San Diego, CA

San Diego’s Veterans Village says it won’t appeal license revocation

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2024

San Diego’s Veterans Village says it won’t appeal license revocation

Counseling center at the residential rehab facility at the Veterans Village San Diego in Mission Hills on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Veterans Village of San Diego will not appeal a state decision to revoke its license to operate a residential substance use treatment center on its campus, the Board of Directors announced following its Friday afternoon meeting.

The move ends VVSD’s service to non-veterans at its Mission Hills campus.

The California Department of Health Care Services on Sept. 5 notified the nonprofit that it was suspending the program and would revoke its license, and VVSD had 15 days to appeal. The suspension of the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System program, which provides substance use disorder treatment for eligible Medi-Cal members, went into effect Monday.

The program had been at VVSD since 2019, and most of the 76 clients were non-veterans who had been referred by San Diego County Behavioral Health Services.

“We embarked on the DMC (Drug Medi-Cal) program with a bold vision: to extend our world-renowned treatment approach to civilians in need,” the VVSD board said in a statement released Friday. “We undertook this mission amidst an unprecedented surge in fentanyl use, reaching out to the most vulnerable members of our community with crucial support. As we move forward, we proudly refocus our efforts on our core mission — dedicated service to our nation’s heroes.”

Tessa Outhyse, information officer for the California Department of Health Care Services, said the state has revoked the license or certification of five other residential substance use disorder facilities in the past three years.

The California Department of Health Care Services had cited “serious concerns about client safety” and the deaths of seven clients in its notice to VVSD and its program.

VVSD President and CEO Akilah Templeton said the news was devastating to staff members who had worked with clients and now fear they may relapse or return to the street. County staff members were on hand Monday to place people in new programs, but VVSD counselors said they are in the dark about what happened to them.

“I know that on that first day, so many of our residents just left and went back out to the street, just going back to using,” said Meghan Ripley, a program manager who worked with clients.

Meghan Ripley, program manager at the residential rehab facility at the Veterans Village San Diego, became emotional as she recalls the day the program was closed. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune) — Meghan Ripley, program manager at the residential rehab facility at the Veterans Village San Diego, becomes emotional as she recalls the day the program was closed. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“And it just breaks my heart, because they were doing so well here,” she continued, fighting back tears as she remembered the program’s last day. “It was so sad. I had clients coming up to me crying, begging me to let them stay, like I had any control over it. Begging, saying that they would come up with the money to be able to pay out of pocket just to be able to stay here because they were safe here. And then they just lost all hope and left.”

“It was so swift, the way they came down,” said clinical associate Isaac Salas, also in tears. “It was so traumatic for everyone involved. It was just devastating. The population we work with, they’re already a bunch of traumatized people. They already have a lot going on. And the way that they handled this, it was inhumane.”

Founded in 1981 to serve veterans facing a variety of challenges, VVSD offers programs to overcome unemployment, addiction, barriers to health and mental health care and other challenges. It created the annual Stand Down event to connect veterans with homeless services, and the program has inspired similar events throughout the country.

A perfect storm

Templeton said several things aligned to lead to the license revocation, beginning with complaints within the organization itself from people who objected to VVSD expanding its programs to include non-veterans, a move she said involved many factors, including a need for additional funding.

VVSD also was restricted from expelling disruptive people from the program during the pandemic, and critics went public with accusations that the environment was unsafe, she said.

And then there was the overall increase in fentanyl use among addicts. All of the overdose deaths cited by the state involved the drug, which is considered more lethal than other street drugs.

“And so this was all the perfect storm,” Templeton said.

Restrictions on the program prohibit clients from being searched, and Templeton said an investigation into one death revealed the fentanyl involved had been brought onto the campus by another client who hid it in a body cavity.

“We can’t do everything,” she said, adding that drugs were rarely found on campus. “We can’t even pat someone down. We can’t say with absolute certainty that substances won’t make their way into the environment.”

“If you have drugs on campus, you are discharged,” said counselor Teresa Najera, who had worked in the program. “No exception. You’re putting the rest of the clients at risk of relapsing.”

Veterans Village San Diego Director Akilah Templeton during interview at the Veterans Village San Diego in Mission Hills on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Templeton also acknowledged there were deficiencies in the program, but said they had been corrected and none were related to the deaths, which included one from apparent natural causes and others outside the campus.

On-, off-campus deaths

The state cited seven deaths in its notice, with four in 2022, two in 2023 and one last March. Four were on campus, including two that were drug-related.

One client died of a heart attack on campus in February 2022. That same month, another person who had been ill died on campus after he returned from a hospital that had cleared him for discharge.

A third person died in April 2022 of a drug overdose on campus. Templeton said that man had been referred from the County Probation Department and was on campus just two weeks when he died. After his death, Templeton said they learned he had 20 prior drug overdoses and other issues that might have disqualified him from the VVSD program.

In September 2022, a client who was not responding to treatment, relapsing and not complying with urine testing was off campus and supposedly looking for a sober living home when he died of a drug overdose.

Because he was still technically enrolled in the VVSD program, his death was considered to have happened on their watch. The state put VVSD on an 18-month probation because of the deaths in 2022, and the probation was set to end Sept. 9.

In May 2023, a man in the program created a fraudulent pass to leave the campus and died of a drug overdose at his brother’s house, although he was considered still enrolled in VVSD.

In September of that year, another client who was off campus died when he was struck by a train while riding a bicycle.

Last March, two clients overdosed on campus, and one died.

The closing of the program affected 36 employees; Templeton said 19 were furloughed and 17 were assigned other positions.

VVSD still has 199 beds funded for residential treatment, but the action leaves an additional 123 beds without funding.

The nonprofit had submitted $87,136 to the state to renew its license last March, and Templeton said the money is not refundable.

Originally Published: September 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Source link

Related Topics:Featured top stories sdut

Click to comment

San Diego, CA

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.

The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims

The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.

Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.

No injuries have been reported.

The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.

Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Source link

San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano

Published

15 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano – San Diego Union-Tribune

LUIS CAMPUSANO

Position(s): Catcher
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 5-foot-10 / 232 pounds
How acquired: Second round of the draft in 2017 (Cross Creek HS, Ga.)
Contract status: Will make $900,000 after agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration; Will not be a free agent until 2029.
fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.4
Key 2025 stats: .000 AVG, .222 OBP, .000 SLG, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts, 0 steals (10 games, 27 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

1 — The number of plate appearances for Campusano while in the majors between June 1 and June 13 and the one at-bat resulted in a weak, pinch-hit groundout against a position player (Kike Hernandez) on the mound in mop-up duty. Campusano was recalled to the majors four times in 2025 but did not get a real opportunity get settled after he went 0-for-6 with four walks and a strikeout in three straight starts as a DH in early May. Of course, hitting .227/.281/.361 with eight homers over 299 plate appearances after getting the first real chance to start in 2024 likely informed how the Padres viewed his opportunity in 2025.

Down — Called up a final time on the last day of the regular season, Campusano balked at the idea that the season did not go the way he wanted. “I had a great season,” he said as he and his teammates packed for the NL Wild Card Series in Chicago. And he did … for Triple-A El Paso. He hit more home runs than ever (25), drove in more runs (95) and finished with a career-high 1.036 OPS, tops among all qualifying Triple-A hitters. The disappointment inferred in the question posed to Campusano was that he was not able to impact the big-league team in any way in 2025, which began with the team choosing to bring in a 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel a chance on the opening day roster over a homegrown product. Once billed as the catcher of the future, Campusno did not catch a single game in the majors, nor did he get any hits, although the opportunity to play was sporadic after getting three straight starts as a DH in early May (see stat to note). The Padres even lost back-up catcher Elias Díaz to an oblique injury over the final weekend of the regular season, but Campusano — who played out the string for a Triple-A El Paso team that did not make the playoffs rather than participate in the majors as a September call-up — was added to the postseason roster more as a right-handed bat than a third catcher (Martín Maldonado was also re-added to the team for the playoffs as the defensive back-up to Freddy Fermin). Campusano, of course, was not asked to help the team in either capacity before the Padres were eliminated in three games.

2026 OUTLOOK

Campusano is finally out of minor league options this year, so the Padres will either have to carry him on the roster, trade him or expose him to waivers. He has fans in the organization, but two big-league staffs headed by Bob Melvin and Mike Shildt seemingly lost faith in his ability to catch a game and all the responsibilities that come with that. It remains to be seen what impact the arrival of robo umps will have on how new manager Craig Stammen views Campusano’s ability behind the plate, but he’s been a potent minor league hitter who has yet to truly get on track in the majors beyond the second half of 2023 (.875 OPS, 6 HRs). Campusano has dabbled at first base in recent years in the minors (12 starts total), so perhaps he settles into a role as a second catcher/right-handed DH/first base option to start 2026.

Luis Campusano #15 of the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta #27 walk to the dugout during a practice before the Wildcard series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

ROSTER RANKINGS

22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy

Source link

San Diego, CA

2 San Diego Eateries Named Among ‘Most Beautiful New Restaurants’ In America

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

2 San Diego Eateries Named Among ‘Most Beautiful New Restaurants’ In America

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two San Diego County eateries were named among the most beautiful restaurants that opened last year in the country.

Carlsbad-based Lilo was ranked No. 4 and La Jolla-based Lucien was ranked No. 9 on Robb Report’s list of the most beautiful new restaurants in the U.S. for 2025.

Lilo, which opened in April, features a multi-course tasting menu served around a 24-seat chef’s counter.

The restaurant, co-owned by Chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, earned a Michelin star just months after opening its doors. The eatery was also the only one in San Diego to land on The New York Times list of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Lucien, which opened in July, also offers a chef’s tasting menu, with more than a dozen courses. The 30-seat restaurant, is owned and helmed by Northern California native Chef Elijah Arizmendi, along with partners Brian Hung and Melissa Lang.

“I’m very grateful for the recognition from Robb Report,” Arizmendi told Patch. “Lucien is deeply personal to me, and the space was designed as an extension of my philosophy — one centered on intention, hospitality and the joy of sharing something meaningful to others.”

The list spotlights 21 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and other cities across the country. View the full report here.

Source link