Voice of San Diego

2 days ago | voiceofsandiego.org | Kate Morrissey

Two siblings, ages 15 and 17, sat in Judge Olga Attia’s immigration courtroom, headphones pressed to their ears so they could hear through a Spanish interpreter what the judge was explaining to them. Attia, appearing on a television screen above the judge’s desk that morning in early April, talked through the children’s rights in immigration court, including some of the ways that children’s cases differ from adult cases.

5 days ago | voiceofsandiego.org | Jakob McWhinney

It’s done.  At yet another packed, raucous board meeting on Thursday night, Grossmont Union High School District Trustees voted to approve the layoffs that have for months roiled the community. District officials have argued the layoffs were necessary to ensure the long-term fiscal health of the district, which is projecting a multi-million-dollar deficit over three years.

5 days ago | voiceofsandiego.org | Deborah Sullivan Brennan

First term Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins wants to build homes and rebuild social safety nets in California and in her district in southeastern San Diego. Sharp-Collins was elected in November, replacing former Assemblymember Akilah Weber Pierson, who was elected to the state Senate. I sat down with Sharp-Collins last week to discuss her priorities for the 79th District, which includes La Mesa, Lemon Grove and parts of the city of San Diego.

6 days ago | voiceofsandiego.org | Bella Ross

At a Tuesday budget meeting, San Diego city councilmembers echoed the sentiments of residents angry about a plan to implement paid parking at Balboa Park. The common ground? Keep parking free, unless you’re a tourist. Tourists, in this case, aren’t just “zonies,” but also residents of nearby cities such as Chula Vista and La Mesa who share at least one thing in common: their local tax dollars don’t support the park.

6 days ago | voiceofsandiego.org | Lisa Halverstadt

Police countywide arrested hundreds of repeat drug offenders in the months after California voters approved Proposition 36, which promised to offer treatment rather than simply jail time and a felony record. But until last month, the region didn’t have a formal process to connect Proposition 36 offenders with treatment and put the felony cases against them on hold.