Mark Powell

State laws and regulations often discourage construction of new housing, according to many in the building industry. (AP)

Opinion: Policy changes urgently needed to add more affordable housing

March 20, 2025 at 1:00 a.m.

San Diego’s housing crisis has driven home prices to unprecedented heights, forcing workers to seek more affordable housing in areas like Temecula, Murrieta, and deep into the South Bay, including...

The San Diego Unified school board’s March 5 meeting is shown. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Opinion: Splitting San Diego Unified into two districts would help students

November 19, 2024 at 6:01 a.m.

The unanimous decision in August by San Diego Unified School District board to dismiss Superintendent Lamont Jackson, following an investigation by the district that substantiated allegations of misconduct, highlights...

Bike lanes are shown along Park Boulevard in University Heights. (U-T)

Opinión: San Diego necesita más estaciones de carga, no carriles para bicicletas

August 1, 2024 at 5:54 p.m.

Necesitamos tener políticas de transporte que sean honestas y realistas

Opinion: San Diego needs more charging stations, not bike lanes

July 30, 2024 at 4:10 p.m.

To effectively our city’s climate action goals, San Diego needs more electric vehicle charging stations, not bike lanes. The funds currently allocated to converting traffic lanes into bike lanes...

San Diego, CA - March 30:

On Saturday, March 30, 2024, in San Diego, CA, a few encampments remain in downtown along 16th Street. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

California property owners need more protections against squatters now

April 10, 2024 at 10:57 p.m.

Powell is a California licensed real estate broker and a former vice president of the San Diego County Board of Education. He lives in San Diego.The state of Florida recently...

Under a new state law, accessory dwelling units can be sold separately.

Guest Commentary: New state law could alter La Jolla’s housing landscape

February 12, 2024 at 1:30 a.m.

Assembly Bill 1033 is a new state law that went into effect this year that allows the separate sale of auxiliary dwelling units built on residential properties. With a vast...

Courtesy of the San Diego County Office of Education

Voters, not board , should get to choose the next San Diego County superintendent

December 20, 2023 at 1:58 a.m.

Powell is a former vice president of the San Diego County Board of Education. He holds a master’s degree in educational counseling and in educational istration and is an adjunct...

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 11: These are the model homes by TriPointe in the Highlands development in Pacific Highlands Ranch on Thursday, March 11, 2021 in San Diego, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Proposed San Diego real estate tax would have unintended consequences for housing crisis

August 23, 2023 at 11:39 p.m.

Powell is a licensed California real estate broker and a former San Diego County Board of Education member. He lives in San Diego.Editor’s note: We welcome a 750-word essay with...

Before a proposal for La Jolla's independence from the city of San Diego proceeds, several detailed questions need to be answered.

Guest Commentary: Proposed San Diego ‘mansion tax’ would unfairly affect La Jolla property owners

August 22, 2023 at 8:01 p.m.

If the San Diego Housing Federation is able to place a progressive real estate transfer tax on the November 2024 ballot, La Jolla homeowners will be unfairly impacted. The proposed...

Naloxone nose spray medication is available in kits of two doses with an informational brochure.

Our children aren’t exempt from the fentanyl crisis. It’s time to put Narcan in schools.

April 17, 2023 at 12:12 p.m.

Powell is the former vice president of the San Diego County Board of Education. He holds a master’s degree in educational counseling and is an adjunct professor at National University....

A bag of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills is seized by law enforcement.

Schools must keep students safe from fentanyl overdose. Here’s how parents can help.

October 11, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Powell is president of Parents For Quality Education, a former member of San Diego County Board of Education and a former reserve police officer with the San Diego Police Department....

A policeman talks to people asking for information outside of the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at the Texas elementary school, killing multiple people. Gov. Greg Abbott says the gunman entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle. AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

Violence in schools is reportedly on the rise. Campus police must be part of the solution.

June 16, 2022 at 1:01 p.m.

Powell is president of Parents For Quality Education, a former member of San Diego County Board of Education and a former reserve police officer with the San Diego Police Department....

To prevent homelessness among students, schools must take mental health care seriously

February 9, 2022 at 1:39 a.m.

Powell is a former San Diego County Board of Education member and president of Parents For Quality Education. He has a master’s degree in school counseling and a California school...

Judge's gavel, handcuffs and book on white wooden background. Criminal law concept

Guest commentary: There are ways to curb San Diego’s escalating crime

November 29, 2021 at 8:01 p.m.

When law-abiding citizens need to display signs in their car windows pleading with criminals not to break into their vehicles, our criminal justice system is failing us. When we cannot...

San Diego Unified School District headquarters

To end angry school board meetings, parents’ feelings must be validated

November 3, 2021 at 9:00 p.m.

Powell is a former San Diego County Board of Education member and is president of Parents For Quality Education. He lives in University City.When calls to defund the police were...

Single-family homes under construction in Chula Vista's Otay Ranch neighborhood in mid-June 2021.

Building new housing in California must involve waiving permitting fees

July 21, 2021 at 8:47 p.m.

Powell is a member of the California Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. He lives in University City. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is attempting...

The main entrance to San Pasqual Academy.

San Pasqual Academy has always been misclassified by the state. Local officials must make this right.

March 25, 2021 at 11:28 p.m.

Powell is a former county Board of Education member and an adjunct professor at National University. He lives in University City.One of the best ways to prevent homelessness is to...

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2010, file photo, a security camera hangs on the side of the Skyline School in Portland, Ore. The latest government snapshot of school crime paints a picture of safer schools with declines in violent crime, bullying and harassment because of sexual orientation. The report indicated that schools are taking steps to reduce crime. About 75 percent used security cameras during the 2013-2014 school year and more than 9 in 10 controlled access to their buildings. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Distance learning, live streaming and cameras are the new normal in education

December 19, 2020 at 1:42 a.m.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, some teachers considered having a camera in their classrooms to be an invasion of their privacy, but livestreaming lessons is now the new norm. Distance learning...

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2013, file photo, a school resource officer in Anderson, Calif., walks a middle school student back to class. Portland Public Schools, Oregon's largest school district, will discontinue its use of Portland Police Bureau school resource officers. Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero said Thursday, June 4, 2020, the district needed to "re-examine our relationship" with the police in light of the nationwide upheaval over the death of George Floyd. (Andreas Fuhrmann/The Record Searchlight via AP, File)

Don’t remove police officers from public schools. Put them in classrooms.

August 8, 2020 at 1:47 a.m.

There is a movement calling for the complete defunding of the San Diego Unified Police Department. Those who are advocating for the removal suggest that police presence in their schools...

Portland, Ore., schools have come under fire for a proposal to update textbooks with current information on climate change.

Guest commentary: Much to do to prepare for the next school year

July 3, 2020 at 10:56 p.m.

COVID-19 has radically changed the concept of traditional education in San Diego. Parents and students understand that being physically present in a classroom isn’t the only option for learning. Now...

In this Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, photo, a UPS driver drives after a delivery in North Andover, Mass. In this Monday, Oct. 22, 2012, photo, a UPS driver makes a delivery in North Andover, Mass. UPS said Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012, its third-quarter earnings sank on a huge penalty to withdraw from a pension plan. Without that charge, net income fell slightly but matched expectations on Wall Street. The world's largest package delivery company is also narrowing its earnings forecast for the full year. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Why it’s time for California to address porch pirates

September 26, 2019 at 11:43 p.m.

Stealing packages off porches is all too common in San Diego. Package thieves are now systematically following UPS, Amazon, FedEx and United States Postal Service trucks as they deliver packages,...

<p>The school employs about 67 teachers, whose average pay in 2014 was $48,479. The superintendent that year was paid $171,500, or 3.5 times the average teacher wages.</p>

<p>(Photo by John Gastaldo)</p>

How legislators plan to eliminate school choice in San Diego county

May 16, 2019 at 6:21 p.m.

New proposed legislation is attempting to entirely strip away the legal right of a school to appeal its charter denial by its authorizing district. Having the right to appeal a...

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