Politics

Roundtable: San Diego Enters The Orange Tier

By Bennett Lacy / Producer

Published April 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

A sign indicating masks were required at The Prado restaurant in Balboa Park, Dec. 5, 2020.

San Diego's reopening expands as progress is made on COVID-19 cases and vaccinations, an encampment for cross-border farmworkers is dismantled by police in Calexico and a look at the revolving door in Chula Vista between the city's police department and the surveillance drone industry.

KPBS Roundtable

Pandemic Progress For San Diego

We are taking some additional steps forward this week in San Diego’s COVID-19 journey. For the first time, the county reached the state's orange tier, which allows for businesses to operate with greater capacity. Also, Governor Gavin Newsom anticipates ending the tier system completely by June 15, assuming case trends and vaccination rates continue to go in a positive direction. Our guest this week is San Diego Union-Tribune biotech reporter Jonathan Wosen, who is covering how San Diegans are using social media to help each other book vaccine appointments.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Calexico Removes Farmworker Camp

Farmworkers are the backbone of Imperial County’s agriculture-based economy and many of them are Mexican citizens who make the cross-border trip from neighboring Mexicali. Back in January, activists helped them by establishing a tent camp where they can stay to cut down on travel time. But recently, Calexico police shut it down. Jennifer Bowman has been covering the story and checks in with an update. One of the undercurrents is how the city is in the process of potentially selling the land in a deal related to border wall construction.

Chula Vista Drone Program’s Revolving Door

Over the past few years, Chula Vista’s police department has been ahead of the curve when it comes to integrating surveillance drones into day-to-day work. The department is also making a show of it, with a robust publicity push to showcase its efforts. The strategy has worked so well for the city that it’s now being consulted by law enforcement from around the world and department members have stepped into their own roles in the drone industry. The situation opens up a new realm of law enforcement ethics, especially when it comes to new technologies. Sofía Mejías Pascoe dives into the story with her latest piece for Voice of San Diego.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Roundtable: San Diego Enters The Orange Tier

Tags