San Diego News Fix

The developer of an East Village highrise apartment building wants to house its poorer renters in a separate building next door. Even as affordable housing advocates are praising the developer for building much-needed low-income housing, there are some who suggest the proposal sounds like segregation. Canadian developer Pinnacle International's plans envision a separate entrance for low-income renters at the proposed Pinnacle Pacific Heights complex that would not allow them access to amenities like a roof deck and pool for wealthier renters. If approved, the project would mark the first time a downtown developer has put low-income units in a different building as opposed to incorporating them into the same complex. The proposed market-rate tower, between A and B streets on 11th Avenue, is 32 stories and includes 387 housing units. A smaller, eight-story building would have 58 low-income apartments and be adjacent to the main tower.

A proposed observation tower at the edge of Pacific Highway is a polarizing symbol of change that could make or break the larger, $2.4 billion redevelopment effort planned for downtown’s Central Embarcadero. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/story/2019-07-19/seaport-san-diego-tower-is-like-nothing-else-on-californias-coast-thats-the-problem

If you’re under the impression that San Diego Comic-Con has sold its soul, ditching comic books in favor of Hollywood, video games and “Comic-Con exclusive” toys, listen to Bob Bretall. “There are more comics at this Con than any other four conventions put together,” said Bretall, 57, a Mission Viejo resident who holds the Guinness World Record for most unique volumes (103,000). “The people who say the Con isn’t about comics any more, they don’t know what they are talking about.” Comic-Con, which ends its 50th run Sunday, is actually 10 or 12 different pop culture shows occurring simultaneously. Hall H, the San Diego Convention Center’s cavernous ballroom, is dominated by A-List actors and directors. Ballroom 20 is Ground Zero for TV premieres. In a galaxy far, far away — the exhibit hall’s north end — there’s a hive of buying and selling, the New York Stock Exchange trading floor for candy-colored publications that once sold for 10 cents. Kids’ stuff? If you’re a comics collector here, you’ll need a huge all

Two horses died Thursday morning in a freak training accident at Del Mar, track officials confirmed. Mac McBride, director of media for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, said one of the horses, Carson Valley, was an unraced 3-year-old trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. The other horse, a 2-year-old named Charge a Bunch, was trained by Carla Gaines. Jockey Assael Espinoza — who was riding Carson Valley — was transported to a local hospital, Del Mar said in a statement. “He’s OK, he got lucky,” said Brian Beach, Espinoza’s agent. “It’s just a mild sprain of the back. He wasn’t riding [Thursday], so he will rest up and hopefully be able to ride this weekend.” Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/horse-racing/story/2019-07-18/del-mar-horses-die-freak-training-accident

Confusion and uncertainty loomed over the first day of the Trump administration’s new policy that limits the number of asylum seekers allowed to enter the United States through the southern border. The Trump administration announced the new asylum policy on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday morning, hundreds of migrants — mostly from Honduras, Guatemala, Ghana, Cameroon and Mexico — anxiously waited in line to see if their names would be called from an ever-growing wait-list of those ready to enter the U.S. Mexican immigration officials transported 12 people — including those from Venezuela and Haiti — to the United States about 8:40 a.m. at the San Ysidro port of entry. Under the new set of restrictions, asylum seekers who pass through another country first would be deemed ineligible for asylum at the U.S. southern border. That includes most of the thousands of migrants who have been waiting to cross into the U.S. in Tijuana for as many as six months.

A trio of downtown San Diego streets recently got new paint jobs — exciting bicyclists and other car-free travelers, but confusing some motorists. The changes, which include painted islands, green crosswalks and plastic bollards, are Phase 1 of the city’s ambitious plan to create miles of protected bicycle lanes across downtown — an effort that aims to boost safety and fight climate change. The 30-year plan, approved by the City Council in 2016, will transform dozens of vehicle lanes and some on-street parking into miles of protected cycling lanes and pedestrian promenades. But the changes being implemented now focus on three roadways: J Street, Beech Street and Sixth Avenue. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2019-07-14/downtown-san-diego-streets-make-way-for-protected-bike-lanes-causing-excitement-confusion

Soon San Diego will hog the pop culture spotlight as the 50th Comic Con International begins. From humble beginnings celebrating the golden age of comics, to today’s star-studded extravaganza, San Diego Comic-Con is now a celebration of entertainment in nearly every form: Movies, TV, video games and of course comic books. This week, we at the San Diego Union-Tribune will give you an inside look into all things pop culture— and teaming up with the U-T's other podcast The Conversation First up, reporters Phil Molnar and Charlie Clark discuss survival tips and coverage plans for Comic-Con with Daniel Wheaton and Abby Hamblin. Then, at 22:50 Peter Rowe discusses the history of Comic-Con. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/people/story/2019-07-11/50-shades-of-comic-con-what-weve-gained-and-lost-in-five-decades-of-pop-culture-celebrations

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the suit filed by family of Fridoon Nehad should not have been dismissed because of questions over whether the shooting was justified. The ruling also opens the way to explore how SDPD handles reviews of police shootings. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2019-07-11/appeals-court-revices-lawsuit-over-controversial-2015-sdpd-shooting-in-midway

This weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's raids will begin. This stems from a presidential tweet last month when President Donald Trump said he wanted to quote “deport millions” of undocumented immigrants. Now that the organization has had time to prepare, the raids are said to have a broader scope that originally planned.

The wait list for migrants in Tijuana to request asylum in the United States has grown to the longest it has ever been, even longer than the line that grew right after a large caravan arrived in November. About 9,150 names are pending on the list, according to data documented by volunteers with Al Otro Lado, a legal services nonprofit that supports migrants in Tijuana. The people to whom those names belong have been waiting upwards of three months in many cases for their turn to ask the U.S. for protection at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/immigration/story/2019-07-09/tijuana-asylum-notebook-reaches-highest-count-on-record-migrants-in-line-protest-long-waits

The bullets were meant to kill Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein. Instead, they gave him new life. “I’m a new person,” the rabbi said, his hands mangled from injuries suffered April 27, when an anti-Semitic gunman attacked Chabad of Poway. One worshipper, Lori Gilbert-Kaye, was killed. Three others were wounded, including Goldstein. His right index finger was shot off and the bones in his left index finger were shattered. Those wounds are obvious, thanks to the blue bandages wrapped around his hands. Less evident, at least at first glance, are the changes that occurred inside. “I’ve been a rabbi 33 years,” Goldstein said. “I’m human, I’ve made mistakes. But I’m a different person now. I’m more patient, more understanding, more appreciative.” https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/people/story/2019-07-05/rabbi-goldstein-the-making-of-a-religious-superstar

San Diego Union-Tribune Education Reporter Kristen Taketa discusses her latestet stories on racism at Southwestern Community College and why charter school executives make so much money. Stories: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/story/2019-07-08/southwestern-college-confronts-anti-blackness-racial-tensions-on-campus https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/story/2019-07-06/some-charter-school-leaders-made-more-money-than-san-diego-unifieds-superintendent https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/south-county/story/2019-07-08/things-are-looking-brighter-san-ysidro-school-district-made-strides-under-new-leader

Southern California, Nevada and northern Mexico were jolted Thursday by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that erupted near Ridgecrest, a small desert city northeast of Los Angeles, the US Geological Survey said. Seismologists warned that a 5.0 or larger aftershock is possible over the next 24 to 48 hours.

The University of Southern California has agreed to pay UC San Diego $50 million and to publicly apologize to the school for the way it wrested control of its prestigious Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study in 2015 during a raid that led to a highly contentious lawsuit. The penalty and apology have resulted in the settlement of a lawsuit the UCSD and the UC Board of Regents brought against USC in San Diego County Superior Court. The move also represents an extraordinary turnaround from four years ago, when USC took control of the program’s data, contracts worth tens of millions of dollars, and gave jobs to the program’s star researcher, Paul Aisen, and some of his staff. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/story/2019-07-02/usc-apologizes-to-uc-san-diego-for-wresting-control-of-its-renowned-alzheimers-research-program

Navy SEAL Chief Edward Gallagher was acquitted Tuesday on all murder charges, witness intimidation charges, and assault charges related to a 2017 deployment in Iraq. “I’m happy. I’m thankful. Thank God for freedom,” Gallagher said in a press conference after the verdict. A seven member jury panel, made up of Marines and two sailors, acquitted Gallagher on all but one count in one of the most closely watched military trials in the country. The jury convicted Gallagher on a single count related to Gallagher taking pictures alongside an Iraqi fighter’s corpse, which is the kind of charge that carries a maximum punishment of four months, court observers said. The jury is still deliberating punishment for that charge, which could potentially result in a loss of rank. Sentencing in the case resumes Wednesday morning. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/military/story/2019-07-02/navy-seal-chief-edward-gallagher-was-acquitted-on-most-charges-in-crimes-murder-trial

Prosecutors and defense attorneys in a nationally watched war crimes trial at Naval Base San Diego made final arguments Monday, and now the fate of a decorated Navy SEAL is in the hands of seven senior military jurors. San Diego-based Navy SEAL Chief Edward R. Gallagher was arrested on Sept. 11 based on the accounts of several members of his platoon from their deployment in Iraq in 2017. Gallagher, 40, is charged with premeditated murder in the alleged stabbing death of a wounded teenage Islamic State fighter brought to the SEAL compound near Mosul in May 2017. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/military/story/2019-07-01/jury-is-deliberating-in-navy-seal-murder-trial

Late last year just weeks before he retired, former San Diego County Assistant District Attorney Jesse Rodriguez ordered a secret investigation — using district attorney staff — into the ex-boyfriend of his daughter, who was locked in a contentious custody dispute over their infant son. The inquiry began in early November and appears to have lasted until the week before Christmas, according to internal documents obtained from the District Attorney’s Office under the state Public Records Act that outline the probe. The records show that Chief Deputy Dominic Dugo directed the investigation using a senior investigator, Tony Giralamo. The probe focused on finding evidence through the state Employment Development Department for a charge of fraud or perjury related to an unemployment claim filed in early 2017 by the former boyfriend, 44-year-old Nathaniel Moore, who was referred to in one of the emails as “our target.” Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2019-06-25/former-no-2-in-da-office

Some migrants in Tijuana are trying to purchase children from vulnerable single mothers in local shelters so they can more easily cross into the United States, according to shelter directors, migrants and Tijuana law enforcement authorities. Migrants in Tijuana shelters said they are alarmed after reports of single mothers being approached by groups of men who have offered to buy children to improve their chances of safely crossing into the United States. A decades-old legal document, known as the Flores agreement, says migrant children should only be held briefly in U.S. border custody, which often means they are released, along with the parent or guardian with whom they crossed while they wait for their asylum cases to make their way through clogged immigration courts.

The defense had a star witness testify in favor of Edward Gallagher yesterday in the ongoing war crimes trial of a San Diego Based Navy SEAL. Edward R Gallagher stands accused of killing a wounded ISIS fighter in Iraq by stabbing him in the neck, as well as shooting at civilians multiple times. He has denied all charges and pleaded not guilty. Giorgio Kiryolo says that several SEALs are liars, and that Gallager never stabbed the fighter or shot at civilians. As the defense wraps up its case, the jury will have to decide through hearsay who is telling the truth.

County leaders gave their blessing on Wednesday to a hotly contested development east of Chula Vista that critics said would place people into the path of dangerous wildfires. After three hours of discussion, the Board of Supervisors voted three to two to approve the upscale 1,119-home project, known as Adara at Otay Ranch. Supporters repeatedly stressed the region’s desperate need for housing. Supervisor Greg Cox led the push for approval after engaging in a lengthy dialogue with Cal Fire San Diego Unit Chief Tony Mecham, whose agency reviewed and approved the wildfire evacuation plan for the development. “There’s no guarantee that I can give anybody that any community is going to be perfectly safe,” Mecham said, “but I feel today they have taken every appropriate measure that they can to address the fire safety concerns.” Schedule: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/story/2019-06-26/san-diego-supervisors-approve-otay-ranch-development-over-wildfire-climate-concerns