Trump Waiting On Possible Border Closure And More Local News
Speaker 1: 00:00 Good morning. It's April 3rd I'm Deb Welsh and you're listening to San Diego news matters. As president Trump threatens to close the border. San Diego and Tijuana businesses are already seeing a decline in customers who fear they'll get stuck on one side. KPBS border reporter Gene Guerrero has the story. Simsa is a health care provider based in Tijuana that offers low cost medical and dental services to residents of San Diego, Imperial County, and even Los Angeles. A crown that could cost five to $600 on the u s side costs only two to 300 in Tijuana. So Simpson's CEO, Frank del careers, as many Americans who hear about Trump's threats to close the border are no longer coming down. Speaker 2: 00:46 I just want to make them trip to a New Mexico, so afraid they're afraid they're going to get stuck on on the Mexico. Speaker 1: 00:53 That reuse is Simsa cheats between 1500 and 2000 people every day. He spoke to us from Mexico City with a scene. Do you go regional chamber of Commerce is advocating for increased cross border collaboration. Jean grow KPBS news. California got some good news Tuesday for the state's water supply. The snowpack is well above average capital public is as we're David Romero report Speaker 3: 01:19 statewide. The snowpack is 162% of average. That's thanks to more than 30 atmosphere rivers that brought storms this winter and now spring. The snow pack provides about 30% of the state's water supply as it melts and it's released from reservoirs. Chris Orac is what the California Department of Water Resources. He says the April results are usually a sign of what to expect in spring and summer. Speaker 4: 01:45 We're seeing here it's nice and cold and it's still snowing. The snow pack is nice and cold. It's a little different than 2017 where it was warmer water and a little warmer of the snow pack and it melted quicker, Speaker 3: 01:56 but with all the snow or rock says there's potential for light flooding as the snow melts. Usually the early April survey is the last of the year, but because of the sheer amount of snow another will be conducted in May in Sacramento. I'm her David Romero Speaker 1: 02:11 park rangers are seeing more poppies this year. At mission trails regional park, KPBS reporter, Prius reader has more park rangers, say more visitors have been coming out to mission trails, regional park to look at the different varieties of wild flowers and poppy's native to San Diego. Heidi Gutknecht as a park ranger gotta be obviously because of all the extra rains that we had. And so it is definitely kind of like for us, the super bloom, if you will. Um, and like I said, it started, uh, more than a couple of weeks ago, so some of them are already actually a phasing out, but there's new ones I'm noticing. Um, every week you'll see new flowers that weren't there the previous week. She says there are more than a hundred varieties of flowers in the park, Prius rather k PBS news, a port of the military mission to the border wrapped up this week. KPBS military reporter Steve Walsh takes a look at where soldiers and marines put all of that razor wire. Speaker 5: 03:12 Beginning in October, the Department of Defense was asked to read portions of the u s Mexico border in Concertina wire starting with the ports of entry. The Pentagon says that portion of their mission came to an end. On Sunday, roughly 1800 troops were involved in the operation. We toward the border around San Diego and found some parts of the wall word wrapped in wire. While other parts had nothing. The Pentagon says troops responded to requests from homeland security. We asked the Department of Homeland Security and the border patrol for their plans, but have not received a response. The Pentagon says a total of 180 linear miles of razor wire was laid along the border, including 46 miles in California around San Diego in Calexico. The cost of the operation has not been released. Steve Walsh KPBS news Speaker 1: 03:59 yesterday. KPBS as Maya troubles, he introduced you to a mom morning the murder of her son. Today she joins other moms of murdered sons and daughters as they go inside Centinela state prison to break down the walls between victim and offender. Speaker 6: 04:15 It's seven o'clock in the morning somewhere off interstate eight we'll see at the prison just as they do every Monday. A group named mothers with a message is convoying to an hour east of San Diego. Speaker 7: 04:28 We're going to Centinela state prison today. It is a level four and level three prison, meaning a level four is the highest level five is death row level four is a maximum. Speaker 6: 04:41 Dennis Martinez specializes in preparing high risk offenders to face the parole board, but before they face the board, if they have to face mothers with a message first, these women represent the countless local moms who have buried their sons and daughters murdered by people like the ones they'll be talking to today. The group starts in d yard, a level three high security part of the prison. The women and the inmates take their seats in a circle inside the prison chapel. Speaker 8: 05:11 My name is Beth [inaudible] and I'm from southeastern San Diego. Speaker 6: 05:14 D'Evelyn Bravo son was murdered in 2012 Speaker 8: 05:18 we all died with him. Me and my entire family were killed that night as well. Speaker 6: 05:23 She says many prisoners don't really think about what happens to a victim's family once they start serving their time Speaker 8: 05:29 to where maybe some of you did not get to. See you're a victim. You don't know what happened or are you always wanted to apologize, but you just couldn't. We're here to be that face for you Speaker 9: 05:40 and it's like why her? She wasn't a gang banger. Speaker 6: 05:42 Lisa Ortiz talks about the murder of her daughter. Speaker 9: 05:46 It was laying on the street after she was shot. She asked the officer, am I going to be okay? She was scared. He told me she was scared. Speaker 6: 05:56 The group then to be Speaker 10: 05:57 yard level four maximum security. It's a sea of blue and green uniforms as each inmate is carefully patted down by one of several guards before they are allowed to enter the classroom. Some of these men have been in prison since they were teenagers and some may never be eligible for parole and those that do get out may or may not be changed. You understand mistakes happen, but for now they've come to listen and even to say sorry, sorry. Sorry. Doesn't cover it. Sorry. Sorry to a lot of pretty boy as a word and it doesn't cover the pain. How do you give a mom her child deck? Hey cat. How do you give the the children their dad back? Yeah. I love this class. I know I owe them more than an apology. I owe them my life are regretting that were making such a decision that took what was to me, a gang member was a son to his mother. It took me like two days to get over just her message, her story, just feeling her staring at me. It was, I felt too, it hurts. That's when we came together and we said, what can we do? What can we give Speaker 6: 07:10 God? Those were Jason Hernandez, Antonio Cruz and Gabriel Binya together with other inmates. They formed a committee across racial lines and organized an auction of art from behind the walls in a donated space in downtown San Diego. The inmates pen and pencil drawings, they're pastels and their watercolor art are displayed on tables. Speaker 11: 07:34 Dare mothers worth a message. Speaker 6: 07:35 Amala is married to one of the inmates who organized the donation. She reads from a letter written by the men at Centinela state prison. Speaker 11: 07:44 We now know that we have the power to assist in the healing process through displaying true remorse and living amends. If that's even Speaker 10: 07:54 the first time somebody in the prison had done something good, that feeling that they get, they're going to start chasing that. And then next thing you know that life has changed. Okay? Speaker 6: 08:04 All pieces were sold proceeds that will be donated to the families of new victims to help pay for headstones, burial clothes, or mortuary costs. A small token to ease the life sentence still being served by those left behind Maya triple c k PBS news. Thanks for listening to KPBS as San Diego news matters podcast. For more local stories, go to k pbs.org.
