County and City of San Diego California

Ludmil Alexandrov (L) and Trey Ideker (R) are both on teams selected for the shortlist of Cancer Grand Challenges. Alexandrov leads a team investigating the origins of cancer, while Ideker is co-investigator on a team creating AI tools for cancer research. Photo credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences Two UC San Diego Scientists Compete for $25 Million in Global Cancer Research Challenge International teams vie for prestigious funding to tackle cancer's most complex problems using AI and mutational signature analysis San Diego, CA – Two University of California San Diego researchers are among 12 finalists competing for up to £20 million ($25 million) each in the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, a global competition that brings together world-class scientists to tackle cancer's most intractable problems. Ludmil Alexandrov, Ph.D., professor of cellular and molecular medicine and bioengineering, leads Team CAUSE, while Trey Ideker, Ph.D., professor of medicine, bio...

Why San Diego County legal payouts have doubled since 2020 San Diego County's $158M Legal Tab: How Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Misconduct Claims Mounting settlements and judgments raise questions about litigation strategy and systemic reforms San Diego County has paid out nearly $158 million in legal settlements and judgments since January 2020, with costs reaching $36 million last year alone—raising urgent questions about how local government can stem the tide of costly litigation that drains taxpayer resources. The expenditures, driven primarily by lawsuits involving the Sheriff's Office, represent a significant burden on public coffers at a time when California municipalities face mounting legal pressures from expanded liability laws and increasingly sympathetic juries. The Sheriff's Office Problem The bulk of San Diego County's payouts—nearly $95 million, or 60% of the total—stem from one agency: the Sheriff's Office. Deaths and injuries in county jails alo...

San Diego's Horton Plaza Redevelopment Hinges on Convention Center Integration AllianceBernstein's $550 Million Acquisition Could Transform Downtown, But Political and Financial Hurdles Remain SAN DIEGO — The future of downtown San Diego's most prominent vacant property now rests with AllianceBernstein LP, the New York-based investment firm that acquired the shuttered Horton Plaza retail complex through foreclosure, setting up a high-stakes redevelopment scenario with implications stretching far beyond real estate. The 10-acre site, spanning seven blocks between First and Fourth avenues, represents what multiple observers describe as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape San Diego's urban core. With up to 772,000 square feet of potential office space, the property's ultimate configuration could determine whether downtown experiences renaissance or continued decline. Three distinct scenarios have emerged from interviews with city officials, de...

Massive Rate Hikes Make the City Unaffordable Consumer Alert: 63% water rate increases over four years, combined with useless public input process, are pricing out middle-class residents San Diego residents face what may be the most dramatic water rate increases in the city's history – a crushing 63% hike over four years that city officials have essentially predetermined, regardless of public opposition. For middle-class families, the choice is becoming stark: pay up or get out. The San Diego City Council voted September 30 on rate increases that will add approximately $700 annually to household water bills by 2029. But leaked internal documents and the city's own bureaucratic responses to objections reveal this isn't a debate – it's a foregone conclusion designed to extract maximum revenue from captive ratepayers. The Bottom Line: Your Voice Doesn't Matter The Process is Rigged : When residents submit detailed objections to rate increases, they re...

How North Korea Stole 1,000 Volvos From Sweden - YouTube North Korea's $430 Million Car Debt: Fifty Years of Unpaid Volvos Still Running Strong Half a century after Sweden delivered 1,000 Volvo sedans to North Korea, the hermit kingdom's debt has ballooned to unprecedented levels while many of the original vehicles continue operating as taxis in Pyongyang. Fifty years ago this month, what seemed like a promising trade deal between Sweden and North Korea turned into one of international commerce's most enduring financial oddities. In 1974, as part of a broader diplomatic and economic outreach following the establishment of formal relations in 1973, North Korea placed orders for substantial Swedish exports including 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans and industrial mining equipment. The vehicles were duly shipped and delivered, but payment never materialized. Today, that unpaid invoice has transformed into a debt that various sources estimate between $250 million and $430 ...