Articles by Joe Yerardi

Poverty in San Diego County higher than during Great Recession

When Jim Floros started his job as president and CEO of the San Diego Food Bank at the beginning of 2013, he says the nonprofit served about 330,000 people a month. The divergence between poverty and employment points to deeper problems in the San Diego region’s economy. That number has since grown to 370,000. That might seem odd given that San Diego County’s unemployment rate fell…


Scott Peters, helped and hindered by Citizens United, decries its impact

At a Clairemont community park Congressman Scott Peters marked the sixth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling by speaking plainly about the deleterious effects it’s had on politics. “There’s way too much attention on this big money, secret money and raising money for this government to work very well,” Peters said, flanked by a handful of UC San Diego students. It’s something the San…


Dark money, accusations of campaign finance violations roil Lilac Hills Ranch

As the battle over the ballot measure to authorize construction of the Lilac Hills Ranch housing development enters its final weeks, the money behind the sides is emerging as a central issue in the debate. On the radio…  The proposed Lilac Hills Ranch community is one of the most fiercely contested development projects in San Diego County. It’s made strange bedfellows of environmentalists and developers,…


Issa’s and Peters’ voting records show contrasting degrees of party loyalty

Editor’s Note: Darrell Issa is an avid Trump surrogate. Scott Peters supports Hillary Clinton. San Diego-area Congressmen Darrell Issa and Scott Peters don’t have much in common beyond being the incumbents in San Diego County’s only seriously contested Congressional races. For one thing, there’s party affiliation. Peters is a Democrat while Issa is a Republican. For another, there’s tenure. Peters is fairly new to Congress, having…


San Diego GOP gets $50K donation from Lilac Hills developer after endorsement

The developer of the controversial Lilac Hills Ranch project contributed $50,000 to the Republican Party of San Diego County shortly after the party voted to endorse the development. LHR Investment Company LLC — a subsidiary of developer Accretive Investments — made the donation on Sept. 21. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/286185205″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] Tony Krvaric, chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County, wrote in an…


San Diego House members travel the world with private money

Between the start of the current Congress on Jan. 3, 2015, and the end of June, San Diego County’s five representatives and members of their staffs took 31 trips that were paid for by private entities, mostly charities, think tanks and trade associations. The office of Rep. Darrell Issa, a Vista Republican, led the delegation, with 14 such trips. The office of Rep. Duncan Hunter,…


Early voting underway in San Diego County

Early voting for next month’s election began in San Diego County on May 9 — the day voters could start casting ballots in dozens of races for federal, state, county and local offices and for ballot measures. Voters across San Diego County have been casting early ballots for more than a week, and it should soon become clear which candidates in several hard-fought contests have…


San Diego County dams old, but not out

San Diego County has 54 dams, including the venerable Lake Hodges Dam at Del Dios. State officials judge them all to be safe — an impressive feat considering that the average dam is 62 years old. On the radio…  Giving you quick access to public data inewsource filed Public Records Act requests with the California Division of Safety of Dams and 19 dam-owning public agencies, such as water…


State of the Union gun control proposals unlikely to affect local gun ownership

(As President Obama outlined new gun control executive orders in his final State of the Union speech tonight, the fact is these rules will have no affect on Escondido, San Marcos, Valley Center and San Diego County gun ownership. As inewsource investigator Joe Berardi found this week, local gun ownership and sales are among the lowest in the state and nation. His report follows…) Most…


Theater Review: ‘Meet me in St. Louis’ at Welk Resorts through January 31

“Meet Me In St. Louis” is remembered mostly for Judy Garland’s star turn in the 1944 blockbuster MGM film. The show, (with a book by Hugh Wheeler and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane) moved to the Broadway stage in 1989, where it was nominated for four Tonys. Welk Resorts Theatre presents “Meet Me In St. Louis” through Jan. 2016 at their Escondido location….