Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Living In Poverty In Sunny San Diego

Marketplace Money recently came to San Diego to explore what poverty looks like.

San Diego enjoys a popular image as home to beautiful beaches, good beer, ocean-view mansions and a world-famous panda.

But drive a few minutes inland from the coast, and you’ll find communities like City Heights, among the most diverse communities in the country –- home to immigrants and refugees from dozens of countries. It’s such a huge refugee resettlement hub that there’s a joke there: If you want to know what countries are currently engaging in war, take a walk through City Heights.

Advertisement

And the community is also one of San Diego’s poorest. It was where Marketplace spent lots of time talking to families about what it’s like to live in poverty within a stone’s throw of so much wealth: Losing jobs, coping with meager food budgets, getting around without a car in a car-dependent town.

The special report, which aired the weekend of Oct. 5, is full of important stories from San Diego, but familiar in low-income and minority cities across the Southwest and the nation.

A big decision awaits some voters this July as the race for San Diego County’s Supervisor District 1 seat heats up. Are you ready to vote? Check out the KPBS Voter Hub to learn about the candidates, the key issues the board is facing and how you can make your voice heard.