The San Diego Housing Commission’s new president and CEO talks about the crisis the city faces in securing affordable housing for San Diegans. In other news, the new year has brought a new minimum wage for employees in the city of San Diego and across the county, and there’s a larger raise for fast food workers on the horizon. Plus, California’s first snowpack measurement of 2024 finds levels that are well below normal for this time of year.

The military is taking charging decisions for sexual assault and other serious crimes out of the hands of commanders. In other news, many working parents are spending a large portion of their income on childcare and many are struggling to find care in the first place. We hear from one provider about the year ahead. Plus, a filmmaker who lives in Little Italy decided the best way to make a movie was to center all the action in his own condo. We go behind the scenes of “Murder and Cocktails,” which starts streaming later this month.

The National Weather Service is warning of high surf and coastal flooding through Monday. In other news, San Diego supporters of the Palestinian community hope to fly kites over Mission Bay Saturday afternoon. Plus, this weekend, Digital Gym Cinema in East Village is showing the film “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.”

A century-long tradition that started as a bird hunt now helps track valuable bird sightings. The Christmas Bird Count put on by the National Audubon Society covers the country and the next birding events are being held in Oceanside Friday. In other news, some people on whale watching cruises have been treated to dramatic views of killer whales hunting off the San Diego coast. Plus, the Worldbeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park has been sharing music, art, dance and Black culture since 1995 and this week it’s hosting a week of events celebrating Kwanzaa.

Mother nature brought a lot of closures to North County rail lines this year, causing ridership to drop. Officials are suggesting solutions to the problem. In other news, the Israel-Hamas war is history happening in real time, which means textbooks aren’t current. We hear from students determined to learn the truth. Plus, we’re looking back at the stories of 2023. We’ll hear a story about the late Nicolas Reveles, who died before the premiere of his opera, "Ghosts."

A new state law lets people subdivide ADUs into separate properties and sell them. But the city would have to pass an ordinance to allow it. Then, MTS is planning to increase bus and trolley frequencies. Plus, KPBS staff give their picks for the top songs of 2023.

Homeland Security is investigating the Jacumba migrant camps for potential civil rights concerns. Then, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is calling for substantial changes to the city’s ordinance that regulates the use of surveillance technology, but privacy rights advocates are pushing back. Plus, the Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista's Brengle Terrace Park has been transformed into a winter wonderland.

Millions will be traveling throughout Southern California this holiday season, but a looming storm could complicate travelers’ plans in the coming days. Then, the Via Vera Cruz bridge opened Wednesday, allowing drivers to cross the creek between San Marcos Boulevard to Discovery Street, just in time for the holiday season. Plus, artists are already hard at work painting murals on the new border wall.

Alaska Airlines flight attendants will be voting on whether or not to strike for fairer pay. Then, California is set to become the second state to approve rules for turning wastewater into drinking water. Plus, a new analysis maps out inequities in Chula Vista’s parkland.

A trial court judge rejected the last legal challenge to a voter-approved initiative that removed the 30-foot height limit in the Midway District. Now a project that will bring 2,000 new affordable homes can move forward. Then, after 36 years serving San Diegans with HIV and AIDS, Auntie Helen’s will close at the end of the month. The reason is surprisingly good news. Plus, we revisit a story about a massive mosaic that brings undersea exploration to the land.