California is considering added protections for those facilitating gender affirming care and abortions
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, JULY FIFTEENTH>>>> [ WE’LL TELL YOU HOW A BILL THAT’S BEING CONSIDERED WOULD HELP TO PROTECT FACILITATORS OF GENDER AFFIRMING CARE AND ABORTIONS ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THE MEXICAN CONSULATE AND A CITY HEIGHTS NON PROFIT HAVE SIGNED A FIVE-YEAR MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO PROTECT MEXICAN CITIZENS
THE CITY HEIGHTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION -- otherwise known as -- THE C-D-C HAS AGREED TO BE THERE FOR WHAT IT CALLS IMMIGRATION-RELATED SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY
A STATEMENT SAYS THAT BOTH GROUPS WILL WORK TOGETHER AND SHOW HOW RECENT EVENTS AND POLICIES HAVE IMPACTED THE MEXICAN COMMUNITY
CITY HEIGHTS LEADERS SAY THAT ONE-THIRD OF THEIR RESIDENTS ARE FOREIGN-BORN -- WITH MORE THAN HALF IDENTIFYING AS HISPANIC
THE AGREEMENT'S OVERALL GOAL IS TO STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR MEXICAN NATIONALS REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS
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REBATES FOR FIRST-TIME ELECTRIC VEHICLE BUYERS ARE BACK ON
ON MONDAY, GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM SIGNED S-B 168 INTO LAW
IT STATES THAT IF YOU SPEND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ON A NEW E-V YOU WILL RECEIVE A THIRTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR REBATE ...
AND IF YOU SPEND 25 THOUSAND DOLLARS ON A NEW E-V YOU WILL RECEIVE A REBATE OF 17 HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS
REUTERS SAYS LEGISLATION SIGNED LAST YEAR BY PRESIDENT TRUMP ENDED FEDERAL E-V TAX CREDITS; RESULTING IN AN IMMEDIATE REDUCTION IN U-S SALES
THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY SAYS THAT EV'S ACCOUNTED FOR ROUGHLY TWENTY PERCENT OF ALL NEW VEHICLES PURCHASED IN CALIFORNIA LAST YEAR
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AS THE 20-26 FIFA WORLD CUP ROLLS ALONG, A RECENT N-P-R POLL SAYS THAT MANY ENGLISH SPEAKING AMERICANS ARE LISTENING TO SPANISH-LANGUAGE BROADCASTS LIKE TELEMUNDO
THE POLL SAYS THAT TWENTY-PERCENT OF TELEMUNDO'S TOTAL WORLD CUP VIEWERS PRIMARILY SPEAK ENGLISH
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAYS CENSUS FIGURES SHOW THAT ROUGHLY HALF OF ALL WORLD CUP VIEWERS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE AT SOME POINT, WATCHED A MATCH IN SPANISH
THE A-P SAYS THE CONVERTED VIEWERS MENTION OTHER REASONS LIKE:
- THAT ICONIC GOOOOOAL CALL DURING MATCHES,
- THE FACT THAT TELEMUNDO DOESN'T CUT AWAY TO COMMERCIALS DURING HYDRATION BREAKS
- AND FOR SOME, THE FACT THAT A SUBSCRIPTION TO PEACOCK, WHICH INCLUDES TELEMUNDO, IS CHEAPER THAN THE COMPETITION: FOX ONE.
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 IS CONSIDERING MORE PROTECTIONS FOR DOCTORS AND NURSES WHO FACILITATE GENDER AFFIRMING CARE AND ABORTIONS USING TELE-HEALTH ACROSS STATE LINES.
JACKIE FORTIER [[FOUR-TEE-AYE]] WITH K-F-F HEALTH NEWS HAS THE DETAILS.
EXTRADITION 1 (TCR) (1:43) "...workers from extradition."
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When Louisiana asked California to send them a doctor accused of breaking that state’s law by mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana resident, Governor Gavin Newsom refused. Now Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento want to make sure future governors have to do the same.
The bill would require the California governor to deny extradition requests involving reproductive or gender-affirming care.
Amanda Barrow is a health law expert at UCLA. She says Newsom used an executive order to deny the extradition.
BARROW: An executive order which could be revoked by a governor who is anti-abortion or anti-gender affirming care; it just offers less protection than a legislatively enacted law. :11
The issue has become part of the governor's race. At a June debate, Democrat Xavier Becerra said if elected, he would not extradite the doctor.
BECERRA: Absolutely no and when I was AG I protected reproductive rights here in California. :04
But Republican Steve Hilton told KQED, he would send the California doctor to Louisiana to face criminal charges.
HILTON: Louisiana is trying to uphold what its people voted for, and California is undermining it, and I don’t think that’s right. :08
If convicted, doctors and nurses sent across state lines could face tens of thousands of dollars in fines and years in prison.
GRAHAM: It’s scary :01
Kamara Graham hopes the bill becomes law to protect health workers. She’s an emergency room doctor in Sacramento.
GRAHAM: It's really conflicting and hard for us to weigh that concern of will I get extradited and charged and potentially be taken away from my family or do I do the right thing for my patient? :10
So far, 17 states and Washington DC have shield legislation that protects health workers from extradition.
TAG: THAT WAS JACKIE FORTIER [[FOUR-TEE-AYE]] WITH K-F-F HEALTH NEWS.
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AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE 90’S IN PARTS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY, HEALTH EXPERTS ARE URGING PEOPLE NOT TO UNDERESTIMATE THE RISKS OF PROLONGED HEAT EXPOSURE.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO EXPLAINS WHY RECOGNIZING THE WARNING SIGNS EARLY COULD PREVENT A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
HEAT 1 trt: 1:13 SOQ
MAUREEN MACKENZIE
We don’t have air conditioning in our house so it' s a bit difficult to cool down so we seek out places like this library.
Maureen MacKensie escaped the heat at San Diego’s Central Library with her husband and grandson.
MAUREEN MACKENZIE
It’s important to keep the little one comfortable, us comfortable…in a good mood.
In San Diego County there are nearly 80 Cool Zone locations where residents can cool off in air-conditioned spaces.
Dr. Ian Neel is a physician at UC San Diego. He says every organ is involved in maintaining our internal temperature.
DR. IAN NEEL
The hotter outside it gets, the more our body has to work to maintain that normal internal heat. And when we start to undergo what's called heat stress, that can really start to increase how much our body is having to work to keep cool.
Neel says heat can affect everyone, but seniors, children and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the most vulnerable.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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A SAN DIEGO JUDGE HAS REJECTED DEFAMATION CLAIMS FILED AGAINST KPBS OVER PRIOR REPORTING ON A PROPOSED DATA CENTER IN IMPERIAL VALLEY.
PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER JAKE GOTTA HAS MORE
DATASLAPP 1 (jg/qo) TRT :54 SOQ
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LAST YEAR KPBS REPORTED ON A PROPOSED DATA CENTER PROJECT IN IMPERIAL COUNTY.
THAT STORY SAID THE DATA CENTER WOULD REQUIRE 750,000 GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY FOR FACILITY OPERATIONS.
SEBASTIAN RUCCI, THE DEVELOPER WITH A COMPANY CALLED IMPERIAL VALLEY COMPUTER MANUFACTURING TOOK ISSUE WITH THIS COVERAGE.
THEY CALLED THE STORIES, A QUOTE “COORDINATED SERIES OF DEFAMATORY PUBLICATIONS DISSEMINATED ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS,” IN THEIR COMPLAINT.
BUT LAST FRIDAY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE CYNTHIA FREELAND RULED IN FAVOR OF KPBS.
THE PLAINTIFFS ARGUED THE STORY WAS INACCURATE BECAUSE IT DIDN’T INCLUDE THEIR PLAN TO USE RECLAIMED WATER. JUDGE FREELAND WROTE THAT THIS DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT THE DATA CENTER WOULD REQUIRE 750,000 GALLONS A DAY.
IN A STATEMENT, KPBS GENERAL MANAGER DEANNA MACKEY SAID QUOTE,
“WE STAND BY [OUR] REPORTING AND OUR NEWSROOM’S HIGH JOURNALISTIC STANDARDS.”
RUCCI TOLD KPBS HE RESPECTFULLY DISAGREES WITH THE COURT’S RULING AND HE PLANS TO PURSUE FURTHER LEGAL ACTION.
JAKE GOTTA, KPBS NEWS
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MOST OF US DON'T THINK ABOUT THE COST OF DYING... UNTIL WE'RE FORCED TO. AS PART OF OUR PRICE OF SAN DIEGO SERIES, HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO EXPLAINS WHY SAYING GOODBYE CAN COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
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POSDDYING 4:40 SOQ
SOT: shovel digging dirt
This is the sound...of one of life's hardest moments.
And in San Diego...it can also be one of the most expensive.
PENNY WAUGH
DEATH NETWORK
I spent time with the families. I helped them make all of these decisions that they have to make in one of the worst moments of their lives.
Penny Waugh is a death doula and a funeral arranger.
PENNY WAUGH
What I learned was that we are so uneducated on what death and dying can look like here in the U.S. and people are just making rash, urgent decisions.
She says many families walk into a funeral home without knowing what their options are.
PENNY WAUGH
So we're all familiar with American burial, where the body is embalmed, we’re placed into a casket. Then that casket goes into a concrete vault.
SOT: Wind chimes
A traditional burial remains an important choice for many families, especially the older generation. Iris Wise is a family service advisor at Singing Hills Memorial Park. It's a cemetery in El Cajon.
IRIS WISE
SINGING HILLS MEMORIAL PARK
A traditional in-ground casket for a single person that's closer to about 12,000 to 13,000.
So...where does that money go?
Wise says families aren't just paying for the cemetery space. They’re paying for the land, the labor, the burial vault and ongoing care.
Those costs rarely go down.
IRIS WISE
The cost of any kind of burial will go up every single year, regardless of inflation or not.
Getting a body prepared at a funeral home is another cost.
Nationally, the average price of a traditional funeral is about $8,300 dollars.
Waugh says here in San Diego...it’s often well over ten thousand.
PENNY WAUGH
Cemetery space can be really expensive here because we have beautiful views and beautiful landscape... and all of those carry a little bit of a higher price tag.
And for families who aren't expecting that kind of bill...the decision about how to say goodbye...can quickly become a decision about what they can afford.
PENNY WAUGH
It can be a little sticker shock…and so what happens unfortunately is a lot of people just automatically opt for flame cremation.
Flame cremation can start around $1,500 dollars.
SOT: These are mostly traditional urns, maybe to be buried in the cemetery or placed in your home.
Savannah Turhan owns Orchid Cremations in Carlsbad. She says cremation is still the most popular option. But she's seeing a growing interest in alternatives.
SAVANNAH TURHAN
ORCHID CREMATIONS
That younger generation coming up is definitely more environmentally conscious…they want more options.
SOT: So that would be the perforated basket the loved one would stay in. The perforations allow that water to cycle through during the process…
Among the newer options...is water cremation. It can cost around $3,800 dollars. It’s more than flame cremation, but providers say part of that cost comes from how the process works.
KAHLA FLORES
WHITE ROSE AQUA CREMATION
Water cremation is an all electric process. The cost of electricity itself has definitely gone up and it has been significant for us.
Kahla Flores runs White Rose Aqua Cremation in Escondido.
KAHLA FLORES
It's basically returning your body to its natural state which is amino acids, peptides, sugars, protein and water.
SOT: Water, ocean…radio chatter
Then there's burial at sea.
It can cost anywhere from $500 dollars for an unattended ash scattering…to about $6,000 for a full-body burial.
Chris Anderson is owner of Water and Ash Burials.
CHRIS ANDERSON
WATER AND ASH BURIALS
People get a sense of peace when they're out at the ocean that you might not get in a traditional cemetery setting.
He says the price covers the boat and crew...the permits...flowers...and a memorial with the exact coordinates of where a loved one is laid to rest.
SOT: So instead of going into the ground, you go into like a chamber…
Waugh believes...the burial choices people have will only continue to grow.
SOT: So within about three months... this is what your body will turn into.
Beginning next year...California will legalize another option…human composting.
SOT: All of your fleshy material turns into soil.
Waugh holds a mound of soil in her hands made from human remains.
SOT: You can mix it with like miracle grow and plant vegetables and flowers.
For Waugh...the goal isn't to convince families how they should say goodbye.
It's to make sure...they know they have choices.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, THE ESCONDIDO PUBLIC LIBRARY WAS TEMPORARILY SET UP INSIDE AN UNCONVENTIONAL LOCATION: THE NORTH COUNTY MALL.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS MAJOR RENOVATIONS ON ITS MAIN SITE ARE ALMOST COMPLETE. TRUCKLOADS OF MATERIALS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO ITS DOWNTOWN HOME AHEAD OF ITS REOPENING NEXT MONTH.
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ESCOLIBRARY 1 (ja) :58 soq
It’s taking a little longer than expected …
**nat pop of construction**
But the almost finished results are worth the wait: Escondido has brought its 45-year-old library into the modern era.
Rino Landa (REE-no LAN-duh) is library director.
He says the timeline was delayed a few months because they added on to the original plans … with outside solar panels over the parking lot … and made other changes inside.
“The initial grant only covered the scope of the first floor and critical building systems like HVAC, electrical, plumbing, restrooms. Because of good management and bids that came under expectations it freed up funds for extra work especially here on the second floor and back of house.”
During construction, the library was temporarily set up in the nearby Mershops North County mall to keep services running.
Starting August 3, Landa says people will be able to use the updated building, seven days a week. JA 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. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
