloria is seeking quick City Council approval of his proposal to lease an approximately 65,000-square-foot warehouse in the Middletown neighborhood and turn it into a 1,000-bed homeless shelter. But three decades of egregious mismanagement by City Hall — of bold, costly plans made without thorough vetting, of unexamined proposals being embraced solely because they sounded good, of elected officials wasting taxpayers’ money because of their incompetent lack of diligence — argues against […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sut-l-supreme-court-homelessness-0620-4-1-3.jpg?w=132 "The fact that homelessness remains so pervasive in San Diego — despite a dozen-plus years of escalating efforts by our elected leaders — may explain why Mayor Todd Gloria is seeking quick City Council approval of his proposal to lease an approximately 65,000-square-foot warehouse in the Middletown neighborhood and turn it into a 1,000-bed homeless shelter. But three decades of egregious mismanagement by City Hall — of bold, costly plans made without thorough vetting, of unexamined proposals being embraced solely because they sounded good, of elected officials wasting taxpayers’ money because of their incompetent lack of diligence — argues against […]")
![The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Butler, Pa., was a sickening manifestation of the ugly division that suffuses American politics. While virtually every prominent leader initially reacted with appropriate calls for calm and unity in the aftermath — including Trump and President Joe Biden — the attack by now-deceased 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks also ended up providing more one more illustration of how much liberals and MAGA conservatives hate and assume the worst about each other. On social media, pundits with hundreds of thousands of followers quickly alleged that Secret Service agents let Crooks […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/unnamed-file-783.jpg?w=132 "The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday in Butler, Pa., was a sickening manifestation of the ugly division that suffuses American politics. While virtually every prominent leader initially reacted with appropriate calls for calm and unity in the aftermath — including Trump and President Joe Biden — the attack by now-deceased 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks also ended up providing more one more illustration of how much liberals and MAGA conservatives hate and assume the worst about each other. On social media, pundits with hundreds of thousands of followers quickly alleged that Secret Service agents let Crooks […]")
![In any fair discussion of whether President Joe Biden should remain a candidate for re-election, one point must be made immediately: Yes, of course, Donald Trump is even more manifestly unsuited to lead the nation. His repeated remarks about the undemocratic and authoritarian policies he will adopt if he returns to the White House should be terrifying. His depiction of the violent attempts by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s election as heroic is mortifying. He is the greatest internal menace that modern America has ever faced. But Republicans are not going to turn […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AP24193788393203.jpg?w=132 "In any fair discussion of whether President Joe Biden should remain a candidate for re-election, one point must be made immediately: Yes, of course, Donald Trump is even more manifestly unsuited to lead the nation. His repeated remarks about the undemocratic and authoritarian policies he will adopt if he returns to the White House should be terrifying. His depiction of the violent attempts by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s election as heroic is mortifying. He is the greatest internal menace that modern America has ever faced. But Republicans are not going to turn […]")
![Three weeks into summer, the climate emergency is demanding attention as heat waves across the West hit all-time extremes. In Northern California, a record of 116 degrees was set last week in Redding. On Friday, forecasters say there is a chance that record will be broken. In Las Vegas, Sunday saw an extreme meteorological irregularity — a new heat record of 120 degrees that broke the old record by 3 degrees. Normally heat records inch up incrementally. This was akin to American Bob Beamon breaking the long jump record by nearly 2 feet at the 1968 Olympics. As Gov. Gavin […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/RPE-L-SYSCO-0421.jpg?w=140 "Three weeks into summer, the climate emergency is demanding attention as heat waves across the West hit all-time extremes. In Northern California, a record of 116 degrees was set last week in Redding. On Friday, forecasters say there is a chance that record will be broken. In Las Vegas, Sunday saw an extreme meteorological irregularity — a new heat record of 120 degrees that broke the old record by 3 degrees. Normally heat records inch up incrementally. This was akin to American Bob Beamon breaking the long jump record by nearly 2 feet at the 1968 Olympics. As Gov. Gavin […]")
![In November 2019 — less than two months after a lengthy investigation by The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Watchdog team showed county jails run by the Sheriff’s Department had done an atrocious job in keeping inmates alive under longtime Sheriff Bill Gore — perhaps the most egregious death in local jail history occurred. Elisa Serna, a 24-year-old pregnant woman, died in the Las Colinas jail “after a sheriff’s deputy and medical worker watched her collapse in her cell and left her alone to die,” as stalwart Watchdog reporter Jeff McDonald wrote July 1. His article dealt with the county’s decision to […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SUT-L-serna-rally-ah-004.jpg?w=132 "In November 2019 — less than two months after a lengthy investigation by The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Watchdog team showed county jails run by the Sheriff’s Department had done an atrocious job in keeping inmates alive under longtime Sheriff Bill Gore — perhaps the most egregious death in local jail history occurred. Elisa Serna, a 24-year-old pregnant woman, died in the Las Colinas jail “after a sheriff’s deputy and medical worker watched her collapse in her cell and left her alone to die,” as stalwart Watchdog reporter Jeff McDonald wrote July 1. His article dealt with the county’s decision to […]")
![On a key question involving criminal justice, states across the nation have made a basic mistake: They reject 100-plus years of evidence from developed nations across the world that crime is mostly a young man’s game. So they lock up tens of thousands of aging prisoners, at extreme expense, for no logical reason. In California, criminal justice reformers have made a basic mistake in the opposition direction. Proposition 47, approved by voters in 2014, reclassified many nonviolent property and drug crimes as misdemeanors. But by putting it into law that retail thefts of up to $950 could only be prosecuted […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sut-z-oe-skelton-0620-1.jpg?w=132 "On a key question involving criminal justice, states across the nation have made a basic mistake: They reject 100-plus years of evidence from developed nations across the world that crime is mostly a young man’s game. So they lock up tens of thousands of aging prisoners, at extreme expense, for no logical reason. In California, criminal justice reformers have made a basic mistake in the opposition direction. Proposition 47, approved by voters in 2014, reclassified many nonviolent property and drug crimes as misdemeanors. But by putting it into law that retail thefts of up to $950 could only be prosecuted […]")
![The debate over how to respond to the crumbling coastal bluffs in Del Mar that imperil a 1.7-mile section of the only rail track linking San Diego County to the rest of the state showcases government at its most frustrating. When it comes to spending other people’s money, politicians and bureaucrats alike ignore the emphasis on best practices and transparency that has long been the norm in well-run businesses and nonprofits. The problems only start with the competence-starved San Diego Association of Governments. Three weeks ago, SANDAG — the region’s main transportation planning agency — announced three potential routes for […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/trainonbluffs.jpg?w=140 "The debate over how to respond to the crumbling coastal bluffs in Del Mar that imperil a 1.7-mile section of the only rail track linking San Diego County to the rest of the state showcases government at its most frustrating. When it comes to spending other people’s money, politicians and bureaucrats alike ignore the emphasis on best practices and transparency that has long been the norm in well-run businesses and nonprofits. The problems only start with the competence-starved San Diego Association of Governments. Three weeks ago, SANDAG — the region’s main transportation planning agency — announced three potential routes for […]")
![President Joe Biden’s newly issued executive order allowing hundreds of thousands of spouses of U.S. citizens without legal immigration status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without having to first leave the nation is a victory for the productive, valuable Americans who have had to wait in line for years — and a win for decency, common sense and humanity. Some Republicans quickly said Biden had exceeded his authority, but for years, courts have generally accepted presidential orders on immigration without much pushback. Yet it’s time to move past narrow views on immigration to look at the big […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/OCR-Z-SS-BENEFITS.jpg?w=132 "President Joe Biden’s newly issued executive order allowing hundreds of thousands of spouses of U.S. citizens without legal immigration status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship without having to first leave the nation is a victory for the productive, valuable Americans who have had to wait in line for years — and a win for decency, common sense and humanity. Some Republicans quickly said Biden had exceeded his authority, but for years, courts have generally accepted presidential orders on immigration without much pushback. Yet it’s time to move past narrow views on immigration to look at the big […]")
![The people who represent the region in the state Legislature face a character test in coming days. Do Assembly members Laurie Davies, Marie Waldron, Brian Maienschein, Tasha Boerner, Chris Ward, Akilah Weber and David Alvarez and Senators Catherine Blakespear, Toni Atkins and Brian Jones believe that businesses should be honest with their customers? On July 1, a much-needed state law takes effect that bans deceptive pricing that hides the true cost of services and goods. An odious trend in recent years has been for many businesses to charge more when it comes time to pay the bills than customers are […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/RPE-L-OLD-RESTAURANTS-IE-0421-08-e1713213116309.jpg?w=140 "The people who represent the region in the state Legislature face a character test in coming days. Do Assembly members Laurie Davies, Marie Waldron, Brian Maienschein, Tasha Boerner, Chris Ward, Akilah Weber and David Alvarez and Senators Catherine Blakespear, Toni Atkins and Brian Jones believe that businesses should be honest with their customers? On July 1, a much-needed state law takes effect that bans deceptive pricing that hides the true cost of services and goods. An odious trend in recent years has been for many businesses to charge more when it comes time to pay the bills than customers are […]")
![The evidence that smartphones and social media have had a painful to a catastrophic effect on millions of younger Americans — plunging many into depression, and spurring eating disorders, thoughts of suicide and antisocial behavior — is no longer in dispute. Among the first to persuasively make this case was San Diego State psychology professor Jean M. Twenge in an instantly famous 2017 essay in The Atlantic headlined “Has the smartphone destroyed a generation?” Her thesis: “The advent of the smartphone and its cousin the tablet was followed quickly by hand-wringing about the deleterious effects of ‘screen time.’ But the […]](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/OCR-L-CALHOPE-1218-01.jpg?w=126 "The evidence that smartphones and social media have had a painful to a catastrophic effect on millions of younger Americans — plunging many into depression, and spurring eating disorders, thoughts of suicide and antisocial behavior — is no longer in dispute. Among the first to persuasively make this case was San Diego State psychology professor Jean M. Twenge in an instantly famous 2017 essay in The Atlantic headlined “Has the smartphone destroyed a generation?” Her thesis: “The advent of the smartphone and its cousin the tablet was followed quickly by hand-wringing about the deleterious effects of ‘screen time.’ But the […]")
