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Saturday's officer-involved shooting, explained | David Hernandez Jun 30, 2020

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Within 24 hours of a police shooting that critically wounded a man in downtown San Diego, police on Sunday released footage of the encounter as protesters took to the streets and local elected leaders demanded transparency.

The man, who police identified as Leonardo Hurtado Ibarra, 25, of San Diego, suffered life-threatening injuries. He was hospitalized in an intensive care unit Sunday, police said.

Police released four video clips, captured by the body-worn cameras of two officers who shot Ibarra, a streetlight camera and a security camera. The video shows that the 5:47 p.m. shooting on Sixth Avenue occurred about 10 seconds after the officers got out of their patrol car.

Will office culture survive COVID-19? | Brittany Meiling Jun 26, 2020

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After roughly 100 days camped out at dining room tables or propped up on pillows while Zooming from their beds, many white-collar workers across San Diego are slowly coming to a realization: working from home might actually be permanent.

Some think it’s because a post-pandemic world will never exist, and workers must be protected from health threats. Others say it’s more to do with business accounting, as saving money on rent is wise for any company in a shaky economy.

Either way, many businesses in San Diego are in the midst of difficult conversations about how and when they will return to the office — or whether they’ll permanently say goodbye to their office-centric lifestyle.

Some are already downsizing their square footage, while others have negotiated their way out of leases entirely.

SDPD enacts new de-escalation policy | Teri Figueroa Jun 26, 2020

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San Diego police now have standalone policy calling for officers to attempt to de-escalate encounters when they can, and a new imperative that officers intervene if they see another officer using unreasonable force, the mayor and police chief announced Wednesday.

De-escalation “is important, because de-escalation tactics help officers to defuse a situation, enhance the officer’s — and the public’s — safety, and lessens unintended consequences,"Mayor Kevin Faulconer said at a midday news conference at police headquarters. “And as a result, of course, results in lives saved.”

The department has long taught de-escalation techniques. The change here is that the officers are now required to use them if safe and reasonable in the situation — and that requirement is among the demands from those pushing for policing reform, from activists to police advisory and review boards in San Diego.

Police review board gets closer to becoming a ballot measure | David Garrick Jun 24, 2020

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The San Diego City Council Tuesday unanimously endorsed plans for a new police review board that would have the power to launch independent misconduct investigations and subpoena witnesses. A formal vote to place it on the November ballot is set for July 7.

“It is time to shift power into the hands of the community and to have a more transparent board,” said Councilwoman Monica Montgomery, the City Council’s only Black member. “I’m happy that we’re moving this forward as part of a comprehensive plan for police reform.”

Other recent reform efforts in San Diego include a ban on police officers using carotid restraints, new Police Department de-escalation procedures and creation of an Office on Race and Equity.

Audit: Sweetwater school district financial mismanagement may be fraud | Kristen Taketa Jun 23, 2020

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A state fiscal agency found “significant evidence” that current and former employees with the Sweetwater Union High School District may have committed fraud, misappropriation of funds or other illegal practices, according to the results of a long-awaited audit report announced Monday night by the San Diego County superintendent of schools.

The report also found violations of board policy, education and government code, and securities laws, San Diego County Superintendent Paul Gothold said.

Sweetwater Superintendent Karen Janney and district finance staff violated their fiduciary duties, the report found. District staff intentionally misrepresented the district’s finances and left out and delayed information when presenting the district’s finances to the school board and to bond market participants, the report said.

Some financial staff referenced in the report are no longer with the district, including the chief financial officer. Janney has led the district since 2015.

20 years, 217 dead: San Diego's police-related deaths | Teri Figueroa Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Death at the hands of law enforcement has come under renewed scrutiny in the weeks since a Minneapolis police officer spent eights minutes, 46 seconds with his knee pressed down on George Floyd’s neck as Floyd lay on the ground. The officer was White, Floyd was Black. Since late May, people have taken to the streets across the country to protest police bias and racial injustice, and to demand reforms.

The demonstrations shine a spotlight on long-running tensions between law enforcement and communities of color, even in San Diego County, where residents say they are over-policed.

Police say race is not a factor in the split-second decisions to use force, but rather they consider the totality of circumstances.

What primary education will look like in the fall | Kristen Taketa Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

School districts are getting ready to reopen this fall, and many plan to let parents choose what kind of schooling they want for their kids — normal in-person school, online learning, or a blended model that combines both.

A county health order issued Monday allows schools in San Diego County to hold classes on campus as long as they comply with state reopening guidelines and post detailed reopening plans.

Several San Diego County school districts anticipate some version of blended learning, with part of their instruction taking place on campus in smaller than usual classes and the rest occurring at home online.

Some districts say they may also offer a parallel track consisting exclusively of online instruction for students who need stricter health protections or whose parents prefer a more cautious approach.

Supreme Court rules 5-4 in support of DACA | Kate Morrissey Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

In a striking rebuke to President Trump, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected his plan to repeal the popular Obama-era order that protected so-called Dreamers, the nearly 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to this country illegally as children.

Led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the court called the decision to cancel the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, arbitrary and not justified. The program allows these young people to register with the government, and if they have clean records, to obtain a work permit. At least 27,000 of these DACA recipients are employed as healthcare workers.

Trump had been confident that high court with its majority of Republican appointees would rule in his favor and say the chief executive had the power to “unwind” the policy.

Advocates say carotid restraint ban was motivated by politics, not policy | Greg Moran Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

In San Diego, police agencies for years had insisted that the restraint was necessary.

But within 48 hours of San Diego’s decision, every department in the county announced it, too, was banning use of the hold. Sheriff Bill Gore, whose department employed Ward, initially said the department would continue to use it. But the next day he reversed course and said while he still believed the hold is safe he would follow suit.

Read the story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2020-06-16/banning-carotid-restraint-motivated-by-politics-more-than-policy-reformers-say

Inside San Diego's largest homeless shelter | Gary Warth Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

Life inside San Diego’s largest homeless shelter can be tranquil, relaxing and friendly.

And it could be a place where women are frightened by men who leer at them. Where possessions often go missing. Where sleep is disturbed every night by the sound of someone screaming.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that 1,300 people living at the city’s largest homeless shelter — in the San Diego Convention Center — are not going to have a shared experience.

Depending on who you ask, the bathrooms are either horrible or the best part of the shelter. The effort to find people permanent housing is either running smoothly or at a snail’s pace. The days can be tedious or can be pleasant and peaceful.

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