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Politics

Roundtable On North County Transit Issues, Balboa Park Bypass, Baja Farmworkers' Deal

Roundtable On NCTD Compliance Issues, Balboa Park Bypass
Roundtable On North County Transit Issues, Balboa Park Bypass, Baja Farmworkers' Deal
NCTD Compliance, Balboa Park Condition, Baja Farm Workers' DealHOST:Mark SauerGUESTS:Greg Moran, San Diego Union-Tribune Roger Showley, San Diego Union-Tribune Jean Guerrero, KPBS News

BUT ALSO TO LOOK AT THEIR PROCUREMENT THING, THEY MADE A BUNCH OF RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION WHICH BEGAN TO BE PUT IN TO EFFECT WHEN THE LAST REVIEW HAPPEN IN 2012. IN ORDER TO GET READY FOR THAT REVIEW THEY HIRED ANOTHER CONSULTING FIRM FOR 1 A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO GET THEM -- $150,000 TO GET THEM READY FOR THAT REVIEW. 2015 STARTS ROLLING UP. IN 2014 THEY HIRE ADD THIRD. THIRD TIME IS A CHARM. TO GET US READY, THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE READY, THEY SAID IN 2013 THAT THEIR PROCUREMENT MANUAL WAS UP TO DATE AND THEN THE REVIEW HAPPENS AND THEN VERY -- THEY HAVE ALMOST TWICE AS MANY DEFICIENCIES AS THEY HAD BEFORE. THEY ARE THE SAME PROBLEMS OR NEW ONES? THEY'RE -- A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS ARE FOCUSED IN THE AREA OF PROCUREMENT, CONTRACT LIGHTING, THERE ARE OTHERS IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, THINGS LIKE THAT. IT'S NOT SORT OF THE SAME CONTRACT OR THE SAME GRANT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S SORT OF IN THE SAME GENERAL AREA OF OPERATIONS IN HOW YOU DO THINGS, THEY SEEM TO HAVE -- KIND OF A PRETTY CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THEIR PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS HOW THEY GET CONTRACTS AND OVERSEE IT. THE DIRECTOR MATT TUCKER. HE SAYS WE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THAT REVIEW, HE SAID SOMETHING THAT HE SAID IN 2012 AND IN 2009, HE CAME ON BOARD IN 2009 TO AN AGENCY THAT WAS TROUBLED, HAD A BUDGET DEFICIT WAS STRUGGLING AND THEY TRANSFORMED THE CULTURE, THEY CHANGED HOW THEY DO BUSINESS, THEY OUTSOURCED A LOT OF THEIR OPERATIONS, BUT IN DOING THAT, IN CHANGING HOW THEY DO BUSINESS, THEY HAVE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF CONSULTANTS, THAT IS AN ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION OR CHANGE, THEY KNEW THAT THEY WEREN'T GOING TO HAVE SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS, NOT HAPPY WITH THEM BUT BUTTER LUCK NEXT TIME. WE DID HAVE MATTHEW ON EVENING EDITION, HE WAS ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF TURNOVER, HE DID SAY SOMETHING ABOUT MANAGEMENT, LET'S HEAR WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. THE FACT OF MATTER IS WE DO ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS, WE DO LOOK AT THE WORK THAT WE DO, WE DO SCRUTINIZE THEM, IF WE ASK THEM TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON IT. I DON'T I CAN'T APOLOGIZE FOR THAT, THAT IS PART OF DOING THE JOB, ASKING TOUGH QUESTIONS AND EXPECTING PEOPLE TO DO THEIR BEST. SO HE BELIEVES THAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE DOING THE BEST JOB AND THEY ARE UP TO SNUFF IN WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSE TODAY DO, WHERE IS THE DISCONNECT. IN THE EXECUTION, THERE IS A GAP BETWEEN THE EXECUTION AND THE IDEAL OR SOMETHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TURNOVER AT THE AGENCY, THERE HAS BEEN THEY SAID THERE HAS -- DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STATE REQUIREMENTS AND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS, I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE SAYS, AT SOME POINT HE SHOULD SAY LOOK, THIS IS GOING ON SIX YEARS, THE CULTURE HAS TO CHANGE AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE DOING THAT. NOW, IN A RELATED NEWS STORY THIS WEEK, STATE APPELLATE REPORT, CRITICAL OF NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT MANAGER SHOULD BE RELEASED, THAT WAS I NEWS SOURCE, THEY SUED TO MAKE THIS TO GET PUBLIC, IS THIS BENEFICIAL TO SEE. I MEAN I AM SURE THEY HAVE A PUBLIC AGENCY, TAXPAYER SUPPORTED AGENCY, YEAH, YOU WANT TO SEE -- ANOTHER CONSULTANT, ANOTHER MANAGEMENT GURU THEY HIRED ABOUT HOW THE OPERATION IS GOING, THAT COULD BE HELPFUL, IF PEOPLE WANT MORE IN SIGHT OR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON IN THAT AGENCY, IT KIND OF LEADS TO SOME BAD OUTCOMES. AND THEY HAVE A BOARD IN CHARGE OF OVERSEEING THIS AND MATT TUCKER HAS TO RESPOND TO THIS, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT ALL THIS. I CONTACTED A COUPLE OF THEM, AS I THINK HAS BEEN TRUE THROUGHOUT THIS 5-6 PERIOD, THEY SEEM TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF HIM PUBLICLY, A COUPLE OF THEM SAID WE DON'T LIKE GETTING BAD REVIEWS, WE THINK WE'LL BE DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE. IF YOU GO BACK TO 2012 THEY ARE SAYING THE SAME THING, THEY ARE SAYING THE SAME THING, YOU KNOW WHAT, HE HAS THE SUPPORT OF THE BOARD, THERE IS NOBODY WHO IS THAT I KNOW OF WHO HAS COME OUT AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO CHANGE, IN FACT LAST YEAR THEY GAVE HIM A NEW CONTRACT AND A RAISE. WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS AS IT GOES FORWARD. ALL RIGHT WE ARE GOING TO SHIFT GEARS NOW, HAD $43 MILLION PLAN BY QUAL COME TO TRANSFORM THE HEART OF BALBOA, LAST WEEK IT WAS GIVEN NEW LIFE, MAYBE. THE IDEA WAS TO BYPASS OFF THE BRIDGE AND FUNNEL TRAFFIC TO A NEW GARAGE ELIMINATING CARS AND GIVING PEDESTRIANS MORE GREEN SPACE IN THE HEART OF THE PARK. ROGER, START WITH THE DETAILS, THE COST OF THAT PLAN, BEFORE I GET YOU GOING ON THAT, IRWIN JACOBS IS A LONG TIME FUNDER. THAT WAS GOING TO BE THE STAR ATTRACTION OF THE CEN TEEN KNEEL OF THE BALBOA PARK THIS YEAR, THEY WERE GOING TO CLEAR OUT THE CARS, BUILD 800 SPACE PARKING GARAGE, ADD NEW OPEN SPACE, BUTTE FEW THE CENTER, GET RID OF CARS AND TRAFFIC INTERMINGLING WITH THE PEDESTRIANS. THAT STOPPED BECAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAWSUIT BY THE HERITAGE ORGANIZATION AND APPEALED BY THE CITY AND MR. JACOB'S COMMITTEE AND THEY WON IN COURT AS YOU SAID, I ASKED JACOB'S OFFICE WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, HE SAID HE HADN'T READ THE REPORT YET. THE MAYOR SAY HE WAS GOING TO THINK ABOUT IT AS WELL, I THINK FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES THE IDEA, THE PLAN IS DEAD. SO ITS TIME HAS PASSED. NOW THIS WAS VERY CONTROVERSIAL THIS WHOLE IDEA, AND TELL US WHY, WHO WAS OPPOSED TO IT AND WHAT WAS THEIR BEEF? WELL, THE CRITICS WERE HAPPY ABOUT GETTING RID OF THE CARS AND PARKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK BUT UNHAPPY ABOUT THE WAY THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE DONE BY HAVING THIS BYPASS OFF THE BRIDGE, THEY FELT IT WOULD HURT THE HISTORIC CHARACTER TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE PARK, AND THE COUNTER, THIS IS SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR PEDESTRIANIZING THE PARK. AS YOU SAY IT LOOKS LIKE FROM WHAT URBAN JACOBS IS SAYING THAT THE TIME HAS PASSED FOR THIS PLAN, WE ARE NOT -- AT THE TIME IT WAS THROWN OUT BY THE COURTS HE SAID, OKAY, I'M SORRY, I WILL GO ON AND DO SOMETHING ELSE. HE NEVER REALLY SAID IF HE WON THE LAWSUIT THAT IF HE WOULD COME BACK WITH $30 MILLION OF SUPPORT HE WAS GOING TO GIVE TO THE PROJECT. A LOT OF MONEY INVOLVED. SO THERE AREN'T CARS IN THE PARK NOW I THINK CONES AND SOME DG'S. YEAH,. FORMER MAYOR, ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS THAT HE DID THAT WAS MEMORABLE, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 60 OR 70 YEARS A MAYOR ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WITH THAT PROBLEM, HE CARVED OUT, GOT RID OF THE PARKING LOT, THERE ARE STILL CARS AN TRAFFIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK. SO IT DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM THAT JACOBS HAD IN MIND WHICH WAS TO GET RID OF ALL THE CARS AND MAKE IT A PEDESTRIAN ZONE. IF YOU WANT THAT IN THE PARK THERE WOULD STILL BE A NEED FOR THIS KIND OF A PROJECT BUT NOT MUCH WILL BY JACOB. HOW THIS FITS IN WITH THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, TO -- WHO HAS A BAD THING TO SAY ABOUT BALBOA. MAYBE THE PEOPLE THAT STUFF IS FALLING ON THEIR HEADS. WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT. IT TOOK THE WIND OUT OF THE SAILS OF THE CELEBRATION BECAUSE ALL THE OTHER BIG DONORS STEPPED BACK AND SAID IF THEY ARE GOING TO TREAT OUR NUMBER ONE PHILANTHROPIST IN SAN DIEGO THIS WAY COUNT US OUT. SO THE CELEBRATIONS HAS BEEN LESS OF FULL, CRAZY EVENTS, ALTHOUGH THE MUSEUM PUT ON SHOWS. THE BIG, HUGE CENTENNIAL BLAST IS TIED TO THE SETBACK AT THE BEGINNING. WE ARE NOT DOING RIGHT BY THE PARK, HUNDRED YEARS OF ONE OF THE GREAT CIVIC ASSETS ANYWHERE IN ANY STATE THAT I HAVE SEEN, IT'S MUTED, WE ARE A LITTLE JUMP PEE, THAT WILL BE THE PARTY, IT DOESN'T -- IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, SAN FRANCISCO HAD A FAIR THE SAME TIME OF YEAR, ITS EXPOSITION. SPARK LETTERS AND SHEET CAKE. 1893 FAIR A HUNDRED YEARS LATER THEY COULDN'T PUT ON ANYTHING. THAT IS CHICAGO. FAIR CITIES NEVER REALLY DO MUCH IN THE WAY OF ANNIVERSARIERS. I DO WANT TO CHANGE OVER NOW TO THIS WHOLE ISSUE OF MAINTENANCE AND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE IN THE PARK HERE, ASIDE FROM THIS WHOLE PEDESTRIAN AND CAR ISSUE, WHAT IS GOING ON, IT'S BEEN NEGLECTED FOR A LONG TIME, SOME FOLKS ACTUALLY HAD PIECES OF CEILINGS FALL ON THEIR HEADS. THAT IS ZACK RATED AT THAT ONE POINT. THE PIECE OF SCULPTURE THAT SUPPOSEDLY FELL ON SOMEBODY IN THE WALKWAY WAS NOT ACTUALLY DIDN'T FALL DOWN, THEY REMOVED IT BECAUSE IT WAS COMING LOOSE, THEY ARE GOING TO RECREATE IT AND PUT IT BACK. A LOT OF DIFFERENT MAINTENANCE. SO IF YOU ARE A VISITOR AND YOU DON'T REALLY NOTE THE PARK, YOU WALK THROUGH A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, OLD BUILDINGS, MOST OF THEM ARE REBUILT, LANDSCAPING FABULOUS DESPITE OF OUR DROUGHT, IT'S BEAUTIFUL GARDEN, WORLD RENOWNED, NATIONAL LANDMARK. BUT ANYBODY WHO HAS BEEN TO SAN DIEGO LONG AND LOOKS AT THE BUILDINGS YOU WILL SEE CRACKS, YOU WILL SEGAL I CAN'T, A PEELING PAINT, PIECES OF SCULPTURE GONE. PLUMBING PROBLEMS. PROB HUMANNING PROBLEMS, INTERNET PROBLEM, ENDLESS -- THE LIST GOES ON ENDLESSLY AND THE MASTER PLAN FOR THE PARK BE 1989 TALKED ABOUT ALL THIS, FOLLOW-UP -- PLANS DID AS WELL, AT THE TIME THEY SAID MAYBE 250-$300 MILLION WOULD NEED TO BE REQUIRED TO FIX IT. BUT THIS ISN'T JUST BALBOA PARK, THE WHOLE PUBLIC SECTOR OF SAN DIEGO IS NOT KEEPING UP WITH ITS CITIES. THIS IS THE CROWN JEWEL IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND ANY MONEY ANYTHING TO POLISH UP YOUR PRIZED POSSESSION, AND THE CITY FOR ALL ITS BOASTING ABOUT WE ARE IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE, DEALING WITH YOU 0 BACKLOG, THERE WAS A NUMBER -- WAS WE'VE SPENT $62 MILLION ON BALBOA PARK, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DETAILS, 1% OF THAT WAS ACTUALLY MAINTENANCE BY THE CITY ITSELF. ALL THE OTHER MONEY CAME FROM THE STATE OR DONATIONS OR SOME OTHER RESOURCE, SO THE CITY IS NOT SPENDING WHAT IT SHOULD BE. I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF THE PARK, THE PEOPLE WHO OVERSEE THE PARK, TELL US ABOUT THESE GROUPS THAT ARE KIND OF -- I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE BATTLING BUT THERE IS TENSION IN OVERSEEING THE PARK AND THE CONSERVE ANSWER ITSELF WHICH GOT A NEW CEO. IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE CITY PLANNED IT THAT WAY SO NON-WOULD GANG UP ON THE CITY, 80 OR SO ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PARK, ALL RECREATION GROUPS, SUPPORT GROUPS THAT YOU MENTIONED, THE FRIENDS, THE BALBOA PARK, THEY ALL CARVED OUT A LITTLE PIECE OF THEIR -- THEIR AREA THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON AND THEY BATTLED THE CITY AND SAY WE NEED MORE MONEY, SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND GO AWAY AND WELL HE COME BACK AT BUDGET TIME AND THEY ARE HAPPY TO GET .10 ON THE DOLLAR. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY ANY OTHER BIG CITY YOU SAY WE NEED TO DO A BIG DEAL ON THIS, WE OUT TO HAVE A BOND ISSUE TO TAKE CARE OF IT ONCE AND FOR ALL. WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF BOND ISSUE, ONE APPROVED BY THE PUBLIC IN THE 1960s. SAN DIEGO -- THE VOTERS HAVE GOTTEN USED TO GET NOT GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. SO THERE IS TALK OF HAVING A BIG INFRASTRUCTURE BOND NEXT YEAR ON A NUMBER OF THINGS. WE HAVE A NEW LEADER THERE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE IN PARKS ELSEWHERE, IS THAT GOING -- THOMAS HERRERA, BUFFALO ORGANIZATION THAT TOOK CARE OF THEIR PARK SYSTEM AS WELL, AND HIS JOB AT THE PARK CON SERVICE ANSWER, GO OUT TO DONE OR. WOULD THEM, OPEN UP THEIR POCKET BOOKS AND TRY TO SOLVE SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS. A LEADER IN PLACE AND A FACE ON THIS, MAYBE WE WILL SEE CHANGES AND I AM SURE YOU WILL BE REPORTING THAT. I HOPE TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS ON THIS. WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE GEARS AGAIN, IT HAS BEEN A BLOODY SPRING IN AT THIS HANNA, MORE THAN A HUNDRED KILLINGS IN THE BORDER SINCE APRIL 1st, PLAGUED AT THIS HA IN A, NOW AN ELECTION ROOMS IN MEXICO, JANE, BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, THERE WAS NEWS YESTERDAY ON THE WHOLE VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND CONTENTIONAL FARMWORKER FRONT, WHAT HAPPEN. SO THESE ARE FARMWORKERS IN BAJA CALIFORNIA'S AGRICULTURAL VALLEY, IT'S ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTH OF THE BORDER AND THEY'VE BEEN ON STRIKE SINCE MARCH, THAT STRIKE ENDED, THEY'VE BEEN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND GROWERS AND, YESTERDAY THEY HAD THEIR LAST MEETING IN WHICH THEY SIGN ADD AN AGREEMENT, GUARANTEEING HIGHER WAGES FOR THE FARMWORKERS, IT'S NOT AS MUCH, THEY WANTED 13-DOLLAR, PESOS AND THE HIGHEST WAGE WITHIN THE AGREEMENT IS IS 91-DOLLAR AS DAY. IT'S BASED ON A 3 TIER SYSTEM SO BIGGER FARMS WILL PAY HIGHER WAYNE, THE HIGHEST BEING 11-DOLLAR, SMALLER FARMS WILL PAY LOWER WAYNES. THE FARMWORKERS WHO HAVE SPOKEN TO OVER THE PHONE ABOUT THIS SAY THAT EVEN THOUGH THE LEADERS SIGNED THE AGREEMENT THEY ARE UNSAT FEWED AND DISWHY POINTED BECAUSE THEY WERE HOPING FOR THE $13. IT IS A SIGNIFICANT RAISE OVER WHAT THEY WERE GETTING. EXACTLY. 3-4-DOLLAR A WAGE. THEY WERE MAKING AROUND $8 A DAY WHICH IS HIGH FOR MEXICO. BUT STILL THEY -- YEAH, THEY WERE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE LAST MONTH THEY SAT DOWN WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE GOVERNMENT SAID IF THE GROWERS AREN'T ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE FULL $13 WE WILL MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE. THAT WAS A PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT THAT WAS SIGNED AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ANYMORE. SO THE FARMERS ARE UPSET ABOUT THAT. OKAY, AND IT'S A DIRECT IMPACT TO US HERE NORTH OF THE BORDER. EXACTLY, MOST OF THE PRODUCE THAT IS CULTIVATED THERE GETS SHIPPED UP TO THE U.S., BERRY, CUCUMBERS, TOMATOES SO ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T GET HARVESTED COULD END UP IN HIGHER PRICES WHICH WAS HAPPENING OVER THE STRIKE, NOT THE HIGHER PRICES BUT SOME OF THE CROP WASN'T GETTING HARVESTED AND IT COULD HAVE THREATENED PRICES AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN YET AND IT DOESN'T LOOK THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, FARMERS MIGHT REORGANIZE IN THE FUTURE. REGARDING THE VIOLENCE I MENTIONED, TELL US ABOUT THE NATURE OF THESE TIJUANA KILLINGS. TIJUANA KILLINGS HAVE BECOME GRUESOME, ONCE AGAIN, EXPERTS HAD BELIEVED THAT THESE KINDS OF KILLINGS LIKE PUBLIC HANGINGS AND DISMEMBERED BODIES ON THE STREETS WERE IN TIJUANA'S PAST, 2008 WAS THE MOST VIOLENT YEAR AND THESE KINDS OF KILLINGS WERE COMMON. THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN PEACEFUL, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE CASE ANYMORE, THIS WEEK THERE WERE MULTIPLE SHOOTINGS, SEVERED HEADS WERE FOUND ON THE VIETS, SO THINGS LIKE THAT ARE START -- THIS IS A SIGN OF A -- IN 2008 LARGELY CONTRIBUTED TO THE BREAKDOWN, THE ORIENTAL FELIX ORGANIZATION, IN A RUTHLESS WAY. DRUG CARTEL. CONTROLLED THE SMUGGLING. IS THIS AN INDICATION, THOUGHT TO BE RUNNING THE SHOW, ARE THERE CRACKS FORMING IN THAT NOW? WELL SECURITY ANALYSTS ARE SAYING IT'S INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT WHAT THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE VIOLENCE ARE, THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATION AND THE CARTEL, IT'S NOT KNOWN WHETHER THAT DISINTEGRATED BUT PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT IT MAY BE LINKED -- IT MIGHT BE CHANGES IN THE MARKET, SHIFTING ALLIANCES, ALSO MAY BE LINKED TO THE APRIL 9th KILLING OF LOUISE -- HE CONTROLLED THE DRUG CARTEL AS WELL AS THE TIJUANA DRUG CARTEL, SO THERE MAY BE SOME TENSION GOING ON THERE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THIS VIOLENCE ON TOURISTS GOING TO TIJUANA,. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW IF TOURISTS ARE SAFE, BUT THEY ARE SAYING EXPERTS AND AUTHORITIES ARE SAYING THAT THE VICTIMS OF THIS VIOLENCE HAVE BEEN ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY LINKED TO DRUG TRADE. PLAYERS, PLAYERS INVOLVED. PLAYERS INVOLVED NOT INNOCENT BYSTANDERS. ALSO PLACES LIKE RESTAURANTS AND BARS THAT ARE FREQUENTED BY TOURISTS AREN'T BEING TARGETED RIGHT NOW AS THEY WERE IN 2008 AS WELL AS 2010 WHEN THE VIOLENCE REACHED REALLY EXTREME LEVELS. THAT WAS THE THING THAT I THINK SHOOK PEOPLE UP AND PUT A DENT IN THE TOURISM WAS I MEAN HISTORICALLY THE VIOLENCE HAS BEEN IN BETWEEN AND AMONG THE CARTELS AND LEAKED OUT IN THE HYPER VIOLENCE IN THE MASS KILLINGS, BEHEADINGS IT WASN'T WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME IT COULD BE ANYBODY. IT SEEMS LIKE THEY HAVE A LID BACK ON THAT. IT'S KIND OF -- WE ARE IN A RECOVERY, THERE WAS GOOD U.S. JOBS REPORT, THE BORDER ECONOMY HAS STRENGTHENED A LOT, WE'VE HAD IMPROVEMENT OF THE BORDER CROSSING, THE WEIGHTS ARE DOWN, WE HAVE THIS PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, ALL OF THESE GOOD THINGS HAPPENING NOW AND THEN THIS THING REARS ITS HEAD. THERE IS ALWAYS A THREAT THAT VIOLENCE WILL SCARE AWAY NEW INVESTORS IN THE REGION, THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL RIGHT NOW. IT'S BEEN A CONCERN AT A NATIONAL LEVEL EVER SINCE THE KILLING OF HAD 93 STUDENTS IN THE SOUTHERN STATE OF GUERRO. HE IS TRY TING TO ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTMENT. IT'S AN ISSUE AND A POSSIBILITY THAT THERE WILL BE AN IMPACT, BUSINESS OWNERS I HAVE SPOKEN TO SAY THERE HAS NOT BEEN IMPACT IN TIJUANA. I DID WANT TO FOCUS ON ELECTIONS ON SUNDAY, NOT A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, TELL US ABOUT THE STAKES AND WHAT IS GOING ON. THESE ARE MIDTERM ELECTIONS THAT INVOLVES NINE STATE GOVERNORS, 300 MAYORS AND 500 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, THE RESULTS THEY EITHER TYPICALLY WHAT THESE MIDTERM ELECTIONS DO THEY SUPPORT OR STALL LEGISLATION DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE PRESIDENT SEE. SO THIS IS EITHER GOING TO MAKE THINGS EASIER OR HARDER FOR MEXICO'S PRESIDENT GOING FORWARD. ANOTHER NOTABLE THING ABOUT THESE ELECTIONS IS THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE RELATED TO IT. ALREADY FIVE CANDIDATES I BELIEVE HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED KILLED, BUT MEXICAN -- THAT IS NATIONWIDE. NATIONWIDE, NOT IN TIJUANA AND MEXICAN MEDIA SAY IT'S HIGHER I THINK LAST I HEARD IS 21 KILLED. DO THESE TWO EVENTS PLAY IN TO THE FARMWORKERS STRIKE, THE SETTLEMENT, SURGE IN VIOLENCE, STREET VIOLENCE IN TIJUANA ARE THOSE GOING TO INFLUENCE THE ELECTION, OR WERE THOSE BAKED IN TO THE RESULTS. I AM NOT SURE IF THEY'LL BE INFLUENCING THE ELECTIONS I THINK THAT WAS ALREADY BAKED INTO IT. TELL US WHY A GROUP OF TEACHERS IS TRYING TO DISRUPT THE ELECTIONS. SO THEY -- YEAH, THEY'VE BEEN BURNING BALLOTS AND SETTING FIRING TO POLLING STATIONS AND BLOCKING HIGHWAYS. WHEN, NOT IN -- NOT -- THIS ISN'T CLOSE TO US BUT HAPPENING ACROSS MEXICO. AND THEY ARE PROTESTING CORRUPT POLITICIANS AND ALLEGED COLLUSION WITH CARTELS. THEY ARE TRYING TO DISRUPT THE ELECTION, THEY'VE LOST FAITH IN THE ELECTION PROCESS, 75% OF MEXICANS HAD LITTLE TO NO CONFIDENCE IN ANY POLITICAL PARTY, AND THEY ARE ALSO PROTESTING EDUCATION REFORM. SO CRITICAL MIDTERM. I AM SURE YOU WILL BE REPORTING ON THAT SUNDAY AND WE'LL SEE WHAT THE THAT DOES WRAP UP ANOTHER WEEK OF STORIES AT THE WPBS ROUND TABLE. GREG MORAN, ROGER WITH THE UNION TRIBUNE AND JEAN OF KPBS NEWS. A REMINDER ALL THE STORIES ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT KPBS.ORG. I'M MARK SAUER THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY ON THE ROUND TABLE.

NCTD gets poor marks despite help

The North County Transit District has spent over $500,000 on consultants since 2012 to help it comply with federal rules governing grants and contracts.

It hasn’t helped.

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NCTD received worse results in the 2015 audit than it did in 2013, 13 deficiencies, mostly in procurement.

Conducted every three years, federal assessments found one problem in 2009 and seven in 2012. None were found in 2006, before the arrival of NTCD Executive Director Matthew Tucker.

Tucker, whose management has been the subject of media scrutiny for safety issues, employee turnover and for halting Sprinter service for several weeks, said he had inherited a flawed organization but had put in a new process. In 2013, he told the NCTD Board that the agency now met Federal Transportation Administration guidelines.

In contrast to NCTD, San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit Service (MTS) was found to have no deficiencies for the third review in a row. The NCTD Board of Directors and the County Board of Supervisors have continued to support Tucker.

Is the city by-passing Balboa Park?

Remember Irwin Jacobs' $43 million plan to clear parked cars and traffic out of Balboa Park's Plaza de Panama by building a roadway around it to a new parking structure? (Jacobs is a funder of KPBS)

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Outrage was expressed. Lawsuits were filed.

Well, last week an appeals court cleared the way for the by-pass to go forward — if anybody still wants it to. As of now, cars can no longer park in the plaza, but it remains a solid concrete slab, albeit with small improvements — throw pillows, chairs and umbrellas.

Other improvements have been much harder to come by.

Some park aficionados have accused the city of “aggressive neglect,” allowing deferred maintenance and repair costs to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The effort to gain an upper hand over park governance may have gotten a small boost in April when the nascent Balboa Park Conservancy hired its first CEO. Or not. The question is how he will work with the Committee of 100 and other long-standing park friends?

Baja California: Good news/bad news

The good news for farmworkers in Baja, many of whom make the equivalent of $3 per day, is the final agreement with the government and farm owners for a significant increase in wages.

Elections in Mexico this week have been the cause of violence and boycotts in some areas. So far there has been no news of pre-election trouble in southern Baja, where there is a race for governor, but two candidates for mayor and one for congress have been shot and killed in other states. Michoacan, Oaxaca and Chiapas have seen "radical teachers" stealing voting materials and setting fire to polling stations to protest systemic corruption in the Mexican political system.

And to top it all off, violence, some of it public and grisly, has returned to Tijuana, which has seen more than 100 killings since April 1.

The North County Focus newsletter is your bi-weekly guide to all the news coming from North County, plus a handpicked selection of events and trivia tidbits.