Lisa Halverstadt

Nonprofit Deploying Overdose Reversal Drug for County Didn’t Pay Subcontractors, Staff for Months The former county contractor at the center of a misappropriation scandal stopped paying subcontractors and staff months before its former chief operating officer was hit with criminal charges.

The former San Diego County contractor at the center of a misappropriation scandal stopped paying subcontractors and staff months before its former chief operating officer was hit with criminal charges.

Dr. Matthew Beare examines a patient's foot at a meeting area near the Kern River on March 16, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

A majority of California’s roughly 180,000 people experiencing homelessness have health insurance through Medi-Cal. Providers predict that many will lose insurance under President Donald Trump’s upcoming work mandates even if they qualify for exemptions. bit.ly/408kKKB

📸 Larry Valenzuela

Mixed-status families could lose Section 8 vouchers There is a new proposed rule targeting rental help for mixed status immigrant households. The change targets millions of people surviving with Section 8 vouchers, reports NBC 7's M.G. Perez.

Via @nbcsandiego.com: "There is a new proposed rule targeting rental help for mixed status immigrant households. The change targets millions of people surviving with Section 8 vouchers."

Are other San Diego Section 8 waitlists still open? Oceanside, Encinitas, Carlsbad and National City are the only cities in the county with their own housing authorities.

Encinitas joins San Diego city, county in closing Section 8 waitlists. From North County Reporter @katiefutterman.bsky.social. inewsource.org/2026/03/02/e...

Who blew the whistle on an overdose-prevention contractor? County officials give conflicting accounts. Tax filings by the Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego showed red flags years before its COO was charged with six felonies.

"A host of questions persist over how the nonprofit focused on preventing deadly drug overdoses was able to win government contracts worth more than $12M, when even a cursory check of public records raises red flags for the fledgling organization."

"San Diego County, for instance, didn’t make the 'CARE champion' list, even though, as of last summer, it had the most graduations of any county in the state, with 10."

More on San Diego's CARE Court rollout: tinyurl.com/kvmz54ju

Seniors Stay Longer at Homeless Shelters Than Others On average, seniors stay longer at homeless shelters than younger San Diegans. They have few housing options and work propsects.

Important story by my @voiceofsandiego.org colleague Mariana Martínez Barba: Homeless seniors are spending longer at city shelters than younger San Diegans. voiceofsandiego.org/2026/03/02/s...

County Contractor Case Getting More Troubling The District Attorney’s Office says a former county contractor may have taken even more money than originally alleged.

District Attorney Summer Stephan's office is expanding its criminal case against the ex-COO of a former San Diego County contractor who allegedly used public funds to pay for plastic surgeries and family vacations.

The latest on the case:

Prosecutors said she stole $132K from the county. Now they think even more is gone. A judge refused to free a woman accused of stealing funds that were supposed to help stop overdoses.

Via @sandiegouniontribune.com: "An already dire picture of a woman taking money meant for San Diego’s most vulnerable and spending it on everything from plastic surgeries to personal vacations grew even darker this week when prosecutors gave a public update about their ongoing investigation."

County Supes Have Tough Questions About Contract Oversight Four supervisors say they’ve had requests and questions for the county’s top bureaucrat since learning that the COO of a former county contractor is facing criminal misappropriation charges.

San Diego County supervisors have tough questions and requests for the county's top bureaucrat amid a criminal scandal involving an ex-county contractor.

Opinion: San Diego County Governance Needs an Overhaul and Stronger Guardrails County government should extend term limits and add an independent auditor, budget analyst and ethics commission.

In a @voiceofsandiego.org op-ed, former San Diego city manager Jack McGrory is coming out in favor of San Diego County government reforms. voiceofsandiego.org/2026/02/24/o...

San Diegan was given 60 days to vacate. It's now an Airbnb San Diego's short-term rental ordinance allows owners to obtain a license to rent the property after an illegal eviction.

San Diegan’s eviction notice said new owners were moving in. The place is now an Airbnb. From investigative reporter Cody Dulaney. inewsource.org/2026/02/23/s...

Kinda says everything about what the state’s new approach on housing does and doesn’t do that Huntington Beach has been in litigation over it for the entirety of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure

About the Big County Overhaul Here's what we know about San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer's push for major county reforms.

We've now got a free version of this update on our website for non-@voiceofsandiego.org members:

Cup of Chisme: Public Funds and Plastic Surgery This week, our Lisa Halverstadt broke that news that county prosecutors charged the leader of a local nonprofit with using public dollars to pay for personal expenses. Amy Knox, former […]

Ready for some tea?☕️ @voiceofsandiego.org Managing Editor Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña's latest Cup of Chisme includes more details on my scoops on criminal charges for an ex-San Diego County contractor and a probe into the county pharmacy chief's side gig at a law firm that reps pharma companies.

A former San Diego deputy city attorney and the city's behavioral health officer are leading this charge. 👇

Voice Member Benefits Join today and receive insider access. Voice of San Diego’s nonprofit journalism is powered by the support of our members who donate to make to our reporting possible. Become a […]

PSA: That last link is only for members. Learn more here:

Shared more details on this topic in today's @voiceofsandiego.org Politics Report, including why the pitch for a @sandiegocounty.bsky.social mayor is seeming less likely. (final section) shorturl.at/stk5d

ICE detention center denies San Diego County supervisors access San Diego County supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre were turned away outside the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Friday.

Via @inewsource.org: ‘What are they hiding?’ San Diego County supervisors denied access to ICE detention center

San Diego District Attorney raises concerns over proposed County consumer protection unit San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan has expressed concerns about a proposal to create a new county-level consumer protection unit.

Interesting @cbs8.bsky.social story on District Attorney Summer Stephan and @suplawsonremer.bsky.social's policy dispute over a proposed consumer protection unit. 👇

Supervisor Floating Big Changes to County Leadership County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer is considering potential county policy changes including an extension of board term limits and an elected top county administrator.

Want to be clear: Very glad @sandiegouniontribune.com is on this and getting more detailed info. I am a fan of county beat reporter Lucas Robinson.

My original scoop:

Happy to see this more detailed story on some news I broke the other week.👇

A beef: I'm still awaiting responses to my related @sandiegocounty.bsky.social records requests and an interview with @suplawsonremer.bsky.social, who's had to repeatedly reschedule our chat.

Another interesting angle I got into today's @voiceofsandiego.org Morning Report: District Attorney Summer Stephan and San Diego County officials aren't on the same page about whether opioid settlement funds were embezzled. (3rd section) shorturl.at/pQm5M

Exclusive: CBP asked a California county for info on all of its property owners Customs and Border Protection has requested information on every parcel in a Southern California county, including who owns each one.

Via: @sfchronicle.com: Customs and Border Protection wants ownership details and other information on every parcel in San Diego County, according to an official who handles county property data.

San Diego’s Homelessness Math Problem Narrows The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reported a 13 percent year-over-year drop in people falling into homelessness and a 17 percent uptick in people moving into homes.

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: shorturl.at/VNAFd

NEW SAN DIEGO HOMELESSNESS DATA: The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County outpaced the number moving into homes in January. @rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,064 people became homeless for the first time and 976 exited homelessness.