As 2024 draws to a close, we're taking a look back at some of this year's most popular stories on kpbs.org.
While a lot happened in the news, readers were most drawn to stories about high costs of living, the primary and general elections and homeless shelters.
Without further ado ... your year in review.
🏡 Cost of living
The Federal Reserve recently lowered interest rates yet again, but Americans remain frustrated with inflation and high cost of living. Many economists expect that inflation could go higher if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his economic policies, which include tariffs.
Here in the state, researchers at the California Policy Lab conducted a study examining college students' ability to afford groceries — a high-priced commodity this year. The study revealed about 235,000 students were eligible for CalFresh, California’s food stamps, in 2019 and didn’t apply, missing out on up to almost $200 in monthly benefits.
Housing remains a big pain point, with California homes twice as expensive as the typical U.S. home. Meanwhile, some people lucky enough to own property started to take advantage of California’s duplex law to supplement their incomes. This law lets homeowners split their lots in two and build up to two homes on each parcel.
At the same time, homeowners are grappling with challenges in a pricey insurance market. The California Department of Insurance said many of the largest insurance companies have either paused or restricted new policies. Some companies have stopped doing business in the state altogether. Recently, Farmers Insurance announced plans to expand its homeowner policy offerings and resume coverage for new customers in other dwellings, citing improvements in California’s insurance market.
🗳️ Elections
This year, it felt impossible to escape political ads or influencer hot takes on the presidential election as we scrolled through our social media feeds. On election night, the nation watched as results confirmed former President Trump’s historic second term.
Polls showed Trump and challenger Vice President Kamala Harris neck-and-neck, but they failed to predict Trump’s landslide victory. A group of American political scientists did, however.
Meanwhile, KPBS is keeping an eye on incoming President Trump’s planned mass deportation policies and his affiliation with Project 2025.
Ahead of the elections, KPBS put together a voter guide on nearly everything on the primary and general election ballots. Out of all the explainers, readers were most interested in one on a little-known office called the Central Committee.
And a failed motor-voter bill would have made voter registration at the DMV automatic, not optional. Gov. Newsom vetoed the bill, saying the costs, technology demands and a lack of choice in registration were why he rejected it.
🏢 Homeless shelters
Homelessness continues to be a major issue in San Diego County. Volunteers for January’s Point in Time Count found 10,605 people experiencing homelessness. This included 6,110 unsheltered and 4,495 people in shelters and transitional housing.
Local leaders continued to try to mitigate the issue with more temporary shelters. Some new ones opened this year like Buena Creek Navigation Center in Vista and the South County Lighthouse in National City.
The city of San Diego had to scramble to replace homeless beds that were going offline at year end. About 650 beds were removed due to planned developments at some shelters, and scheduled closures of several temporary ones. And a popular story about how San Diego Rescue Mission agreed to pay a man $43,000 after he and his pets were kicked out of their housing program highlights the complexities and legal issues that surround shelter policies.
⚠️ Jan. 22 floods
Damaging floods hit San Diego on Jan. 22, ravaging communities in some neighborhoods like Mountain View, Encanto, Southcrest and Shelltown. These are neighborhoods with some of the city’s highest concentrations of Black, Latino and low-income residents. Residents said the city of San Diego had failed at keeping storm drains clear. The city itself described the stormwater system as aging with limited capacity.
The city and county provided some support to flood survivors. Some people got lodging assistance, with some running into a service provider with a record of incompetence. Those who applied and qualified got financial help with rent, security deposits and other expenses.
The floods also damaged businesses like Native Poppy and Jackie Jo Flowers, and left some art spaces in the recently designated San Diego Black Arts and Culture District in ruins.
⚓ Military
The case of former military contractor Leonard Francis is a storied and complicated one. Also known as “Fat Leonard,” Francis was sentenced in November to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a far-reaching bribery scandal involving several high-ranking U.S. Navy officers.
Stories about accountability in the military also resonated with readers. Like this one about a San Diego-based guided-missile cruiser captain, Capt. Danielle DeFant, who was fired due to what the Navy said at the time was a “loss of confidence in her ability to command.” A report said she bullied, screamed at and hit subordinates.
Finally, there was the USS Boxer debacle. The amphibious assault ship was able to go back to sea in July after being forced to abandon deployment after just 10 days in April due to a damaged rudder. Before that it hadn’t been out since 2019.
🏫 Playtime
Starting in January, a new California law is set to protect young students’ right to recess for the first time in state history.
The new law comes at a critical time for young Californians. The way kids play has quietly transformed over the years, with full schedules of activities replacing the freewheeling lives of older generations. And experts worry about the repercussions on kids’ mental health.
Complying with the law might prove challenging in extreme weather. During a heat wave, staff at Perkins K-8 school did the only thing that made sense: they kept kids indoors and turned up the air conditioning. Students were away from the heat, but not getting unstructured recess time required by state law.
This also happened ...
- Her car was towed because she wasn’t able to move it, so this Chula Vista senior went into debt to get it back.
- San Diego County Democratic Chair Rebecca Taylor was killed in a motorcycle accident.
- San Diego City Council declined to renew the contract with Ace Parking.
- A College Area brush fire prompted road closures and evacuations. Officials said the fire may have started either at or near a homeless encampment.
- Scientists completed a necropsy on a deep-sea oarfish washed ashore in La Jolla, and a second fish was found ashore not long after.
- Scattered along San Diego’s highways, remnants of a decades-old program are abloom.
- California’s unclaimed bottle deposits hit $820 million as recycling centers close.
- We explored a hidden gem in northern Escondido: The Deer Park Winery and Auto Museum.
And the most downloaded podcast episode was ...
The most downloaded podcast episode of 2024 was the episode “The planetary scale: part 1” from “Port of Entry,” KPBS’ podcast about the border region. This episode features an earth-building collective in Baja called Tequio. Earth-building is an age-old approach to construction that hopes to build in a more environmentally friendly way. As an added bonus, the Port of Entry crew rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on lesson in this ancient construction style.
🎧 Port of Entry: The planetary scale, part 1
Final thoughts from The Catch-Up producer ...
Even though it didn’t make the list, my personal favorite KPBS story this year was reporter Scott Rodd’s ongoing investigation into credit union overdraft fees. The reporting influenced policy and even got the attention of the U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
