San Diego Bases Tighten Security Following Killing Of Iranian General And More Local News

Speaker 1: 00:00 It's Tuesday, January 7th I'm Deb Welsh and you're listening to San Diego news matters from KPBS coming up, San Diego military basis, beef up security following the killing of an Iranian general and the elderly people are among the safest drivers on the road until they reach that point where they're physically or mentally unable to operate a car on a watch Speaker 2: 00:22 or senior driver to see if they are bumping into things as they pull into the driveway. Speaker 1: 00:29 That more coming up right after the break Speaker 3: 00:37 [inaudible] Speaker 1: 00:38 for a lot of people on Monday it was back to work after the holidays, but for military families and those who work at San Diego basis, it was anything but routine. The trusted traveler system which allows military members to bring friends and relatives on base has been suspended indefinitely. It's just one of the heightened security measures being implemented at basis throughout the country. It's resulted in longer lines, more vehicle searches and delays getting onto bases. Mark bombard is a retired rear Admiral who now runs the San Diego military advisory council. He says military basis are concerned about increased tension with Iran, but that's not all. Speaker 2: 01:18 Think back what's happened over the last few months or it's been attacks on oil tankers. There's been a, a, an attack on a U S embassy. Uh, anyway, it's not just a single, uh, threat coming out of Iran that would cause us to want to be, uh, at a higher security level. Speaker 1: 01:36 Iran has promised revenge for the U S assassination of an Iranian general Santa Anna wind started blowing through San Diego on Sunday night, but recent rains have made wildfires less likely. KPBS reporter Joe Hong spoke with a meteorologist about the windy weather and what we could expect for the first month of 2020 Speaker 4: 01:56 Santa Ana winds, January or normal. Luckily, San Diego County got nearly twice the rain expected in late 2019. Brent Maxwell, a meteorologist at the national weather service says this is greatly reduced the risk of wildfires. Fortunately this winter, we have had lots of rain during late November and December, so that the only effects of the winds are what the winds usually do damage. The trees are paralyzed ones, but not the fire weather threat because we've already had the rain. But after a colder and rain, your conclusion to 2019 Maxwell says, San Diegans can expect warmer and drier weather in the first month of the new year. Joe Hong K PBS news, Speaker 1: 02:38 one of the most controversial housing bills in the California legislature is back KPBS Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says, SB 50 aims to tackle the dual crises of housing affordability and climate change. Speaker 4: 02:52 The 50 would require cities to allow higher density housing and taller buildings near public transit stops and in areas close Speaker 5: 03:00 to job centers. It stalled last year, a mid opposition from some homeowners and neighborhood groups. It's now back with a key amendment. Cities could delay its implementation for two years if they come up with a local plan that accomplishes the same goals. Culver city mayor Megan, Sally Wells supports SB 50 and says cities cannot solve the housing shortage by acting in isolation. Speaker 6: 03:23 We need a statewide strategy to address our housing crisis and SBCC is the bold yet nuance path to achieving California's ambitious climate goals. Speaker 5: 03:36 The bill has to pass the state Senate by the end of the month to stay alive. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news, Speaker 1: 03:42 California needs even more ambitious climate change goals. Capitol public radio is Ezra David Romero reports. That's the message behind the California green new deal act. Speaker 7: 03:52 It's the second bill of its type and this time it's being reintroduced with more specific language. It aims a fast track the state's climate goals, while addressing how disadvantaged communities are unequally burdened by the effects of climate change, democratic assembly members, Shirley Webber, why aren't there people of color involved in this whole issue of the environment? And this new deal says we have to be, the authors suggest a doubling of the available affordable housing and public transportation by 2030 while at the same time for the reducing emissions democratic assembly member Rob Bonta authored the bill. Those who have suffered most from our fossil fuel economy must be first in line to benefit from the new clean energy green society. Bonta says, California can't successfully curb climate change without addressing the root causes of inequity in the state. In Sacramento, I'm Ezra David Romero, Speaker 1: 04:42 Republican lawmakers announced their own green new deal on Monday as well. It focuses on electrifying the state's commuter rail system with funds from the California high speed rail project. The Cayman islands government has enlisted help of San Diego scientists to save the endangered NASSA grouper fish from extinction, KPBS science and technology reporters. Lena Celani says they've tripled the size of one population of fish in a decade. Speaker 8: 05:11 Ecologist Bryce Semans with the Scripps institution of oceanography dies off the coast of little Cayman Island to tag the massive Nassau grouper and record their songs. It's one counting and tracking strategies scientists used a decade ago to show the Cayman islands government. Speaker 7: 05:28 It needed to adapt its conservation policy to expand protection zones where no one can fish and work the best approach to management. And we found out that every single reproductive aged individual in the population went to the spawning site where the group bear weren't protected from fishermen. So the government made the species off limits everywhere during mating season. A new study from the national academies of sciences now shows for the first time a depleted population of these fish grew. Shelina Celani KPBS news renowned artist John Baldessari Speaker 1: 05:58 has died at the age of 88 KPBS editor Tom fudge tells us about the San Diego whose groundbreaking art was celebrated internationally as a teenager getting a driver's license and keys to the car is a Rite of passage. Fast forward several decades and that teenage driver is now a senior driver as our bodies age. How long is it safe to continue driving? KPB has evening edition host MyoSure bulls. He spoke with two experts about how to prepare for driving retirement. She has this report. People are living longer. Within 15 years. The census Bureau projects older adults will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in us history, the so-called gray tsunami has many implications that affect things like housing, healthcare, and welfare, but how does aging affect driving Doug Shupe with triple a says, despite the myth, seniors are among the safest drivers. Speaker 9: 06:57 They're less likely to text and drive. They're more likely to follow an obey the speed limits. Speaker 1: 07:03 But when a senior driver is in an accident, they're more likely to suffer significant injuries. So when is it time to talk to an aging parent about giving up the keys to the car, Speaker 9: 07:13 watch your senior driver to see if they are bumping into things as they pull into the driveway or backing out of things, you know, when they're pulling out of the driveway. Uh, are they getting honked at on the road? Do you see them drifting from one lane to the other? Uh, do they seem to be taking too long to respond to traffic signals? Like the light turning green? Those are indications that perhaps you want to start having that, that delicate conversation. Speaker 1: 07:44 Drew Kendrick is author of raising an aging parent Speaker 10: 07:46 and how do we have those conversations rather than it becoming a, well, I'm not dead yet. Leave me alone. It's none of your damn business and I'm handling that. And, or you know, if they're outrightly denying that they, that there's an issue to even talk about. So how do we approach that is it can be confounding, but if it starts with respect and understanding and listening and then it becomes a real conversation. Speaker 1: 08:12 He says giving up. Driving can be a smooth transition by starting early, starting small and talking often volunteer to drive parents to their destinations. Try ride sharing services like Lyft and Uber together. Or maybe you can ask someone else to start the conversation Speaker 10: 08:30 because sometimes we're not the best person to talk to our parents. Sometimes we have a sister and she just has a better way. She has a better line of communication with our mom or dad or they have a doctor and they listened that everything that doctor says is gold. Speaker 1: 08:47 So what do you do if a parent emphatically refuses to consider driving less or giving it up altogether? Drug says it's critically to not be afraid of presiding over their wellbeing. Speaker 10: 08:58 You need to intervene. You need to step in with a tough love approach and say, dad, I'm not going to let you do this. You're, you're putting your life at risk and other people's lives at risk, and I've disabled the car and I'm not. I'm not going, and I've taken the keys. Speaker 1: 09:14 Triple a suggests. You start talking about driving retirement at the same time as financial. Speaker 9: 09:20 What happens when you get to that point where maybe it's not going to be safe for you to get behind the wheel? What are kind of options would you like to see in terms of transportation for yourself? Involve the senior driver, make it about them so that they can help make the decisions for themselves and in their own interest. Speaker 1: 09:38 Maya, treble, C K PBS news. Thanks for listening to San Diego news matters. For more KPBS podcasts, go to kpbs.org/podcasts.