Back To School For San Diego Unified
Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Monday, August 30th >>>> First day of school for San Diego unified More on that next, but first... let’s do the headlines…. ###### Cal Fire crews have been battling the Chapparal fire over the weekend. The blaze started up on Saturday and is now 13% contained, having burned 1500 acres – that according to cal fire’s map. The wildfire is in both Riverside and San Diego counties. One firefighter has suffered some minor injuries, and two structures have been destroyed. Evacuations and evacuation warnings that were issued are still in effect per Cal fire’s last update. ######## The bodies of the Pendleton service members killed in Thursday’s attack at the airport in Kabul came home on Sunday. According to the Pentagon, the bodies of all 13 service members were flown to Dover Airforce Base in Delaware. The bodies include 9 Marines and one Navy corpsman who had been stationed at Pendleton. Here’s Army Maj. Gen. William "Hank" Taylor. “We grieve with the gold star families, friends and loved ones of our fallen. They will be remembered and revered among Americans who have served in Afghanistan.” Half the 10 Pendleton service members killed had been in the Marines for less than 3 years. Three of the Marines grew up in Riverside and Coachella valley. ######## Todayis the deadline to register to vote by mail for the Sept. 14th gubernatorial recall election. Forms are available on the registrar's website or at the Registrar's office. You can also get a form at the city clerk's office, any public library, or DMV. Forms must be postmarked by 5 p.m. tonight, or you can register on-line until midnight. ######### From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need. It's the first day of school for California's second largest school district. KPBS Education reporter MG Perez has more on opening day in San Diego. ########## As our lives get more digitized, there’s a growing need for workers who know how to code. But often coding training is out of reach for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. One program in Escondido is looking to change that. KPBS’s Alexander Nguyen (WYNN) has more. Mike Roberts, who is Black, has been a software engineer for more than 30 years. But he wasn’t seeing people like him in the tech industry. So, he started Creating Code Careers … a paid yearlong apprentice program to attract people from disadvantaged backgrounds. “If we’re not seeing these people represented in the software organization, that must mean there’s some super talented people that just need an opportunity, a chance to gain those skills.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a diversity gap in tech … with the majority of tech jobs going to white people. AN/KPBS ####### Legislation that could create more multi-family homes in California has taken a step forward in the state Legislature. The effort to loosen zoning in single family neighborhoods has been contentious, but as KQED’s Katie Orr reports, Senate Bill 9 got through the Assembly last week. ########## A report released last week showed California's rural counties have higher violent crimes rates than urban areas. KQED's Alex Emsly has the story. Alex Emsly for the California Report. ######### Because of the drought, the top environmental topic on the minds of Californians is water, and how much we have. KQED's Kevin Stark has the story. ########## Coming up.... Oceanside's beachfront has been undergoing renovations and now the city’s attention is on the junior Seau amphitheater and community center. “Fix the problem. Fix the broken walls, fix the stairs, fix the community center building. Have them fix it, but don't demolish it. This belongs to the city of oceanside. “ That’s next, just after the break. Oceanside's beachfront has been undergoing renovations. Now attention is shifting to the city’s 102-year old amphitheatre and a nearby community center named for the late junior SEAU (say-ow). KPBS north county reporter Tania Thorne tells us the SEAU family has started a petition to keep the facilities intact for the community. Mary Seau thinks of her brother Junior whenever she walks the Oceanside strand. MARY SEAU/JUNIOR SEAU'S SISTER AND OCEANSIDE RESIDENT “I can feel the spirit down here. Freedom, joy, happiness. Just excited to be around the people.” In 2012, the Junior Seau amphitheater and community center were named for the Oceanside native and pro football player. Since 1919, when the amphitheater was built, cultural celebrations and events have taken the amphitheater's stage. But Oceanside mayor Esther Sanchez says she’s noticed a decrease in events and sports. She says COVID is part of the problem, but so is scheduling. CC9607 (21:29- 21:46) ESTHER SANCHEZ/OCEANSIDE MAYOR “I’ve heard from a lot of voices from the community that its really really hard to get an event going here whether you're a non profit or a church or anyone, a private citizen, it's always been difficult and I don't understand why.” So when the city presented a beachfront improvement study looking into the amphitheater and community center, Sanchez got concerned. “When the city decided ok lets go ahead and start looking at including the beach community center, a lot of bells and whistles went off in my head like ok great.. Is it for the continued use for the youth and families? And I'm very concerned about the direction this is heading.” Food vendors and bike rental companies are already operating outside the community center. And Sanchez worries more commercial activity will work its way into the public park land. Rumors of demolishing the facilities and putting a parking structure in its place have started to swirl among the community. Darra Woods is the senior civil engineer with the city of oceanside managing the project. She says it’s just starting, and no plans or proposals have been presented. “We know how important this area is to the city and the local community … thats why we really want to know what the public wants to see. There are city needs but public needs are just as important and that's what we want to hear.” But Mary Seau is not taking her chances and has started a petition to make sure the facilities are saved. “Fix the problem. Fix the broken walls, fix the stairs, fix the community center building. Have them fix it, but don't demolish it. This belongs to the city of oceanside. “ Other Oceanside residents have mixed opinions. Doug Boyd thinks it needs to be torn down... “I’d love to see it renovated and have concerts here… the other option is maybe a skate park for the kids. Same with the gym down there, I don't even know if they use it down there anymore. Its prime property, I think it needs to be remodeled. “Renovations would be really good, the destruction though.. I don't think that’s necessary.” That was Joey Daley, who runs a snack shack and bike rentals near the community center. And Oceanside resident Coco Brown had this observation: “Plus it's historical, this is what we know, so tearing this down would be problematic, no one wants to see that. I mean it's Junior Seau.” A public input meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6pm at the Oceanside Library Community Rooms. TT KPBS News That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or check out the Midday podcast. You can also watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television, and as always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
