California\u2019s state lawmakers are getting down to the wire with 10 days left in the session. A ninth-inning push to help a billionaire-backed sports arena and housing project in San Diego is rounding third base, writes Nadia Lathan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was in Sacramento this week lobbying for a bill by state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson that would prevent litigious opponents from stalling the project, called Midway Rising.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also, state Sen. Catherine Blakespear\u2019s bill that would allow judges to order mental health evaluations of people with serious psychiatric disorders and floundering in the state\u2019s CARE Court program didn\u2019t make it through this session.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read more in the Sacramento Report here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The Politics Report goes in for more: What exactly is happening now and what could be coming with Midway Rising? It\u2019s the biggest land deal on public land in San Diego since the transfer of Mission Valley to SDSU. They want to get it done by Dec. 4 and they have the timeline to do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Members can get more from the Politics Report here.<\/a><\/p>\n VOSD Podcast: Joe LaCava Wants to Evict Us<\/p>\n In the latest episode, the crew sits down with San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava to dig deeper into the controversial Sacramento maneuver that could help the Midway Rising development \u2026 rise. (See above.)<\/p>\n They also talk to him about the Mission Bay bathroom closures and try to get to the bottom of who is really to blame for the city\u2019s budget fallout.<\/p>\n Also on the show: LaCava dishes on SeaWorld\u2019s fireworks-to-drone-show transition, the escalating conflict between beachgoers and La Jolla\u2019s growing sea lion colony and La Jolla\u2019s secession effort.<\/p>\n Hot take alert: It\u2019s no secret that City Hall is falling apart. Groups are investing a lot of time, money and energy looking for ways to revitalize the city\u2019s civic core.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just let 401 B St. become the new city hall, LaCava said, and then the groups can focus on revitalizing the area without worrying about City Hall. (Our offices are at 401 B St. We\u2019re guessing some elected officials won\u2019t want us as neighbors. Should we start packing our bags?)\u00a0<\/p>\n Listen to the full show here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Bye, Bye Big Bay Boom?\u00a0<\/p>\n Not too long ago, Joe LaCava led the fight<\/a> to end Sea World\u2019s fireworks show.\u00a0<\/p>\n We asked him how things were going on the VOSD Podcast. LaCava said no one is happier than dog owners, but visitors and Sea World\u2019s leaders are also happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey are fully invested in drones,\u201d LaCava said on the podcast about Seaworld. \u201cThey are very happy with the public\u2019s reception to the drone shows.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Others are also making the switch and the public is embracing it, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n What does this mean for the Big Bay Boom<\/a>? Is it going to survive?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think its days are numbered,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Other News\u00a0<\/p>\n Driverless robotaxi company Waymo got the greenlight<\/a> from the California Public Utilities Commission to begin working in San Diego. The company has been testing their vehicles here since 2025. (KPBS)<\/p>\n The San Diego Seals professional indoor lacrosse team announced it would no longer play at Pechanga Arena<\/a> in the Midway sports arena district. They\u2019re moving to Oceanside\u2019s Frontwave Arena. (Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Energy selected a lab at the University of California-San Diego<\/a> to build an \u201cAI scientist\u201d that can deploy AI models onto specialized chips to fuel fundamental physics and quantum computing. (UCSD)<\/p>\n