Morning report: Biden panic spreads among Democrats in San Diego

In an interview with CBS 8 on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters of San Diego, the youngest Democratic member of Congress, suggested that President Biden may have to withdraw his candidacy as the Democratic presidential nominee after his poor performance in a recent debate.

“As much as I love Joe Biden, he’s having a tough time in these swing states,” Peters told CBS 8’s Carlo Cecchetto. “I think the campaign’s response was arrogant.”

He walked on.

“We want to know what their plan is to win this election and improve the numbers. If they don’t have a plan, then I think we need to go in a different direction,” Peters said.

The fact that Peters made this statement is a sign of how widespread the concern is among Democrats that the president cannot win re-election because of his age.

The numbers: Post-debate polls show that public opinion of Biden continues to decline. “No incumbent president has had such low approval ratings at this point in the election since George HW Bush more than three decades ago…” Politico wrote.

The New York Times has published several articles and podcasts about how and why Biden should withdraw his candidacy. On Friday, it compiled profiles of voters who supported Biden but wished they had another option.

The other side: The Democrats have not yet officially nominated Biden for president, but that is only a formality at this point unless he decides to withdraw his candidacy before the Democratic National Convention, which begins in Chicago on August 19.

Kevin Sabellico, one of dozens of San Diego delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention, has pledged his support for Biden and plans to do so. He worked on two of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaigns and hopes she will run for president again someday, but not now.

“As someone who struggled with Tourette syndrome growing up, I was never much of a speaker either. The New York Times’ editorial blitz against Biden after a bad debate really turned me off,” he told Voice.

North County Report: Why Encinitas is pursuing an affordable housing project

A proposed 100 percent affordable housing project on city-owned land on Quail Gardens Drive is the talk of the town in Encinitas.

Due to concerns raised by some residents, the city government has looked for other locations for an affordable housing project.

But whether it’s Quail Gardens Drive or not, Encinitas officials remain publicly committed to supporting an affordable housing project that will help the city meet state affordable housing goals. There’s a risk that the state’s No Net Loss law will go into effect, which essentially says cities can’t just plan affordable housing, they have to build it.

Depending on how some developments pan out, Encinitas could achieve its affordable housing goals.

Read the North County Report here.

In other news

Oops: There was excitement in San Diego’s soccer world after a former employee of the women’s soccer team San Diego Wave FC went public with allegations that Wave President Jill Ellis was abusive and forced dozens of employees to resign. The Wave replied emphatically, but two other former employees came forward with their own complaints. The Union-Tribune has a summary.