Tag: California Counts

  • A San Diego Refugee and Real Estate Professional Talk Politics

    By Megan Burks Mariam Ali recalls trying to rent an apartment when she arrived in San Diego 25 years ago after fleeing Somalia. She was receiving public housing assistance. “The white guy came and he was like, ‘Do you work?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not working. I receive government assistance.’ And he was like, ‘Oh,…

  • Could All-Latino Slate Motivate Higher Voter Turnout in City Heights?

    By Claire Trageser For years, one wealthy and mostly white San Diego neighborhood has effectively decided who represents an entire City Council district — a district that’s 50 percent Latino. The Kensington neighborhood wields the power in District 9 because the residents there vote. In the last general election, Kensington’s turnout was 30 percentage points…

  • California Counts: Mobilizing The State’s Refugee Voters

    Mariam Ali, a Somali refugee who lives in San Diego’s Teralta neighborhood, pours olive oil into a pot for alfredo sauce, Feb. 26, 2016. | Photo Credit: Brian Myers, Media Arts Center San Diego By Megan Burks People up and down the state are trying to crack the code on California’s dismal voter turnout, which…

  • Kensington and Teralta: Close in Distance, Miles Apart in Voter Turnout

    El Cajon Boulevard divides the Kensington and Teralta neighborhoods in San Diego, Feb. 9, 2016. | Photo Credit: Claire Trageser By Claire Trageser and Megan Burks San Diego’s El Cajon Boulevard and its four lanes of traffic doesn’t look like much of a border, but it divides two starkly different neighborhoods. Head north of it…

  • Why Don’t More Californians Vote?

    Editor’s Note: KPBS will follow residents in City Heights and nearby Kensington during this election cycle as part of a statewide look at voter turnout called “California Counts.” This article was written by Steven Cuevas of KQED. Ben Bradford of Capital Public Radio reported from Sacramento, Megan Burks of KPBS reported from City Heights, Mary…