One of the nation’s oldest and most influential environmental groups is bleeding members in San Diego County and California at large.
To combat that, the local chapter is actively recruiting members in South Bay. The largely-Latino, working class population which faces some of the region’s worst pollution and environmental crises is underrepresented in the traditional Sierra Club’s San Diego membership.
It’s 27-year-old Charles Rilli’s job to change that.
Our South Bay reporter Jim Hinch embedded himself in local Sierra Club lobbying to unveil the organization’s shifting focal points. A Sierra Club dominated by North County membership latched onto issues like slowing residential housing growth and preserving open space or fighting climate change.
If Rilli is successful in growing South County interest, Sierra Club could redirect its powerful political resources to topics like air and sewage pollution, park access and affordable housing, Hinch writes.
20 Years of Impact: When Voice Discovered San Diego Unified Inflated Graduation Rates
The news would sound even more impossible now as graduation rates at San Diego Unified have hovered around 80 percent for nearly a decade.
But in 2016 the district announced a jaw-dropping stat: 92 percent of seniors were on track to graduate that year.
That was way higher than the statewide average. And somehow San Diego Unified said they had pulled that off just as it adopted more rigorous graduation standards.
Too good to be true, our then-education reporter Mario Koran revealed in a series of stories over that year.
Koran discovered thousands of students who started as ninth graders at one San Diego Unified school were excluded from the final tally. But some low-performing students were intentionally advised to leave district schools for charter schools.
Both things falsely inflated the district’s graduation rate.
About those Federal Task Forces
We updated yesterday’s Morning Report to clarify that none of the federal task forces that the San Diego Police Department is currently on would be banned under the new rules the City Council approved Monday.
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera told our City Hall reporter that he has no knowledge of SDPD currently sitting on any task forces related to immigration enforcement, or that target protected personal characteristics, therefore none of the current task forces would be barred.
You can read the updated post here.
What County Supes Did on Tuesday
It was another busy Tuesday for the county Board of Supervisors. Here’s a rundown of their votes.
-Supervisors gave county staff the go-ahead to begin talks with the state to buy what is expected to be a $2 million plot of land for a tiny home project in Lemon Grove. (Union-Tribune) The previously unexpected cost – which popped up following federal opposition to an initial $1 a month lease deal – is the latest setback to hit county efforts to deliver a homeless shelter.
-Board Democrats advanced Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe’s proposal to seek a feasibility plan to create an inspector general’s office to oversee the sheriff’s department that would report to supervisors. (Union-Tribune)
-Board Democrats approved Chair Terra Lawson-Remer’s proposals to clarify rules for federal authorities entering county facilities and consider legal options against suppliers of counterfeit gear kidnappers may use.
-The board unanimously approved Republican Supervisor Joel Anderson’s proposal to “Trump proof” county documentation of its facilities to help the county avoid Federal Emergency Management Administration reimbursement hiccups in the event of a federal disaster. After due diligence, the board directed county staff to kickstart and complete a competitive bidding process within 120 days and to institute data privacy and civil liberty safeguards.
-Anderson joined board Democrats to reject fellow Republican Jim Desmond’s push for the county to back statewide restrictions or bans on foreign investment in housing. (City News Service)
-The county’s getting a new firefighting helicopter. (NBC 7)
In Other News
NASCAR reveals its plan to design a 16-turn, 3.4 mile race course at Naval Base Coronado for next year’s NASCAR San Diego Weekend. The event will take place from June 19 to June 21 in 2026 and will celebrate the Navy’s 250th anniversary. (NASCAR)
A small plane landed on Mission Beach’s shoreline after experiencing an engine failure, NBC 7 reports. According to police, there were no passenger or bystander injuries and the aircraft wasn’t damaged. (NBC 7)
Jimmy Butler, NBA star and Poway resident, invests in San Diego Wave, the local professional women’s soccer team. (NBC 7)
Residents may experience hold-ups when trying to check out or buy books from San Diego Public Library branch locations. The library system will have to re-order thousands of books after their main vendor, Baker & Taylor, stopped supplying book orders. (inewsource)
A San Diego City Council committee will decide whether a vote to tax vacation home operators will be on the 2026 ballot. The proposal, brought forth by Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, is said to help address the housing and affordability crisis. (inewsource)
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Lisa Halverstadt and Jenna Ramiscal. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.