After two viral incidents at Sunset Cliff, SD Police are upping enforcement
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson…it’s THURSDAY, AUGUST SIXTH>>>> [ FOLLOWING TWO VIRAL INCIDENTS AT SUNSET CLIFFS, THERE WILL NOW BE AN INCREASE IN POLICE PRESENCE ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
CALIFORNIA’S HOUSING MARKET IS SENDING OUT MIXED SIGNALS THIS SUMMER.
OWNING A HOME IS STILL OUT OF REACH FOR MOST OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY HOUSEHOLDS
ONLY 17-PERCENT OF SAN DIEGANS CAN AFFORD TO PURCHASE A MEDIAN PRICE, SINGLE-FAMILY HOME -- WHICH IS ROUGHLY MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS.
THAT’S THE LATEST REPORT BY THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS.
IT’S SAYING THAT THE AVERAGE MORTGAGE RATES SLIGHTLY ROSE TO MORE THAN 6-POINT-5 PERCENT… UP FROM THE LAST QUARTER.
ALL IN ALL, THERE ARE MODEST GAINS FOR SAN DIEGO’S HOME VALUES.
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A DIFFERENT KIND OF SENIOR CLASS IS COMING TO SD-SU
YESTERDAY, THE UNIVERSITY AND MULTIPLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS SHARED PLANS FOR A SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY
THIS WILL BE PART OF THE MISSION VALLEY CAMPUS
CONSTRUCTION STARTS AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN 20-30
PLANS FOR THE NEARLY 3 HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FOOT SPACE INCLUDE:
- MORE THAN 200 INDEPENDENT AND ASSISTED-LIVING FACILITIES
- 26 MEMORY CARE RESIDENCES
- AND AMENITIES INCLUDING A RESTAURANT, A FITNESS CENTER, A ROOFTOP DECK, A POOL AND OUTDOOR COURTYARD
SDSU PRESIDENT ADELA DE LA TORRE SAID QUOTE WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE SDSU ALUMNI, RETIRED FACULTY AND SO MANY OTHERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS UNIQUE LIVING ENVIRONMENT TO DEEPER THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH SDSU
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KEEPING THINGS WITH SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY …
A NEW SD-SU "STATE OF THE RIDE" REPORTS LOOKED INTO THE CITY'S 7 HUNDRED-MILE BIKE NETWORK
THE REPORTS FINDS SAN DIEGO BIKE PATHS TO BE DIFFICULT AND AT TIMES … EVEN DANGEROUS FOR CYCLISTS TO NAVIGATE
THE REPORT ALSO FOUND THAT WHILE MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF OUR MAJOR STREETS AND ROADS HAVE BIKE LANES ...
JUST EIGHT PERCENT OF THOSE LANES ARE PROTECTED WITH MOST HAVING DISCONNECTED SEGMENTS OR GAPS THAT PREVENT CONTINUOUS RIDING
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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SAN DIEGO POLICE ARE INCREASING ENFORCEMENT AT SUNSET CLIFFS FOLLOWING TWO INCIDENTS WHERE CLIFF JUMPERS WERE HURT.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS VIRAL SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS OF CLIFF JUMPING ARE FUELING AN INCREASE OF PEOPLE TAKING THE PLUNGE.
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CLIFFJUMPERS 1 (:54) SOQ
POINT LOMA’S SUNSET CLIFFS IS A WELL KNOWN CLIFF JUMPING SPOT – AN ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS TRADITION THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES.
17-YEAR-OLD JOE BLEDSOE DROVE OUT FROM CORONA WITH HIS YOUNGER BROTHER FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO CLIFF JUMP …
“I JUST STARTED SEEING IT LIKE EVERYWHERE ON TIK TOK AND EVERYTHING. AND I JUST THOUGHT ‘OH THAT LOOKS FUN. BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN GOING TO THE LAKE AND RIVER DOING CLIFF JUMPS OUT ON THE WATER. SO I MEAN WHY NOT COME DOWN HERE?”
ON SUNDAY JULY 26 AND TUESDAY JULY 28, TWO PEOPLE JUMPING AND CLIMBING THE CLIFFS WERE CRITICALLY INJURED IN THE SAME LOCATION.
IN RESPONSE, SAN DIEGO POLICE SAY THEY WILL BE CONDUCTING MORE ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA.THE DEPARTMENT SAID OFFICERS GAVE “OVER 300 WARNINGS AND ISSUED 18 CITATIONS” THAT INCLUDED MISDEMEANORS AND INFRACTIONS, OVER LAST WEEKEND.
JACOB AERE, KPBS NEWS.
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EARLIER THIS YEAR, CHULA VISTA POLICE CHIEF ROXANA KENNEDY FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE CITY. THE SUIT ACCUSES SEVERAL LATINO CITY COUNCILMEMBERS OF TRYING TO PUSH KENNEDY OUT BECAUSE OF HER AGE… AND BECAUSE SHE IS WHITE.
KORI SUZUKI’S BEEN REPORTING ON THIS ALLEGATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND SPOKE WITH ANCHOR DEBBIE CRUZ.
CVCHIEF ME (4:49) SOQ
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Kori, to start, who is Roxana Kennedy?
Roxana Kennedy has been Chula Vista’s chief of police for almost ten years. She’s the first woman to lead the department. And before becoming chief, she served as an officer in the department for decades.
And where are her allegations against the city coming from?
According to Kennedy’s lawyer, all of this goes back to an interaction between Kennedy and a younger officer at a holiday party put on by Chula Vista’s police union back in December.
Her lawyer’s name is Cory Briggs. He says several off-duty police officers took part in a contest during the party. They started dancing — and one officer took off his shirt and started swinging it over his head.
At that point, Briggs says Kennedy got up, went over to the officer and put a dollar bill in the officer’s front pockets. And then she sat down.
Briggs says it wasn’t a big deal. But according to their lawsuit, city officials didn’t think so.
What did city officials think?
Well the lawsuit says city officials reacted very strongly. Kennedy went on personal leave in January. In February, the lawsuit says city officials began a campaign of retaliation.
It included several investigations, the lawsuit says. Even though she was on medical leave, city officials forced her to sit for interviews with investigators, the suit says, saying she could be fired if she didn’t participate.
They also froze Kennedy’s access to the city’s digital workplace programs.
And so how do we get to Kennedy filing a lawsuit?
Well, Kennedy sees all of these actions by the city as a pretense. Basically, a reason that city officials used to go after her and put pressure on her to retire.
But she says the real reason is that they wanted to replace her. With someone who is younger and who is Latino.
So in May, Kennedy filed this lawsuit in San Diego County Superior Court. Against four members of the City Council: Carolina Chavez, Jose Preciado, Cesar Fernandez and Michael Inzunza.
60 percent of Chula Vista residents identify as Latino — including these four Councilmembers.
The lawsuit accuses several of them of “secretly vetting a younger, Latino law-enforcement official in a nearby jurisdiction.”
The lawsuit also names Allen, the city manager, as a defendant. It does not name the City Council’s fifth member, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann.
What did the city have to say about the lawsuit?
The city has denied many of the allegations. In a statement, they said Kennedy’s conspiracy claim was entirely false and relied on QUOTE “a racist assumption that Latino leaders cannot act with professionalism and integrity.”
Almost all of the City Council declined to comment. But I did talk to Councilmember Cesar Fernandez. He said he had no idea where the allegations were coming from.
SOT: 20260721_cvchief_cesar fernandez / 10:11 (AUDIO ONLY)
CG: On the phone: Cesar Fernandez, Chula Vista City Councilmember
It didn't it didn't land the best. It felt like you're pointing the finger at me cuz I'm Latino and I've done absolutely nothing that that's been alleged. Again, had no issues with the police department or the leadership uh when I came in the office. And so yeah, it didn't it didn't feel good at all.
And so you talked to civil rights experts about Kennedy’s lawsuit. What did they have to say?
I spoke to three law professors who study civil rights and discrimination law. And they said Kennedy’s complaint left them with more questions than answers.
That’s because — at least as it stands — it includes very little evidence to back up Kennedy’s discrimination claims.
I spoke with Khiara Bridges, a professor of law at UC Berkeley. She says that, because the lawsuit has so little information, it’s almost like the only evidence Kennedy is giving is the fact that the Chula Vista City Council is a majority-Latino body.
SOT: 20260713_cvchief_khiara bridges / 6:03
CG: Khiara Bridges, UC Berkeley professor
I would hope that more evidence would be offered over the course of the litigation because in with As it is, the invitation is for us to conclude that majority minority bodies will prefer minorities just as a sort of matter of course. And I think that's a dangerous kind of conclusion that we're being invited to make.
The experts also pointed out that this lawsuit is coming at a very specific moment. When the Trump administration is making this argument that the biggest problem in the country is discrimination against white men.
Here’s David Oppenheimer — he’s also at UC Berkeley.
SOT: 20260710_cvchief_david oppenheimer / 5:35
CG: David Oppenheimer, UC Berkeley professor
You can find individual cases and and and it's it's illegal. There's no question about that. But if If you're trying to identify a social problem that we need to address, it's not nearly as serious a problem as racial discrimination against minorities, as gender discrimination against women and especially intersectional racial and gender discrimination or racial and sex discrimination against women of color.
Oppenheimer says he would want to know more about exactly what happened. Like if city councilmembers said anything that indicated racial bias. Or if there were any patterns like the city terminating white or older employees.
So what comes next for Kennedy’s lawsuit? When could we learn more about her allegations?
Well, the first hearing in the case is currently scheduled for October.
Kennedy’s lawyer declined to make her available for an interview for this story. He said she looked forward to presenting her evidence in court.
The city of Chula Vista also hasn’t filed its response yet. Kennedy and her lawyer actually just served the city just a couple weeks ago.
The biggest question now is what more evidence Kennedy and her attorney will put forward. We could get an amended complaint from them.
But there’s also a good chance that the case could reach a settlement. If that’s the outcome, the public might never get to see the full facts of what happened.
Well we will be watching this case. Thank you, Kori.
Thank you, Debbie / Maya.
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A SCHOOL DISTRICT IN EAST SAN DIEGO COUNTY HAS HIRED ITS FIRST DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND SECURITY.
EDUCATION REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS THE DISTRICT WORKED WITH AN OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION TO ASSESS ITS SAFETY NEEDS.
SANTEE1 1:18 SOQ
Safe and Sound Schools was founded by two mothers whose children died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
In January, The Santee School District invited them to assess its schools. It has nine elementary and middle schools.
Superintendent Kristin Baranski says it led to one key recommendation:
BARANSKI
Having one central person to be solely in charge of all of the safety security needs.
The district has named Michael Castillo as its first Director of Safety and Security. Baranski says he’ll oversee emergency preparedness and partner with first responders when needed.
The district held workshops with teachers and other community members as part of the assessment.
Shortly before those workshops, a superior court judge granted Andy Williams’ request to be resentenced.
Wiliams was 15 when he killed two people and wounded 13 others at Santana High School in 2001.
It put the tragedy back in headlines…and back on the minds of Santee residents.
BARANSKI
I was a principal back then in Santee. And that was very hard. And it continues to be a very challenging situation in Santee.
The district has added security cameras to school lobbies. Staff and visitor badges track their location. School employees have wearable panic buttons.
Baranski says the new director role will build on those measures…to help students and staff stay safe. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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FOR MORE THAN A GENERATION, THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SYSTEM HAS HELD ONTO THE REMAINS OF NATIVE ANCESTORS AND SACRED BELONGINGS.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS U-C OFFICIALS ARE WORKING TO RETURN THEM – BUT TRIBAL AND STATE LEADERS SAY IT’S NOT FAST ENOUGH.
NAGPRA 1 s/s trt 1:14 SOQ (kh/dw)
36 years after federal law required it … and one year after a scathing state audit … tribes are still calling for the return of what was stolen from them.
17,000 ancestors and hundreds of thousands of cultural belongings.
SOT :08 The human remains are not archeological or academic trophies. They don't deserve to be held in boxes on shelves.
James Ramos is the first California Native American elected to the state legislature.
SOT :11 Lack of funding, insufficient staffing or changes in personnel cannot continue to be an excuse for the state of California and the UC systems.
The audit found at the rate they were going, the UC wouldn’t complete the returns until after 20-89.
UC Vice President Theresa Maldonado testified at an assembly oversight hearing Tuesday.
We stand accountable for the deep and ongoing harm that our arrogance, quite frankly, has caused tribal communities.
Maldonado says they are picking up the pace. But some say it’s still not fast enough.
The program is understaffed. An assemblymember said the universities are spending less than half the funds the legislature allocated for this.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
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LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE DELIVERS A WITHOUT WALLS OR WOW EXPERIENCE WITH THE AWARD-WINNING SHOW HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS IT’S PART CLOWN, PART SOCIAL EXPERIMENT AND 100 PERCENT ORIGINAL.
HAHAHA (ba) 1:18 SOQ
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I went into Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha thinking it was gonna be manic and crazy because it was part of WOW and described as a clown show. But then Julia Masli took the stage in her eccentric but beautiful blue attire and awash in swirling blue lights and gently inquired…
CLIP Problem…
I quickly had to reset my expectations because what Masli delivered was an exquisite and empathetic show in which the audience often shared deeply intimate thoughts and concerns.
JULIA MASLI … I was quite shocked at how people open up.
And in opening up, the audience and Masli create a sense of community.
JULIA MASLI Yeah, there's definitely a feeling of community and people wanting to, like, help each other and be there for each other that the show kind of inspires on a good night. Yeah, it's really nice to be a part of that.
As for the title of the show, Masli could only say…
JULIA MASLI I just liked how it looked visually and I thought it was silly. And then the blurb was— the blurb in the beginning was like, ha ha ha, he he ho ho ha ha. And that was just it. And there was no explanation.
It’s a show that defies explanation because it’s different every performance. The only constant is Masli’s compassionate presence that invites strangers to become friends.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
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That’s it for the podcast today. Today’s pod was edited by Traci Tong 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.
