San Diego, CA

As shelter requests fail, San Diego leaders weigh changing who gets a bed

Published

2 months ago

January 4, 2026

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As shelter requests fail, San Diego leaders weigh changing who gets a bed

For years, asking for shelter in the city of San Diego has often been a first-come, first-serve process.

Everyone deserves a safe place to sleep, the thinking goes, so anyone living outside should have a shot.

But as the region’s overwhelmed shelter system continues to reject staggering numbers of requests, some leaders are considering overhauling that approach by creating a priority list based on vulnerability.

“Do we need to look at how we prioritize differently?” Lisa Jones, president and CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission, asked during a board meeting in December. “Maybe we have to look at our most vulnerable that are on our streets and think about it from that perspective.”

Local city-funded shelters have long been at or near capacity, with the pressure becoming particularly intense in recent months.

In November, San Diego received 2,442 requests for a bed, according to Casey Snell, a senior vice president at the housing commission. Only 199 of those led to someone getting a spot. That’s a success rate of around 8%.

The main reasons most requests failed were familiar ones: There just weren’t spots available.

The bigger picture is not much better. Since July, people have asked for shelter 12,275 times. A little more than 1,200 succeeded, meaning about 9 out of every 10 requests failed. “What happens with credibility and effectiveness when people repeatedly get a negative answer?” Housing Commissioner Ryan Clumpner asked during the same meeting. “Do they keep requesting, or do people, the more times they hear ‘no,’ begin becoming more resistant?”

Some residents are certainly asking more than once. November’s 2,442 beds requests were collectively made by 868 separate households, officials said. That’s an average of about 3 asks per individual.

‘It makes sense to me’

The idea of trying to rank those requests appears to have at least some supporters within both the service world and the homeless population.

Bob McElroy, CEO of the nonprofit Alpha Project, said in an interview that using vulnerability lists would be a return to how shelters operated decades ago. “I’ve been irritated all these years when they turned away from it,” he noted. Disabled residents, older adults, those who’ve been outside the longest — McElroy believes it’s only fair to give them first dibs.

That’s roughly the process already in place at Father Joe’s Villages, at least when it comes to beds relying on private, not government, funding. The stricter criteria applies to hundreds of spots in the nonprofit’s family, sober-living and recuperative care programs.

“We look at, for instance, is a person pregnant?” said Deacon Jim Vargas, Father Joe’s president and CEO. “If they have very small children, or if they’ve given birth recently, they’re considered more vulnerable.”

Gustavo Prado, a 52-year-old who’s been homeless for the last two years, agreed with the general concept. “It makes sense to me,” he said while standing on a downtown San Diego sidewalk.

Prado added that he’d been unable to get into a local shelter program. Speaking a few days before Christmas, he was trying to plan for the coming rain. “I gotta get a tarp or something.”

Shelters do sometimes focus on specific populations. There’s a program downtown, for example, for women and children, and another for young adults. But guidelines known as the Continuum of Care Community Standards, which help dictate who’s allowed in, don’t have prioritization criteria.

In response to a request for comment about changing the status quo, city spokesperson Matt Hoffman wrote in an email that “staff are always open to evaluating new tools to better serve those in need.”

Leaders will likely discuss the possibility of creating a priority list at another public meeting before a specific proposal is drawn up.

More requests

One factor potentially driving the surge in demand is San Diego’s decision to expand encampment sweeps.

In July, the city signed an agreement with the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, to get access to land that would normally be under state jurisdiction. Since then, many areas near freeways have been cleared of tents and dozens of individuals did receive some form of shelter. A few even made it into a permanent housing.

Yet they appear to be in the minority.

Housing commission officials have so far declined to blame the Caltrans agreement for the increase in requests, saying mainly that they’ll continue studying this trend. They did, however, note a few other factors at play.

For one, the city may be getting better at fielding requests for shelter. On the same day local crews got access to Caltrans property, San Diego opened a homelessness resource center in the downtown library. That office, known as The Hub, coordinates with the help line 211 to make it easier for people to ask for aid. “It’s actually streamlining our referral process, which is another reason you see a big jump,” added Snell, the vice president.

In addition, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office continues to roll out a phone app that lets outreach workers look for shelter beds in the same way a tourist might search for hotel rooms. While it used to take hours to determine whether facilities had any openings, officials have said this program can flag vacancies within minutes.

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San Diego, CA

UNLV faces San Diego State after Hamilton’s 24-point performance

Published

6 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

UNLV faces San Diego State after Hamilton’s 24-point performance

UNLV Rebels (16-14, 11-8 MWC) at San Diego State Aztecs (19-10, 13-6 MWC)

San Diego; Friday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: UNLV faces San Diego State after Kimani Hamilton scored 24 points in UNLV’s 92-65 victory over the Utah State Aggies.

The Aztecs have gone 13-2 in home games. San Diego State is eighth in the MWC with 9.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Miles Heide averaging 2.0.

The Rebels have gone 11-8 against MWC opponents. UNLV ranks eighth in the MWC shooting 34.4% from 3-point range.

San Diego State averages 79.1 points per game, 0.6 more points than the 78.5 UNLV gives up. UNLV averages 7.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.9 fewer made shots on average than the 9.1 per game San Diego State allows.

The teams play for the second time in conference play this season. San Diego State won the last meeting 82-71 on Jan. 24. Miles Byrd scored 23 points points to help lead the Aztecs to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Reese Dixon-Waters is shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc with 1.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Aztecs, while averaging 13 points. Byrd is averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds over the past 10 games.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is shooting 50.9% and averaging 20.6 points for the Rebels. Hamilton is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Aztecs: 5-5, averaging 74.9 points, 28.9 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.0 points per game.

Rebels: 6-4, averaging 84.1 points, 32.3 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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San Diego, CA

Military bases in San Diego County increase security following Iran attacks

Published

18 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Military bases in San Diego County increase security following Iran attacks

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Military bases in San Diego County and nationwide have increased security measures due to last weekend’s U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting traffic delays near base entrances, enhanced ID checks and access restrictions.

The Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado ports three aircraft carriers, including the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, which led some of the first-wave attacks on Saturday.

Naval Base Coronado warned motorists of possible traffic delays at all base entry points due to the increased security measures.

Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.

The U.S. operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” and Israeli operation, “Raging Lion,” began striking targets at 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday.

As of Tuesday, at least six U.S. service members had been killed in action.

The strikes also killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.

Iran’s offensive forces claimed to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles, but according to an X post from U.S central Command, “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”

Those with concerns regarding the heightened security can contact San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services at 858-565-3490 or oes@sdcounty.ca.gov.

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San Diego, CA

SD Unified moves forward with layoffs of classified employees

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

SD Unified moves forward with layoffs of classified employees

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Less than 3 weeks after the San Diego Unified School District finalized a new contract with teachers, the school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with layoff notices for other district employees.

The layoffs affect classified employees — workers who are employed by the district but are not teachers and are not certified. That includes bus drivers, custodians, special education and teacher aides, and cafeteria workers.

The district says it is eliminating 221 positions — 133 that are currently filled and 88 that are vacant — to save $19 million and help address a projected $47 million deficit for the next fiscal year.

Preliminary layoff notices will go out on March 15, with final notices by May 15.

The district estimates about 200 classified employees will receive preliminary notices, but of them, about 70 are expected to lose their jobs based on union-negotiated bumping rules.

Bumping allows employees with more seniority to move into another position in the same classification, thereby “bumping” a less senior employee out of that role.

Lupe Murray, an early childhood special education parafacilitator with the district, said the news came as a shock after the teacher strike was called off.

“When the strike was called off, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ So then when I got the email from the Superintendent, I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ So, I think everyone was shocked,” Murray said.

The district says it sends out annual layoff notices, as all districts in the state do.

Before Tuesday’s board meeting, classified employees rallied outside, made up of CSEA (California School Employees Association) Chapters OTBS 788, Paraeducators 759, and OSS 724. They were joined by parents, students, and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Miguel Arellano, a paraeducator independence facilitator with San Diego Unified and a representative of San Diego Paraeducators Cahpter 759.

“What do we want? No layoffs! When do we want it? Now!” the crowd chanted.

Arellano said he felt compelled to act when he learned about the potential layoffs.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that I need to speak up. I need to protect these people,” Arellano said.

Inside the meeting, the board heard emotional, at times tearful testimony from classified employees before voting unanimously to move forward with the layoff schedule.

Superintendent Fabi Bagula said the district has tried to protect classrooms from the cuts.

“We have tried our best to only, I mean, to not touch the school. Or the classroom. But now it’s at the point where it’s getting a little bit harder,” Bagula said. “What I’m still hoping, or what I’m still working toward, because we’re still in negotiations, is that we’re able to actually come to a win-win, where there’s positions and availability and maybe even promotions for folks that are impacted.”

Arellano warned the layoffs could have a direct impact on students.

“We are already spread thin, so, with more of a case load, it’s going to be impossible to be able to service all the students that we need to have,” Arellano said.

Follow ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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