At SDSU, replies to a survey of 1314 students, faculty, staff, and administrators related a host of chronic problems, including a homeless population that is ever encroaching from surrounding neighborhoods.

Fear and loathing at SDSU

San Diego State University — back among the ranks of the Mountain West college athletic conference last week after agreeing to fork over legal fees resulting from a brief showdown over the school’s bungled attempt to jump ship for the PAC-12 — is not such a nice place to go to school, according to a July 17 report about the campus to trustees of the California State University system by Cozen O’Connor.

The white-shoe law firm was hired in March 2022 to investigate “discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on protected statuses, including sex and gender (under Title IX)” at CSU’s 23 universities as well as its office of Chancellor. At SDSU, replies to a survey of 1314 students, faculty, staff, and administrators related a host of chronic problems, including a homeless population that is ever encroaching from surrounding neighborhoods. “Respondents feared unhoused populations on campus. Survey respondents stated that they felt unsafe on campus, largely because the campus is open to the public, including unhoused individuals or those using drugs.”

Patrick Soon-Shiong says “So long” to Untion-Tribune

Some saw menace from within. “Fraternity parties [are] seen as a major safety risk. Survey respondents shared that Greek life at San Diego State was a contributor to sexual violence and harassment.” Other threats were perceived as coming from the alcohol-stoked jock culture at the heart of the school’s public identity. “Survey respondents expressed their belief that the university had overlooked the sexual assault of a minor by members of the football team; some stated that the team made them feel unsafe because of historical abuses.”

Fear of repercussions from higher-ups caused rampant harassment to go unreported. “Some respondents stated that fears of retaliation were particularly troublesome in cases of bullying, where power dynamics combined with policies that do not adequately address bullying could exacerbate the potential for supervisors to take adverse action. One survey respondent stated that they reported workplace harassment and bullying but were told that their complaints were not actionable because they did not belong to a protected status themselves.”

A major target of the criticism was SDSU’s so-called Center for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination under the president’s office, otherwise known as CPHD, which is supposed to be handling these complaints. “Many felt consistently discouraged from reporting because of the impression that nothing ever comes of those reports.” Added the findings: “Further, there is a perception among university constituents that there is an inherent conflict of interest in the supervisory structure of CPHD, and that university administrators are more interested in protecting themselves and the institution rather than prioritizing student well-being.”

Editorial basement

A new crew appears set to oversee editorial writing at the San Diego Union-Tribune because of liberal Los Angeles billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong’s decision two weeks ago to sell the paper to controversial Alden Global Capital, and conservative winds are blowing. Alden Global’s Southern California Newspaper Group, likely to take over at the U-T soon, already runs the Los Angeles Daily News, The Orange County Register, Riverside Press-Enterprise, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star News, Whittier Daily News, and the Redlands Daily Facts. To create editorial opinions for all those outlets, Alden Global has set up a centralized editorial board with a distinctly rightward slant, far different than the liberal views advanced by the U-T under Soon-Shiong. “The editorials are unsigned because, while written by one or more members of our staff, they represent the point of view of our news organization’s management,” according to a statement run by each of Alden’s Southern California newspaper websites. Notable members of the board include Susan Shelley, Vice President of Communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, billed by the Alden websites as “California’s leading taxpayer advocacy organization.” One Alden right-of-center editorialist already familiar with San Diego is Steve Greenhut, one-time vice president of the conservative Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity. Greenhut was made the U-T ‘s California Columnist in 2014 by the paper’s then-owner, local Republican kingpin Doug Manchester.

Doug Manchester, the man behind Greenhut 1.0.

A bio on the Alden-owned Chicago Tribune’s website notes “Greenhut played a critical role in launching ‘Fixing California,’ a joint project between the U-T and the Franklin Center.”

Woke and not-so-center

While the U-T appears destined to become significantly less woke under its new ownership, San Diego State University’s taxpayer-financed KPBS public broadcasting outfit is looking to hire a Racial Justice & Social Equity Reporter, per a recent job posting online. “The reporter will be part of a team tasked with covering social inequity in housing, social services, immigration, schools, workplaces, cultural institutions, the legal system, and access to health care,” the notice for the position says.

Like all KPBS journalists, “the reporter is expected to participate in station on-air fundraising activities and make appearances for KPBS community building events and other public relations activities.” The salary starts at $30.53 per hour...California state senate pro-Tem Toni Atkins picked up $10,000 on July 13 from Manpower San Diego for her 2026 bid to become Lieutenant Governor. Manpower is co-owned by Mel Katz, chairman of the San Diego County water authority and prolific giver to political causes, including in December 2021 $5000 to a group calling itself New San Diego, set up to pay for hit pieces against ex-Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, then challenging fellow Democrat Jen Campbell’s reelection bid for the San Diego city council. Saldana fell short of making the cut in the 2022 June primary, clearing the way for Campbell’s November rout of Republican Linda Lukacs.

Earlier this month, the San Diego County Local Area Formation Commission gave the green light to the Fallbrook Public Utility District and the Rainbow Municipal Water District, which argue the water authority’s prices are exorbitant, to pull out of the agency. An election regarding the move is likely next year. Katz complained that allowing a public vote on the water district pullout “is very disappointing because it will raise water rates for disadvantaged communities, working families, 70% of agriculture in the county, small businesses and everyone else across our region.”

— Matt Potter

(@sdmattpotter)

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