Voice of San Diego Podcast

San Diego is our home, but it’s also a city of broken dreams. We’ve got two today: A temporary fire station is still temporary 11 years later and school district officials promised to fix the plumbing in a prominent local school in three different campaigns for tax increases and it’s still not fixed. Also on the show: Last week when we recorded, Eric Swalwell was the frontrunner in the governor’s race. Now he’s not in the race. The cancelings are going warp speed. We’ll give our uninformed thoughts on the governor’s race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer wants to stay in office longer and wants other reforms that would “improve transparency.” On this week's show, our podcast hosts explain the whole package she plans to propose to San Diego voters. It’s all coming at a time when county officials continue to fight us on the release of public records. We are suing the county and our hosts offer more details about our fight to get records released. Also on the show: Could the city of San Diego lose Liberty Station? There is a real possibility this could happen. We talk about the potential outcomes. Plus, believe it or not we have more news on the Midway district saga. Finally, South County reporter Jim Hinch joins us to update us on Chula Vista politics! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When your neighbors don't like nudity, head to a nudist colony! On today's episode, Andrea, Bella, and Jakob talked about a lot of different topics today and even got to mention yellow thong bikini bottoms. In the first season of HBO's TV show Neighbors, episode six features a local man who believes he is being wronged by his neighbors and others around San Diego. Why? He likes to work out in the front yard of his property which has neighbors concerned. San Diego Unified teachers approved a tentative agreement that grants them five percent raises over the next two years and other perks, but our Jakob McWhinney has been following some of the drama behind the deal. Also on the show: MacKenzie Elmer joined us to discuss her story on why humans may be to blame for the orphaning of two bear cubs in Monrovia, California. After three years of reporting...and waiting...we have one more quick Petco Park concession scandal update after the attorney general of California sued the ringleaders of the scheme to try to recover the money. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Andrea and Bella out, Scott Lewis, Jakob McWhinney, and Will Huntsberry held it down. Former County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher is re-emerging post-controversy, holding a press conference, giving speeches, and launching a Substack, "Grounded," about his life on a family ranch. The Padres' strong season and high franchise value ($3.5B+) fuel sale rumors. Potential bidders include Dan Friedkin, Jose Feliciano, Joe Lacob, and Tom Gores. SB 958 has been filed to exempt the 4,200-home Midway Rising project (including an arena) from CEQA, bypassing potential traffic-related legal challenges. City staff discovered that Chicano Park and a nearby property intended for the Boston Avenue Linear Park were incorrectly zoned for commercial use in the 2021 community plan. The errors came to light when community members questioned the potential sale of one of the sites by Caltrans to Soapy Joe’s car wash. City Council recently voted to correct the zoning to reflect the intended park use. San Diego has a water surplus and is selling it, including a deal to provide 10,000 acre-feet annually to Temecula, expected to net $100 million over five years. San Diego's One America News Network filed a restraining order against influencer Chelsea Goss (Gods) after she protested Matt Gaetz's hiring; Goss responded with an anti-SLAPP motion. 2:21 Nathan Fletcher re-ermerges 6:10 #Padres Opening Day and new potential buyer announced 22:09 Midway Rising files to be exempt from CEQA 32:25 We can't do this without you! 33:22 Chicano Park zoning issue 44:28 San Diego's selling water! 59:52 OANN vs Chelsea Gods See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been nearly two years since Scott Wahl became San Diego top cop. For the latest VOSD Podcast episode, our hosts Scott Lewis and Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña sat down with Chief Wahl to discuss policing and more. With the federal governments immigration enforcement efforts, what is the San Diego Police Department's the role? Are officers prepared for possible attacks from Iran? License plate readers are just one of the many tools police have to investigate crimes. What do license plate readers know about us? How often are we being watched by technology? And can AI help the police department be more efficient? Plus: How does the department handle misconduct investigations? And, what changes has Chief Wahl implemented to reduce police overtime? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode we get into a really big news week for local politics with longtime Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announcing he will not seek reelection. The podcast crew talks about what that means. After two years and lots of investigating, VOSD's Will Huntsberry saw the finish line for his story which uncovered a fake non profit running concessions at Petco Park - and pocketing around $2 million. He explains what the news is. Finally, the local non profit that prosecutors say stole county money has provoked questions about county oversight. A "special review" is now underway. We'll explain. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode Scott Lewis and Jakob McWhinney sit down with San Diego Unified School Board members Cody Petterson and Shana Hazan. They talk about the current challenges facing San Diego schools, declining enrollment, budget issues, and how they want to make San Diego schools succeed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode we span all over the news world from sports, to politics, to parking meters. The second home tax is back. This time it spares vacation rentals. However, it’s on a fast track to the ballot. We tell you how it will work. Lisa Halverstadt had a big update after prosecutors said they believe a nonprofit executive may have misallocated even more funds meant to save people from overdoses of fentanyl and heroin. The crew talked about former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey running for city council last week and this week Scott reached out and shared some further clarifications for Bailey's future. A Padres pitcher had an unfortunate injury in Spring Training but Scott Lewis decided to take this opportunity for a little PSA. Finally, our intern Rami Alarian joined us to talk about his story about police using helicopters to break up college house parties. We are on YouTube now! Watch the podcast and see Bella's videos at youtube.com/voiceofsandiego, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it time we take a serious look at Slopulism as a form of journalism? After rising to national relevance investigating Minneapolis child care facilities for fraud, Nick Shirley came to San Diego and teamed up with Amy Reichert. Why is this form of journalism catching on? Is there something we can take from the reporting? The podcast crew talks about the rising wave of Slopulism. The county has some explaining to do after the DA uncovered fraud even though the person in question had already been convicted of embezzlement. Our Lisa Halverstadt broke the news that Amy Knox, who had managed the Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego’s finances, was charged with three felony counts of misappropriation of public money and three felony counts of fraudulent appropriation for allegedly using nonprofit funds for plastic surgeries, high-end clothes, a vacation to Hawaii and more. Also on the show: Former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey announced he is going to be running for San Diego City Council as a non partisan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When someone tells you they don't have information, dig a little deeper. On this week's episode the VOSD Podcast crew broke down Jakob McWhinney's reporting on some startling stats on how empty San Diego Unified School district schools are. Yet another chapter in the enrollment crisis they refuse to discuss. The Republican Party in San Diego used to have big meetings and lots of influence in town. Now, not so much. We give our thoughts on the state of the Republican party in San Diego. Also on the podcast: Bad Bunny's Super Bowl hafltime show was controversial, but we think President Donald Trump could have used to this to make people love him. Also, we talk about the guy who touched off chaos in Minnesota with his video alleging widespread fraud. He came to San Diego. We tell you what we know about what he actually found and did not find. We are on YouTube now! Watch our podcasts every Friday by visting youtube.com/voiceofsandiego. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Changing term limits may not just be a national news story. San Diego now has an attempt to change term limits. Our own Lisa Hlaverstadt dug in and reported on a county supervisor considering pushing reforms that may include electing a county mayor. In other words there’d be a mayor and a mayor. Our hosts tells you what everything means and what has to happen. The Epstein Files are proving to include many, many, many high profile "leaders". Jakob McWhinney went down the rabbit hole and explained why one of San Diego's own was found in the files, and what was being alleged. Also on the show: Sheel Seidler drops majority of claims in her lawsuit which should pave the way for a sale of the team. We discussed the H barracks parking situation and found a little more information as to why people can't park there during the day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The temperature seems to be rising, and it has nothing to do with weather. Whether it's immigration or short-term rentals, things are heating up. In this week's episode our hosts were joined by chair of the San Diego Democratic Party, Will Rodriguez-Kennedy to discuss issues we will likely talk about in 2026. First, last Friday activists barricaded themselves in Mayor Todd Gloria's office to protest ICE presence in San Diego. Bella Ross broke down what the role of SDPD is if and when a similar situation to Minneapolis descends on San Diego. There is a growing problem in San Diego in regards to a housing shortage in San Diego while short term rentals are being bought up by public investment firms. Our hosts discuss what the city needs to do to protect housing while allowing these businesses to operate. Finally, Will Rodriguez-Kennedy gave his thoughts on some of the upcoming political races in 2026. He also gave a little behind the scenes look into how political candidates are handled when it may be time to drop out of their respective race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

San Diego’s mayor had one message for the city: we are at a pivotal point in San Diego's history. In the latest episode, Todd Gloria delivered his state of the city address and our hosts discussed if the problems he laid out had realistic solutions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just three weeks into 2026 and the VOSD Podcast is firing on all cylinders. Today's episode features many different topics, including a look into something host Scott Lewis could not believe was happening, and may even think it provides some vindication for one San Diego figure. It's the most wonderful time of the year! Ok, maybe not, but with 2026 underway we were all looking ahead to Mayor Todd Gloria's State of the City address. Our own Will Hunstberry published a deep look into how leaders of San Diego feel Mayor Gloria has done since last year's State of the City address. Bella Ross took a look at the San Diego River and the developments built on the flood plain, which can cause major problems for homes and businesses when San Diego gets heavy rain. Plus, why is there always one person who gets stuck in a flooded street near Fashion Valley? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We had 3 of the 4 member of the show in for the first traditional episode of 2026. Scott, Jakob, and Bella discussed the hottest issue to hit San Diego in 2026...BALBOA PARK PARKING FEES. Plus, they get into the crowds that swarmed the tide pools, RV parking at the beach, and a decision on the Midway District height limit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To start the new year the VOSD Podcast decided to have Scott Lewis sit down with Amy Reichert. Amy is a member of the Republican party and has run for several diffferent offices in San Diego. As a licensed private investigator, she is now reporting on local issues in San Diego. Scott talked with her about the current state of the Republican party, her feuds with Carl DeMaio over the years, her efforts with Restore San Diego, and a lot more on local issues that face all San Diegans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the year draws to a close, we've revisited some major stories for updates. Bella provided a follow-up on an earlier video she created, and Jakob gave us the latest on what may have been the year's most clicked story: bots scamming colleges. Enjoy the rest of your holiday season! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We were down one member of the show with Andrea Sanchez-Vallafana out for this show but don't worry Scott, Bella, and Jakob held it down. They talked about an unfortunate misprint in the San Diego Union Tribune, but it may be indicative of a bigger problem. San Diego County is increasing taxes and the crew talked about the year ahead in local politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's episode of the VOSD Podcast covers a wide variety of very unique topics. First, the San Dieguito Union High School District is taking heat for a 24 hour live broadcast they allowed in a high school gym. The County of San Diego moved some money around to cover county bonuses. Finally, the San Diego Unified School Distract is at a loss for one of their projects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this weeks episode of the VOSD Podcast we have a lot of juicy topics to discuss. Is Congressman Darrell Issa going to run....in Texas? Will corporate backing of a trash tax repeal push the repeal forward? And Beef Week was in full swing and our very own Bell Ross, Jakob McWhinney, and Jim Hinch brought their stories to the podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.