Experts Differ Over San Diego County's Proposed Ban To Curb Youth Vaping, Illnesses And More Local News

Speaker 1: 00:00 It's Tuesday, October 15th. I'm Deb Welsh and you are listening to San Diego news matters from KPBS coming up. County supervisors. Today we'll discuss a ban on vaping products and unincorporated areas and we'll talk to San Diego's about their trash bin problems. Uh, I came home one night and uh, the trashcan had been destroyed by, uh, well something that and more San Diego news stories coming up right after the break. Thank you for joining us for San Diego news matters. I'm Deb Welsh, San Diego County supervisors. Today we'll discuss a ban on vaping products in unincorporated areas. KPV as health reporter Taren Minto says, the county's top public health officer supports the move, but a local tobacco researcher is raising concerns. Supervisors behind the proposal say a ban will block the sale of flavored products that appeal to youth. They also want a temporary ban on vaping devices. While federal agencies determine what sickened 1300 Americans with a lung illness. Speaker 1: 01:08 More than two dozen people have died. The proposal makes UC San Diego's shew Hangzhou concerned. He leads the university center for research and intervention in tobacco control. Zeus as a band may reduce usage, but it'll push other people to buy unregulated products, which federal agencies suspect are making people sick. So if you just RA ban it and not able to actually stop people from using the product, then you actually increased the likelihood of people getting these product from black market. At least 22 people in the County have been sickened with the vaping related illness. Taryn mento KPBS news SDSU is offered to pay $68 million for the city owned stadium property in mission Valley KPBS Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says the city counsel discussed the deal and open session for the first time on Monday. Speaker 2: 01:57 The offer is the same as an independent appraisal of the land, which the university wants for our campus expansion, housing, and a new football stadium as DSU. President Adela Delatorre says with other community benefits included, the whole package is worth more than twice the appraisal price. Speaker 3: 02:14 This offer represents not only fair market value, but a fair and equitable price to the tax paying public. We both represent and support, Speaker 2: 02:24 but city officials say the universities offered take some unfair discounts and want at least $86 million. They may come up with a counter offer and SDSU still hopes to get final approval from the city council. By the end of the year. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news, Speaker 1: 02:39 California students will get a little more sleep. Thanks to a new law signed by governor Gavin Newsome on Sunday. KPBS education reporter Joe Hong explains how it'll affect local schools. Speaker 2: 02:52 The new law pushes back school start times to no earlier than 8:30 AM for high schools and 8:00 AM for middle schools. Groups like California parent teacher's Speaker 4: 03:00 association co-sponsored the bill saying more sleep means healthier and more attentive students, teachers, unions and the state school boards association, however, oppose the bill saying the mandate erodes local control law goes into effect in July of 2022 Joe Hong K PBS news, Speaker 1: 03:16 governor Gavin Newsome signed several bills this weekend that seek to move California closer to universal healthcare. That's the idea that everyone gets access to insurance coverage along with budget changes from earlier this year. Insurance could be cheaper and easier when the state's health benefit exchange opens for enrollment today, Capitol public radio, Sammy kale reports Speaker 5: 03:40 one new law will help people who get married lose their jobs or get a raise, stay insured. During life changes. Starting in January, covered California will be allowed to reach out to people who are losing medical coverage and help them transition to the individual market. Meanwhile, the state budget that Newsome approved in June will help some people who earn too much to qualify for federal assistance, pay their premiums. Xiomara Pena from the small business majority commenced the new policies. Speaker 6: 04:05 This plan is a great first step towards improving affordability for thousands of moderate income individuals and families, including many entrepreneurs. Speaker 5: 04:15 Another newly signed bill expands. Covered California is open enrollment period by two weeks in Sacramento. I'm Sammy Yola. Speaker 1: 04:22 Lawyers representing Gunshow promoters say they'll challenge a new state law banning the sale of guns and ammo at the Del Mar fairgrounds starting in 2021 this coming is they're already suing the fairgrounds for trying to ban gun shows. KPBS reporter Matt Hoffman breaks down the legal fight, the fairgrounds Speaker 7: 04:42 to temporarily ban gunshots last year, but they're promoter suit and a federal judge issued an injunction saying the shows must go on. Legal expert Dan Eaton says this new law is headed straight for the courts. This is an effort by the state to address gun violence by any means necessary. Unfortunately in this case, the state may have chosen an unconstitutional means, and that's why we have courts. The gun show promoters are suing the fairgrounds. Arguing the ban violates the first amendment. Lawyer is representing. The promoters say that suit will be expanded to challenge this new law. As far as the God promoters are concerned, this is a matter of free speech at free assembly. However, Eaton says the state does not see this as a constitutional issue, has nothing to do with suppressing speech and everything to do with suppressing sales that the state believes ultimately lead to gun violence. While the legal battle unfolds, the gun shows will continue for the time being. There's a show scheduled in December. Matt Hoffman, K PBS news. Speaker 1: 05:46 Yesterday we told you about San Diego's trash bin problem. If you lined up all the bins broken by city garbage trucks, they'd stretch almost 10 miles today. KPBS investigator, Speaker 8: 05:58 reporter Claire Trek has her looks at how and why we got to this point. Speaker 9: 06:02 Uh, I came home one night and, uh, the trashcan had been destroyed by, um, well something. Speaker 8: 06:10 Andrew Sammy, who lives in Scripps ranch is one of thousands of San Diego sons with a broken trash bin. But unlike most, he caught what happened on video. Speaker 9: 06:20 We, we'd gotten these cameras a few months earlier and so we decided to take a look. Speaker 8: 06:24 He quickly spotted the culprit, a city truck head speared the bin and flung it around trying to break free. When he first called the city to ask for a new bin, he heard what lots of residents here. Speaker 9: 06:36 They had told me that this was a normal occurrence and this was normal wear and tear. And so I was a little upset by that because I'm normal wear and tear. I expect, you know, over 10 years, something happens, not just one incident. And things get crushed. Speaker 8: 06:51 After Sammy posted his security video to social media, the city gave him a different answer. He'd get a new bin for free. Sammie's ordeal speaks to the old adage that you get what you pay for. San Diego is one of just three cities in California that provides free trash service Speaker 10: 07:13 cause the city Speaker 8: 07:14 more than $30 million a year to balance the costs. The city started buying cheaper bins. Meanwhile, every other city in San Diego County uses private contractors and charges residents for trash pickup from $14 to $31 a month and because they pay, they benefit from better bins and trucks. Speaker 10: 07:41 [inaudible] Speaker 8: 07:42 for example, Tula Vista uses a special attachment on the front of its trucks called a Corrado can that keeps the bins from being flung around or slammed down, but those special attachments typically cost more than $12,000. The city also uses more durable bins and if a bin does break Speaker 11: 08:03 in Chula Vista, the resident could just call the trash company and have any either any part of the container replaced or the full container replaced, then no cost. Speaker 8: 08:13 Manuel Madrano is the environmental services manager for Chulavista in his city and every other city in the County. Replacement bins are free. San Diego is free. Trash pickup was established all the way back in 1919 when San Diego voters passed a law called the people's ordinance. Yeah. A big portion of the city's population is left out of the free deal apartment and condo dwellers. There have been efforts over the years to repeal the people's ordinance, but they've never gained much traction. Bryan Adams is a politics professor at San Diego state university. He says one of the reasons is strictly Speaker 1: 08:56 single family home owners tend to be more likely voters than people in apartments and condos. Speaker 12: 09:02 So the only way to change these rules is to have a ballot initiative where the voters will vote on, you know, basically charging themselves for trash pickup. And it's very unlikely that we're going to see that Speaker 1: 09:13 with little chance that anything will change to bring better bins to San Diego bins. Some take matters into their own hands. Faced with a broken bin. Some people get creative with duct tape bolts, PVC pipe, even pieces of wood to fix their bins. Clare triglyceride KPBS news for a slide show graveyard of some of the worst broken trash bins had decay. pbs.org/trash a local group of climate advocates is going after democratic Congressman Scott Peters in San Diego. San Diego, three 50 wants Peters to become a cosponsor of the green new deal. Peter says he's not sold on the sweeping climate change blueprint. KPBS environment reporter Eric Anderson recently talked with the executive director of San Diego three 50. Masada Dizon house is not backing away from the dispute with Peters. Speaker 13: 10:08 Let's talk about the green new deal. What is it, when, when you think of the green new deal, what are you envisioning it to be? Speaker 14: 10:16 It's the only proposed policy that really addresses the climate crisis at the scale of the problem. And it's a, um, public program that, uh, invests in people and infrastructure in order to transform our energy sector and our economy, uh, as the science demands. And it also prioritizes working families and, um, frontline communities. Speaker 13: 10:40 The framework that it sets up. What, what does that look like or sound like? Speaker 14: 10:44 The UN report has told us that we have a about 10 years to really reduce, uh, carbon pollution in the atmosphere. And so it first of all sets expectations that we will meet those reductions. And, uh, it, uh, it, it envisions, um, the large financial, uh, investment that would be required to really transform our economy into a clean energy economy Speaker 13: 11:09 of the four Democrats. Peters is the other one who's not supporting it. Um, do you accept his explanation for why? Speaker 14: 11:19 Well, you know, he's said that he supports the climate parts of the green new deal, but not the equity, um, parts. Um, but that's problematic because, uh, we know that the climate crisis is going to severely disrupt our entire economy. And so we need to make sure that, uh, climate solutions not only reduce carbon pollution, but also create jobs. Speaker 13: 11:42 Have you sat down and talked to the Congressman about this? Speaker 14: 11:45 Basically, he's, he's told us that he supports the climate part of the, of the, um, green, new deal, but not the equity part. Um, he also has said that he has a problem, uh, with the fact that it's a resolution. Um, but he hasn't, uh, suggested alternative, a really bold, comprehensive climate action. Uh, like the green new deal. You know, we're not married to the green new deal. Uh, it can be, but we need something at that scale that will really accomplish the goals in the short window that we have available to do that. Speaker 13: 12:16 You've tried to convince him to change his position. Tell me what that's been like for you. What have you done and kind of where is that going? Speaker 14: 12:26 We have tried to change his position and I'll just say that I do think that the campaign has been successful because from the beginning of, ah, since the beginning of the campaign, both representatives Vargas and Davis have, uh, come on board to cosponsor the green new deal. And, um, and uh, I also think that representative Peters has, um, has, uh, uh, engaged on the issue much more than he had previously. Um, and uh, so far we've tried to, um, we have, uh, sent postcards. We have made phone calls, we have met with the Congressman, we've held rallies outside his office. Uh, but he rallies inside of his office. Yes. Uh, but I was gonna say we haven't, um, you know, we didn't take that step lightly. We really tried to arrange of, of, of actions, um, prior to that to convince him. Um, because, you know, um, climate change is a planetary emergency. Our basically our houses on fire and, and, uh, it's unfortunate that many of our elected officials, including representative Peters have not, uh, have really failed to take the bold climate action required. When you look at Speaker 13: 13:34 the efforts to draw attention to this issue, what gives you hope? Speaker 14: 13:39 I'd say that more than anything else at this point. What gives me hope is, um, the large numbers of, uh, young people who are, uh, taking action to, uh, to combat climate change. Speaker 1: 13:52 That was San Diego three 50. Executive director Massada Dizon house speaking with KPBS environment reporter Eric Anderson. Congressman Peter says he opposed the green new deal because it does not contain actual legislation, but does include items unrelated to the environment like free college. Thanks for listening to San Diego news matters. If you're not already a subscriber, take a minute to become one. You can find San Diego news matters on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.