The Meteor Heading for the City's Budget

The Meteor Heading for the City's Budget

From Voice of San Diego Podcast by Voice of San Diego

May 1, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential impact of a trash fee repeal on San Diego's budget and features an interview with Ashly McGlone about her project on Vietnam War veteran James Lyle Steele.

San Diego's budget could be in a lot of trouble if voters repeal the city's trash fee. City leaders say if that happens, their only option would be to cut up to $150 million from city services like stormwater, fire and police departments. Our hosts explain what's at stake. Also on the show: The county governance reforms are marching forward. But one state Senator says her fellow Democrats need to change the plan before it goes on the ballot. Finally: Former Voice of San Diego reporter Ashly McGlone stopped by to talk about her new project Reconnaissance Man . Before the Vietnam War America knows, James Lyle Steele, an original Marine reconnaissance man, was in it. Operating at the leading edge of a brutal, evolving conflict — poisoned bamboo, booby traps, tunnels, ambushes, and helicopter assaults— he faced a war that demanded constant vigilance. This episode offers Steele's firsthand account of the war before most Americans realized it had begun, detailing the constant, deadly reality of his experience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Voice of San Diego

Guest: Ashly McGlone

Topics covered

  • city budget
  • trash fee
  • county governance reforms
  • Vietnam War
  • military history
  • public services

Keywords

  • San Diego budget
  • trash fee repeal
  • city services cuts
  • county governance
  • Vietnam War
  • military reconnaissance
  • Ashly McGlone
  • James Lyle Steele

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: California State Senate

Places: San Diego

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