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Lisa Halverstadt

@lisahalverstadt.bsky.social

1.3K followers 450 following 720 posts

@voiceofsandiego.org senior investigative reporter digging into San Diego County government & our homelessness, housing & behavioral health crises. 📧[email protected]

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Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · May 29

🧵Career highlight I hope will have many positive ripples: @poynterinstitute.bsky.social just published a guide to homelesness reporting that I've spent months creating with an impressive group of journalists across the country with years of experience on the beat.

When homelessness rises, so do the stakes of getting the story right - Poynter

This new guide helps journalists navigate the ethical and human challenges of reporting on homelessness

www.poynter.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8h

PSA: @voiceofsandiego.org's Morning Report is a quick, easy and free way to keep up with local news. 📧🌅

Subscribe here:

The Morning Report | Voice of San Diego

San Diego news and info you need to take on the day. From us to you, Monday through Friday.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8h

We've also got a lookback at former @voiceofsandiego
reporter Mario Koran's investigation that unseated a corrupt school board member and more.

Morning Report: El Cajon and Escondido Lead County in Per-Capita Prop. 36 Arrests

San Diego County’s two largest inland cities – El Cajon and Escondido – are making the most vigorous use of a recently adopted state ballot initiative that stiffens penalties for […]

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8h

Also in today's Morning Report: why a Chula Vista
school district official just got placed on leave and Del Cerro residents' concerns about the city of San Diego raiding a fund meant to back projects in their neighborhood. voiceofsandiego.org?p=758215

Planning Group Accuses City of Lack of Transparency with Development Funds

City officials used $3.5 million from Navajo’s development fund on an emergency storm drain repair without informing the planning group.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8h

🧵It's Wednesday and I'm excited that former rockstar @voiceofsandiego.org intern Tessa Balc's dive into Prop. 36
data leads today's news blast. We share a passion for digging into how the measure cracking down on drug and theft crimes is playing out.

Morning Report: El Cajon and Escondido Lead County in Per-Capita Prop. 36 Arrests

San Diego County’s two largest inland cities – El Cajon and Escondido – are making the most vigorous use of a recently adopted state ballot initiative that stiffens penalties for […]

voiceofsandiego.org

Reposted by Lisa Halverstadt

Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 4d

EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration has laid off more than 100 employees at the nation's primary mental health agency.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Trump slashes mental health agency as shutdown drags on

Sources tell NPR that more than 100 employees have been laid off at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Agency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had some cuts reversed late Saturday.

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 1d

Your regular reminder: @voiceofsandiego.org's Morning Report is a great (and free!) way to keep up on local news. 📧🌅

You can sign up to get it here:

The Morning Report | Voice of San Diego

San Diego news and info you need to take on the day. From us to you, Monday through Friday.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 1d

We've also got a La Jolla Country Day School student's review of our #Politifest2025 homelessness panel.

Politifest: Solutions to San Diego’s Street Homelessness Crisis

How should San Diego leaders address street homelessness?

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 1d

Tigist Layne also spotlighted a theory on
why San Diego doesn’t have many condos or townhomes.

Could California Use Some Construction Defect Litigation Reform?

The president of the San Diego Housing Federation says it’s long overdue.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 1d

Also in the Morning Report: my scoop on a brief ethics investigation into @sandiegocounty.bsky.social Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer.

County Ethics Office Investigated County Board Chair, Decided Against Action

The county’s ethics office looked into allegations that board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer used her county ID to get into a North Park bar and decided it was ‘too minor’ to merit action.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 1d

🧵It’s Tuesday and it’s feeling like fall in San Diego. 🍂 Today’s @voiceofsandiego.org news blast leads with @jakobmcwhinney.bsky.social’s story on a seemingly straightforward question that San Diego Unified School District can't answer.

Morning Report: How Many Kids Fit in a School? The World May Never Know

Education reporter Jakob McWhinney recently brought San Diego Unified officials a seemingly straightforward question: how many students can each district-run school serve? The question was part of a t...

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 2d

Scoop: @sandiegocounty.bsky.social's ethics office swiftly opened and closed an investigation into County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer's use of her county badge at a North Park bar - and apparently never told her about it until my records request.

County Ethics Office Investigated County Board Chair, Decided Against Action

The county’s ethics office looked into allegations that board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer used her county ID to get into a North Park bar and decided it was ‘too minor’ to merit action.

voiceofsandiego.org

Reposted by Lisa Halverstadt

◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 4d

HUD laid off so many fair housing investigators on Friday that it shuttered the regional offices that oversee discrimination cases in 9 states: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

HUD Issues Layoff Notices, Targeting Fair Housing Staff With Deep Cuts

Fair housing staffers who investigate claims of housing discrimination at field offices nationwide were among the hundreds of HUD staffers who received layoff notices.

www.bloomberg.com

Reposted by Lisa Halverstadt

sandiegouniontribune.com.web.brid.gy @sandiegouniontribune.com.web.brid.gy · 5d

Federal judge sanctions San Diego County for erasing ‘critically important’ video in 22-year-old’s jail death

The missing footage could have shown whether deputies or medical staff ignored William Hayden Schuck in the days before he died.

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 5d

San Diego County just announced interim appointments following the planned departures of county Health and Human Services chief Kim Giardina and Self-Suffiency Services Director Rick Wanne.

Via @sandiegocounty.bsky.social comms:

Key Appointments Made to County Health and Human Services Team

County Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton announced interim appointments today for two key positions in the County’s Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).

www.countynewscenter.com

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 5d

"@sandiegocounty.bsky.social said the new rules could increase its numbers by anywhere from 3.5% to 48.1%."

My review of CARE Court in San Diego: shorturl.at/jCOLv

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 5d

ICYMI, here's my scoop on how ADU construction is fueling housing production in San Diego County. ADUs have made up 30% of permitted units outside cities over the last four years.

ADU Construction Is Fueling the County’s Housing Production

At a time when traditional developers deem county policies hostile to development, granny flats are fueling county progress on state housing goals.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 5d

About that regional ADU boom:
Per @sandiegouniontribune.com, ADUs made up more than a quarter of permitted units in the city of San Diego last year.

I reported last week that ADUs also made up 45% of housing units that @sandiegocounty.bsky.social permitted in 2024.

sandiegouniontribune.com.web.brid.gy @sandiegouniontribune.com.web.brid.gy · 5d

‘A ton of work still to do’: San Diego housing progress slows as city OKs fewer new homes

ADUs accounted for more than a quarter of all the new homes approved last year. But this year the City Council rolled back an incentive to build more of them.

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 6d

Also, PSA that if you want to watch this panel or others - or even read presenters' slides - you can do that here. 👇

Kudos to my colleague Paris Giles for putting together this awesome page!

Politifest 2025: News and Media

Politifest 2025: Solutions Showdown Solutions Showdown A rapid-fire series of conversations focused entirely on answers — not problems. Topics Cross-Border Sewage Crisis Affordable Electricity Afforda...

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 6d

Discussions about homeless residents struggling with addiction and mental health challenges often quickly devolve into complications. Our #Politifest2025 panel sure dropped lotsa potential solutions.

6 Things San Diego Could Do to Aid Homeless People with Behavioral Health Challenges

Politifest speakers agreed that San Diego County government should take the lead on delivering solutions to aid homeless residents grappling with addiction and mental health conditions.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 6d

Your monthly reminder: For most of the last few years, local efforts to house homeless residents haven't kept up with the flood of people losing their homes. That equation must change to dramatically reduce homelessness.

More on this topic:

Newly Homeless Residents Still Outpacing Newly Housed

San Diego’s efforts to house homeless San Diegans aren’t keeping up with the number of people losing their homes.

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 6d

New homelessness data: The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County continued to outpace the number moving into homes in September. @rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,106 people became homeless for the first time and 1,032 exited homelessness.

Reposted by Lisa Halverstadt

sandiegouniontribune.com.web.brid.gy @sandiegouniontribune.com.web.brid.gy · 7d

San Diego County’s top election official to retire after redistricting special election

Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes led an overhaul of how elections work in the county, including the move to large 'vote centers.'

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8d

Gotta say: The @voiceofsandiego.org team really delivers.
If you want to keep up on San Diego news, I highly recommend signing up for our free Morning Report. 📧🌅https://voiceofsandiego.org/morning-report-newsletter/

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8d

@jakobmcwhinney.bsky.social also broke the news on the Cajon Valley school district superintendent's admission that he'll be taking a more active role in school board elections to try to keep his job.

Cajon Valley Superintendent Will ‘Play an Active Role’ in School Board Races

It’s rare for district superintendents to dip their toes into the often-partisan politics of school board elections.

voiceofsandiego.org

Lisa Halverstadt @lisahalverstadt.bsky.social · 8d

We're also rolling out takeaways from #politifest2025.

@willhuntsberry.bsky.social detailed Councilmember @seanelorivera.bsky.social's push to get tourists and wealthy San Diegans to "pay their fair share."

Elo-Rivera Wants Tourists and Wealthy to Pay 'Fair Share'

The councilmember wants to charge fees for tourists accessing Mission Bay and Torrey Pines Golf Course, as well as tax second homes.

voiceofsandiego.org