Opinion

Each day nearly 150,000 travelers pass through the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and Tecate ports of entry between San Diego County and Baja California. By comparison, this year the San Diego Convention Center’s largest event, Comic-Con, attracted 135,000 attendees over five days with an economic impact in excess of $140 million. Tens of thousands of people from Mexico cross daily to spend and invest in our county. If all Tijuanans employed in San Diego worked for a single company, it would be the largest employer in the entire binational region. Not surprisingly, border crossers add substantially to our county’s GDP.The San Diego-Tijuana Smart Border Coalition welcomes a discussion about the future of transportation in San Diego County. As members of the coalition, we salute the fact that many groups and individuals have been vocal about SANDAG’s transportation strategy.SANDAG Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata and Caltrans Border Corridor Director Mario Orso recently met … [Read more...] about Commentary: SANDAG strategy shouldn’t forget border travelers

San Diego has shifted to an action-oriented approach on homelessness over the past few years.We’ve added hundreds of new shelter beds, opened storage facilities for individuals experiencing homelessness to keep their belongings while they go to work or school, established safe parking lots for those whose vehicle is a home of last resort and invested in the development of hundreds of new permanent supportive housing units through the Housing Commission’s Housing First — San Diego initiative.All of these decisions were driven by one shared belief: We must act now, and we must act together.San Diego is making progress on this critical issue, and now, after months of gathering community insight, we have a clearer vision on how to take our efforts to the next level. The city of San Diego’s Community Action Plan on Homelessness, which will be presented to the City Council on Monday, examines every aspect of the city’s homelessness infrastructure. From … [Read more...] about Commentary: How San Diego plans to address, prevent homelessness

In 2018, we were on opposite sides of the Measure G campaign. City Council member Bry was the measure’s lead supporter, council member Sherman was its most outspoken critic. As San Diegans know, Measure G was approved by voters last November, beginning the process of transferring ownership of the Mission Valley stadium site to San Diego State University.The people have spoken, their will must be implemented and the promises of the 2018 campaign must be kept. This is why, despite our differences, we have come together to express our concerns about the process thus far and to offer solutions to ensure success.Unfortunately, and most troubling, the public has not been officially updated on the progress of negotiations, and the City Council was only recently briefed in a closed session hearing. At the urging of the City Council, the city released the appraisal, and a public hearing is set for Monday. Finally. This process has taken too long since the basic outline for a sales … [Read more...] about Commentary: Secrecy and delay hurt public trust in SDSU deal

Updated: September 12, 2019 So you want to learn a second language? Good. In my humble opinion, everyone should learn another language. But let me first say- it’s not easy. In fact, it’s really hard. But, it’s also incredibly satisfying, fun and rewarding. And not to mention useful. Table of Contents What is fluency?1. Learn as much as possible before you go abroad.2. Immerse yourself.3. Live with a host family.4. Carry around a notebook and pocket dictionary.5. Absorb media in your target language. 6. Try a language exchange.7. Make a serious effort to remember every word.8. Get a boyfriend or girlfriend who speaks your target language.9.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.10. Don’t be afraid to be pushy when necessary.And most importantly, don’t give up. You can do this.What didn’t work for me:Apps that can help you learn:Books that can help:So what makes me an expert anyway?Enjoyed this post? Subscribe here! What is fluency? Fluent … [Read more...] about 10 Tips for Becoming Fluent in a Second (or Third!) Language

I can’t tell you how to get turndown service every night, but I can show you the best ways to make your bedroom feel like a hotel room. It’s easier than ever to find the same sheets, mattresses, and more that your favorite hotels use. Follow these tips to get five-star-worthy sleep every night: Recreate Your Favorite Hotel Bed Want to recreate the feel of your last Marriott stay at home? You can buy the same experience on Marriott’s online shop, which sells the same brand of mattresses, bedding sets, and pillows that are used in the hotels. The shop is also available on Amazon if you want to Prime your new bed over immediately. Want to find your favorite hotel’s beds at a more affordable price? It’s fairly easy to find what mattress the property uses with a quick online search. For example, Westin touts its world-famous Heavenly Bed, but it’s a widely known secret that the Heavenly Bed is just a Simmons Beautyrest mattress, which you can find for … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Make Your Bedroom Feel like a Hotel Room