There’s officially a new county supervisor and so there’s a new chair of the board of supervisors and they’re wasting no time making big changes. 

El Cajon police have stopped responding to calls when a person says they’re going to hurt themselves. They blame lawyers but it’s complicating the response of civilian teams as well, we’ll explain.

And we talked about school enrollment plunging across the county but there are a couple schools in particular seeing major surges in enrollment. How two charter schools are racking up their numbers. 

Plus an update on the water drama. Always fun. 

 

SHOW NOTES

Segment 1
County Supervisors swear in a new Sup and waste no time getting started.

Aguirre Cements Democrats’ Control of County Government 
Newly elected South County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre took office Tuesday promising to clean up the Tijuana River and prioritize the needs of working San Diegans. She and fellow Democrats on the Board of Supervisors moved swiftly to implement their agenda. 
by Jim Hinch
July 22, 2025

Segment 2
Why would El Cajon police ignore calls for help?

A Crisis Team Responding to a Suicide Attempt Asked for Help, El Cajon Police Refused
A June incident where El Cajon police repeatedly declined to help a civilian crisis response team emphasizes the challenges tied to the department’s decision to stop responding to some crisis calls. 
by Lisa Halverstadt
10 hours ago

Fearing Lawsuits, El Cajon Police Stopped Responding to Some Mental Health Calls
The decision means county mental health teams sometimes also can’t respond to crisis calls involving a threat to a single person or lack police support when they do. 
by Lisa Halverstadt and Tessa Balc
July 23, 2025

Segment 2
There's another reason why enrollments are declining county wide

San Diego County’s Schools Have 27,000 Fewer Students Than a Decade Ago. It Will Get Worse.
Over the past decade, enrollment at San Diego County public schools has declined by about five percent. That means there are 27,000 fewer students in local schools. State officials are projecting rates of decline will only get worse, which will force educators to make some hard decisions. 
by Jakob McWhinney
July 15, 2025

Segment 3
More Water Chisme (Kinda like the budget, the story has legs)

Politics Report: Water Authority Moves On
by Scott Lewis
July 19, 2025

 

Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego.

Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, managing editor

Bella Ross, social media producer

Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer.

Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer

Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy: Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County.

Become a Member: Voice Member Benefits
Join today and receive insider access.

There&rsquo;s officially a new county supervisor and so there&rsquo;s a new chair of the board of supervisors and they&rsquo;re wasting no time making big changes.&nbsp;
El Cajon police have stopped responding to calls when a person says they&rsquo;re going to hurt themselves. They blame lawyers but it&rsquo;s complicating the response of civilian teams as well, we&rsquo;ll explain.
And we talked about school enrollment plunging across the county but there are a couple schools in particular seeing major surges in enrollment. How two charter schools are racking up their numbers.&nbsp;
Plus an update on the water drama. Always fun.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
SHOW NOTES
Segment 1 County Supervisors swear in a new Sup and waste no time getting started.
<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/22/aguirre-cements-democrats-control-of-county-government/">Aguirre Cements Democrats&rsquo; Control of County Government&nbsp;</a> Newly elected South County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre took office Tuesday promising to clean up the Tijuana River and prioritize the needs of working San Diegans. She and fellow Democrats on the Board of Supervisors moved swiftly to implement their agenda.&nbsp; by Jim Hinch July 22, 2025
Segment 2 Why would El Cajon police ignore calls for help?
<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/24/a-crisis-team-responding-to-a-suicide-attempt-asked-for-help-el-cajon-police-refused/">A Crisis Team Responding to a Suicide Attempt Asked for Help, El Cajon Police Refused</a> A June incident where El Cajon police repeatedly declined to help a civilian crisis response team emphasizes the challenges tied to the department&rsquo;s decision to stop responding to some crisis calls.&nbsp; by Lisa Halverstadt 10 hours ago
<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/23/fearing-lawsuits-el-cajon-police-stopped-responding-to-some-mental-health-calls/">Fearing Lawsuits, El Cajon Police Stopped Responding to Some Mental Health Calls</a> The decision means county mental health teams sometimes also can&rsquo;t respond to crisis calls involving a threat to a single person or lack police support when they do.&nbsp; by Lisa Halverstadt and Tessa Balc July 23, 2025
Segment 2 There's another reason why enrollments are declining county wide
<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/15/san-diego-countys-schools-have-27000-fewer-students-than-a-decade-ago-it-will-get-worse/">San Diego County&rsquo;s Schools Have 27,000 Fewer Students Than a Decade Ago. It Will Get Worse.</a> Over the past decade, enrollment at San Diego County public schools has declined by about five percent. That means there are 27,000 fewer students in local schools. State officials are projecting rates of decline will only get worse, which will force educators to make some hard decisions.&nbsp; by Jakob McWhinney July 15, 2025
Segment 3 More Water Chisme (Kinda like the budget, the story has legs)
<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/07/19/politics-report-water-politics-boil/">Politics Report: Water Authority Moves On</a> by Scott Lewis July 19, 2025
&nbsp;
Scott Lewis, CEO and editor in chief at Voice of San Diego.
Andrea Lopez-Villafa&ntilde;a, managing editor
Bella Ross, social media producer
Jakob McWhinney, education reporter and theme music composer.
Xavier Vasquez, podcast producer
Journalism is integral to a healthy democracy:<a href="https://vosd.fundjournalism.org/?amount=15&amp;campaign=701f3000001Dna8&amp;frequency=monthly"> Support independent, investigative journalism in San Diego County.</a>
Become a Member:<a href="https://voiceofsandiego.org/member-benefits/"> Voice Member Benefits Join today and receive insider access.</a>

This is Voice of San Diego’s weekly spitfire roundup of news. We cover local and regional politics, the environment, education, the border and more. This show features our investigative reporting and interviews with lawmakers and other special guests.

This is Voice of San Diego&rsquo;s weekly spitfire roundup of news. We cover local and regional politics, the environment, education, the border and more. This show features our investigative reporting and interviews with lawmakers and other special guests.