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County grand jury unloads on city of San Diego's parking program

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County grand jury unloads on city of San Diego's parking program


San Diego must improve transparency regarding how it utilizes parking revenue and make large-scale improvements to inform motorists of their parking options, according to a recently published report from the San Diego County Grand Jury.

The report released this month states that drivers hunting for affordable parking spots in the city “face a confusing array of rules, meters, apps and signage” which is likely to be exacerbated by fluctuating parking policies, including a recent rate hike that doubled parking meter fees.

San Diego has recently doubled the rate, to $2.50 an hour, for many of its existing meters and is considering charging drivers to park in Balboa Park and in some beach communities as well, all in an effort to raise revenue to help balance a $258 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year.

To help drivers navigate the shifting public parking landscape, the grand jury recommended improvements to parking signage across the city that will clearly indicate where drivers can park and how much they can expect to pay.

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The report says privately owned parking lots should be required to display their rates in a way that is visible to motorists from the street, rather than only once drivers pull up to a payment machine. Public parking signage presents many of the same issues, the report states, with drivers unlikely to easily know how much they will pay and what form of payment will be accepted.

Special events held at Petco Park further complicate the matter, as signage associated with events at the venue are inconsistent with typical city requirements for special events. While city policies require “No Parking” zone signage to be posted 72 hours before an event, these rules are not consistently followed for Petco Park events, according to the report.

The grand jury said many of its recommendations were also reflected in a parking study the city commissioned earlier this year.

The report also called to disband all of the city’s Community Parking Districts — which advise the city on parking and transportation matters — and have community planning groups fulfill those duties. The report alleged CPDs were lax in reporting what parking meter revenues were collected and that much of its revenue was spent on administrative costs.

The grand jury found that the city also lacked transparency in how it handled fees collected from metered spaces outside of the CPDs.

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“The city should take immediate steps to report revenues collected from all parking meters and how it uses those revenues,” according to the report.



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San Diego, CA

Spring Valley Christian school teacher suspected of sexually abusing child

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Spring Valley Christian school teacher suspected of sexually abusing child


A 49-year-old teacher at Christian High School, suspected of sexually abusing a minor, was arrested Tuesday outside the Spring Valley school affiliated with Shadow Mountain Community Church.

Kevin G. Conover was booked at the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of oral copulation with a victim under 18, aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 14,  three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, and continuous sexual abuse of a child, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies initially responded to a radio call regarding sexual assault allegations of a minor by a family member on Oct. 1, prompting an immediate investigation by Child Abuse Unit detectives, who later found probable cause to arrest Conover, sheriff’s officials said.

Conover was described as a teacher at the school in Tuesday’s statement from the sheriff’s office announcing his arrest. However, there were no references to him on the school’s website on Tuesday night.

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The investigation remains ongoing by the Child Abuse Unit as investigators conduct a follow-up into the allegations.

Anyone with information regarding the alleged abuse was urged to call the Child Abuse Unit at 858-285-6112. Calls after business hours should be directed to 858-868-3200. Tipsters who remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.



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100-unit affordable housing community ‘The Iris’ opens in San Ysidro

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100-unit affordable housing community ‘The Iris’ opens in San Ysidro


Housing developer National CORE, the San Diego Housing Commission, the county and city of San Diego celebrated the grand opening Tuesday of a 100-unit affordable housing community in San Ysidro.

The Iris, 1663 Dairy Mart Road, is across the street from a trolley stop and the newly renovated Howard Lane Park. It features 42 one-bedroom, 32 two-bedroom, and 25 three-bedroom apartments for low-income families and individuals, along with a manager’s unit.

“I am proud to support The Iris at San Ysidro because it reflects the kind of thoughtful development our region needs,” said San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. “It is housing that is affordable, sustainable and connected to parks, transit and community services.”

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Residents at The Iris have “extremely low,” to low income making anywhere from 25% to 60% of the Area Median Income. AMI is $130,800 for a family of two, $165,500 for a family of four, according to the county’s figures.

The Iris includes 15 permanent supportive housing units for people who have experienced homelessness and 50 apartments designed to support residents with mobility challenges and five homes for people with hearing loss.

All units at The Iris will be required to remain affordable for 55 years for households with income up to 60% of San Diego’s Area Median Income.

SDHC awarded 25 housing vouchers to The Iris to help pay rent for residents with extremely low income. These vouchers are tied directly to this development, so that when a household moves on, the voucher stays to help another household with extremely low income.

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The project was developed by National CORE and featured public/private partnerships, such as a county investment of $5 million from the Innovative Housing Trust Fund and $6.5 million in No Place Like Home funds. County Behavioral Health Services will also provide supportive services to residents for the next 20 years.

The Iris includes a community room with office space, a laundry room and a courtyard play area with outdoor seating.

City News Service contributed to this article.






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San Diego FC acquire Lewis Morgan from Red Bull New York | MLSSoccer.com

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San Diego FC acquire Lewis Morgan from Red Bull New York | MLSSoccer.com


TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade

  • SD receive: Lewis Morgan, $525k GAM
  • RBNY receive: Up to $1.1m GAM, SuperDraft pick

San Diego FC have acquired midfielder Lewis Morgan from Red Bull New York, the clubs announced Tuesday.

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In exchange for the 29-year-old Scottish international, New York will receive up to $1.1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM). The funds include $450k guaranteed GAM in 2026 and up to $650k in conditional GAM.

The Red Bulls retain a portion of Morgan’s 2026 salary budget charge and receive San Diego’s natural third-round pick in the 2027 MLS SuperDraft. Additionally, San Diego will get $525k GAM in 2027 from New York.

Morgan is under contract with San Diego through 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2028.

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“Lewis is an attacker who can play across the front three and brings qualities that will add to our group in 2026,” said SDFC sporting director Tyler Heaps.

“He’s proven he can contribute goals and assists in this league, and we look forward to welcoming him to San Diego when we start preseason in the new year.”

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Morgan has spent the past six seasons in MLS, starting with Inter Miami CF (2020-21) before getting traded to New York (2022-25).

The former Celtic attacker was named the 2024 MLS Comeback Player of the Year and helped the Red Bulls make MLS Cup presented by Audi that season. He missed most of the 2023 and 2025 campaigns due to injury.

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For his MLS career, Morgan has 38g/17a in 140 combined games (all competitions) with Miami and New York.

He’s earned seven caps with Scotland, including at UEFA Euro 2024.

“Lewis has always handled himself with the utmost professionalism, through many tough moments in his career and many fantastic ones,” said RBNY head of sport Julian de Guzman.

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“We wish Lewis the best of luck in San Diego.”

San Diego are coming off a historic debut season, where they set expansion club records for points (63) and wins (19). They made the Western Conference Final in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.

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The Red Bulls are in reset mode after seeing their 15-year playoff streak end. They finished 10th in the Eastern Conference table (43 points).





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