Featured Investigations
our latest project: Data Divide
‘This data center will come.’ The fight over California’s largest AI development
A first-time data center developer says he’s found the perfect spot to house a massive server farm in Imperial County. Neighbors disagree.
Recent Projects
HOME SICK: Chronic illness and longing define life in the Tijuana River valley
inewsource interviewed 100 people in San Diego’s South Bay communities about how pollution from sewage spills is making some people sick.
Fentanyl: A Decade of Death
Steve Breen explores the human toll of fentanyl in this 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Illustrated Storytelling and Commentary.
How affordable housing in National City became a cash machine for San Diego County labor unions
For more than a decade, an affordable housing complex in National City has fueled the power and influence of San Diego County labor unions.
As San Diego ICE arrests soar, more than half have no criminal histories
Through mid-October in San Diego and Imperial counties, federal immigration agents made almost 5,000 arrests.
How new San Diego homes intended for residents became vacation rentals
An inewsource/KPBS analysis found San Diego officials have been approving short-term rental licenses on properties that aren’t eligible.
More Investigations
Veterans Health Care
VA administrators prevented sick and disabled veterans from getting medical help.
Veterans Village
An investigation into Veterans Village of San Diego found widespread drug abuse at the renowned nonprofit’s addiction treatment center.
Conservatorships
inewsource spent months investigating the conservatorships system and spoke with people who experienced involuntary mental health services. Many pointed to major problems.
Housing Discrimination
Racist housing restrictions shaped San Diego for decades. Our findings explain how.
Prison Deaths
Inmates died of COVID-19 before their families were informed that they were sick.
Mission Act
The investigation found that VA administrators are overruling doctors and preventing them from sending patients outside the VA system.
Wage Theft
San Diego County employers have been ordered to pay back nearly $20 million in stolen wages to employees, but the recovery process proves challenging for workers.
Border Patrol Pursuits
Our series investigates Border Patrol’s vehicle pursuit policies and their sometimes deadly consequences.
Blind Mules
Blind mule smuggling is believed to be rare, but it’s hard to say exactly how many people are unknowing drug couriers. For those innocent who get arrested at the border, their lives are irrevocably changed.
Illegal Rent Increases
Our investigation found the San Diego Housing Commission, which manages the federal Section 8 housing voucher program, has been approving rent hikes on the program’s low-income tenants in the Section 8 program without ensuring those increases comply with caps in state law.
Sexually Violent Predators
Our investigation found that more than one-third of the SVPs carefully monitored under a state program known as CONREP were placed here in San Diego County.