S1: Hey there , San Diego , it's time for KPBS roundtable. I'm Andrew Bracken. Governor Gavin Newsom signs a new law aiming to make solar energy cheaper and more accessible. How big of an impact could it have here in San Diego?
S2: This is one of the most immediate , concrete , tangible , real and affordable things that we can do to start to get control of our high energy costs , but also save our planet.
S1: Then we take you inside a local wildlife center , working to rebuild the gray wolf population. And after an exciting pair of games at Petco this week , the Padres are moving ahead in the playoffs. We take a look at what's next for the team. It's coming up on KPBS roundtable. Well , though , he waited right up until the last minute of his Wednesday deadline. California Governor Gavin Newsom did sign a bill legalizing plug in solar. The law hopes to make the adoption of solar energy cheaper and more accessible for Californians. Here's what Bernadette Del Chiaro of the nonprofit Environmental Working Group had to say about it yesterday.
S2: This is one of the most immediate , concrete , tangible , real and affordable things that we can do to start to get control of our high energy costs , but also save our planet.
S1: Joining me to talk about the law and potential impact of it is Laura Klein. She's a science reporter for KQED in San Francisco. Hey , Laura , welcome to roundtable. Hi.
S3: Hi. Thanks for having me.
S1: Great to have you here. And joining me here in studio down in San Diego is Makenzie Elmer. She covers the environment and energy with Voice of San Diego. Hey , Mackenzie. Welcome back.
S4: Hey , thanks for having me.
S1: Great to have you both. So , you know , you each have been following this bill for quite some time. The governor again waited until the last minute , as he sometimes does. And , Laura , we've learned over the last few years , you know , he can surprise folks with vetoes. But I was curious. Were you surprised by the outcome here? Was there really , you know , a doubt or concern from environmental groups that this bill would make it across the line , that.
S3: I think most people believed that it would make it across because it had such strong bipartisan support. But it also had opposition from utilities , investor owned utilities. And so , um , that relationship. Uh , Newsom has been criticized by bowing to utilities before. And so I think people were concerned that he might end up vetoing it for that reason. But many folks believed that it would also go through because it it lowers bills. And it's been so popular across the country. A bunch of other states have passed this , uh , with bipartisan support. So red states have also passed this kind of Legislation.
S1: And I want to talk a little bit more how it , you know , looks different here than in other places , you know , other parts of the country. But Mackenzie , what about you? I mean , did you expect this , you know , Bill , to make it to the finish line?
S4: I think I think what Laura said is makes sense , and I didn't really expect it to fail after the the both sides had had approved it already. But yeah , I did follow the utility pushback. Um , especially San Diego gas and Electric. They had spoken out against the bill and kind of tried to share what I found to be actually some some false truths about about the safety issues that they said were related to plug in solar.
S1: And we'll dig into that and some of your , your investigation into it , which is quite interesting. But Laura , can you just , you know , tell us a little bit about what what does balcony or plug in solar actually consist of. How is it different from , you know , the rooftop solar? I think we've become accustomed to seeing? Sure.
S3: Sure. It's just a lot smaller. So it typically is a few panels , a inverter which will convert the solar electricity to what you can use in your home and some cables. And in theory , you would just plug it into an existing outlet. That's how it works in Germany. There are millions of these things all over. Um , and that's where the market wants to go in the United States. You can put these off your balcony , you can hang them out of a window , you can tent them in your backyard. And they are also portable. So if you move or if you're a renter , you can bring them with you.
S1: And Mackenzie. You actually got one of these solar kits , right? Can you? I don't know , explain what's included in it. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. I told Brite Saver , which is a nonprofit that sells these kits. Really big group behind the bill that I wanted to write an article about using plug in solar to see if I could track whether it lowered my bills. This was before the bill was passed , but unfortunately , I got the I only had an 180 watt panel , which is you can get up to 1200W with this bill. But I thought I might ask the state Public Utilities Commission before I plugged it in , what would happen if if I did so since it wasn't technically legal? And they informed me that , well , SG could cut my power off if if they knew that I was plugging one in illegally.
S1: So that kind of ended that.
S4: Yeah , I didn't I didn't plug it in.
S1: Well what is. I mean , does it look pretty? Is it. I don't know. Is it like an Ikea type situation? You can put it together by yourself. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. I mean , it's some I think some kits are , you know , they're different. But yeah , it's it's pretty , it's pretty simple. But the panels aren't necessarily that small. Like my 180. What I , you know , it could almost fit it in my Kia Soul or I did at least. But , um , yeah. So some renters you have to have like a fairly good balcony , have to have good sun exposure. So it's I'm not clear how this would work for like every single renter. And you know , most people don't have a backyard , um , if you are a renter. So.
S1: Yeah , Laura , I don't know if what you can say about that , but that's one , you know , we hear about. It's like balcony solar. Obviously not everybody has a balcony. I mean , what what can you tell us about just , you know , how how many people will could potentially benefit from this? Sure.
S3: Sure. Yeah. So , um , for traditional solar. Typically , people would put it on their roofs and need to be a homeowner , and they'd also have to have money to pay tens of thousands of dollars to install it. And so the idea behind this is that what Bright Saver says is 70% of the rest of California who can't access that either because of income or they are renters , or they don't have a roof that's situated in a good place. Or maybe you're part of a big condo or something , that this provides the opportunity for people to do that. And I think in theory it can , because you can also just put it out of a window. So depending on the size of your panel , like maybe you have that big bigger one. Like I've seen some that are quite large and they like a guy just tented them against his backyard fence. Uh , I'm seeing I've seen other ones that are like half that size that you could theoretically put out a window and just , like , put up on , like a little frame that's kind of like an erector set , it looks like. Um , and so I think that's , that's where people could , could set these things up.
S1: Well , and also , I was curious , McKenzie , if you can talk a little bit about this , but just like how much sun because it sounds like you have some flexibility or people are , you know , using creative solutions here , but you know , how much is important. If I don't know my , you know , window is facing the back and it doesn't get a lot of afternoon sunlight. How much will that?
S4: I mean , that's why I wanted to test it. Really. I mean , I don't have I've never had solar , obviously , because I didn't have a roof , but I think like obviously the southern exposure , you'll have sun all day. That would probably get you more power. And then you can also , I believe , get a battery that you can attach to your panels so that you could store the sun's energy during the day and then use your battery to , I don't know , power your AC when you come on at home and prices are at the highest between that four and 9 p.m. period. Um , I did want to ask Laura. I mean , one thing is HOAs. You know , if you own like a condo or whatever. Um , there was talk about , you know , HOA might not let you put about a roof top or , sorry , a panel on your balcony because they don't like the way it looks. Do you know if they got anything in the bill that won't allow hose to be picky like that?
S3: No they didn't. Not in California. But there are other states that did do that , like Colorado and New Jersey. Okay.
S4: Okay. Interesting.
S1: Interesting. Yeah.
S3: And also I believe they did the HOA thing , but they they what I am sure Colorado and New Jersey did was renters. Right. Saying like , if you're a landlord you can't prevent this from happening.
S1: Laura , I want to talk a little bit more about just the dollars and cents here. Can you talk a little bit about the prices for these solar kits? And then , you know , ultimately how much that will likely or possibly save us on the back end? Sure.
S3: Sure. Yeah. So the the kids that are available. So it's kind of a funny situation. What has happened right now. There are kits that are being sold in California , but they don't meet any of the requirements or they don't meet the requirements of this bill , um , or this law that's just been passed. But but those ranged in price from like $300 , which is the version that you got , um , that from Bright Saver , which is , uh , just a smaller version of things to something that might be , uh , around $2,000. Um , and then depending. And then those are different sizes. So you're going to make back the cost of that , uh , according to different timelines based on how much energy you're actually saving. So , um , some companies are saying it'll take two years to pay back the upfront costs. Some have said it's a few more years. Um , generally , what I have seen with the people that I've talked to who've installed these and had them for the last year is that it shaves off about 20% of their monthly bill , or 25% of their monthly bill. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Is there any hope that , I don't know , passing this bill might change the cost down the line? I mean , do you expect these kits , you know , to become cheaper , potentially , as it become more widely available? Yeah.
S3: Yeah. Certainly that would happen with a variety of technologies. That's sort of the trajectory and that this would be no different. Um , what's interesting is we have all this legislation and California's is is on the stricter side of it , but it did pass. Um , and so companies now have to develop technology that meets the standards that are in this new law that we actually don't have any tech that's there yet. So , so the initial there's two manufacturers I've heard of that are developing this , uh , those models are not yet out , but I think the price will continue to come down. Uh , as more and more competition enters the market and things change a little bit. The standard might , uh , right now it's more on the stricter side if you talk to various electricity people. Um , they think it might ease up a little bit and therefore open the market a little bit more. But I think the goal here is for this to get to what Germany has , which is you can go to Ikea , you spend $400 there and you get the kid. And so that's what that's what people are hoping we will see here within a few years. Hello.
S1: Hello. Can you talk a little bit more about because we hear that , you know , Germany is sort of the example case. You know , the main case we hear about how successful has it been there ultimately in terms of energy use.
S3: So it's incredibly successful in its popularity. There are over a million registered systems in Germany and believed to be over 4 million systems , many of which are not registered. Um , with the government , with the utilities there for them to know about them. But overall , when you look at how much energy these things can produce as compared to the demands of the full grid , it is just it is so minimal. Um , even if you look at all the solar production , it's just a percentage within like the single digits of all the solar in Germany. Um , and but I think you can look at that and feel really defeated and be like , why would we even do this? Um , this is just moving around deckchairs on the Titanic. I guess we go down. But , um , another way to look at it that a bunch of folks I have spoken with advocate for is this is sort of like a gateway drug , right? This is a gateway. They wanting to get more solar to wanting to get a battery , which I have seen in folks that I've been following for the last year and a half since I saw the first installation go in , um , where they are getting more solar than they're thinking about. Okay , how do I use my electricity in my home to maximize using my solar power? So they're running their dishwasher during the day when their little panel is , you know , producing , um , and then it's also a really visual representation. Uh , so it is a conversation point. And so as we know , with climate , um , being silent around it is a problem. Um , and so the more you can have conversations about climate change and the issues here and what actions people can take , the the more we can hopefully move the needle.
S1: Oh , that's really interesting. And Mackenzie , I think we've , you know , had conversations about climate anxiety or just , you know , how people react to just feelings around climate change and then like the feeling of inaction , right? I mean , yeah , what jumps out? I thought that was interesting of like this idea of it being like a gateway drug or kind of a way to kind of get folks involved.
S4: I mean , saving 20 to 25% of my , my monthly bill because I have a solar panel. Like , that's something I think anyone from any political party can get behind. Right. The climate change is not really it's an issue that's become , you know , a taboo , I think , for all political parties at the moment.
S1: So even putting that aside.
S4: Yes , affordability of energy is the most important thing here.
S1: Well , you know , you brought that up. I mean , I think might be helpful if you could remind us just where San Diego sits in terms of electricity costs.
S4: San Diego , um , and Hawaii are , like , often fighting for the top and most expensive energy in , in the country in terms of prices. So , um , we , you know , SCG and these prices are always like topping the charts in terms of , uh , you know , cost of , distribution and generation. San Diego community power , I should mention as well , because they are the ones that actually buy and sell the energy.
S1: So earlier you mentioned , I don't know , a little concern about safety in San Diego , you know , SDG and I'm wondering if you can kind of break that down for us because.
S4: You mean the pushback from the utility companies? Yeah. So as Laura had mentioned , you know , the utility companies came out against this , both public and private , because , you know , any amount of generation that they're losing means they lose money. They charge people based on how much you use. And they charge for the for their infrastructure that way. So they really came out with this safety message , which I think has some bearing because they obviously , um , there are some there's some work to be done here about making sure that these systems are safe , but they were saying that the solar energy on your balcony might somehow , you know , feed back into the wider grid and endanger a worker who's on a line that's supposed to be down or something , Um , but they couldn't provide any concrete evidence or no one could. That I could find. Of that ever happening. So.
S1: So. And , Laura , you note in your reporting , you know , this this law has like an end date to it , right? It goes to like , 2030. Um , yeah. Uh , you know , Newsom signed this law , and obviously he just has a couple more months now. Um , you know , in his role as governor. Could be looking for another job soon. But , um , I'm just wondering , Laura , like , how you'd characterize his environmental legacy now? It's been , you know , to almost two full terms now.
S3: Um , okay. Uh , well , he's done he's done a lot of things. Um , and there have been a lot of goals set. He's joined a lot of coalitions. Um , and so I think we've we've seen a variety , like , we've seen some huge successes , like the explosion of battery , like , we have this long term storage , these huge , massive battery build outs that have really given a buffer to the California grid. Those have been successful. And then we've also seen things where people are critical of him. Um , administration like changes to our system called now called Cap and Invest , which is sort of like the closest thing California has to tax on carbon , basically. There have been modifications to that that people do not support. Um , and so I think , I think it's definitely mixed. And then and right now there's this whole , uh , you know , we have this all of our wildfire challenges and utility cost challenges. And he's in a tricky situation with that , uh , that I do not envy. And so he has to sort of , like , ride different interests. And so he's getting a lot of criticism from both sides.
S1: Um , Mackenzie , kind of as we we've about a minute left. This law is going to take effect January 1st. Um , I'm just wondering , you know , you , you know , you took this experiment and you kind of ran into some roadblocks , but do you have any kind of final tips for folks that are really considering setting up plug in solar?
S4: I mean , if you're a renter , I would go in on a panel with your roommates if you just and just even see if it can shave off some , some costs for you. I mean , we're in a heat wave right now in San Diego. That's going to be lasting about a week. I mean , this year is the first year I've heard a lot of people talk about , okay , I haven't had an AC unit in San Diego for like for years and years. And this is the one year that really broke the , you know , broke it for me where I really have to get one. And so 1200 watt panel , a couple grand , I get it , it's a big expense. But hey , I mean like in the long run can if that can power your AC unit , which is how much I guess that 1200 watt could do. It's like. Sounds like a good idea. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And as you mentioned , we're under. Yeah. A heat warning right now. Yeah.
S4: So we're going to have a lot of that. And we and also today the state put out a notice that they're going to be , you know , preparing for shutting down the power which they do in these heat waves to prevent wildfires. So if you can run your AC unit on , you know , some other backup power , you won't be affected by that as much.
S1: All right. Well , we're going to have to leave it there. I really appreciate you both joining us here , breaking this down. I've been speaking with KQED science reporter Laura Clemens , along with Mackenzie Elmer from Voice of San Diego. Thanks so much for being here. Thanks.
S4: Thanks.
S3: Thank you.
S1: And we'll include links to their recent stories on Balcony Solar on our website and show notes. Coming up , we hear about a local wildlife center working to revitalize the gray wolf population. You're listening to KPBS roundtable. Stay tuned. Welcome back to KPBS roundtable. I'm Andrew Bracken. Out in Julian , a nonprofit is expanding their efforts to save a species that's making a comeback. The gray wolf. The wolves were driven to near extinction by the mid 20th century , but over the years , Julian's California Wolf Center has helped help to revitalize the gray wolf population. These. These days , though , the wolves are facing some new challenges , like a warming planet and threats to federal protections. And joining me to talk about it is Tami Murga. She's environment reporter here at KPBS. Hey , Tami. Hey , Andrew. Great to see you. Thanks for being here. So first off , this is like a really unique story to me on multiple levels. But I was just first wondering , you know , why? Wolves? I think a lot of us , first thing we think of might be the kind of like a wolf sound effect or something dangerous. Scary even. What led you to want to explore their world? Sure.
S5: Sure. Yeah. Well , you know , ever since picking up the environment B and just being a visitor , Julian , and having gone to the Wolf Center , I thought at one point , I need to come out here and find a story. And , you know , this opportunity just came naturally. And I really wanted to get in there. But , you know , we really started this conversation with folks there at the center immediately just helping me understand , you know , the appreciation that they have , of course , naturally , right , for wolves and this growing culture that we just we all kind of grew up. Right. And Jason Keaton , he works at the center and he kind of put it into perspective for me. You know , he said , we don't have a lot of myths about other large carnivores like the wolves , you know , eating your grandmother and dressing up like her in her clothing , or humans losing all control under a full moon. So that's something that we all know about. But , you know , it was really beautiful to just see them. Get into their world and learn how they care for wolves. And so there's now an opportunity to expand that work. And , you know , maybe we can talk a little bit about that later.
S1: Yeah , definitely. I mean can you describe more what you're talking about? These gray wolves , can you describe what kind of wolves we're talking about? Sure.
S5: Sure. Of course. So there's different species. Right. But but here at the Wolf Center , we're talking specifically , as you mentioned , the gray wolf , which is the largest and more most widespread species. And they mostly live in northern parts of the US , Europe , Asia. And then. The one that I mostly focused on in our story is the Mexican Great Wolf. And they're the smallest and most rarest type of gray wolf. And there's a species so you can recognize them mostly by their gray , their rust and black coat colors. And they mostly live in parts of Arizona , New Mexico and parts of northern Mexico. Interesting.
S1: Interesting. And now I want to go back in time , you know , by the early 1900s , you know , tell us why these gray wolves were facing pretty much like extinction at that point.
S5: Right , right. Yes. And it really was human driven , mainly having to do with complaints about protecting livestock. So it started really with European settlers. When they came , they brought their cattle , their , um , their livestock into the US and into wolf territories. And so the first anti-predator campaign that paid a bounty on a wolf just came 30 years after the Jamestown settlement. So that was really interesting to learn a little bit about. And , you know , even though state and federal protections have been in place for many , many years , for decades , the public perception has changed along the way. You know , we've kind of really built this understanding a little better. I'd like to think about the role that Wolves play in nature. But there's still , of course , a lot of conflict between some of those who manage livestock and hunting dogs.
S1: And they feed on livestock. Is that the kind of the main driver of of just. Yeah. Their numbers going down? Yeah. Okay. So now coming back to the 1970s , the California Wolf Wolf Center is established in Julian , California. I mean , why was it created here? It's a place obviously not like native for gray wolves.
S5: Right , right. I mean , maybe we can think and , you know , far , far , you know , many , many years ago , they probably roamed here in these areas , mostly in New Mexico , as I mentioned , and Arizona. And you mix a northern parts of Mexico. But it was here in Julian that in the late 90s , 1970s , 1977 to be exact , the founders , Paul and Judy. Kenneth. They found this place in Julian and thought it was pretty ideal to to focus on their conservation efforts to educate the public about wildlife in general and , uh , their the role to show the role that wolves play in the ecosystem.
S1: Um , you know , can you tell us more about how how it works and just kind of tell us more about the Wolves Center? What's their strategy for getting more wolves back into the wild?
S5: Yeah , absolutely. So the center really participates in a lot of , uh , national and binational programs , like the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan , and they really focus on breeding these critically endangered , uh , subspecies of the gray wolf and that are in captivity , and they sort of , uh , build. So one thing that we saw when I was there is Durango , this wolf , it's a Mexican gray wolf. He was separated from his brother , and they were going to bring in a potential mate. And the hope really is that they have pups. And essentially , you know , I'm really simplifying the process here.
S1: Oh , sure. Right.
S5: Right. But the hope is for for these wolves to hit it off. Have cubs and those babies to be put out in the wild and be essentially taken up by wild parents in parts of Arizona or New Mexico , where they're more their natural habitat is. And that's part of this , this , this really important plan to , uh , to grow their numbers more naturally. And it seems like , you know , over the years , wolves , these populations have grown from really only a founding amount of seven to now , more than 300 , 317 , to be exact. Wow.
S1: Wow. And , you know , tell us more about how important this Julian Center specifically has been for that broader effort to bring the wolf population back. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. So , you know , as I mentioned , the organization's breeding program and , of course , federal protections , which have been in place for a long time , they really helped increase those those numbers. And Jason Keenan , I mentioned earlier at the center , he told me that , you know , again , that hope is to get those pups out early on. And the goal really is to to help strengthen that genetic diversity. And so here he is telling us a little bit about it.
S6: Without humans breeding those wolves to create diverse individuals , the lack of genetic diversity will be the greatest threat to that subspecies of gray wolf. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. Thank you. And so sorry , I apologize. It's Jacob Keaton at the Wolf Center.
S1: Got it. Um , you mentioned federal protections there , and there's , you know , potential change , um , around those protections for wolves. And President Trump recently signed an executive order. Can you tell us , you know , just tell us more about that and what's at stake. Right.
S5: Right. So this really , uh , um , earlier this month , President Trump signed this executive order , and it came after a backlash from ranchers over East beef import tariffs. And so the order directs the federal government to decide if gray wolves and the Mexican wolves have recovered enough to lose their endangered species protections , and in the order of President Trump , cites millions and millions of dollars that were lost in livestock and management. Of course , burdens to to ranchers and ranchers say , you know , these growing populations. They they're they've met their criteria. They're growing in numbers. But with more , uh , more wolves comes more attacks. They argue. And we actually have seen those numbers rise. I was looking into some of the data that's around by the federal government. I'm sorry , by states. Each state's , uh , tracks these figures. California , Oregon , Colorado have seen a rise in attacks on livestock. Um , but , you know , I think it's it's it's still something that's very , uh , you know , arguable. Right now , a lot of , uh , conservationists say these numbers are growing , and it has been because of all the conservation work that we've we've been focused on over the years. And still they're not at a point where we're ready to delist them. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Um , you know , we talked about how long the Wolf Center has been doing their work. It's almost like 50 years. Um , and now they do have plans to expand. Can you talk about their vision for the future? Yes.
S5: Yes. So just nearby. Uh , I mean , and this is really a plan to expand their physical footprint. They're raising $3 million to make it all happen. But they brought this property. It's a 28 acres , and it's really close to their their current site. Um , and it's pretty much undeveloped. Oh , if you go there , it's really just a big barn. And the goal there is to turn it into a visitor and education center. But the fact that the rest is undeveloped , I think is , is is the beauty of their vision there. They , you know , they have native plants , you have turkeys , you have deer running wild. And that's really what they hope to to keep as they bring in more wolves and expand. You know , let them roam have they'll have more areas to roam there. And uh , Matt Anderson , he also works at the center there. And he'll tell us a little bit. He told me a little bit about what the plan is there , the vision.
S7: We're really focusing on that coexistence and what that means. With the Wolves playing a major role as a California native predator within a food chain situation where they control herbivorous species and in turn have a control over the biodiversity of plants and trees.
S1: I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit about this idea of coexistence and just some of the strategies , um , that they're exploring around , you know , like making wolves be able to kind of survive around these different species and deaths.
S5: Yeah , it's actually really interesting. I mean , again , a wolves are apex predators , right? That means that they sit at the very top of the food chain , and they help regulate these populations like deer and elk. Uh , and so when you bring them in and you let nature just do its thing. You have wolves and you have you see that chain right where they prevent over , um , the they , they regulate the populations of these herbivores , and then that helps prevent overgrazing and that allows riverbanks and and soils to recover. And so they kind of hope that by integrating this with what's already here natural in California , they'll be able to see this show the public right grow this this love for wolves and to like we were talking earlier right. Hopefully get rid of this negative public perception about wolves. You see the role that they play here and the , the I guess long term vision that they have is to bring in other native predators here to San Diego area.
S1: And also you were talking about like a strategy where maybe they're also exploring how to like , handle livestock to better protect themselves from these wolf populations as a way not to just , you know , kill the wolves as the only solution. Sure.
S5: Sure. That's one of the things that I learned about this organization that's been around for a while. Right? So it's called the Working Circle Program. That's now a nonprofit , but it's started here in the Julian. And it's essentially this , um , way to partner with ranchers and reduce wolf livestock conflicts. And so it's really it. They teach herd management techniques so that your cattle are trained to work together and deter wolves. So it's it goes again with that whole point of , you know , there's space for everybody here. Wolf played an important role in the ecosystem. And there are ways to , um , you know , all work together with your cattle , with ranchers , etc.. So , yeah , I thought that was really interesting to see. Um , you know , that there are ways around this , and I think with more space will probably be able to , to do more of that work.
S1: Well , it's a really interesting story. And Tammy , thanks so much for sharing more about it. I've been speaking with Tammy Murga. She's environment reporter here at KPBS , and you can find her full story at KPBS. Tammy , thanks again.
S5: Thanks so much.
S1: Up next , the Padres continue their winning ways and now get set for the Division Series coming up this weekend. You're listening to KPBS roundtable. Stay tuned. Welcome back to KPBS roundtable , I'm Andrew Bracken. Well , the Padres hot streak continued into the postseason. The team dismantled the Chicago Cubs in two pretty boisterous games at Petco Park this week. And now they're getting ready for their next challenge. And that's a matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers , who were the top seed in the National League. Game one of that series is Saturday in Milwaukee. First pitch is set for 530. I want to talk more about the Padres , the week that was and then the matchup coming up. And joining me to do that is Karthik Venkatraman. He is a sports anchor and reporter with CBS news. Eight Karthik welcome.
S8: Hey what's up man. How's it going. Great.
S1: Great. Great to have you here. Thanks for joining us. So last season you know the Padres. They you know their season ended at Wrigley Field losing to the Cubs in the wild card round. But this year , the tables turned. What led to the Padres success this year. You think?
S8: Yeah , I think , you know , momentum plays a huge part of it. You know , we talk about last year as they went to that series against the Chicago Cubs and they go over to Wrigley Field. And the offense was really starting to slow down. They didn't really look like the team that got in on hot streaks before. But I feel like this season we're really starting to see what they kind of were like in 2024. You know , middle of the season , maybe not so sure about this team. Then all of a sudden the momentum starts picking up. The bats get going. The pitching gets better. Now they're riding this huge momentum wave coming into the playoffs. And you're like , okay , this team looks like a team that can make a deep run. Whereas last season I feel like we were saying , okay , if this team can put it back together , they can make a deep run and it's always to already have something then to not have it. And so the Padres have it and they definitely showed it. And you know in game one and then you're like , okay , you know if this team plays like this , they're going to make a deep postseason run. Then they came out and a lot of pressure in game two to get the job done. And they get the job done. So they they back things up in game two and get things done. And you know , they're moving on to the NLDS against a tough Brewers team. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And I want to talk more about that matchup. Full disclosure I'm originally a Chicago Cubs fan. I feel like I need to just add that there. But , um , I have to say like one key for the team. To me , this series was not a pitcher or a hitter , but like Padre fans , um , you know , I've heard the crowd described as fanatical and rowdy. You name it , it just like got a lot of attention from from those around the league and from , you know , people watching on national TV. And I want to play a bit of sound from game two. This was a pretty important moment against the Cubs pinch hitter Gavin Sheets , hitting a home run. I mean , I don't know if that fully captures it , but I've talked to , you know , people there. And can you just describe what the atmosphere was like over those two games this week?
S8: Yeah , man , you play that sound and I start to get the chills again that I was getting when I was over there at that stadium for games one and two of that series. I'm telling you , man , especially game one , you know , I'm coming out there , I'm in the press box and I'm watching that game and I'm just sitting there and I'm like , man , this stadium is awesome. And it's funny because you see so many people talk about it now on national TV. And then they're like , oh yeah , Petco park's becoming one of the great home atmospheres. I'm like , no , no , no , no , no , no. This place is the greatest , in my opinion , home atmosphere and Major League Baseball , the way that they pack out the stadium on a day to day basis , it's absolutely phenomenal. And I'll tell you what I mean. Like game one , you can feel it in the energy. And you knew the energy was going to be there because Pico Armstrong comes up to bat , Michael King throws one pitch. It's a strike , and the crowd's going bananas. You don't see that typically in a baseball game , but they're going absolutely bananas. Then he gets them on two and he gets them on three. And the place explodes and chills are just running down my body. Kind of like that Gavin Sheets sound that you played right there as well. I mean , man , I , I was talking about it with a lot of people up in the press box and amongst like cool things that I've done in my career , and I'm reaching up a decade. You know , in sports journalism , one of the coolest things I've experienced , it's not often like because I'm in those atmospheres so often that I get chills running down my body during a game , especially when I'm a neutral journalist. I have no , you know , pulling favor for either team. You know , I'm right down the middle. And , uh , you know that that just speaks to the atmosphere that you have there. The rally towels are awesome. You know , Joe Musgrove coming out in the ninth in game one , and the way the crowd received them was awesome. Mason Miller's entrance is always awesome. But to see him come out in game two and see the crowd react there , it's just so cool. All the moments that surrounded the game were awesome. And you know , Padres Nation , the faithful knows how to bring a game in and game out.
S1: Yeah , and it was really great to see it just get. Yeah. San Diego get its due. Um , you know , you talked about just the experience of covering this team and some of the special moments this week. But this week , in addition to covering the news and the team , you also kind of , I don't know , became part of the news in somewhat like of a viral moment you had with Padres star Manny Machado during a press conference. Here's a clip.
S8: Manny , this.
S9: Team beat you on the playoffs last year. They beat you several times this year , including San Diego. Yeah I am. Why are you wearing blue? You like it? You don't like it? I'll take it. Obviously not. I'll take it off next time. I'm just asking. Okay.
S1: So there's Manny Machado kind of having some fun with you. Wearing a blue suit. Ostensibly not the Padres colors. Um , what was that moment like for you?
S8: It's just one of those things , you know , you never expected. I , you know , when I woke up in the morning and I came out there , I didn't really expect that that was going to be the topic of conversation that day. I simply wore that blue jacket because , uh , you know , I really liked that blue jacket. And I think it looks good on me , and I don't get to wear it a lot in , uh , in studio because I don't have a bottom that matches it in my. Honestly , my fiance hates it when I wear mismatching tops and bottoms , so I kind of listen to her on her fashion advice there. And , uh , you know , I decided that I'm just going to go with the , the top out there. And I wore some gray pants with it , not thinking much of it , and didn't think I was going to get that reaction. I think Marni maybe came at me a little bit because I was asking him a question he didn't like about how they had troubles against the Cubs last postseason and this season , in the game that they , you know , allowed 23 runs to the Cubs. And , uh , you know , it just kind of shook out the way it was. Uh , you know , it was funny. I don't really ever like to make the story about me. You know , as journalists , that's not what we really like to do. But , um.
S1: But sometimes it happens , right?
S8: Yeah , sometimes. Sometimes it does. And , you know , I just wanted to play with it , you know , I know a lot of people have said something in my comments or , you know , whatever about , like , me bound down to Manny or whatever , But like at the end of the day , like , you know , my personal opinion is everyone can get over it. It's just a suit. And , uh , you know , I was just having fun back and forth , and it's not really a big deal to me. And I know it may be a big deal to a bunch of people , but , uh , you know , it is what it is. It's just it's just a suit. And I'll wear that blue suit again. I don't care what really people say. I know I look good in it and , uh , you know , it is what it is , man.
S1: No , I thought you had it. I thought you handled it great. And then , you know , you showed up the next time in a brown suit , and then Manny , you know , like , commented on that and gave you respect for that. So , um , you know , now I want to kind of turn to the next , you know , the next series up here. The Padres are going to take on the Milwaukee Brewers. What stands out to you about this matchup?
S8: Yeah , man , it's going to be a tough one. I mean , we've seen these two teams play recently in August. And the Padres you know swept well. And you know it's a team that I think the Padres can handle and move on to the NLCS with an impending matchup potentially against the Los Angeles Dodgers if they take care of business against the Atlanta Braves. But , um , yeah , we'll see how it shakes out , man. The Brewers are obviously really good. They had the most wins this season of any other team. They don't hit for a ton of power per se. As far as like when you look at their home run numbers , nobody really sticks out with like 40 bombs or anything like that , but they pick consistently. They got this guy named Jacob Mizrachi that everybody knows who you know. Everyone talks about Mason Miller and how much he he throws. Jacob Mizrachi throws that heat , but he does it consistently over five , six , seven innings. I mean , it's insane what that man is able to do with his pitches. And he's going to win NL Cy Young. So I mean like this guy is a freak and the Padres are going to have to go up against him in game one. And yeah , I mean it's going to be a tough series. They also have home field advantage. But you know , if the Padres can just seal one with how well they played at home over these past couple of days , who's to say the Padres can't close it out in fourth?
S1: That sounds great. Um , you know , I want to talk a little bit more broadly about the San Diego sports scene. You talked about this a little earlier , just how impressed you've been with the crowds down at Petco. But there's also just so many teams in San Diego. You cover a lot. Not just baseball , right? We've seen the rise of soccer with the wave. San Diego FC , um , you know , soccer just plays such an immense part of our sports culture. As someone you know , not originally from here , what stands out to you about San Diego and where sports are today?
S8: People are very , you know , passionate about their teams , man. Like , soccer is such a big thing here. So I'm glad we got a major league soccer team in San Diego FC. Obviously the wave , we're having one heck of a season in which they're just performing so well. Have a chance to clinch a playoff spot. You know , if they take care of business against Orlando today. And not only that , like they're sitting second in the NWSL table as the as the standings continue to sit. And you know they're playing great. And you know you have San Diego State men's basketball. That was in the national championship a few years ago. And you know they're obviously relevant. And then there's other programs that are really trying to build and um , you know , cement themselves like San Diego State football , who's having a , you know , a tough start to things. But , you know , what I love about San Diego is people really care and people really get into it. And , uh , yeah , you know , I've been to a lot of places. I've been around a lot of passionate fan bases. And , you know , San Diego's you just know one of those other cool fan bases , especially as a , you know. Revolves around the Padres. And , you know , I hope around these other teams as they continue to , you know , find more success. But , you know , I always say about the Padres. You know , after the Chargers left , that was San Diego's team. And that was the one that , you know , really people gravitated towards around , which is why I think they so do so well in attendance , even when they're not playing well. We saw it this season. We saw it in seasons like 2023 when they don't make the playoffs and stuff like that. So , you know , I think that , um , you know , this passion , this passionate fan base deserves winning culture. And , you know , it's cool to see them get it. Especially , you know , with their Padres right now. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And you mentioned the Chargers. I mean that's like coming up on nearly a decade since they actually left San Diego , which is crazy to think about. Um , you mentioned San Diego State football. And just real briefly , I want to touch on this. Um , you know , they have a game tomorrow night at Snapdragon. Um , they're playing Texas State. But the big news there is they're dealing with an outbreak of mumps? That's been reported? I think San Diego Union-Tribune first reported that. What can you tell us about that situation? I mean , you know , will they actually be able to play because it sounds like it's it's a significant amount of players on the team.
S8: Yeah , it's a it's a wild situation that's , you know , going over there at San Diego State. You know CBS eight news. We've been covering it a lot there. And it is wild I think , you know , regardless if you ask John Lewis he's not going to back down. They're going to be able to field the guy. They'll play their fourth strings if they have to. He doesn't back down from any challenge. And he doesn't make any excuses about , you know , going and playing out there on the football field. It'll be their first ever Pac 12 football game in their new conference against Texas State. So it's going to mean a lot to the university. And I you know we'll see how they go try and get the job done. Obviously it hasn't been a sharp start to the season , but we'll see what they're able to do. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Um okay. Back to the to the real task at hand. The Padres , you know , they kick off the series Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee. Then they head back to Petco Park for at least , you know , game Tuesday and hopefully Wednesday as well. What do you think the Padres really need to do to keep this run going?
S8: Yeah , I mean , if they can really get Ahold of Jacob Mizrachi in Game one and , you know , they're able to get some hits on him , he hasn't given up a ton of runs and a lot of his outings this season. But recently he did go up five in the you know again to the Cubs. And he's given up three a couple others. If they can knock him around and find some sort of way to , you know , get their high leverage arms and gain a lead , even if they have to win , you know , one nothing , two , one , whatever that is. Like if they can find a way to grind out in game one , I think they still absolute momentum in the series and , you know , have a really good chance of closing it out. So that would be my thing to watch on. Can they get to Jacob Mizuki in game one? If not , obviously they'll still have their opportunity in game two to , you know , try and square something away and , you know , still get the job done at home. I think that's going to be imperative , trying to set yourself in a position where you still one of those games on the road so you can come out and win it at home , because going back for game five in Milwaukee is going to be really tough.
S1: Well , regardless , we know Tuesday , uh , at Petco will be will be rocking and loud. Right? Yeah. Yeah.
S8: Yeah.
S1: I've been speaking with Karthik Venkatraman. He. You can watch him on San Diego's CBS news eight. Karthik , thanks so much for being here.
S8: Yeah appreciate it man. Thanks for having me on.
S1: And that'll do it for this week's roundtable. Thanks so much for listening. Roundtables technical producer this week is Brendon Ben Red lock. The show was produced by Ashley Rush. Brooke Rooth is roundtable senior producer. And I'm your host , Andrew Bracken. Please stay cool this weekend. Check on your neighbors. Check on your family. It's getting hot out there. You can always visit San Diego to cool down. For more info on cool zones and resources. Thanks again for listening. Have a great weekend!
