Roundtable: San Diego’s High Rise Money Pit

Friday, August 7, 2020

Above: San Diego's seal is shown at the downtown City Administration Building, May 8, 2018.

A mismanaged real estate deal for a downtown office building is costing the city of San Diego thousands of dollars per day, the San Diego County Sheriff wants to streamline the outsourcing of inmate health care, and how telecommuting during COVID-19 might change our long term work culture.

Aired: August 7, 2020 | Transcript

Roundtable: San Diego's High Rise Money Pit

PANEL:

Kelly Davis, senior editor, The Appeal

Jesse Marx, associate editor, Voice of San Diego

Brittany Meiling, business reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Midday Edition airs Monday - Friday at noon on KPBS Radio.

Subscribe to the podcast.

San Diego's Empty, Expensive High Rise

A large office building on Ash Street was supposed to be the city of San Diego's future home for administrative workers. Instead, it sits empty with asbestos exposure and other problems after an ill-advised real estate deal. It's just one example of issues within the city's real estate division, which has led to high-profile departures. Voice of San Diego associate editor Jesse Marx tells us why the city is paying thousands of dollars in rent each day for the property that won't be used anytime soon, and how Mayor Kevin Faulconer had to publicly answer questions about the issue this week.

Outsourcing Health Care For County Inmates

San Diego County's Board of Supervisors agreed this week to begin the process of exploring a plan that would put health care services for inmates entirely in the hands of private companies. Some services are already outsourced, but Sheriff Bill Gore wants to streamline the process to limit services to one provider. Kelly Davis, senior editor for The Appeal, explains the barriers to quality care behind bars and the political debate over how this money is spent.

The Future Of How We Work After COVID-19

America is in the middle of a major employment crisis brought on by COVID-19. Many of those who have held onto their jobs have had to work remotely for nearly five months. San Diego Union-Tribune business reporter Brittany Meiling shares her personal story about working from home and the mental burnout brought on by combining her home and professional life into one setting. We also discuss how communities and work culture might change if this temporary solution becomes a lasting part of our society.

Roundtable is a lively discussion of the week's top stories. Local journalists join host Mark Sauer to provide insight into how these stories affect residents of the San Diego region.

Want more KPBS news?
Find us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our newsletters. + Subscribe to our podcasts

To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.