US-Chinese Tariffs War Means Tough Times For Local Lobster Industry And More Local News
Speaker 1: 00:00 It's Tuesday, December 24th I'm Andrew Bowen and you're listening to San Diego news matters from KPBS coming up. The trade war with China has meant tough times for the local lobster industry and California has an early primary this year in March on college campuses, activists are working to get out the student vote. Students and youth voters. They really think that their voices don't count that and more San Diego news stories coming up. Stay with us. Speaker 2: 00:33 As president Trump continues to negotiate a truce to his trade war with China. Tariffs are still impacting the local lobster industry. KPBS reporter Matt Hoffman says prices for locally caught spiny lobsters are down and now is a good time for locals to buy them. Spiny lobsters are caught right off the coast here in San Diego, but most are shipped to China. That's because in China people consider them a delicacy and are willing to pay a premium, but we are in a trade war with China. Last year, a 25% tariff was placed on seafood by China and ahead of this season that jumped to 35% Speaker 3: 01:04 this year. The price has been a little bit lower, um, from the Chinese buyers. So, uh, our fishermen get paid a little lower, but as a result we can sell them a little bit. Last year, Speaker 2: 01:16 grant mill brand is with Catalina offshore products who mainly sells its lobsters to China. When this year is seasoned, opened in October, the price fishermen we're seeing off the docks was just $11 per pound, a drastic drop from the nearly $20 a pound fishermen we're seeing just a couple of years ago, a handful of fishermen have decided to skip this season. But with tariffs driving prices down, now's a good time to try the local lobsters. Speaker 3: 01:37 It's about 10 bucks a pound cheaper than I've seen in years past Speaker 2: 01:40 Matt Hoffman, K PBS news, holiday travelers and shoppers may be hitting up shopping malls at the last minute. But as San Diego faces heavy rains in the coming days. KPBS reporter Shalina chat, Lani says, people will need to slow down on the roads. Speaker 4: 01:54 Puddles of water surround the local California highway patrol station in Kearny Mesa from heavy rains Monday morning and more rain is expected throughout the week. Officer Jake Sanchez points to the interstate on-ramp. Speaker 5: 02:06 Anytime we have a curve roadway on a wet surface, your outside tires are going to be, are going to have problems because if you're going too fast into that curve, you're going to lose control of that car. Uh, so no where those make major interchanges are those on and off ramps are. Speaker 4: 02:18 Sandra says San Diego residents aren't used to the rain, so crashes go up from around 70 on a sunny day to around 400 when there's bad weather. His advice, pay attention, be patient and slow down. Sanchez says a lot of people are going to shopping malls for the holidays and those areas especially, he says, drivers need to be on high alert. Shalena Lani KPBS news. Speaker 2: 02:40 Some people who've been sexually or physically abused will have more time to report the crimes against them. Capitol public radio. Steve mill, the reports as part of our series on new California laws taking effect in 2020 California is extending the statute of limitations for domestic violence, felony crimes, San Jose residents, Shea Franco Klassen was in an abusive relationship for more than 20 years. Speaker 6: 03:03 The abuse became my normal when I finally left the situation. After having um, fractured my face and I was, I was beaten pretty bad. I didn't know where to go. Speaker 2: 03:14 By the time Clawson realized she had been abused, it was too late to seek justice. The new law extends the statute of limitations from one year to five. Now an advocate for victims Klassen was originally pushing for no statute of limitations Speaker 6: 03:27 because five years, to me it may be a small victory, but it's just simply not enough Speaker 2: 03:32 under another new law taking effect in the new year, victims of childhood sexual abuse will have more time to decide whether to file civil lawsuits. It extends the statute of limitations to the age of 40. The previous limit was 26 in Sacramento. I'm Steve Millie for Christmas. You can choose between the beloved classic little women or the edgy indie film, uncut gems, KPBS film critic Beth Huck Amando says, audiences will probably lean toward the feel good film. So she's recommending uncut gems, Speaker 7: 04:00 the press materials for uncut gems. Describe Adam Sandler's, compulsive gambler, Howard Ratner as charismatic perhaps, but it's a charisma that's burned itself out and Howard is now coasting on fumes here. He tries to charm his wife. [inaudible] you just give me another shot. You know I how I say yes. What I think you are the most annoying person I've ever met. I hate being with you. I hate looking at you, and if I had my way, I would never see again. She's absolutely right. Yet somehow this audaciously in your face, aggravating film proves riveting. Uncut gems made me more tense than most horror films as I watched Howard careen towards self-destruction as he makes one astoundingly bad decision after another without even taking a moment's breath in between directed by Josh and Benny softy. The film excels at making you feel uncomfortable and I hesitate to even call it entertainment, but they execute the film with such a meticulous and rapture, a sense of escalating crisis that it's like a car crash you drive by and can't look away from uncut gems is definitely not for everyone, but if you want a scathing antidote to holiday cheer, then this is it. Speaker 7: 05:14 Beth Armando KPBS news love city Heights is an organization working to uplift the San Diego community. It's known for its public art projects, but speak city Heights reporter Ebony Monet tells us how this Christmas love city Heights is helping an 11 year old brain tumor survivor and his family, Carla Suna shares a laugh with her children and some new friends. That's just weeks after a difficult time. It was horrible. I just felt like my world just came crumbling down and it was nothing I could do. As soon as 11 year old son, Brandy is recovering from brain surgery to remove tumors. Brandy is a student at John Marshall elementary school in city Heights on Friday. He, his family were surprised with about 25 bags of toys and food. Love city Heights is the organization behind the gifts. The group known for public art projects found out about the families need from school counselor Emily Magellan. I just want them to have some normalcy. Brandy's mom says he hasn't had a seizure since his surgery last month. Ebony Monet, K PBS news, Speaker 2: 06:21 city Heights residents will be able to get closer to nature in the coming years. Thanks to a state grant that will help fund a restoration project along choice Creek KPBS supporter. Joe Hong spoke with city leaders about the upcoming changes. The California natural resources agency awarded a three point $5 million grant to restore a section of choice Creek in city Heights. San Diego city council president Georgette Gomez said the money will help revitalize long neglected habitat and better connect residents to nature in a neighborhood that is historically liked green space. Speaker 7: 06:54 It's about making that more walkable. Um, and hopefully there's some lighting inserted as well. So it's safe for the, for the public to feel that they can come. It's inviting. Speaker 2: 07:04 Money was awarded to the nonprofit groundwork San Diego, and we'll pay for removing concrete from the Creek and adding walkways, bike paths, and native plant life alongside a half mile segment of choices Creek. The restoration is expected to be done in three years. Joe Hong KPBS news college student organizers around the state are gearing up for California's early primary in March. They're hoping for a repeat of 2018 when student voter turnout more than doubled compared to the previous midterm election. Experts say it could happen for our California dream collaboration. Felicia mellow of Cal matters reports Speaker 7: 07:41 when Savannah Mendosa was a child, her father would take her along to the polling place when he went to vote. Years later. Mendosa is a political science major at Sacramento state and wants to run for office someday, but for now she's focused on a more immediate challenge, getting her classmates to turn out for the 2020 elections. As a young Latina. That's something that in our communities, we don't see that very often and we don't recognize how powerful our voice and our vote is. Speaker 6: 08:07 I don't think there's any question that 2020 is going to be another bumper crop year for college and university students voting. Speaker 7: 08:14 Nancy Thomas is director of the Institute for democracy and higher education at Tufts university. She says the same forces that drew once apathetic young people to the polls in 2018 could motivate them next year too. Speaker 6: 08:27 There was the anti-Trump, uh, response to the outcome of the 2016 election that happened on college campuses, but there was also an anti anti Trump at Sacramento Speaker 7: 08:40 state. Mendosa and her team are hauling popcorn machines to residence halls for popup voter registration drives. The next event they're planning propositions in pajamas, dorm room get together as to talk about California's ballot measures still says lots of things can prevent her peers from voting. They're busy with work and classes. They think they don't know enough about the issues or simply that their vote doesn't matter nationwide. Younger adults still cast votes at lower rates than registered voters. Overall, Speaker 8: 09:09 I think the constant battle that we face is with a apathy. You have to make it convenient for all students, but again, especially the working student. Speaker 7: 09:20 That's Noel Morton and outreach worker at the California secretary of state's office. One way California is trying to make voting more convenient is through vote centers, one stop shops that opened several days before the election for voters to register and drop off mail in ballots as a student. What I helped bring the first on-campus vote center to SAC state in 2018 that fall students held a black and Brown voters summit with speeches on issues like healthcare and criminal justice reform. Speaker 8: 09:47 We had some artists that actually created one of them created a piece specifically for the elections that were coming up. Speaker 7: 09:56 Organizers gave students rides to the polls and golf carts. Thousands turned out some waiting in line until late in the night. Now Maura is helping students around the state bring vote centers to their campuses. He hopes that at least 15 we'll have them in 2020 what is that cultural shift that you're trying to create Speaker 8: 10:14 to see voting as a celebration to see young voters genuinely excited about exercising such a fundamental right? Speaker 7: 10:24 California also passed a law this year requiring all public colleges and universities to assign civic and voter empowerment coordinators to get out the student vote assembly member Kati Petri Norris authored the law. Speaker 9: 10:37 I think a lot of the times as students and a youth voters, they really think that their voices don't count and their voices don't matter, and we have got to change that narrative. Speaker 7: 10:49 Petri Norris is a Democrat and younger voters tend to vote democratic. Is this just about getting out the democratic vote Speaker 9: 10:56 voting and youth voter turnout? It's not about you. It's not a red value. It's not a blue value. It is a California value Speaker 7: 11:04 and some of the most successful campus voter drives have been bi-partisan, like why don't UCLA in 2018 where a coalition, including the campus democratic and Republican clubs increased turnout by more than 200% here's Thomas, the Tufts researcher. Speaker 6: 11:18 The misconception is that if we're getting out the vote on college campuses, it means we're getting the vote out for Democrats. Okay. [inaudible] I think that's the wrong way to look at it. I think we should start looking at it as it is the obligation of [inaudible] both political parties to design platforms that appeal to their voters Speaker 7: 11:38 and those voters. Lots of them are on college campuses in Sacramento. I'm Felicia mellow.
