Politics

Roundtable: Wildfire Risk Leaves California In The Dark

By Bennett Lacy / Producer, Mark Sauer / Host, The Roundtable

Published October 11, 2019 at 9:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

A firefighter clearing the brush to establish a fire line in the Tenaja Fire on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019.

Wildfire Risk Leaves California In The Dark

Utility companies across the state enact preventative power outages amid an escalating risk for wildfires. San Diego State University negotiates with the city council over the purchase price for the Mission Valley stadium site. And, an analysis of crime data from the San Diego Police Department reveals a small percentage of vehicle break-ins result in arrests.

Roundtable Guests:

Shalina Chatlani, science and technology reporter, KPBS News

Joshua Emerson Smith, environment and transportation reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Tom Jones, investigative producer, NBC 7

Jennifer Van Grove, growth and development reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

California's Wildfire Risk

This week, hundreds of thousands of Californians from the Bay Area to San Diego county face the prospect of power outages enacted by utility companies. The rare action is intended to reduce the risk of wildfires started by utility infrastructure during dry, windy weather. The outage warning comes during a week in which SDG&E was denied a request to have a case involving costs related to the 2007 wildfires heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. Also, researchers issue new warnings that continued development in fire-prone areas will pose an elevated threat to lives and property.

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Putting A Price On The Mission Valley Stadium Site

San Diego State University and the city are negotiating the asking price for the land needed to expand the university and build a new football stadium. An independent draft appraisal puts the fair market value at $68.2 million. Aside from the land itself, there is debate over whether SDSU should cover the cost of related development, including a long-discussed bridge extending Fenton Parkway. SDSU is expected to present a formal offer to the city next week.

Vehicle Break-ins Overwhelm San Diego Police

NBC San Diego analyzed data from the San Diego Police Department and found 97% of vehicle break-ins go unresolved. The property crime affects thousands of people in the city every year. Police say they simply don’t have the resources to pursue each case. Some of the trouble spots in San Diego include heavily visited, public locations such as the San Diego Zoo and major shopping malls.

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Roundtable: Wildfire Risk Leaves California In The Dark

Roundtable Guests:

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