San Diego, CA
Tom Krasovic: Raiders need to pull a Chargers — lose often and luck into a star QB
The Raiders’ offseason and preseason did not solve their near-chronic problems at quarterback.
Their best option?
Pull a Chargers.
That is, lose most of your games at a time when a potent QB class is heading toward the NFL draft.
Admittedly, it takes more than on-field ineptitude. Good luck is needed for the high draft slot to match with a worthy QB or enable a trade up for one.
The Raiders, whose blocking is also suspect, should be able to lose their way into a high draft slot. To add to their draft capital in pursuit of a QB, they could trade receiver Davante Adams later this season.
The next draft-eligible QB class contains interesting prospects. More on them below.
Gardner Minshew is the Raiders’ starting QB. He’s a good backup, but not a long-term starter.
Sunday’s game unraveled for the Raiders soon after Minshew lost his grip on the football with no one threatening him. The Chargers recovered the midgame, midfield, unforced fumble and went on to a 22-10 victory.
The Chargers, in contrast, continued to live a charmed life at the NFL’s most important position.
Justin Herbert, their QB, has been no worse than a top-12 performer since the Chargers lost enough games to draft him as Philip Rivers’ replacement.
For two decades now, the Chargers have displayed a mysterious super-power of losing their way to a high draft slot at a fortuitous time to select QB.
Remember the league-worst season by their ‘03 team?
It handed the draft’s first pick to A.J. Smith, allowing him to choose among such bright QBs as Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.
Goofing that up would’ve been difficult, and Smith, to his credit, made the most of the Chargers’ gift. Smith drafted Manning then traded him to the Giants for Rivers and draft picks that were used on kicker Nate Kaeding and linebacker Shawne Merriman.
The Chargers’ messing up and lucking out would continue. The final San Diego team, under-capitalized and ultimately demoralized, lost several close games.
The reward: a chance to draft Patrick Mahomes.
Tom Telesco and John Spanos passed on Mahomes despite the Chiefs fearing they’d stash him behind Philip Rivers, 35.
But whiffing on Mahomes didn’t consign the Chargers to QB oblivion.
Their super-power remained, dangling Herbert to them after the final Rivers-led team lost its way to the No. 6 draft pick. To their credit, Telesco and John Spanos took Herbert.
Drew Brees said it takes good luck for any QB to avoid injury.
How’s this for good luck: Chargers went more than 20 seasons without their franchise QB being unavailable to start a game until Herbert broke a finger late last season.
But these are the Chargers. Their QB luck was great, even when it appeared bad.
Herbert’s absence in effect netted the Chargers the No. 5 slot in a top-heavy draft year and opened the door to hiring coach Jim Harbaugh, a huge upgrade.
With Herbert sidelined, a few other teammates were held out. The Chargers suffered a franchise-worst 63-21 defeat to the Raiders, and the ensuing dismissal of overmatched coach Brandon Staley and Telesco ultimately brought in Harbaugh and former Ravens scout Joe Hortiz.
Harbaugh had played and coached with the Raiders. But they had no QB like Herbert, making the choice an easy one for Harbaugh, if there ever was a choice to be made.
The moral to this story: when it comes to QB luck, good luck keeping up with the Spanoses.
Backward then forward?
None of the 2025 draft-eligible QB prospects appear as promising as the Rivers-Manning-Roethlisberger trio — or Mahomes, Herbert and Joe Burrow.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers, 21, bears watching. Building upon a breakout season, he was impressive Saturday at Ann Arbor. A pair of 22-year-olds, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Georgia’s Carson Beck, could be attractive NFL prospects. Others could emerge.
The Raiders being the Raiders, they may have won too games for their own good last year. They got the 13th pick, only to see an NFL-record six QBs go in the first 12 slots.
Differentiating the franchises beyond QB luck, the Chargers have outdrafted the misfiring Raiders when choosing in the top-20 in recent decades.
Gloria relents on December Nights, some community cuts in budget revise, but arts funds still on chopping block
by City News Service | Times of San Diego
Some library and recreation center hours and December Nights support were restored in Mayor Todd Gloria’s revised Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Wednesday, but city funding for the arts could still be gutted.
Gloria was joined by civic leaders Wednesday morning to announce changes to his initial proposed budget, released last month. He added “targeted protections” of certain neighborhood priorities and maintained police and fire service levels while arriving at a balanced budget.
Proposed additions include protecting rec center and library hours in Council Districts 4, 8 and 9, represented by Henry L. Foster III, Vivian Moreno and Sean Elo-Rivera, respectively.
Read more
The Learning Curve: He’s San Diego Unified’s Next Trustee – No Race Needed
By Jakob McWhinney | Voice of San Diego
The primary is still nearly a month away. The general election is even further out. Still, it’s already clear that Hayden Gore will be San Diego Unified’s next trustee. That’s because he’s running unopposed to fill the seat left open by current Trustee Cody Petterson, who opted not to run for re-election.
Though he’s a political newcomer, Gore was the early choice of San Diego Unified’s union. In fact, he was recruited by the former president of the San Diego Education Association to run for the seat.
It’s not hard to see why. He’s an avowed progressive and a longtime educator who led the then-newly formed union at High Tech High to its first contract. Exactly the kind of resume that would have SDEA champing at the bit.
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Join Us Friday, July 17, 2026 for the 11th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute
By RJS Law
The Institute is the premier annual tax event in San Diego. The region’s top tax attorneys, enrolled agents (EAs), certified public accountants (CPAs), law and business school professors will discuss topics including government loan relief and abuses, challenges in cross-border transactions, and practical and realistic solutions in trust, estate planning, and tax matters.
DATE AND TIME
Friday, July 17, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Theatre
5555 Marian Way, San Diego, CA 92110
EVENT STATUS
Open to the Public
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – For many families, libraries are a safe space for kids after school and a place to study.
After community outcry, the city is scaling down some of its proposed budget cuts, bringing the original $6.3 million in cuts to libraries down to $4.8 million.
Patrick Stewart, CEO of Library Foundation SD, said the change is a step in the right direction.
“We are very pleased. I think this moves the needle in the right direction.”
Mayor Gloria’s revised budget proposal restores funding focused on youth-centered programs, which includes bringing back library hours in Council Districts 4, 8, and 9 — those in underserved communities.
“This is City Heights and San Isidro, Barrio Logan, and Oak Park, and traditionally, those are smaller branches. And the kids and the families in those communities frankly, they use their library very differently than in a lot of other communities, and it’s a lifeline to them,” said Stewart.
The City Heights library is among those included in the mayor’s revised budget to restore funding. While library officials say this is a good first step, there is still concern about long-term financial challenges.
In order to voice concerns about how deep the cuts go, the Library Foundation has created a way for supporters to express that through postcards. Thousands of cards have been mailed directly to Mayor Gloria and councilmembers.
Stewart said the effort is making an impact.
“They’re seeing that this is hundreds and hundreds of people that are taking this very seriously, so it helps them to know immediately what their community feels like when it comes to these proposed cuts,” he added.
The restored funding would also keep Monday hours at Carmel Valley Library and protect the North Clairemont Library branch from closure.
Library officials remain optimistic as the revised budget heads back to the City Council.
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.
A man suspected of a fatal shooting in Barrio Logan was arrested Tuesday.
Benito Garcia Jr., 31, was arrested in the 3600 block of Grand Avenue in San Marcos at about 1 p.m. Tuesday for allegedly gunning down 64-year-old Raul Torres near the east end of the Coronado Bridge, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Patrol officers responding to an anonymous report of a shooting found the mortally wounded victim on a sidewalk in the 2000 block of National Avenue, near Chicano Park, shortly after 10 p.m. last Tuesday. Torres died at the scene, SDPD Lt. Lou Maggi said.
Police have not disclosed a suspected motive for the slaying.
Garcia was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of first- degree murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
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