Environmental justice advocates throughout California are watching the battle between the San Diego neighborhood of Barrio Logan, where residents have lower incomes and higher asthma rates, and the shipbuilding industry on the barrio’s western edge.
Author: Marty Graham
A unique and highly regarded school for homeless kids near downtown San Diego could face closure if it loses federal funding that is not supposed to go to schools that segregate homeless children from the general population.
The 14-acre certified organic farm at the south edge of the San Pasqual Academy is surrounded by commercial farms, orange and grape trees on three sides. It’s a rich metaphor for the academy itself, an organic local effort that’s meant to anchor its community to healthy food, one that’s grown jobs and centered the way the students live.
Southern California’s first juvenile system restorative justice project is close to being launched in City Heights, one of San Diego’s most diverse neighborhoods. The program aims to keep first-time juvenile offenders out of the criminal justice system by putting them right back into the community they’ve offended – and by making them work with the victim to get both the offender and the victim back on track.
Community activists in San Diego are alarmed by curfew sweeps that they say unfairly target minority youth. Police say they are even-handed and the sweeps expose kids and their families to social services that can help them avoid delinquency.
A unique San Diego diversion program may be the last chance for many troubled local kids to stay out of the criminal justice system.
When the Chula Vista Elementary School District south of San Diego surveyed the physical condition of the 25,000 students enrolled in 2010, the results were worrisome. About 40 percent of the kids were at an unhealthy weight – with the highest rates among fifth and sixth graders.
The San Diego Unified school district is using its leverage as a major buyer to get fresh produce at bargain prices for its school cafeterias.
When it comes to getting her kids the healthcare she needs, Monica Villalobos faces many challenges. A single mom with three kids under five, she doesn’t have a car, works long hours and shares parenting with her mom, who speaks very little English.
San Diego police, social services and community groups came together during a January freeze to get hundreds of homeless people into emergency shelters, possibly saving lives and definitely providing some needed comfort.