County and City of San Diego California

Is there another option to get the nuclear waste out of San Onofre? – San Diego Union-Tribune Can Reprocessing Save San Onofre? San Diego County breaks ranks with federal impasse, seeking to transform radioactive waste into advanced reactor fuel as Yucca Mountain remains abandoned and 91,000 tons of spent fuel languish nationwide TL;DR • San Diego County unanimously approved exploring reprocessing of 3.55 million pounds of nuclear waste stranded at San Onofre since the plant's 2013 closure • The federal Yucca Mountain repository project consumed $15 billion before termination in 2010, leaving 91,000 metric tons of spent fuel at 35 states with no permanent disposal solution • France successfully reprocesses spent fuel while Finland and Sweden have opened permanent repositories, but U.S. banned reprocessing in 1977 over weapons proliferation fears • Silicon Valley startups like Oklo are developing proliferation-resistant reprocessing for advanced reactors, potentially transform...

  Constitutional Protections Won't Survive Fiscal Reality Bankruptcy Precedents Show "Untouchable" Obligations Get Cut When Governments Run Out of Money SAN DIEGO — California public employees counting on constitutionally "guaranteed" pensions face the same harsh lesson Detroit retirees learned a decade ago: legal protections mean nothing when government coffers run dry. With $300-600 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, costs consuming ever-larger budget shares, and accelerating tax base erosion, the mathematical collision between California's pension obligations and fiscal reality grows unavoidable. Despite decades of court rulings declaring pensions inviolable contractual rights, federal bankruptcy law supersedes state constitutional protections when obligations exceed resources—and the precedents are clear. "You cannot squeeze blood from a stone," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. "When Detroit...

San Diego County's population increases in fiscal year 2025 San Diego County Population Rises Modestly Amid California's Sluggish Growth BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) San Diego County's population increased by 10,807 residents (0.32%) to 3,336,081 in fiscal year 2025, outpacing California's anemic 0.05% statewide growth. The modest gain reflects positive international migration offset by continued domestic outflow, with military personnel fluctuations playing a minimal role. California lost over 89,000 residents to net domestic migration while gaining 126,000 through international migration, primarily from Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines, with domestic migrants predominantly relocating to Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho. San Diego Bucks State Trend With Population Gain San Diego County added 10,807 residents in fiscal year 2025, reaching a total population of 3,336,081, according to data released Friday by the California Department of Finance. The 0.32% i...

The Coming Raid on $7.7 Trillion in Home Equity State's Accelerating Budget Crisis Makes Property Wealth California's Last Major Untapped Revenue Source SAN DIEGO — California homeowners who believed Proposition 13's property tax protections were permanent face a sobering reality: the state's accelerating fiscal crisis has made their $7.7 trillion in untaxed home equity the government's most attractive remaining revenue target. With $30 billion in annual structural deficits, $300-600 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, and accelerating tax base erosion from out-migration, state legislators and interest groups are developing increasingly sophisticated strategies to circumvent the constitutional protections California voters enacted in 1978. The assault employs reassessment triggers disguised as "fees," wealth taxes on property equity, forced sales through escalating transfer taxes, and means-tested modifications that preserve Prop 13 for some while...

  THE REAL COMPARISON Between Finland and California Finland spent less per homeless person and nearly solved the problem. California spent 12.5x more per person and made it worse. This isn't about money. It's about: Building sufficient housing (Finland did, California didn't) Funding adequate services (Finland did consistently, California did sporadically) Political commitment (Finland maintained 15 years, California fragmented) Accountability (Finland tracked results, California didn't) This per capita analysis makes the comparison much more powerful because it: Eliminates the scale excuse - Shows California spent dramatically more per person Highlights the efficiency gap - Finland got better results for less money Exposes the implementation failure - Not a funding problem, an execution problem Makes it personal - Every Californian "paid" $615 vs. every Finn paying $54 Shows the paradox - Spending more money produced worse outcomes . Why th...