An update in the lawsuit against Nathan Fletcher
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, May 6th.
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An update in the sexual assault civil lawsuit against former county supervisor Nathan Fletcher. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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President Biden is expanding Affordable Care Act coverage to include DACA recipients.
It allows undocumented migrants brought to the U-S as children who now live and work legally here to access health care coverage.
Local Congressman Juan Vargas is applauding the decision, stressing its significance and reaffirming his support for Dreamers and immigration reform.
The new federal regulation is expected to extend health coverage to approximately 100-thousand un-insured DACA recipients
Enrollment begins November 1st.
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Most of the Oceanside Pier is expected to reopen later this week, after a fire damaged parts of it.
Oceanside officials say about 80-percent of the pier should be available for public use once again on Thursday.
A vacant restaurant and snack bar at the end of the pier caught on fire nearly two weeks ago.
The damaged parts of the pier will remain fenced off until further notice.
It is still unknown what started the fire, but arson has been ruled out.
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As we start the new week we want to give you a heads up on what you can expect in the world of weather.
The mornings will start off foggy and cloudy, but will gradually become sunny by the afternoons.
Temperatures for most of the week will feel like springtime.
Today’s temperatures in the inland areas will be in the low 70s, by the coast and in the mountains, temps will be in the low 60s, and in the deserts, it’ll be in the high 80s.
Similar weather is expected throughout the work week.
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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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We have an update in the sexual assault civil lawsuit against former county supervisor Nathan Fletcher.
Fletcher is asking a judge to order the best friend of his accuser to turn over all communications between the two women that mention him.
Investigative reporter Amita Sharma has more.
In a filing, Fletcher says for months he has unsuccessfully sought messages between former MTS spokeswoman Grecia Figueroa and Los Angeles journalist Danielle Radin. Fletcher believes the exchanges will exonerate him in a civil lawsuit. Figueroa sued him last year alleging he sexually assaulted and harassed her. Fletcher contends in court papers that every time attorneys for each of the women appeared close to handing over the full cache of communications, they ended up quitting the case. Fletcher says he has been left with no choice but to seek the court’s help in compelling the women to turn over the messages. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
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Home insurance in the state is getting more expensive, and harder to find.
Investigative reporter Scott Rodd found the problem is starting to affect the real estate market.
In order to get a mortgage, a homebuyer needs to secure property insurance. But that’s getting a lot harder these days. “Five-plus years ago, nobody had problems getting insurance…But today, insurance companies aren’t writing the policies.” Greg Fox Jr. is a broker associate for Keller Williams Realty in Alpine. He says the problem is especially bad in rural areas facing wildfire risks. If a buyer does find insurance, it’s often much more expensive than anticipated. And that can torpedo a home sale. “Nobody really knows at the start of the transaction whether or not they're going to be able to close their transaction.” Fox estimates a quarter of his deals in high fire risk areas now fall through due to insurance issues. SOC.
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Next month, Mexico's voters will elect a new president.
Border reporter Gustavo Solis explains why the election matters to both Mexico and San Diego's cross-border region.
No matter what, the 2024 Mexican election will be historic. That’s because both candidates – Claudia Sheibaum and Xotchil Galves – are women. RAFAEL FERNANDEZ DE CASTRO UC SAN DIEGO CENTER FOR U.S./MEXICO STUDIES “I cannot stress this enough, because whatever happens we are going to have a woman in the Mexican presidency. Rafael Fernandez de Castro is the director of the Center for U.S. Mexico Studies at UC San Diego. Cont…That is going to be the first woman governing in North America. Not Canada, or the U.S. but Mexico first.” Experts KPBS spoke to say Sheibaum and Galves come from different backgrounds and have competing ideas for solving Mexico’s problems. Sheibaum was mayor of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023 and represents the popular Morena Party – which was founded by current Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Flavio Olivieri is the Director of the Center of Excellence in Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship at CETYS University in Tijuana. He says a Sheinbaum presidency would in many ways be a continuation of what Lopez Obrador started. FLAVIO OLIVIERI CETYS UNIVERSITY “She’s very close to the current administration. Very, very close to the current administration. And the main message is the continuity of what has been started.” That could both help and hurt Sheinbaum. On the one hand, Lopez Obrador has a 61% approval rating. Sheinbaum wants to expand some of the welfare and retirement programs that have made the current president so popular. But Lopez Obrador also has his detractors – especially in the country’s business community. Saul Sandoval, is a professor of economics at CETYS. SAUL SANDOVAL CETYS UNIVERSITY “Her slogan is continuity in terms of Lopez Obrador’s policies. And at some point some voters have to question themselves – if the performance is not that good, how come are you selling yourself that you want to continue these type of policies? According to Sandoval - one major critique of Lopez Obrador is his preference of big government over the free market. “Following Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s policies, she wants to concentrate power in the executive government. If that continues, that may send a message to national and international investors that Mexico perhaps to some extent wouldn’t be as safe to invest in.” It is on this issue that Galvez can draw a clear distinction with her opponent. She credits the free market for her success in life and believes it is the key to a prosperous future for Mexico. Galvez was a businesswoman and entrepreneur before becoming a politician. She represents a coalition of three different political parties that have joined forces to defeat the Morena Party. “The story that she tells for the audience is that she was very poor when she was little, and she began selling stuff in the streets and then go to Mexico City and study this engineering career.” Whereas Lopez Obrador believes in centralizing power in the federal government - Galvez prefers to remove bureaucratic obstacles preventing Mexicans from gaining economic mobility. “With Xotchil Galvez, she’s more focused on entrepreneurship, on supporting small and medium enterprises. And that’s expected because she comes from a business environment.” Despite their differences, Oliveri believes that Galvez and Sheinbaum have much in common. Particularly with their views of the U.S.-Mexico relationship. “I think both candidates have very clear understanding that the economic wellbeing of this region is strictly tied to the cross-border economy. Our relationship to the U.S. is fundamental.” Both candidates have expressed interest in reducing border wait times and investing in more infrastructure along the border. “Both recognize the strategic importance of the relationship. Were more than neighbors we’re partners.” Mexico’s presidents serve one 6-year term. The election will be held on June 2. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News.
TAG: This is the first in a series of stories KPBS is doing on the Mexican election.
Upcoming stories will focus on how the election will impact economic and environmental issues in the border region.
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New breast cancer screening guidelines are sparking criticism.
Health reporter Heidi De Marco says the American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 45-hundred breast cancer deaths in the state this year.
At 45, Wendy Shurelds was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She had been following her doctor's advice to undergo screenings every other year. It never dawned on me that missing, you know, a year, that the following year I would be diagnosed with breast cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s latest breast cancer guidelines recommend women with average risk get mammograms every other year starting at age 40, rather than 50. They concluded that screening every two years leads to a better balance of benefits and harms than screening annually. The task force says this approach could save more lives. And has greater potential to benefit Black women, who are more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, despite fewer diagnoses. Shurelds says the recommendation falls short. This was a discussion that my support group had and they were very upset…When they are diagnosed at a later stage, that's almost like a death sentence to them. So to actually miss a year of not getting a mammogram is just detrimental. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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San Diego city council members and advocates say they have concerns about proposed cuts to libraries in the city budget.
As Katie Anastas reports, advocates say the cuts would hurt under-resourced communities most.
Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget wouldn’t cut library hours or staff, but it would reduce the library’s programming budget by more than half. It funds things like summer reading, Pride and mental health programs.The budget also proposes reductions to the library’s hotspot program, which helps people access the Internet. San Diego Public Library Director Misty Jones told the City Council budget committee demand for hotspots is high. JONES We have about 4,000 hotspots that we’re lending. It would reduce it to about 3,000. There’s a 98% check out rate of those hotspots, so that would be impactful. The council will continue discussing the budget in the coming weeks. The mayor’s office will release a revised budget in mid-May. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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It's that time of year again when we applaud our teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week.
The San Diego County Office of Education is reminding everyone that every day, teachers go above and beyond for their students, ensuring each child feels safe and supported.
Teacher Appreciation Week is going on until Friday, so you have a few days to honor the teachers in your lives, by letting them know just how much they are appreciated and valued by the community.
Throughout the week, there will also be National Teacher Appreciation Day… which is tomorrow (Tuesday), and California Day of the Teacher is Wednesday.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again tomorrow for the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Monday.
