Axios San Diego

May 23, 2024
It's Thursday. You're inching towards the long weekend. Tomorrow hardly counts. That means, basically, that today is Friday. It's here. You made it!
- Today's weather: Coast β Gradually clearing, then sunny with highs in the mid-60s. Inland β Clearing by noon, then mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60s.
Today's newsletter is 900 words β a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: California hate hotline's first year
California's first statewide reporting hotline for victims of hate incidents and crimes received 1,020 reports in its inaugural year, according to preliminary data released this week by the state's Civil Rights Department.
Why it matters: The multilingual California vs. Hate Resource Line and Network, launched in response to a yearslong rise in reported hate crimes, targets factors that contribute to underreporting, including fear of retaliation and distrust of law enforcement.
Zoom in: San Diego County produced 86 reports last year, as the city saw a surge in hate crimes.
- Most of the city's 54 reported incidents in 2023 involved race and the LGBTQ+ community.
- That number is a 15-year high and marked a shift from the previous year's report that showed hate crimes had dipped locally.
The big picture: The most common reasons for reporting to California vs. Hate were discriminatory treatment, verbal harassment and derogatory names or slurs.
- Additional review by California vs. Hate found that race and ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation were the most-cited bias motivations. Anti-Black, anti-Latino and anti-Asian bias were the most frequently cited reasons for reports related to race and ethnicity.
Zoom out: Big cities nationwide have seen spikes in hate crimes amid continued anti-LGBTQ sentiment, anti-Asian discrimination and fallout from the Israel-Hamas war.
- California recorded 2,201 hate crimes in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
What to watch: The California Civil Rights Department is partnering with UC Berkeley's Possibility Lab to improve data collection and is exploring the possibility of a text-responsive reporting option.
- It's also working on reaching communities that have been historically hard to reach and underserved, including coordinating with tribal partners and members.
2. π‘ San Diego rents are inching down


The asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment in San Diego actually dipped in the second half of 2023, but not nearly enough to make housing costs manageable.
Why it matters: A San Diego household still needs to earn more than $99,000 a year to avoid spending upwards of 30% of their income on housing β or nearly three times the minimum wage.
By the numbers: Average rent for a two-bedroom unit reached $2,530 in last year's second quarter, then fell in both the third and fourth quarters, per a report this month from the California Housing Partnership and the San Diego Housing Federation.
- The decline isn't delivering significant relief yet β the average asking rent of $2,479 to close last year was still 1.6% more than in 2022.
- Rent amounts shot up after the pandemic, increasing 23% from $2,047 at the end of 2020 to last year's peak.
Yes, but: The percentage increase in asking rates β though still positive β has been trending down since spring 2022.
The bottom line: Despite the recent decline, 61% of low-income households are spending more than 30% of their incomes on rent β the standard for a rent-burdened household.
- The same is true of 32% of moderate-income households β those earning 80% to 120% of the region's median income.
3. The Lineup: Local news roundup
ποΈ Fashion Valley is getting a new look, with the owner announcing a redevelopment plan that will put 850 luxury condos in place of JCPenney once the retailer closes its store there in 2025. (CBS 8)
π San Diego's Commission on Police Practices has been up and running for a year, but it's still a far cry from the oversight body supporters envisioned when 75% of city voters approved its creation in 2020. (KPBS)
π San Diego County is looking to operate a day center for recently arrived migrants after accepting $19.6 million in federal funds to pay for the service. (Union-Tribune)
4. π Olympic star Shaun White's favorite SD spots
Snowboarding star and San Diegan Shaun White has been checking off his bucket list since retiring from the sport two years ago.
The intrigue: As the Summer Olympic games in Paris approach, the three-time gold medalist reminisced with Axios about how growing up around San Diego shaped his career.
What he's saying: "California is a hotbed of [extreme] sports," said White.
- "There's only so many places in the world where you can wake up, go to the mountains, go snowboarding, come back down, go skateboarding, and then catch a sunset surf with your friends. I'm really a product of my environment."
Zoom in: Here are the Carlsbad native's favorite things to do in town.
Beaches: Solana, Stonesteps and Moonlight
- "You go surfing; there are people playing volleyball and hanging out. It's typical Southern California lifestyle."
Skateboarding: The avid skater likes the park at the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA in Encinitas.
- "I would go there every single day."
Restaurants: He loves classic SD taco shops like Roberto's, Juanita's and El Taco Rico, plus some spots in the Gaslamp.
Fun fact: A documentary about his final Olympics run came out last year. You can stream it on Max.
5. βLocal Olympics trivia
Speaking of Olympic athletes β¦ have you visited the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center?
Why it matters: U.S. and international athletes across more than 20 professional, collegiate and Olympic sports train at the 155-acre complex, which is owned by the city of Chula Vista.
Now, time for some trivia!
Tell us: Reply to this email with the correct answer and you could win some Axios swag!
- How many U.S. athletes that trained here won gold medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games? (4, 10, 18 or 23)
- Tiebreaker: Can you name any?
Hint: The champions competed in track and field, BMX and swimming events.
Our picks:
βΎ Andy is wishing Xander Bogaerts a full and speedy recovery.
π Kate is annoyed she has to wait weeks to watch the rest of season 3 of "Bridgerton."
This newsletter was edited by Ross Terrell and copy edited by James Gilzow.
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