Return of the Liberal Circle Jerk

(This is the audio-only podcast version of Friday’s MartyTimeTV / Section 1904 joint venture. You can find and subscribe to this podcast on Apple and Spotify and right here on Substack by clicking the button below. To watch this episode on YouTube, click here

Back when we had a radio show, Scott Lewis from Voice of San Diego was a regular guest whenever we needed a real news person to explain the intersection of sports and politics, whether it was “the battle for Mission Valley” or trying to understand CEQA and why it was standing in the way of a new arena in the Midway area. Scott was always there for us.

During the pandemic, Scott joined us every week as we all tried to figure out how to function with COVID hanging over everything. It made perfect sense, since Scott and his team at Voice of San Diego were following all of the local and national press conferences, and we always enjoyed having him on. It was educational. Somewhere along the way, a listener dubbed the segment “The Liberal Circle Jerk,” and the name sarcastically stuck. (Forgive me for not remembering exactly why, although I always found it hilarious that the basic things we were discussing somehow earned the “liberal” label. But… que sera, sera.)

On this episode, Scott joins us to talk about the Padres sale and what new ownership is facing with its Petco Park deal, along with its other interactions with the city of San Diego. Scott also explains the one thing he’d like to see happen before the old guard fully vacates, and how a Voice of San Diego investigation into fraud at the ballpark left San Diego softball leagues dreaming of a $3.5 million payday.

Of course, we also talked about evil palm trees, parking at Balboa Park, and whether we should be terrified about El Niño this fall and winter.