The city we call home.
The world we share.
SAN DIEGO POST / SECTION
The city and county first: City Hall and county government, neighborhoods, housing, transportation, schools, the waterfront and the regional economy.
San Diego runs on a strong-mayor system with a nine-member City Council. Here is who holds which powers, how the system came to be, and where city hall ends and the county begins.
From the mayor's spring proposal to the council's June vote and a possible line-item veto, here is the calendar the city follows to decide how public money is spent each fiscal year.
Five supervisors oversee a county government that runs public health, social services, elections and the sheriff's budget. A guide to the board's powers, its limits and how it differs from city hall.
How the region's trolley lines, buses and commuter rail fit together, how to pay with a PRONTO card or a contactless bank card, and what first-time riders tend to get wrong.
SANDAG is the regional agency behind the San Diego region's long-range transportation plan, the TransNet sales tax and the toll roads. Here is how it is governed and why its decisions reach beyond any one city.
The region's main airport has one runway, an overnight departure curfew and an independent governing authority. Here is how those pieces fit together, and what the new Terminal 1 changes.
The Port of San Diego is a state-created district that oversees 34 miles of bayfront across five cities, from cargo and cruise terminals to parks, hotels and its own police force.
A five-member elected board, a superintendent it hires and a budget shaped by state formulas: here is how San Diego's largest school district makes decisions, and how families can be heard.
Volunteer planning groups review local building projects and advise the city. Here is how they are recognized, how members are chosen, and where their advice ends and the city's decision begins.
Backyard cottages, garage conversions and junior units have become one of San Diego's main tools for adding housing. A plain-language guide to the state floor, the city's rules and where to check before building.
A state rent cap, a just-cause eviction law and a city ordinance with its own notice rules all apply in San Diego. Here is how they work together, who is covered, and where renters can get help.
Most of the county's water is imported over hundreds of miles. A guide to the Colorado River, the State Water Project, the Carlsbad desalination plant and the city's recycling program.
