ICYMI: Our next Documenters training is taking place next week on Thursday, May 21 at the National City Public Library at 5 p.m. If you are interested in serving your community, attending public meetings and creating impact, come join us!
Looking to get more civically engaged and stay connected to your community? Join us for our next Documenters training at the National City Public Library on Thursday, May 21 at 5 p.m.
Learn and get paid to document public meetings by taking clear, accurate notes that help make local government more transparent and accessible. No experience needed—just interest in your community.
Documenters on Duty: Meet Brisa Karow, a Documenter turned freelance reporter with inewsource. Brisa joined the program in September after moving to San Diego and has since covered weekly public meetings across the county, building deep knowledge of local government and the communities it serves.
With a journalism degree, Brisa says Documenters strengthened her foundation as a well-rounded reporter, and we couldn’t agree more.
Learn more about the program and how it can serve YOUR community at the link in our bio.
Welcome Lucía Serrano, our new Documenters Program Assistant! @oye.lucia brings a strong journalism and communications background, including time as an editor at the Union-Tribune en Español and in public relations at The Old Globe. She has also produced shows and events centering people impacted by incarceration, as well as written and reviewed local theatre. She’s excited to build community within the program, surface tips that inform our reporting and help train new Documenters to be civically engaged. Say hi!
Construction of a three-story, 50-unit affordable housing project for older adults in Imperial Beach could begin in June.
The $48 million project will also provide a new home for the Imperial Beach Neighborhood Center, replacing the Imperial Beach United Methodist Church on Palm Avenue, which closed in 2018.
Imperial Beach officials approved the project in October 2022. Wakeland Housing and Development Corp. has since reduced the size of the community center by about half of its proposed square footage and converted the building to one floor rather than two, citing budget constraints and concerns from neighbors.
If construction starts June 1, the project is set to be completed by December 2027.
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
📝: @byromanfong & @DocumentersSD
Port of San Diego officials are moving closer toward allowing the construction of an electric truck-charging station in west National City, but Mayor Ron Morrison still has concerns.
This month, Port of San Diego Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab told National City councilmembers that the port had just wrapped up collecting public comment on a draft environmental impact report.
The port would eventually consider a final report, a lease and a coastal development permit at a future meeting. The port has said that following a certification of the environmental review and the necessary approvals, construction could take about six months.
Port of San Diego staff are evaluating public comments and will prepare responses to be included as part of the final environmental impact report, Brianne Page, a spokesperson for the port, said in an email to inewsource.
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
📝: @crystalniebla_media & @DocumentersSD
We’re looking for Documenters in your neighborhood.
Get paid to attend and document local government meetings. We'll train you on how to take accurate notes and document meetings effectively. Your work helps power local news and expand coverage of the issues that matter most to your community.
Join our free training this Thursday, March 26 to get started. All are welcome! 📝
Most agencies fared well in our review during #SunshineWeek, particularly in areas that the Brown Act requires. All had a direct link to information about the city council or, for the county, supervisors; access to their agenda within the required 72 hours in advance of the meeting; and recordings for past meetings online. They also had a consistent meeting time.
But we found room for improvement, too — and a willingness by cities to make changes to their website and improve access to public information. Nearly half of the cities do not provide direct phone numbers for their elected leaders, and video recordings showed officials at times were difficult to identify during meetings.
Several cities told us they are working to implement changes by the July deadline, while others have already made updates in response to our reporting.
Help us continue this work by becoming one of 20 new donors and making a gift to inewsource by the end of the week. On behalf of inewsource and San Diego Documenters, thank you for your readership and support. Donate at the link in our bio.
#SunshineWeek results are in and @ktreports has the breakdown!
We evaluated 19 San Diego government agencies across three key categories: access to in-person and remote participation, availability of past and upcoming meetings, and elected officials’ online information.
This reporting wouldn’t be possible without your support. Help us reach 20 new donors by the end of the week so we can keep pushing for transparency across San Diego neighborhoods.
Read more about the project and our findings on our website. Link in bio.
📝: @ktreports & @documenterssd
🎬: @byjennaramiscal
🎥: @iranwithacam
Today marks the beginning of #SunshineWeek — a project dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of an open and transparent government. inewsource and @documenterssd teamed up to evaluate how accessible and transparent local governments are across the county.
Later this week, inewsource reporter @ktreports will be giving a rundown of our findings, and we’ll share which cities began to implement changes after they learned our results.
In the meantime, we’re asking for help to keep these kinds of stories going. We’re looking for 20 new donors to fuel reporting that increases the public’s right to know and keeps local governments transparent. Will you be one of them? Donate at the link in our bio.
A former Albertsons that anchors an east Chula Vista shopping center has sat vacant for 12 years — but a recent vote by city officials could change that.
The city Planning Commission unanimously approved a request to divide The Shops at San Miguel Ranch into seven parcels, or privately owned plots of land.
Property owners hope that subdividing the center will increase interest from prospective tenants and improve the site’s maintenance. It also gives the center’s current businesses the chance to own their space.
Residents and business owners have long complained about the shopping center’s condition and that the over 50,000-square-foot Albertsons property has remained empty. The grocery store left in 2014, with media reports at the time saying it was financially underperforming.
📝: Roman Fong and @DocumentersSD
They’re toxic, slow to break down, tied to health problems — and if you’re one of the 200,000 customers served by Sweetwater Authority, they’re in your water.
It’s been more than a year since the southern San Diego County agency first disclosed finding what are known as “forever chemicals” in its main reservoir. Officials have since found recent testing shows some lower levels.
Officials say the water is safe to drink — but if concentrations of the chemicals continue to increase, the authority may have to increase customer rates to address the problem. Agency officials have been holding community workshops about the chemicals and say they’re committed to being transparent.
If you live in National City, Bonita or parts of Chula Vista, you may be impacted.
Read more at inewsource.org. Link in bio.
📝: Roman Fong & @DocumentersSD
