Morning Report: Mega Shelter Owner Wants to Chat with Council About Proposed Deal

The owner of a Middletown warehouse the mayor wants to turn into the city’s largest-ever permanent homeless shelter is now courting the City Council.

A lobbyist representing Douglas Hamm, who owns the warehouse at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street, emailed city councilmembers this week hoping to schedule meetings with Hamm to discuss revised deal points.

As our Lisa Halverstadt reports, the meeting requests follow a wave of backlash against initial deal points and revived negotiations between Hamm and Mayor Todd Gloria’s team. The emails to council members also mention that Hamm has agreed to a reduced rent and a shorter lease term, among other changes.

For now, a spokesperson for Hamm isn’t disclosing the new numbers and Gloria’s office isn’t saying whether it’s signed off on the new lease terms.

What’s next: On Monday, the City Council is set to get an update on lease negotiations at its second closed-door discussion on the matter in less than a month. Gloria’s proposed budget now includes $2.8 million from the city’s operating fund for the shelter and the City Council will need to sign off on that plan – and the proposed lease – if Gloria and Hamm want to move forward.

Read the full story.

North County Report: The Homeless Org Still Turning Away Government Money

Solutions for Change, a North County nonprofit, has been leaving millions of dollars in government funding on the table each year, all so it can run its homeless service organization in its own way. 

Solutions for Change provides housing for homeless people, but they must first be sober. The state of California programs that use the Housing First model. Housing First stipulates that the best way to end homelessness is by providing people housing quickly and without conditions. 

But that goes against the philosophy at Solutions for Change and so the group decided to go it alone. Tigist Layne has more on how that’s worked out for the nonprofit.

Read the full North County report here. 

P.S.: Solutions for Change wants to expand its services and is involved in a bidding war with the county over a property in Vista. 

Boundary Refs Are Coming for Port 

A city councilman from one of San Diego’s most polluted cities called for an investigation Tuesday night into San Diego’s waterfront landlords: The Port of San Diego. 

National City Councilman Marcus Bush asked the city to investigate the port after the City Council voted to oust their own port representative, Sandy Naranjo, which Bush was against. 

What went down: The tenure of Naranjo, an environmental justice advocate, was overshadowed by controversy. And, eventually, Naranjo’s Port colleagues voted to censure her. Then, after heated debate, National City’s council voted 5-2 to remove her from the appointed position. 

This comes after other turmoil at the port, like in 2023 when the Port abruptly placed its chief on administrative leave, according to Axios. A month earlier, a grand jury report raised questions about the function of its unelected board.  

“We have the power to hire consultants or request independent investigation,” Bush said. “We have an opportunity to look into the things the Port is doing.” 

Bush pointed to LAFCO, San Diego’s Local Agency Formation Commission – the region’s boundary referees – as a place to conduct such an inquiry. LAFCO was recently in the spotlight as it oversaw the hard-fought splitting of two water districts from the San Diego County Water Authority. 

In fact, San Diego’s LAFCO had already been attempting to bring the Port under its purview since at least 2021. In a letter that year, LAFCO’s executive officer Keene Simmonds wrote that the Port is the kind of special district their agency regulates so LAFCO should be able to audit it. 

But the Port’s leadership pushed back, saying the State Lands Commission was its regulator, which the State Lands’ leader supported in a January letter. 

This week, the two parties settled on what’s called a “tolling agreement,” which basically means LAFCO and the Port will lay down their swords and agree not to sue each other until September. In the meantime, they will try and sort out who has authority over Port business.

Frank Urtasun, chairman of the Port board, told Voice of San Diego in a written statement, that he appreciates LAFCO’s willingness to dialogue, but that the Port “remains convinced” the State Lands Commission is its overseer. 

“This decision is essential for maintaining the efficient and effective operation of the Port, which has significant implications for economic development, public access to the coast, and environmental stewardship,” Urtasun wrote. 

After Storm Fixes, Barrio Logan Shelter Residents Finally Return

Months after it was evacuated and severely damaged during the Jan. 22 downpour, 316 homeless San Diegans moved back into the tent shelter at 16th Street and Newton Avenue in Barrio Logan on Wednesday.

City spokesperson Matt Hoffman wrote in an email that the return came after vendor Clean Harbors sanitized both inside and outside the sprung structure and pressure washed to remove dirt around the shelter. Hoffman said workers also removed and replaced the structure’s flood-damaged lining. Hoffman could not immediately say how much the work cost.

Until Wednesday, Alpha Project temporarily operated its 326-bed shelter at the Balboa Park Activity Center for months.

Alpha Project CEO Bob McElroy said shelter residents were relieved and excited to move back to Barrio Logan where they have outdoor communal space and more access to other services. McElroy said he was impressed with how shelter residents and staff handled both moves.

“The resilience of our people was outstanding as always,” McElroy said.

In Other News 

• After a long delay, the San Diego Symphony’s renovated home could be completed by its fall program. KPBS featured the project and what to expect to see once it opens. 
• The parents of the two Australian brothers who were killed in Mexico spoke about their loss and their sons’ passions for community and surfing. Callum and Jake Robinson, and their friend Jack Carter Rhoad, were found dead last week in Ensenada. Related: A witnesses’ testimony during a hearing in a Mexican court revealed more information about why the men were targeted. (NBC 7, Union-Tribune) 
• The California Department of Public Health recognized San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten for her leadership and dedication to public health. The agency awarded Wooten with their highest honor. (Times of San Diego)
• CBS reports that dozens of files containing social security numbers, addresses and other personal information ended up in dumpsters in Bonita. The files belonged to an attorney who told CBS that he hired a company to shred the documents, but that did not happen. 

The Morning Report was written by Lisa Halverstadt, Will Huntsberry and MacKenzie Elmer. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. 

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