Some San Diego stories in 2015 were so big they will take another year to play out. Maybe longer.
The Chargers, of course
Even if you rigorously avoided paying attention to football this year, it was hard to miss the long-running, slow-motion saga of whether the Chargers would go to Los Angeles or stay here if San Diegans build them a $1.1 billion stadium.
The drama may be finally heading to a climax, as the city's plans for a new stadium have been met with a rude yawn from the team and the National Football League.
The song may be ending, but the melody will linger at least into 2016. First up is an NFL owners meeting Jan. 12-13 in Houston, where they are expected to decide if the Chargers, Oakland Raiders or St. Louis Rams will be allowed to move to the Los Angeles area. If the Chargers get rejected, thorny questions about using public money to fund a stadium will be debated in San Diego and eventually be left up to voters to decide.
If the Bolts get the green light to head north, more thorny questions will emerge: What will the loss of the team mean to the region? What will happen to the Qualcomm Stadium site? Will the San Diego State University Aztecs continue to play there or get a new stadium as part of a new development plan for the city-owned, 166-acre site?
The mayor
Mayor Kevin Faulconer had a mostly good year, with a few bumps in the road and potential sinkholes ahead.
He appeared to be trying hard to keep the Chargers in San Diego with a new plan and a new advisory group. But since the plan was for a Mission Valley stadium built with some public financing but subject to a public vote, the whole thing was a non-starter for the Spanos family, which owns the team, and the NFL.
The San Diego Convention Center expansion is in trouble, and its location is undetermined. Some think it’s possible Comic-Con, which wants the convention center to expand on the waterfront, could follow the Chargers out the door. This would not be good for the mayor or for tourism.
On the other hand, Faulconer's ambitious Climate Action Plan passed the City Council unanimously and made news across the country. And he has no opponent, so far, as he seeks re-election in 2016. Some say he may just be the most viable Republican to make a run for higher office in this blue state.
The lawyer
The lawyer is environmental attorney Cory Briggs. He, too, had a mixed year with KPBS news partner inewsource investigating his business practices and raising questions about conflicts involving the nonprofits he uses to sue government entities and others.
None of that stopped Briggs.
He and former San Diego Councilwoman Donna Frye proposed an initiative that would eliminate the Tourism Marketing District, raise hotel room taxes and give some of the money to the general fund, and allow hoteliers to tax themselves to build a campus-type annex to expand the convention center.
It's an understatement to call the measure complex. Backers plan hope to put it on the November ballot.
The DA and SDPD
The fatal shooting of unarmed Fridoon Nehad by a San Diego police officer in the Midway District in April raised questions about the decision by law enforcement officials to not make public videos of such incidents.
The officer involved, Neal Browder, didn't turn on his body camera when he responded to a call of a man waving a knife — it turned out to be a metallic pen — but a private surveillance camera captured part of the scene. Police camera video from officers who arrived after the shooting also was available.
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis didn't charge Browder in the shooting, saying it was justified because he feared for his life.
She also opposed releasing the security camera video, saying it didn't give a complete picture of what happened. Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman also refused to make it public. She has said she would not release police body camera video unless it would help quell riots sparked by a police shooting.
KPBS and four other news organizations sued to have the security camera video made public, and a judge in December ruled in their favor.
The lawyer for the Nehad family, which has filed a wrongful death suit against the city, planned to give the video to the news organizations. Before that happened, Dumanis held a news conference to release the security camera video, police body camera video and 911 calls from the night of the shooting.
What she didn't release was Browder's statements in police interviews after the shooting. In the first interview, he said he did not see a weapon when he shot Nehad. Five days later, he told authorities he saw a "metal object" in Nehad's hand and thought it might be a knife. The family's lawyer released the report with that information.
The debate over releasing video from police incidents will continue in 2016. Dumanis has said she and other law enforcement officials will be talking about protocols for releasing police body camera footage.
SeaWorld and its orcas
The movie "Blackfish," about captive orcas and the death of a SeaWorld trainer, seemed to put a big crimp in SeaWorld’s attendance and stock price in 2015. Then the California Coastal Commission said the theme park could no longer breed orcas. SeaWorld sued the commission this week over that decision.
To improve its image with the public, SeaWorld announced an end to its orca shows and its desire to transform itself into a resort.
Will these maneuvers help SeaWorld? We'll find out in 2016.
The Padres, finally
What is Padres General Manager A.J. Preller up to?
Last year he brought in some big names: Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, James Shields, Craig Kimbrel and Derek Norris, among others. That didn't work.
Preller fired manager Bud Black. The team still stank, finishing at .437. Now he’s traded Kimbrel, Alonso and Gyorko.
At this point, Padres fans may no longer have faith in the phrase, "Wait 'til next year."
