VOSD Podcast: Covid's Deadly Political Divide

By Nate John, the Voice of San Diego

February 3, 2023

Throughout the pandemic, the political divide has been volatile, violent and — as found in Voice of San Diego’s new investigative series — deadly.

This week, Voice reporters finished an unprecedented review of death certificates from the second year of the pandemic, after the vaccine was released and we knew a lot more about how to protect ourselves from Covid-19. They determined the demographics of who died changed dramatically.

Republicans became far more likely to die with Covid-19 than Democrats. This week, Voice reporter Will Huntsberry explained the unique analysis he and editor Jesse Marx made between death certificates and voter rolls — and illuminated how wide the political divide has become.

Audit Committee Appointment Gone Wild

As VOSD Podcast host Andrew Keatts put it in this week’s show, “These accusations are serious, significant and uncommon.”

At the center of this piping hot bowl of local politics is the city’s Audit Committee — a vital entity that comprises elected leaders and regular people who provide unbiased oversight and advice to the city. This week, Keatts covered a meeting where the City Council discussed whether to reappoint a member of that committee. Sounds easy and boring right?

But as Keatts laid out in his story and on the show, city officials erupted at each other (in a politician kind of way), casting accusations of ulterior motives and political retribution. The end result was a City Hall livestream where elected officials publicly displayed a remarkable lack of trust.

Hit that play button to hear the highlights.

Also this week: The short and adorable history of Elon Musk and SANDAG. And your new favorite newsletter is Cup of Chisme.

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