CA lawmakers are considering ending tax break for ICE Detention Center
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH>>>> [ CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS WILL CONSIDER ENDING A TAX BREAK CALLED THE WEALTHFARE EXEMPTION AT ONE ICE DETENTION CENTER ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
S-D-G-&-E SAYS MORE THAN 350 THOUSAND OF ITS RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS NOW GENERATE THEIR OWN SOLAR POWER
THAT ACCOUNTS FOR ROUGHLY ONE IN FOUR OF THE UTILITY'S TOTAL CUSTOMERS
THIS ALSO MEANS SAN DIEGO HAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF RESIDENTS NATIONWIDE WHO GET POWER FROM SOLAR PANELS
THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES DURING A LOT OF SHAKEUP IN THE ENERGY INDUSTRY
UTILITY OFFICIALS ARE CONCERNED OVER "PLUG IN" SOLAR UNITS WHICH THEY SAY CAN BE A RISK TO ELECTRIC WORKERS,
A BILL TO SIMPLIFY THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR THESE PLUG-IN SOLAR UNITS RECENTLY PASSED THE SENATE AND IS CURRENTLY BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY.
THE CITY COMMISSIONED A REPORT THAT FOUND IT COULD BE COSTLY BUT ALSO LOGISTICALLY FEASIBLE TO MOVE FROM SDG&E TO A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY
THE UTILITY COMPANY ACKNOWLEDGED THE RISE IN RESIDENTIAL SOLAR IS CHANGING THE INDUSTRY AND THAT THEIR PRIORITY IS ENSURING TECHNOLOGY MEETS STRONG SAFETY STANDARDS TO PROTECT CUSTOMERS
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THE RESULTS ARE IN FOR THE COUNTY'S DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES.
THE DEPARTMENT’S BEEN UNDER CONTROVERSY SINCE FIRING THEIR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WHO HAS NOW FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE COUNTY
A CONSULTING FIRM WAS BROUGHT IN TO LOOK INTO HOW THE SHELTER OPERATES AND EVALUATE ITS STAFFING AND ANIMAL CARE PRACTICES
THE REPORT FOUND THAT THE COUNTY EXCELLED AT:
- PROVIDING HIGH-QUALITY MEDICAL CARE,
- HANDLING THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS THAT EXIT THE SHELTER ALIVE,
- AND THE AMOUNT OF CARE PROVIDED BY STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
HOWEVER, THE REPORT DID TAKE ISSUE WITH:
- HOW LONG ANIMALS STAYED…
- HOW OWNERS WERE CONTACTED ABOUT THEIR LOST PETS
- HOW STAFF POSITIONS WERE FILLED
- AND THE SANITARY CONDITIONS SPECIFICALLY AT THEIR BONITA LOCATION
THE DEPARTMENT’S DIRECTOR DOCTOR BRIE <BREE> SARVIS CALLED THE REPORT "TIMELY"
SHE SAYS THEY PLAN TO OPEN A NEW SANTEE SHELTER WHILE ALSO MAKING IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THEIR SYSTEM AS A WHOLE
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY APARTMENT VACANCIES HAVE HIT THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE THE YEAR 2 THOUSAND
EXPERTS ARE CREDITING THE INCREASE IN AVAILABILITY TO A WAVE OF NEW
APARTMENTS BEING CONSTRUCTED/FOR RENT
SAN DIEGO STILL REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO RENT IN THE COUNTRY
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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CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING A BILL TO END A LONG-RUNNING TAX BREAK FOR AN ICE DETENTION CENTER IN IMPERIAL COUNTY.
REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS THE BILL HAS DRAWN GROWING SUPPORT FROM STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS.
DETENTIONBILL (1:09) SOQ
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The tax break is called the Welfare Exemption. It’s typically reserved for charities and other nonprofits.
Earlier this year though, a KPBS investigation found the Imperial Regional Detention Facility has been receiving the exemption for almost a decade. And has avoided paying millions in property taxes.
The facility is one of eight immigration detention centers in California — and the only one that receives the welfare exemption.
Senate Bill 420 would change the language of the exemption to specifically exclude detention centers.
20260622_ivbill_digital democracy assembly hearing / 32:15
I hope this never happens again using the nonprofit umbrella because it's egregious.
That’s Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democratic assemblymember from Fullerton, speaking at a hearing on the bill last month. She pointed out that Imperial County is a farming community — one that depends heavily on immigrant workers.
20260622_ivbill_digital democracy assembly hearing / 31:49
Farming absolutely does not happen without immigrant labor. And then to turn around and build an ICE facility right there.
[31:26] It's almost beyond words to talk about in a rational way.
The detention center’s owner defended the arrangement, arguing that the facility is one of the largest employers in the county.
SB 420 has drawn support from over a dozen groups and agencies. Including the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and the state Board of Equalization.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO SAYS IT’S NOT ENFORCING ITS STREET VENDOR ORDINANCE.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS DOWNTOWN BUSINESS OWNERS ARE RAISING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS.
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VENDOR 1 (:59) SOQ
The city says in the Gaslamp district and across the rest of San Diego: street vendor Enforcement is quote “paused due to a legal challenge…”
A spokesperson for the San Diego Police Department says court orders have limited what officers can do.
Michael Trimble is executive director of the gaslamp quarter association. He says his district is supposed to be a designated no vending zone.
“During the evening from 10 pm until the bar break there are 50, 60 sometimes even 100 vendors all down 5th and 6th avenue and the cross streets. And they leave their grease, and whatever they've been selling or their waste…”
Trimble thinks the only way forward is to change state law.
“Add a larger enforcement element back into sb 946 that says if you're vending in a no vending zone without a permit, without a license you could be subject to a misdemeanor."
Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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FIREWORKS ARE ILLEGAL IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY … BUT THAT HASN’T STOPPED SOME RESIDENTS FROM LIGHTING UP ON THE FOURTH OF JULY.
THIS YEAR … THREE NORTH COUNTY CITIES ENACTED TOUGHER FIREWORKS LAWS.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW EFFECTIVE THOSE ORDINANCES WERE.
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NCFWXFOLO 1(an) TRT: 0:52 SOQ
NATPOP backyard fireworks
It’s been such a nuisance that Denise Rolan and a few residents successfully pushed Escondido to increase fines from 100 to 1-thousand dollars for each violation.
The city also added the use of drones for enforcement.
Rolan is the C-E-O of Escondido Fire Safe Council. She says there has been no noticeable difference.
“But I was very encouraged when my friend called about illegal fireworks and she said all of a sudden there was a drone overhead.”
Rolan thinks the Escondido Police Department was overwhelmed by the number of calls. It took her several tries before she got through to the dispatcher.
Meanwhile, in Oceanside, police Captain Nick Núñez says the city’s fireworks abatement law seems to have worked.
“We've actually received a couple of emails from citizens thanking us for the enforcement efforts that we made this year, and said that they've noticed a reduction in fireworks this year.”
Carlsbad and Escondido officials are still combing through the data and do not have the information just yet. an/kpbs
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BURN ALL BOOKS RECENTLY FACED ITS THIRD RENT HIKE IN THREE YEARS. THE INCREASE TOOK EFFECT THIS MONTH.
BUT ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS THE UNIQUE INDIE BOOKSTORE IS MOVING TO AN EXCITING NEW HOME.
BABNEWPLACE 1:10 SOQ
Located on Adams Avenue, Burn All Books is a small, joyfully cluttered space that’s more than a bookstore. It’s also a risograph print shop, a community hub, and a place for artists to be inspired. But the building it occupies has once again changed owners. The new rent – nearly $6000 a month – has forced Nick and Amanda Bernal to look for a new location for their shop.
NICK BERNAL So to find that next place, I think we can look at it as an opportunity for us.
AMANDA BERNAL We're big dreamers and big idea people over here. So we tend to see opportunities everywhere, but maybe that's— maybe it's that kind of psychotic optimism that has brought us here in the first place.
That psychotic optimism has paid off. The Bernals have secured a new space in Barrio Logan and will start moving out of the old one next week. They’re excited to partner with The Woo, a non-profit which is offering rent that’s $2K less. The new shop will have the same square footage plus access to the Woo’s large common areas for events. The collaboration with like minded colleagues creates an opportunity for growth. Construction is underway and Burn All Books hopes to reopen in early August.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
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SUN, SURF AND SAND… THREE WORDS DESCRIBING THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE. BUT ONLY ONE ALSO DESCRIBES A CULTURE.
FOR OUR JULY MUSEUM A MONTH, REPORTER JOHN CARROLL TAKES US TO A PLACE DEDICATED TO TELLING THE STORY OF SURFING - FROM ITS ORIGINS - TO TODAY.
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FEATURE 4:46 SOQ
((NATS/O-SIDE SURF))
TRACK:
Standing on Pacific Street above the Oceanside Pier, you’re met with an iconic California scene… surfers waiting for the perfect wave.
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TRACK:
Unfortunately on this day, there wasn’t much on offer for hanging ten… in fact, these surfers might have had a better surf-related experience just a couple of blocks up from here…
((ANOTHER NAT POP/EXTERIOR I’M THINKING, BUT IF YOU THINK SOMETHING INTERIOR WORKS BETTER HERE, THAT’S FINE.))
TRACK:
Up on Pier View Way, you find the California Surf Museum - celebrating its 40th year. Jim Kempton is the executive director.
SOT (4928) 18:52:16 - 52:24
CG: Jim Kempton/California Surf Museum Executive Director
“It started with a group of people in the North County of San Diego who were realizing that they were losing their heritage.”
TRACK:
That heritage is definitely safe here. There is, of course, a dizzying array of surfboards… more on those in a moment. But, also in front, along with the gift shop… you find a bit of science…
SOT (0211) 19:10:31 - 10:43
“Waves are generated by gigantic storms in the middle of the ocean, and those slowly, as the wind blows them in, they begin to form these sets of waves, and they travel until they hit the coast.”
TRACK:
Kempton says humans have been riding the waves in one way or another for millenia. But it is only relatively recently that what we think of as surfing came into being… that is, something that’s done for fun, just the amazing experience Kempton says surfers get by riding the waves. It all started in Hawaii.
SOT (1019) 19:17:26 - 17:55
“This exhibit is called surfriding, Hawaiian Royalty’s Gift To The World. And the gist of it is how a princess, three princes, a duke and a Hawaiian royal minister’s grandson introduced surfing around the globe… and they did it in this very short period of time between 1885 and 1915.”
TRACK:
While at military school in San Mateo in the early 1880’s, the princes introduced surfing to Santa Clara…
Then in 1892, Princess Ka’iulani, heir to the Hawaiian throne, was studying in the south of England. She drew huge crowds to the Brighton coast… people amazed at this woman riding the waves, something almost no one had ever seen before. Next was the great grandson of a Hawaiian royal minister… he brought it to the Southern California coast in 1907… Finally, in 1914, Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer, and expert surfer Duke Kahanamoku’s first stop on a world tour was Sydney, Australia… three continents introduced to this new sport, unknown before outside of Hawaii and Tahiti.
That brought us to a permanent exhibit… something you might imagine a surfing museum would have…
SOT (2743) 19:32:54 - 33:02
“It’s a brief history of surfboards, and basically what it is is a history of surfing, through the equipment.”
TRACK:
There are the early boards… long, huge, wooden 60-pound plus monsters. But over the years, innovations happened… the hollow board with ribbing inside… much lighter than the solid wood variety. Boards made out of balsa wood… then the invention of fiberglass in World War II… and the advent of the modern surfboard. Short boards and more innovations…
SOT (3702) 19:44:46 - 44:57
“Putting swallow tails in, then you’ve got the first twin-finned surfboard, two fins, changed everything about riding waves at that stage.”
TRACK:
More fins came… two, then three and four. New materials have been introduced… the latest being Kevlar.
SOT (4239) 19:47:42 - 47:45
“This is what we call our Mona Lisa.”
The Mona Lisa, in this case, is a fiberglass foam board. In October of 2003, 13-year old Bethany Hamilton was riding it… surfing the waves off Kauai, when a nearly 14-foot tiger shark took a huge bite out of it… and severed Hamilton’s left arm in the process.
A fellow surfer said he knew which shark it was… he caught it - and proved he got the right one.
SOT (0027) 19:49:33 - 49:37
“He took the jaw out and put it in this…”
“This” is the chomped out part of Hamilton’s surfboard… it fit perfectly. Hamilton recovered, and continued surfing.
((NAT POP/MUSEUM AMBI HERE?))
As the museum celebrates its 40th year, Jim Kempton is thinking about the future.
SOT (4930) 19:14:37 - 14:45
“We just always want to keep upgrading, I mean I guess that’s the thing is you just have to keep up your game because today, the world is moving a lot faster than it used to.”
TRACK:
There are plans to add two more stories, which will allow the museum to expand the ways it tells the story of a sport that happens on waves that have been crashing into the shore from time immemorial. JC, KPBS News.
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That’s it for the podcast today. Today’s podcast was edited by Traci Tong and hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
