Coronado, one of the county's smallest cities, can't see how it will ever meet its share of the region's housing goals. Home to two large Navy bases, the land-locked, built-out, high-priced city was allocated 1,000 …
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Stories by Sheila Pell
One of the last affordable housing niches along Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach is closing. Those living at Siesta RV, Trailer and Mobile Home Park are mostly low income, elderly, living on fixed incomes. Where …
On August 7, after months of meetings and tinkering with different plans for 5G regulations, county supervisors chose a path. The new rules will guide the placement of next generation technology in the unincorporated areas, …
Last Tuesday, July 23, the San Diego City Council heard from critics, loud and clear, before voting to approve 5G guidelines. While the city touts its stealth designs, techno-blight isn't the only thing opponents care …
Who knew back in 1977, when the Coastal Act was passed, that the sea would rise so quickly? Now, cities and the agency formed to protect the coastline, must deal with it - and with …
Time is ticking, deadlines loom. Del Mar needed affordable housing yesterday, and they will need it tomorrow. The city has until 2021 to fulfill their low-income housing allocation for the current housing element. That's 12 …
The city of San Diego has approved two new curbside recycling contracts, and they come with a twist. In 2017, recycling brought in four million dollars. The following year, three million. This year it's down …
La Costa Ave. missing time capsule found In the 1970s, Encinitas sheriff’s deputies would make the Leucadia rest area one of their first stops in their morning patrols, to kick out squatting hippies and camping …
Summer means sidewalk sales. And now, starting this summer, even more sidewalk sales. In January, a state law took effect that makes it easier for street vendors, whether stationary or roaming, to hawk everything from …
Port officials looking to expand local aquaculture heard some good news this month. A two-year project by federal scientists that mapped the potential for aquaculture in the U.S. found ample promise in San Diego. And …
Even where public safety may be at risk, seawall applicants are in for a fight. Armoring the coast has become the equivalent of overprescribing antibiotics. "It's gonna get ugly," said Maricela Morales of the California …
It's not all coasting as San Diego works out new rules for dockless rides. The city has to balance climate action goals with the needs of citizens who feel they've been pushed off the sidewalk …
As cannabis facilities grow, so does the traffic around them. Emissions increase, air quality degrades. Yet the San Diego City Council is ignoring those environmental impacts. That’s what several appeals of permits for three new …
What happens when toxic wastewater escapes cleansing, crosses an international border, picks up more pollutants, dodges treatment again, and finds its way onto beaches? Lawsuits. After decades of spills, of human and environmental health threats, …
According to a new report, San Diego is among the five California counties that have the most homes in high fire risk zones. The county has 254,400 housing units in brushy, steep, and hard to …
On June 19, the San Diego City Council took on a staff error made in 2015 that limited the growth of schools, assembly, entertainment, and religious uses. That code change has been hard on charter …
Smoking lounges, neighborhood grows, and pot dispensaries won't go on the ballot in Imperial Beach, but where exactly will they go? Anywhere? On April 27, a judge upheld the city's decision to deny a petition …
The lot is irregular, and so is the proposed housing model; developers see it as lemons to lemonade. Neighbors and some National City planning commissioners, however, see the four-unit communal living style project as a …
In 2004 Escondido passed an ordinance to charge an annual fee to register burglar alarms. When the program rolled out, affecting both homes and businesses, alarm owners were confused and frustrated by questions about their …
On January 1, when recreational pot became legal in California, so did its sale and consumption at county fairgrounds, where businesses can host events such as festivals. But first come the permits, and that's not …
It's a rule that small composters love, trash haulers dread, and the city can live with. On December 7, the City of San Diego’s Environment Committee voted in favor of a code change that will …
It's one of those fuzzy numbers on a utility bill; in this case, a water-sevice fee charged by Carefree Ranch Mobile Home Park in Escondido, where 77 of its 185 spaces fall under the city's …
On October 18th, dozens of Escondido residents rallied one last time to keep their public library from being outsourced to an East Coast company. The library belongs to the community, they told the city council; …
Under state laws meant to boost the housing supply, cities are revamping their codes to make way for accessory dwelling units: granny flats. They're also finding ways to restrict them, as some Coronado residents argued …
As other beach areas shed their bikesharing stations, with 15 to be removed this week, Imperial Beach is paving ground for the new wave; dockless. On September 6, the Imperial Beach City Council passed a …
Over the next two weeks, the National City Council will make a list. A green list. It will include, among other conditions, the "certified biodegradable" products Perry Ford can use at its auto shop across …
Last November, Lemon Grove voters passed a measure that repeals a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. Supporters saw it as a big step forward, but now some say there's a flaw in the rules. On …
The rent hikes are small but steady. Escondido's mobilehome rent control ordinance protects seniors and disabled residents from steep monthly increases; not the $10 kind. However small, a routine bump in space rent can be …
On Jun. 19, the National City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Compassionate City resolution in support of its immigrants. While no one opposed the designation, the special meeting was a re-hearing on the issue …
Everything is special in the coastal zone: surf, views, and land-use rules. Among the rules are ones that protect everyone's access to the beach. Those rules are being violated by the city of Del Mar's …
Like other cities, Escondido is planning for the mass deployment of fifth generation technology. As both officials and carriers see it, it's time to make the permit process for the "small cells" that can accommodate …
Coronado wants to make bicycling safer by issuing more affordable tickets, and more of them. An ordinance introduced by the City Council on May 16 would reduce fines for 38 minor violations of state and …
As high tourist season approaches, Del Mar is on edge. What will happen with vacation rentals? Last month, the city council drew a line in the sidewalk, separating homes and commerce. Interpreting the zoning code, …
Complaints about Lemon Grove Pets have piled up over the years. Online reviews describe crowded cages, empty bowls, and odors. The store, which sells fish, birds, cats, rabbits and other small pets and animal supplies, …
Vista planners wants to make it easier, or in some cases harder, to operate cell towers and antennas. On March 21, the planning commission held a public hearing to discuss two proposed zoning ordinances (see …
On rugged land north of San Diego Safari Zoo Park, developers want to build a less exotic version of the park; a rich habitat for upper-income humans. The vision statement for Safari Highlands Ranch describes …
Several south coast counties restrict wood burning fireplaces, but San Diego isn’t one of them. Not yet. “Although it is not prohibited, wood burning in the home is a growing source of air pollution in …
Escondido farms need affordable water. Though the city plans to build a recycled-water treatment plant, many residents drawn to a recent city-council meeting were not in favor of living near a “membrane filtration/ reverse osmosis …
On November 16, after two years of negotiation with Habitat for Humanity, the City of Poway rejected an affordable-housing project for veterans. Now what? The city still needs 504 affordable-housing units to meet state mandates. …
A battle over the entry to an underground parking garage in Leucadia has been decided in favor of the developer. At a public hearing on November 9, the Encinitas City Council voted to deny two …
More accidents are waiting to happen. That’s what residents say as Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol investigate why a truck flew off the San Diego-Coronado bridge and landed in Chicano Park on October 15. …
Granny flats won’t be pushed out. They keep coming back, even though wealthier cities have thwarted them with a slew of door-slamming zoning codes. Starting next January, a new state law will make it easier …
It used to be easier to get to the beach in Del Mar, and most residents wish they could turn back the clock. All they want is a convenient way to cross the railroad tracks …
Last month, Solana Beach announced the hunt for a service provider to help launch the county’s first local power program, which aims to curb greenhouse gases. This month, a war on community choice aggregation, as …
In Coronado, pedestrians face new restrictions on crossing two major streets at intersections near the bridge. The roadway, also known as SR-75, runs to and from the bridge along Third and Fourth streets, acting as …
It’s one thing to fly a paper kite at the beach and another to control a metal drone that can weigh more than a watermelon. But both objects can be played with in public, which …
There are several places in San Diego where local laws ban smoking, such as beaches and parks. But for the 46 percent of residents who are renters, unless they live in public housing, landlords make …
A private funeral on May 13 for Charles Keating, a Navy SEAL killed in combat in Iraq last week, was followed by a procession of vehicles along Coronado’s Avenue of Heroes. That route, SR-282, is …
Should a dangerous road belong to the city or the state? On March 15, the Coronado City Council took up the topic of AB 2075, a bill that seeks to relinquish State Route 75 to …
They are among the last of their kind in San Diego County — a small batch of Southern California steelhead trout, trapped in a fish bowl: the San Luis Rey River. Once, they were easy …