How the Supreme Court could change immigration enforcement

S1: Biden Immigration enforcement priorities are challenged at the U.S. Supreme Court.

S2: The question is whether a congressional law that says Shell provides a level of discretion.

S1: I'm Maureen CAVANAUGH with Jared Heineman. This is KPBS midday edition. Concerns over a possible virus triple demic this winter.

S3: I think we're already there. What we're seeing is a convergence of multiple viruses that are descending upon our health care system.

S1: The challenges increase for SANDAG sweeping transportation plan. And finally , how to get good grades in clown school. That's ahead on Midday Edition. How much discretion can a president use when enforcing a law from Congress ? That question is before the U.S. Supreme Court today in regard to U.S. immigration law. It's been a long debated question , and this time it revolves around the guidelines the Biden administration has given Immigration and Customs Enforcement on immigrant detention and deportation. The administration says it's essential to focus deportation efforts against unauthorized immigrants who commit crimes. The state's attorneys from Louisiana and Texas say such an interpretation is a drastic change in immigration law , something only Congress has the power to make. Joining me is Dan Eaton. Constitutional law expert and partner at the San Diego firm of Seltzer , Kaplan , McMahon and Vitek. And Dan , welcome back to the show. Sure.

S2: Sure. Good to be with you.

S1: Married now. Presidents often draw up different policy enforcement priorities based on congressional law.

S2: Most recently , people recall it came up in connection with the student loan policy that President Biden wanted to issue. The question is whether a congressional law that says Shell provides a level of discretion. You start with the idea that Homeland Security could possibly take into custody and enforce the Immigration and Nationality Act against all 11 million undocumented immigrants who are here. So the question is how broad that discretion , notwithstanding Congress's mandate that the HHS secretary shall do certain things. EXTENT That's why the justices are taking it up , because they want to see how far this can go. The secretary of Homeland Security is limiting the enforcement of immigration laws to certain categories of undocumented immigrants.

S1: You know , there's also a humanitarian aspect to this for people who've established lives in this country. So it isn't just about the number of immigration enforcement agents and the number of undocumented people in the United States.

S2: And those three categories are suspected terrorists and spies , those who have committed certain crimes and those who have been stopped at the border during unlawful entry or recently have been stopped after sometime in November of last year. So they're saying that , yes , in a sense that we are not going to necessarily enforce the law. We're not going to prioritize the law with respect to children , which raises the humanitarian concern that you raise. This is all part of prosecutorial discretion. But across five administrations , including the George W Bush administration , administrations have exercised in connection with the enforcement of immigration law.

S1:

S2: Their view was that we're going to take into custody immigration authorities , all of these folks , and then , of course , arrange for their eventual removal from this country. What the new administration under Alejandro Mayorkas , the Department of Homeland Security secretary , said is that now we're going to prioritize these three certain kinds of undocumented immigrants so that we can use our resources effectively , both to protect the borders and to protect national security.

S1: The law , the congressional law , I believe , states that entering this country illegally is a crime in and of itself. Now , Louisiana and Texas claim that the Biden administration cannot tell immigration agents that they can't enforce the law as written by Congress.

S2: But the question is whether that includes a degree of discretion with the homeland security secretary who couldn't possibly enforce law against all 11 million undocumented immigrants. And that raises a fundamental question. And one of the questions the justices are considering is whether Texas and Louisiana even have standing or the right to bring this lawsuit. Given that this is immigration policy and they aren't suffering the kind of direct harm that normally you have to have to go into federal court. And what they're saying is , you know , we sort of do suffer direct harm because we're having to detain these people in state prisons for a longer period of time. And they're also education. And welfare implications to having them in our state. That is an important question right there as to whether Texas and Louisiana can even bring this challenge to immigration policy.

S1:

S2: And it gets to the basic question that we keep seeing again and again in cases we've discussed before , Maureen , which is how for administration discretion goes in exercising congressional laws that appear to have mandates. The doctor program abates , the enforcement of immigration law with respect to childhood arrivals and so on. And that , of course , itself is the subject of ongoing or legal action. You're going to keep seeing this again and again. And one of the things that the administration is claiming is that we can't have states going into court suing the federal government every time there's a dispute on federal policy. At some point , the administration has to have discretion in the way it enforces broad congressional mandates.

S1:

S2: On the other hand. There is some argument from a procedural standpoint that maybe Texas and Louisiana shouldn't have the standing to bring this lawsuit in the first place.

S1: I've been speaking with Danny and a constitutional law expert partner at the San Diego firm of Seltzer , Kaplan , McMahon and Vitek. Dan , as always , thank you so much.

S2: Thank you , Maureen.

S4: Concerns have been long growing that a triple demic of COVID , RSV and flu cases could have a major impact on health systems around the nation. While COVID cases remain at a stable level , hospitals are now contending with surges in both flu and RSV cases , presenting a major strain on local health resources. Joining me now on what this could mean going forward is Dr. Sima Shah , the medical director of the county's epidemiology and Immunization services branch. And , Dr. Shah , thanks for joining us.

S3: Thank you for having me.

S4: First of all , I want to hear your thoughts on these triple demic fears.

S3: You know , what we're seeing is a convergence of multiple viruses that are descending upon our health care system. And that includes flu , RSV and and , of course , COVID. So so we are absolutely already starting to see the effects of that.

S4:

S3: But , you know , again , having three viruses impact at the same time is is is going to have a significant strain on resources in an already strained situation. So , absolutely a concern. And of course , the public has to be doing its part to to help with this this impact on our health care system.

S4: COVID numbers are trending up slightly.

S3: We've seen that the last two years. And , you know , we're starting to see that in our COVID wastewater. Know our wastewater has tripled in the last few weeks. We're also starting to see hospitalizations. They doubled in the last 30 days. So we're already part of an uptick. The question is just how significant will it be in isolation ? COVID , would this sort of uptick could be manageable ? But then if you add on multiple other viruses like RSV and flu , that that will continue to have an even greater impact as people get hospitalized , people get sicker. So certainly , you know , we're already starting to see that with COVID. We just don't know how significant that surge is going to be.

S4: There are some hopes that this year's winter COVID surge will be milder than years past.

S3: You know , we've seen that happen in Europe where there were slight surges and then a decrease in cases and hospitalizations. But , of course , you know , we're continuing to see hundreds of people die in the United States from COVID every day. So I think that it's it's you know , it's not a virus that's gone. It is continuing to hospitalized and have deaths and in San Diego County alone. So I think that we we need to be very cautious about , you know , thinking that this will just be a minor , minor uptick.

S4:

S3: You know , there is some evidence throughout the United States , especially on the East Coast , that some of that is starting to plateau. You know , RSV cases are starting to plateau. Our wastewater here shows that there maybe is a plateauing of that as well. But again , you know , with the reset holiday , that that dynamic certainly might change. And so we'll have to see what happens in the next few weeks.

S4:

S3: You know , we saw this happen in the southern hemisphere where they actually had a really early flu season. And our flu season is running six weeks early. And , of course , you know , we are seeing a significant increase in the number of cases. And there is worrisome data that there is already an increase in hospitalizations throughout the United States. So , again , you know , it's unclear why so early , but we are starting to see quite a bit. And the the curve is quite steep.

S4: And hospitals are admitting a lot of people with flu like illness.

S3: And again , you know , I think that the consulting with your health care provider is going to be critical. But , you know , we don't want everyone to go to the emergency department. Of course , if you're experiencing severe symptoms like shortness of breath or know there's if you're thinking of a young child who's struggling to breathe and having high fevers that won't go down or , you know , dehydrated , those would be the kinds of cases. Is that you would want to go to the ER for it , but for the vast majority should be able to consult with your health care provider. You know , thinking about treatments and what other possibilities , especially if you have flu or COVID.

S4: And California is set to end its COVID emergency in February of next year.

S3: So what California Department of Public Health dictates. And so we'll have to see when we get to February. But again , it doesn't change how we manage the disease in terms of reporting , in terms of how we're monitoring the impact on the health care systems. So , yes , there is that piece. But , you know , a lot of the transition has already occurred and we're continuing to manage these surges as they come.

S4: In at this point.

S3: You know , I think that in isolation at the at the hospitalization numbers and at the the number of cases that we're seeing , that may be the case. But the problem is , is we're in the middle of winter and we have a significant impact of multiple respiratory viruses. So it's not just COVID , it's COVID flu , RSV , and even other simple viruses like the more common ones like Rhinovirus , that we see as in the common cold. So , again , you know , manageable. That is a great question for the health care systems. But from the standpoint of what we're seeing , it's it is currently all three are creating a significant impact and strain on our on our systems.

S4: I've been speaking with Dr. Seema Shah , the medical director of the county's epidemiology and Immunization Services branch. Dr. Shah , thank you so much for speaking with us today.

S3: No problem.

S1: This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen CAVANAUGH with Jade Heineman. A new line up of county leaders at the San Diego Association of Governments , or SANDAG , may make a new vision for San Diego Transit harder to achieve. The midterm elections have put more Republicans on the board , many of whom are critical of the proposed transportation overhaul and most especially the per mile driver's fees that would fund it. The effort to change car centric San Diego into a city with easy access public transit was always a massive and hugely expensive proposal. Now it may face even more obstacles , including the possible departure of the plan's mastermind , SANDAG executive director Hasan Grata. Joining me is Joshua Emmerson Smith , senior environment reporter for the San Diego Union Tribune. Joshua , welcome.

S3: Pleasure to be here , as always.

S1:

S3: We're talking about 200 miles of rail , underground tunnels , massive train stations , a connection to the airport , as well as finishing off some unfinished business , like moving the tracks off the crumbling Del Mar Bluffs.

S1: And the price tag on it.

S3: Over $160 billion. So very ambitious.

S1: And the underlying reason for this proposal is to cut down driving and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

S3: I mean , a major aspect of this is to prevent the type of gridlock traffic that we saw before the pandemic started and which has eased somewhat , but experts say could come back with a vengeance in coming months and years. So the idea is if we build these rail lines , then people will be able to get to work in other locations without having to sit during those rush hour commutes.

S1: One of the central funding structures for this massive plan is a per mile fee for drivers , which you report is already pretty unpopular even on the current SANDAG board.

S3: And they have said they're very hostile to the idea of raising taxes to fund public transit , especially when it comes to these per mile fees on drivers. And SANDAG still needs to get voter approval to raise taxes to pay for its blueprint. And when these new elected officials get on the SANDAG board and then go back to their constituents , they're going to be bringing a message , hey , either support this or vote it down.

S1: And so the executive director , Hasani Kuroda , is looking at all of this , this pushback on the plan. And he's saying now he may leave SANDAG.

S3: That's what he told me. He said he felt very uncomfortable with the way that the board has been operating. Lots of partisan grandstanding calls for across it to resign. And he said that he'd really like to see the board embrace a common vision and start being more collaborative. If he's going to stick around for much longer.

S1: Let's talk more about the per mile fee for drivers.

S3: They have a pilot program going and they're one of many pilot programs happening in states across the country , including a couple of programs that are already in development in Oregon , Utah , and most recently Virginia. So it looks like this is the wave of the future. This is how we pay for road maintenance in a era that increasingly has people driving in electric cars.

S1: Because gas taxes used to pay for that road infrastructure. Right ? Yeah.

S3: And they still do. Right. Like , that's why we raised the gas tax a few years ago , because we're just pulling in less money from those fuel taxes. So they still pay for that and they will continue to do that. But at some point , California and the rest of the country is hoping we can switch over to all electric cars and then we'll need some way to pay for this.

S1: So the state is going to have a driving fee. Couldn't the county just add on to the state's fee.

S3: And that sand bags plan ? But it's not that popular and people don't like the idea of it. I mean , people often don't like the idea of any new tax. Right. And so it seems that there's a little bit of frustration with how far out ahead of this issue the sand bags leadership has gotten. So it may be an issue that's more political than practical at this point.

S1: Now , some advocates are saying , though , that making it more expensive to drive is the only way to get people to change to public transportation.

S3: If you talk to transportation experts , they will tell you that the way to tamp down on rush hour gridlock is to have fluctuating fees so that you pay more during those peak travel times to discourage people from taking trips in the morning and then in the afternoon. So you do that and then you have the public transportation system as an alternative. And that's generally thought to be the best practice for trying to avoid the kind of gridlock traffic that really has engulfed many major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles , Dallas , other areas that have spent decades widening freeways. SANDAG has made the pitch , hey , let's not be like that. Let's try these these best practices that transportation advocates have been pushing. Experts and advocates have been pushing and see if we can avoid that. But so far , it's proved pretty politically fraught.

S1:

S3: And now we have this remote work revolution ride. And so we don't really know what the future holds. But we do know if driving continues and we continue to build new apartment buildings like the state has called for and build more density into our urban neighborhoods and we don't do anything. Experts have said gridlock traffic will be back with a vengeance.

S1: I've been speaking with Joshua Emmerson Smith , senior environment reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Joshua , thank you.

S3: Wonderful to be here.

S4: A new study from the Rady School of Management finds when it comes to politics , Americans would rather hurt the cause they believe in than support the one they don't. So why is that ? Here to talk about it is Ariel Friedman , joint author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral marketing at the Rady School of Management. Ariel , thanks for joining us.

S3: Thank you so much for having me. Okay.

S4: Okay. So for this study , you looked at three contentious issues gun rights , reproductive rights and funding for political parties.

S3: This for me. Across those three different causes , people would rather harm their own side than help the opposing side. And we found it across those three causes and across both people on both sides of each cause. So Democrats and Republicans , pro-life , pro-choice , they both behaved similarly. They would both rather subtract funding and hurt their side than add any kind of even a small amount of funding to the opposing side.

S4: Interesting and sad.

S3: We believe that one of the drivers of people's decision making in this in these kinds of contexts is their identity and how their choices impact their identity. And to put it in a nutshell , we find that it's more harmful to one's identity to help the other side than to harm their own side. Hmm.

S4: Hmm.

S3: We also looked at other countries as well. So we looked at the UK , for example , and found a similar pattern of results there as well. Hmm.

S4: Hmm. And so , you know , I mean , it sounds like compromise and cooperation are difficult for Americans these days.

S3: And we think that this work kind of contributes to those psychological barriers. People , you know , just don't seem to want to make any concessions to an opposing side. And that really harms cooperation. And you can imagine that this might have big implications for , you know , in the political sphere , for example.

S4: And tell me more about this study that you did.

S3: So , for example , a donation to Republicans and a donation to Democrats. And we'd simply ask people , You have a choice to alter these donation amounts. Would you rather add a dollar to the opposing side or subtract a dollar from your side ? And we found that about 70% of participants , when they were asked this question , preferred to subtract a dollar from their side rather than add a dollar to the opposing side.

S4:

S3: So if people knew , for example , that a lot of others in their group. When faced with this decision , actually chose to help the other side. And people kind of copied that when the norm was established to kind of cooperate and , you know , kind of help the other side. People follow that norm. And we think that , you know , even in high stakes situations like in politics , having perhaps a prominent politicians. Cooperating and kind of coming together and perhaps ceding gains to the other side in the spirit of cooperation that can help others kind of follow that example.

S4: Mm hmm. And when it comes to political ideologies , I know you've said you want to expand your research to study people in other countries and cultures.

S3: And so we thought it could be interesting to look at other countries where polarization is not as dark , for example , and see whether we find a similar pattern there or if this is kind of unique to perhaps us or Western countries.

S4:

S3:

S4: And in your study , you found some inconsistencies with prior theories on how people make decisions in group settings. What did you find ? Yes.

S3: So , you know , there are kind of two prominent prior theories on how people make decisions in such settings. One of them is kind of related to in-group love and shows that people are kind of driven by in-group love rather than outgroup hate when making decisions. And our findings seem to be inconsistent with that. I mean , if you're really driven by in-group love , why would you hurt your own side when you have the opportunity not to ? Another kind of prominent theory is kind of related to in-group favoritism , and it suggests that people want to create the most favorable relative comparison between their group and the other group. And our findings are , again , inconsistent with that theory , since harming your own side actually creates a worse relative comparison between your group and the other group. And so instead , we offer a theory that's related to identity and how identity plays a role in these decisions and can trump , you know , these other considerations.

S4: You can find this study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. I've been speaking with Ariel Friedman , joint author and a PhD candidate in behavioral marketing at the Rady School of Management. Ariel , thank you so much for joining us.

S3: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

S1: The total destruction of a wildfire can be hard to fathom unless you're among those who have to sift through what remains. Jefferson Public Radio's Roman battalion visited the site of this summer's McKinney fire in Northern California , where a team of trained dogs and archaeologists helped recover urns with cremated remains that were scattered in the fire.

S5: One person I believe , that.

S6: Lyn Engelbert , is guiding her dog , Piper , around the site of a home that burned down during the McKinney fire this year , which devastated the small Klamath River community near the Oregon California border. Today , she's at Valerie Lynn Foot home , where a specially trained team of dogs and archaeologists are working together to find Lynn Foote's mother and grandmother. Their cremated remains were left behind when Linfoot had to evacuate.

S5: My husband was home. I was at home , so he had about 10 minutes. And so there was very little. But he was able to grab our pets are safe and partner papers and he was able to get a few mementos that were near the safe. And that was about it.

S6: Lynn Foote's family members Urns were kept in her walk in closet. Now just a faint outline of where it used to be.

S5: My best guess would be about a third of the way in against this wall , but may have fell forward. So it's under this piece of metal.

S6: Engelbert and her team are part of the Alta Heritage Foundation. She says they started in 2017 when a survivor of the Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa reached out to an archaeologist looking for help finding his parents cremated remains in the rubble. The archaeologist connected them with Engelberg , who does work , finding human remains with the Institute for Canine Forensics.

S5: One weekend on Saturday , I was working with the sheriff's office up there , helping to look for victims with Piper , and they were finished with us that day. So I called this guy and I said , I can be at your house. And tomorrow morning , Piper found the cremains in about 2 minutes , and I recovered them using a tuna fish can into Ziploc bags.

S6: Since then , Engelbert says , they've been out to over 300 homes. The recovery process happens in two steps , combining archaeology and canine forensics. Once the handlers take their dogs through the site to locate the general area of the remains , the archaeologists step in with shovels and dust pans to sift through the debris looking for the ashes. Chelsea Rose is one of the archaeologists on this trip. She rubs a small piece of drywall in her hands and it dissolves into a very fine powder.

S7: In addition to kind of this like diamond color that we see , there's it's a lot grittier than like some of the other materials we're seeing , like drywall and stuff like that.

S6: After lifting some metal sheets and imagining where the ashes could have landed in the firestorm , the team gets some good luck.

S5: I know that my people were. Yeah , that's one of them , I think. Yeah. And here's the other. Oh , yeah. Oh , my God. Oh , my God. There they are.

S6: The recovery process can be very emotional. Valerie Linfoot gets down close to the two small salmon colored piles.

S5: I miss my mom so much. I just couldn't bear with me. So then I felt really sad because I was the one that had the ashes. You know , I have two brothers and a sister.

S6: All the work that Engelbert and the others do is on their own dime. Engelberg says the cost of hotels , gas and all the safety gear they need adds up. She says they've been working for five years trying to find a government agency that can support them.

S5: You know , we have massive pictures that we roll out on a desktop and they look at that and they go , Oh , that's heartrending. How sad. We'll see what we can do. And then that's the last we hear from it.

S6: The archaeologists are able to identify who's who based on what's left of their urns and the age of the remains. They start packing up the ashes into Ziploc bags.

S5: Oh , Grandma , we're so sorry you had to have this huge journey. But you were an adventurer when you would really understand this and appreciate the efforts of all these people.

S6: The crew takes a short break before heading right next door to another recovery that day. The dogs are already excited for their next job.

S5: When I was walking up to get the truck , I could hear one of them whining. That's normal , right ? Yeah , that's drive. What's up , Coach ? Coach , I can do this. Put me in.

S6: Engelbert says it can be devastating for families to imagine their loved ones remains getting sent to a toxic waste dump with the rest of the rubble , even if they're ultimately unsuccessful , she says. This process helps families get some form of closure , knowing they tried.

S1: That was Roman , but aliya for the California report.

S4: You're listening to KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman with Maureen CAVANAUGH. Big shoes and a big red nose are characteristics of a classic clown , but the art of clowning isn't what it used to be. Students of all ages are now pursuing a form of comedy that left the circus behind. KPBS education reporter Meg Perez takes us to clown school.

S3: I'm Ella the Clown.

S5: That's my movie. And you're to repeat that movement.

S4: On a Saturday afternoon in a mission , Bay Park. Class is in session. And Ella the Clown is the teacher , proudly wearing her colorful makeup and big red nose.

S8: This is the world's smallest mask. That's very true. But it's not a mask because it's hiding anything. It's a mask because it's helping you reveal inner truth. This is the most.

S5: Exciting you've ever been.

S4: Behind the big red nose. Ella is really Daniel Lebowski , a certified clown , writer , producer and educator. She teaches children how to use their imaginations through games , triggering exaggerated emotions. Truthful emotions that are also entertaining. Taking the audience on quite a ride.

S8: It is quite like a volcano. It starts building up. It starts rumbling , and then it rocks. And it's very exciting. It's a big , grand moment for everyone. And then I slowly goes back down and there's some joy to be found there , too. Well , then.

S4: There is the love. Ella is just one of Danielle's clown characters.

S8: So this is Baba Piano , the Soviet Jewish Grandma Clown. She's also based on the women in my family. All of their neuroses and anxieties and love and care all wrapped up into one chaotic clown paper.

S4: Once a month , the Jewish grandmother clown is M.C. of the Thursday night open mic show at Diversionary Theater. Lipski also leads a weekly class at the theater , teaching adults how to clown.

S8: And feel free to play with the volume intonation.

S4: The movement Britney Wood is one of her students.

S6: I'm epidemiologists. I work for the county , and I do like more data research for.

S5: Opioid overdose and substance.

S6: Use and mental health disorders. So it's quite different from my day job.

S4: Not exactly a resume you would expect from someone learning to be genuinely funny. Along with embracing the joy in failure and rediscovering their inner child. All of that part of the curriculum in this clown class. And Wood is here for it.

S6: This is like the first time I've gone on stage and we've been silly in front of other people and kind of let go more. It's kind of cool that I can do that or I can show other people that side of me.

S3: Well , if you have a boob.

S4: Dr. Fancy is a professional clown with a mission in medicine. He's a character created by Skyler Sullivan , who is the education director at the Diversionary Theatre. He also works as a therapeutic children's hospital clown.

S2: There is definitely something about connecting.

S3: This deeply on a human level that is spiritual for me. We'll work with a family and the parent pulls a facade and.

S6: Say , Oh , they.

S4: Haven't smiled in two weeks. It has.

S3: Some really cool outcomes.

S4: Of breaking through some of that weight that.

S3: Sometimes people , you know.

S4: Experience in the health care setting. So the heyday of clowns at a three ring circus has evolved to a higher purpose. And it's happening in the controlled chaos of a classroom where Britney Wood , the county epidemiologist , is getting closer to owning her big red nose.

S6: I feel like I've been making more jokes or I've been like a little bit more open about using my facial expressions , more just trying to be more engaged or more open with myself. And that magic.

S4: Wand for Danielle Lebowski will continue to use ELA and Baba Yana as inspiration for the next generation of class clowns. MJ Perez , KPBS News.

S1: Books can make great holiday presents even for the younger people on your list. And San Diego has a lot of local authors who write for kids and teens. San Diego author Tracy Badu. His debut middle grade novel , Freddy Versus the Family Curse , was published earlier this year. It follows Freddy Ruiz , a seventh grader who is resigned to a life of bad luck until a rediscovered family heirloom gives him a little hope. KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans spoke with Tracy Bedoya about the book and here's their conversation.

S6: Hi , Tracy. Welcome. Hi.

S3: Hi. Thank you for having me.

S6: Tracy This book follows 12 year old Freddy , who has struggled his entire life with the uncanny ability to face plants in front of classmates. If something could go wrong for Freddy , it usually would. Can we start by having you read from the very beginning ? This is when we first meet Freddy and his luck.

S3: Yeah , of course. So starting from the very beginning in chapter one , there's nothing more heart stopping than the wheeze of an empty blue bottle the night before a big school project is due. Come on , come on , come on. I shake the bottle and squeeze again. Not one glob of grade saving adhesive. Not even a drop. I chucked the bottle toward my trashcan and sails clear over the heap of school uniforms on my bed , past an ankle high , stack of old notebooks and worksheets. I miss. I thought my forehead down on the desk and sigh. My eyebrow lands in a wet smudge of green paint. The curse got to be the curse. Like straight black hair and those little chicken skin bumps on my upper arms. Bad luck is in my genes.

S6: Thank you. So the Ruiz's are a Filipino-American family living in a multigenerational household.

S3: I grew up in a household where I had my grandmothers stay with us for long periods of time. So it was nice to be able to kind of draw that into the story , to show that , you know , it was my parents and it was me and my brother and then , you know , my grandmother kind of hanging out with us and watching us and keeping us out of trouble. So that's something that I wanted to reflect in this book because I knew not a lot of folks , at least where where I grew up had this kind of multi general aspect in their household. It was always like , I'm going to go visit grandmother as opposed to , Oh , our grandmother lives with us.

S6: So luck is the centerpiece of this story. And with a superstition and Filipino folklore , this Antioch ending is something that Freddie finds. Can you tell us what he then learns about the Ruiz family curse and about his great grand Uncle Ramon ? Yeah.

S3: So this is , of course , not a spoiler because it says , you know , right on the back of the book that the amulet does have the ghost of his great granduncle in it. He finds an ending on things. So in the book , it's in the form of a gold coin that's on a leather string. So it's a little bit like a necklace , but it really , you know , in kind of general Filipino practice , it could be almost anything. But in the story he finds and it's like , yes , finally I've got a good luck charm. I can get rid of this family curse and his great grand uncle pops out. I'm like , Oh , sorry , That's not how this one works. It's actually going to make everything worse. So now you've got 13 days to banish this family curse forever , or you're going to get stuck in here with me. So that's kind of the rundown of what he has to deal with when he gets this thing ending. And it just ends up upending his life and putting a time limit on it.

S6: One of the things that he has to go and do next is find one of Ramon's old friends. And there is a bit of a history lesson in this book.

S3: And this was actually inspired by the fact that my grandfathers did serve in the military back in World War Two. And one of them actually was a survivor of the Bataan Death March. And it was one of those things that I didn't really maybe know of or realize the impact of until much later in life. So I wanted to make sure I included it , especially in a book for children. So , you know , if they wanted to look it up or maybe they won't get to , you know , later ages like I did and realized that this is the first time they've ever heard of such a such a big event in our history.

S6: I want to switch gears a little bit. And talk about food. It's not an overt theme in the book , but it's still there as this way of really putting us in the room with this family. Was it important to you to portray traditional Filipino-American food and other subtle details of their life as this thing of normalcy ? Absolutely.

S3: One of the things that he eats early on in the book is garlic fried rice for breakfast. And I do remember a conversation in my childhood where a friend of mine was like , you guys eat rice for breakfast. I was like , I eat rice all the time. So little things like that where I just wanted to kind of incorporate it in. So again , it's not the first time anyone sees it , like out in the real world. There's , you know , folks who live in multigenerational households. There's folks that eat all sorts of cool stuff all times of day and then bring it for lunch and open up their Tupperware and garlic fried rice. Smell goes everywhere , but it's delicious. And , you know , there's little , little hints here and there in the book of the fact that he uses , you know , banana ketchup , which is something that you can find in a lot of Filipino and Filipino American households. And , you know , it's exciting to kind of throw those in. He's Filipino American. So there's plenty of mentions of like pizza and burritos and other things. But being Filipino American means that the Filipino cuisine is definitely just part of what you do.

S6: So you set this book in San Diego and you're a local here. I'm wondering what this journey has been like for you writing your first book in and about San Diego.

S3: It was fantastic setting it in San Diego. And one of the things that I think is a little bit fun is that the book actually starts out in the middle of a storm. So , you know , fellow San Diegans would probably know that maybe that's not as uncommon here. We'd maybe like it to be so it could get a little bit more rain. But the fact that it starts out with rain and San Diego kind of sets up that feeling of , oh , there's something a little bit off here.

S6: Traci , thank you so much.

S3: Thank you again for having me. This was a pleasure.

S1: That was KPBS arts editor and producer Julia Dixon Evans speaking with San Diego , author Tracy Bedoya , author of the middle grade novel Freddy versus the Family Curse.