The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a historic plan that would levy a parcel tax on county landowners to create a regional fire protection agency. But city leaders in La Mesa call the plan unfair. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.

As we head into the new school year, San Diego Unified is facing the question of whether some parents should have the freedom of picking their child's classes or teachers. School board members are considering a new program that would limit a parent's choice regarding early childhood education. The new range of choices is one of the proposals under new School Superintendent Terry Grier. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has the story.

Dozens of state workers rallied at the Chula Vista Department of Motor Vehicles today. They don’t like the governor’s decision to lay off thousands of state workers and cut the pay of tens of thousands of others. The governor says it’s necessary to avoid a cash crisis.

San Diego Gas and Electric could be fined and face other penalties for allegedly making false statements to the state Public Utilities Commission. The charges are related to the proposed Sunrise Powerlink project. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce has more.

After years on death row, Billy Neal Moore has been allowed to return to society after his sentence was commuted in 1991. He reflects on sixteen years behind bars in his book called I Shall Not Die: Seventy-Two Hours on Death Row.

San Diego resident and former L.A. detective Joseph Wambaugh is a best selling author of crime novels. We take a look at Wambaugh's Los Angeles in this special feature.

The Mingei International Museum's new exhibit: "India Adorned" features the everyday objects of Indian life. We'll talk about Indian tradition and culture and how modern life is tugging at the world's second most populous country.

San Diego's beaches are thinning out, according to a recent report by SANDAG's Shoreline Preservation Working Group which monitors sand along the coast. Despite a massive beach replenishment effort in 2001, some local beaches have less sand today than before the replenishment. We'll talk about how the county will address the issue.

How have recent increases in the price of gas, food and housing impacted local families? Host Alan Ray speaks to Mitch Mitchell, with the San Diego Food Bank, about the recent increase in the number of people the organization serves. The San Diego Food Bank distributed 9.1 million pounds of food last year, and has seen a large spike in distribution over the last three months.

A crucial federal highway funding bill is stuck in the gridlock of partisan politics. If the bill isn't passed soon, California could lose almost $1 billion in construction money. Matt Laslo reports from Washington.

The Beijing Summer Olympics begin this week and The Padres dropped two-out-of-three in a weekend Series against the San Francisco Giants. We're joined on Morning Edition by North County Times sports columnist Jay Paris. And because we're loyal, we'll talk about the Padres first.

The layoffs and pay cuts Governor Schwarzenegger ordered for state workers this week could take a bite out of the state's economy. From Sacramento, Marianne Russ reports.