A lesson in South County politics
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s MONDAY, JULY 27TH>>>> [ WE’LL TELL YOU WHY SOME CHULA VISTA RESIDENTS SHOWED UP TO OPPOSE A VOTER INITIATIVE ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
OUR REGION’S DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES JOINED TOGETHER TO CALL FOR RENEGOTIATING THE UNITED STATES MEXICO CANADA AGREEMENT
THEY SENT A LETTER TO U-S TRADE REPRESENTATIVE AMBASSADOR JAMIESON GREER … SEEKING CONTINUED COOPERATION WITH MEXICO TO HELP ADDRESS POLLUTION IN THE TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY
THE REPRESENTATIVES WROTE THAT RENEGOTIATING THE DEAL COULD LEAD TO ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND BI NATIONAL COMMITMENTS.
IN A STATEMENT FROM SCOTT PETERS HE SAYS CROSS-BORDER POLLUTION AND CHRONIC SEWAGE SPILLS CONTINUE TO THREATEN OUR BEACHES, LOCAL ECONOMY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
SARA JACOBS, MIKE LEVIN AND JUAN VARGAS ALSO SIGNED THE LETTER.
IT ENDED WITH THE DELEGATION SAYING THEY LOOK FORWARD TO ADDRESSING THE TRANS-NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY TOGETHER
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THE LA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOW USING A-I
IF YOU CALL LA MESA P-D'S NON-EMERGENCY HOTLINE, YOU'LL BE GREETED BY AN A-I -POWERED VOICE ASSISTANT
LA MESA POLICE CHIEF RAY SWEENEY SAYS THAT BY USING THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR ROUTINE, NON-EMERGENCY CALLS, HIS DEPARTMENT IS ABLE TO CUT DOWN ON WAIT TIMES
AND PROVIDE RESIDENTS WITH QUICKER ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND SERVICES
HE SAYS THIS ALSO ALLOWS DISPATCHERS TO FOCUS ON EMERGENCIES
LA MESA P-D SAYS THAT ALL 9-1-1 CALLS WILL STILL BE ANSWERED BY TRAINED DISPATCHERS
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THE PREBYS [PREH-BISS] FOUNDATION IS LOOKING TO TAKE ON ONE OF SAN DIEGO'S BIGGEST EYE SORES
THE SAN DIEGO-BASED FOUNDATION SIGNED AN AGREEMENT TO BUY THE CALIFORNIA THEATRE BUILDING DOWNTOWN FOR A LITTLE MORE THAN SIX MILLION DOLLARS
THE SALE IS EXPECTED TO BE FINALIZED AT THE END OF THE MONTH
THEN THE UNION-TRIBUNE SAYS PREBYS [PREH-BISS] WILL SPEND MILLIONS MORE TO HAVE THE BUILDING TORN DOWN AND THE SITE CLEARED...
THAT PROCESS COULD TAKE UP TO A YEAR
THE U-T SAYS THE BUILDING FIRST OPENED WAY BACK IN 19-27 AND HAS BEEN CLOSED SINCE 19-90
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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THE CHULA VISTA CITY COUNCIL GOT A LESSON IN SOUTH COUNTY POLITICS LAST WEEK. VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S JIM HINCH EXPLAINS THE CITY’S CHANGE OF COURSE FOR THE LATEST EDITION OF WHY IT MATTERS
CHULAVOTE 1 (vosd) TRT (1:04) SOQ
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The council was considering a voter initiative that could have made major changes to city government – including a 70 percent raise for council members. And awarding them an additional term in office.
It was sponsored by a prominent local labor union that has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years to elect Democrats in Chula Vista.
The union said the initiative would modernize Chula Vista’s government and make it more transparent. But residents showed up in force to oppose it. They were backed by Chula Vista’s Republican Mayor, John McCann.
They said councilmembers voting to increase their own term limits was a conflict of interest.
The Council saw the depth of their constituents’ anger and voted to pull the initiative from the November ballot.
McCann seemed to recognize that even union members in his city might be opposed to a union-backed ballot initiative that rubbed people the wrong way.
In our hyper-partisan national political moment, South County remains a place where, as they say, all politics is local.
For Voice of San Diego, I’m Jim Hinch, and that’s why it matters.
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A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT IN FOR THE COUNTY UNTIL TONIGHT (MONDAY 8 P-M). PENNER FELLOW EMMY BURRUS FOUND WHAT OUTREACH WORKERS ARE DOING TO HELP UNSHELTERED PEOPLE WHO ARE THE MOST AT RISK.
NOHOMEHEAT 1 (eb) TRT SOQ
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The heat can be dangerous for anyone. But staying cool is much harder for people experiencing homelessness.
Outreach workers across the county are working to provide people with resources they need. Joshua Bohannan is an executive at Father Joe’s Villages.
“Both our street health team and our outreach team are walking out with water but they're also walking out with hats, with sunscreens, sunglasses, slippers. So like shoes, if somebody doesn't have shoes, that's really, that's really serious on that asphalt.”
The city and county of San Diego have cool zones open to the public. Those include all libraries and some rec centers.
But cool zones aren’t always accessible for unsheltered people. Jayna Lee is the Associate Director of Programs at the homeless provider PATH. She says a lot of unhoused people don’t want to leave their belongings.
“A lot of people have their bikes, they have their wagons and so even if we do take them with all their belongings to the library there may be some rules that say you have to keep it outside but that's somebody's life all in their little wagon.”
Lee also says people experiencing homelessness worry about mixing with the general public or may have trouble getting to and from the cool zones.
Emmy Burrus, KPBS News
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A SAN DIEGO TEENAGER WITH A RARE FORM OF EPILEPSY IS REACHING MILESTONES HIS FAMILY ONCE THOUGHT MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SHOWS US HOW A PERSONALIZED MEDICAL TREATMENT COULD OFFER HOPE FOR OTHER CHILDREN WITH RARE GENETIC DISEASES.
TRT 1:16 soc
For most of his life, Connor Dalby couldn't walk.
His mom, Kelly Del Real, says he was diagnosed when he was almost five with a rare genetic mutation that causes a severe form of epilepsy.
KELLY DEL REAL
Around the clock. So 50 to 100 seizures a day. He's trialed over 12 or 13 different anti-seizure medications, and nothing really helped very much.
That’s because there was no genetic therapy designed to target the mutation causing his disease.
DR. OLIVIA KIM‑MCMANUS
He carries a more complex variant that requires an allele-selective approach. Because he has both seizures and autism.
So UC San Diego neurologist Dr. Olivia Kim-McManus and her team designed a personalized treatment just for him.
He received the first dose at Rady Children's Hospital when he was 14.
KELLY DEL REAL
So it's totally changed our quality of life and given him certain skills and a level of independence that he did not have before.
About four months after his first dose..
KELLY DEL REAL
He started trying to take steps unassisted. So the first time in his entire life.
Kim-McManus says Dalby’s case raises a bigger question:
DR. OLIVIA KIM-MCMANUS
Is it possible to intervene on that level in a human in delivering a genetic therapy?
She says getting these therapies to more patients will take more research and funding.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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FOR MANY, COMIC CON ISN’T JUST ABOUT SUPERHEROES. IT’S ALSO ABOUT THE FAN ART THAT REIMAGINES BELOVED CHARACTERS.
REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SHOWS US A UNIQUE COLLABORATION BETWEEN TWO ILLUSTRATORS WHO BLEND FILIPINO CULTURE WITH COMIC-INSPIRED ART.
CCFILAM 1 (1:24) SOC
On opposite sides of the convention floor, two illustrators share something in common this year… Patrick Ballesteros (Bahl-ah-stare-ohs) and Genevieve Santos together created a vivid print called Close Open Close Open.
BALLESTEROS SOT
“If you're a Filipino kid, you have the lolas, the older titas, titos – That's what they say to you when you're a baby. So that close, open, close, open your eyes. But also the double meaning is the close open of the sticks.”
The bamboo sticks he’s referring to play a major role in the Filipino dance, Tinikling (Tih-kneek-ling)… they’re the main subject of the print. Beloved animated characters like Baymax from “Big Hero 6”, dance and jump as the sticks underfoot tap out a rhythm.
SANTOS SOT
“Being able to see their favorite characters like Totoro or or even just like an elephant playing like Tinikling is um is kind of special.”
Stephen (Stef-en) Yapit (YAH-pit) bought the print for his wife and is excited to see more Filipino representation at the convention.
YAPIT SOT
“Specifically for Filipinos, it's definitely worth you know us here representing for our community and you know it's it's just fun like just seeing everyone's everyone's art, everyone's creative processes.”
Ballesteros (Bahl-ah-stare-ohs) and Santos say this collaboration won't be the last. Both intend to continue creating pieces that connect and celebrate their community.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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That’s it for the podcast today. It was edited by Brooke Ruth and hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K Jackson . As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
