City council approves an estimated four billion dollar Midway Rising redevelopment plan
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH>>>> [ THE MORE THAN FOUR BILLION DOLLAR MIDWAY RISING REDEVELOPMENT PLAN IS NOW MOVING FORWARD ]More on that next. But first... the headlines …#######
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS CONFIRMING THAT CALIFORNIANS HAVE OFFICIALLY VOTED AGAINST A MEASURE THAT WOULD HAVE TAXED THE WEALTH OF THE STATE’S BILLIONAIRES
PROP-FORTY MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS “THE BILLIONAIRES’ TAX” WILL NOT BE MOVING FORWARD
THE PROPOSITION WOULD HAVE IMPOSED A ONE TIME, FIVE-PERCENT TAX ON THOSE WITH A NET WORTH AT LEAST ONE BILLION- DOLLARS
ROUGHLY FIFTY-THREE PERCENT OF VOTES WERE CAST FOR NO ON PROP 40 IN COMPARISON TO JUST FORTY-SEVEN PERCENT VOTING “YES” ON THE MEASURE
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SDG&E WANTS TO RAISE YOUR ENERGY RATES BY MORE THAN EIGHT PERCENT
THE HIKE WOULD GO INTO EFFECT BEGINNING IN 20-28
STATE REGULATORS ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO WEIGH IN ON THAT REQUEST
YESTERDAY, (TUESDAY) THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION HELD TWO HEARINGS AT SANTEE CITY HALL
OPPONENTS ORGANIZED A RALLY BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRST HEARING.
THE COMMISSION WILL DECIDE ON SDG&E’S PROPOSAL NEXT YEAR
OUR PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER KEVIN TREVELLYAN WILL HAVE MORE ON THIS STORY IN TOMORROW’S PODCAST …
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ACCORDING TO THE LATEST UPDATES FROM THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS…. DEMOCRAT CANDIDATES ARE NOW IN THE LEAD IN A FEW OF OUR NORTH COUNTY MAYORAL RACES
IN ESCONDIDO...ELIAS VELAZQUEZ [kezz] NOW LEADS INCUMBENT MAYOR DANE WHITE
IN SAN MARCOS, SHARON JENKINS IS LEADING OPPONENT MIKE SANNELA BY A FEW HUNDRED VOTES
IN ENCINITAS, CHALLENGER RIMGA [RIM-GUH] VISKANTA [VISS-KAHN-TUH] LEADS INCUMBENT MAYOR BRUCE EHLER [L-ERRS] BY JUST A MERE MARGIN OF ROUGHLY FIFTY FIVE VOTES*
AND OVER IN VISTA...DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST KENNETH ZUNIGA (ZOO-nih-gah) HAS TAKEN THE LEAD OVER INDEPENDENT JOE GREEN.
VOTES ARE OF COURSE STILL BEING COUNTED SO THESE TALLIES ARE NOT FINAL.
VISIT OUR K-P-B-S ONLINE VOTER HUB FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON ALL THE RACES FROM THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News NowStay with me for more of the local news you need
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THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL HAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A MASSIVE HOUSING AND ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPMENT … THE MIDWAY RISING PROJECT SITS NEAR THE PACHANGA ARENA.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS LIKE IT OR NOT, MIDWAY RISING IS ON ITS WAY TO BREAKING GROUND
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MIDWAYVOTE 1 (ab) 0:52 soq
AB: The core component of Midway Rising is the more than 4,200 homes. 2,000 of those would be subsidized affordable housing for low-income renters. There's also a new 16,000-seat arena, parks and retail space. The development is expected to cost more than $4 billion and will likely take decades to complete. Councilmember Kent Lee says it includes substantial public benefits.
KL: Supporting today's package does not mean that we're ignoring the risks. In fact, it actually means that we are weighing those risks against the opportunity to deliver the housing, the infrastructure, the public space, the jobs, the arena and a revitalized Midway Community.
AB: Midway Rising depends on the creation of a special district where future property tax revenues would help pay for infrastructure investments. That district still needs approval from county supervisors. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news
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THE SAN DIEGO DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION IS DEMANDING ANSWERS TONIGHT AFTER A HAITIAN CHILD WAS TAKEN INTO FEDERAL CUSTODY LAST WEEK
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE CHILD IS AND WHAT STEPS THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING TO REUNITE HIM WITH HIS FAMILY
REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN HAS MORE …
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The scene of the 8-year-old being escorted out of an immigration courtroom last week gained national attention.
He boy walked with his hands in front of him. That was concerning to Congressman Juan Vargas.
He represents the district where the boy and his family live.
SOT ZOOM 1:45 → 1:55
CG: JUAN VARGAS // (D) SAN DIEGO
“Did they, in fact, arrest the child and put… looks like, you know, when he walks away, he has some sort of, you know, restraints on him. Now, I haven't seen that before.”
He and the San Diego Democratic Congressional delegation … as well as California’s two senators … sent this letter today to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
They are asking what steps the government has taken to reunite them.
KPBS has confirmed that the family’s attorney knows where the child is being held. But they are not making that public right now to protect the young boy. AN/KPBS
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OVER THE YEARS, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SAN DIEGO’S BACK COUNTRY HAVE FOUGHT BATTLES AGAINST LARGE PROJECTS THEY SAY THREATEN THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE.
EAST COUNTY REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS THEY’RE ONCE AGAIN ON HIGH ALERT … ABOUT ANOTHER POTENTIAL DATA CENTER.
JACUMBADATA 1 (1:13)
MEETING NATS
“The big picture is this is a 500 mega watt data center they’re proposing which is a medium sized data center.”
That’s Jeff Osborne speaking Monday during a meeting of the Jacumba Community Sponsor Group. As the group’s chair, he brought up the tentative plans for a data center in Jacumba, north of Interstate 8.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to represent ourselves at that table.”
There are few things these days that inflame communities more than data centers. The massive buildings powering the AI boom can have huge impacts on local land use, water and power.
Ray Tiffany lives nearby the proposed location. He was at Monday’s meeting.
“I’m pro business. I was a contractor for 30 years. But something like that out here in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. Some big ole giant, huge building that wouldn’t fit if you wanted it to. It’s just not right.”
The data center proposal comes from the Spain-based renewable energy company, IGNIS. A company representative told KPBS they are in the very early phases of deciding whether to do the project. And would do significant community outreach if they decide to go forward.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News
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A TRIBAL NATION BASED IN SAN DIEGO’S EAST COUNTY IS PROTECTING ITS COMMUNITY FROM POWER OUTAGES.
REPORTER JACOB AERE WENT TO THE MESA GRANDE RESERVATION WHERE A SERIES OF SOLAR UPGRADES ARE NOW INSTALLED BRINGING THE TRIBE A LITTLE PEACE OF MIND AND PRIDE ABOUT GOING GREEN.
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TRIBALSOLAR 1 (ja) 1:05
Rocky canyons carve through rolling green hills with oak trees … on the Mesa Grande Reservation, home to the Mesa Grande Band of Diegueño Mission Indians.
Curtis LaChusa is tribal chairman.
He says the rural community used to experience power outages several times per year — sometimes for days at a time ... and backup generators were often not reliable.
“If power goes out now, we won't notice. It'll keep going just as it is. Everything is running. We have all the communications. All the computers are working. All the services are up, all the people are here.”
The tribe partnered with the Solar Electric Light Fund to complete its first public clean energy installation: solar and battery systems now fully power three of the band’s primary administration buildings.
The band is also undertaking a long-term effort to build at least dozens of new housing units … and infrastructure … that could allow more members to return home.
The reservation is currently home to about 130 of the Tribe’s 800 enrolled citizens. JA KPBS News
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THE BLOODIEST BATTLE DURING THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN INVOLVED MARINES FROM CAMP PENDLETON
THIS VETERANS DAY, A NEW DOCUMENTARY TELLS THE STORY OF ONE UNIT’S TOUR
MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS REPORTER ANDREW DYER WENT TO CAMP PENDLETON FOR A SPECIAL SCREENING
A WARNING TO OUR LISTENERS, CLIPS FROM THE DOCUMENTARY INCLUDE BOMB AND GUN SOUND EFFECTS
DARKHORSE (ad) 4:02 SOQ
They suffered the highest casualty rate of any Marine unit during the war in Afghanistan.
Clean Ronin 3 Teaser CLIP: 15;26 - 24;16
“Anytime I think of Sangin I just think of a death valley. Death trap. Survival…
Third battalion, 5th Marines, a-k-a the Darkhorse battalion … deployed to the Sangin Valley in Helmand Province, in the fall of 20-10.
The day the battalion took control of the area, four Marines were killed when an improvised explosive device ripped their vehicle apart.
The next day, three more were killed stepping on IEDs.
CLIP 7: 05;026 - 12;02
“That day was the most exhausting day of my life …”
CleanTrailer 24;13 - 36;04
“I started feeling like woozy from all the blood coming out. And I just remember telling Jacobs hey man, tell my daughter I love her, you know I’m not going to make it.
In all, 25 Darkhorse Marines lost their lives fighting. 200 were wounded.
Stephen Brooks was there.
Z63_2806.mp4 03;14;29 - 03;23;15
Stephen Brooks, Marine veteran, 3/5
We prepared for the worst, and we we got the worst.
He was 19 when 3-5 arrived in Afghanistan.
Z63_2806.mp4 07;59;07 - 08;05;08
So most people who meet me have no idea that I was marine or I went through such a traumatic deployment
A new documentary called Ronin 3: The Battle for Sangin, tells the story of Brooks' platoon…
Veterans of the battle have called Sangin “Hell on Earth.”
Daily patrols meant daily firefights.
And the Taliban fighters in Sangin used pressure plate activated IEDs .. landmines … designed to maim rather than kill.
But Brooks says the battalion accomplished what it set out to do in the valley.
Z63_2806.mp4 01;44;28 - 02;02;28
Stephen Brooks
It was an area that had never been occupied by American forces before. We didn't exactly know what we were going into. We faced overwhelming odds and overcame.
For him the legacy is more complicated.
Z63_2806.mp4 02;03;22 - 02;17;13
Stephen Brooks
Brotherhood, survival.
Yeah. Joy, loss, everything kind of all rolled into one.
It was the casualties the Sangin Valley took from the Marines that made headlines. Ronin 3 director Jeanne McKinney doesn’t want them to define what those Marines accomplished.
Z63_2808.mp4 02;09;26 - 02;18;26
Jeanne McKinney, filmmaker, Ronin 3: The Battle for Sangin
the battle is not about the casualty count. The battle is about what has stopped in the area that you're fighting in
Z63_2808.mp4 02;41;18 - 02;47;20
they were determined to go out. They weren't going to be dictated to by the Taliban and their allies.
Last week at Camp Pendleton, the filmmakers held a screening of the first episode for some current day 3-5 Marines.
Like Lance Corporal Matthew Leyen
Z63_2805.mp4: 06;39;27 - 06;49;03
Lance Cpl. Matthew Leyen
I just went on my first deployment. I was on, the 11th meu going, heading to Iran. So I just actually came back from that.
Most of the Darkhorse Battalion are deployed right now on the USS Boxer. Leyen says he didn’t know much about the Ronin 3 story before the screening.
Z63_2805.mp4: 02;03;09 - 02;10;10
Lance Cpl. Matthew Leyen
Actually, I didn't know much about the history, and watching it actually makes me, like, even more prouder to be with three five.
McKinney interviewed more than two dozen Darkhorse Marines while making the documentary. She doesn’t want the legacy of the war to revolve around how it ended in 20-21.
Z63_2808.mp4 04;59;01 - 05;13;17
Jeanne McKinney, filmmaker, Ronin 3: The Battle for Sangin
that's not how that's not how the war should be remembered, is what the politicians did at the end.
She says Veterans Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the war’s legacy.
Z63_2808.mp4 09;23;09 - 09;43;26
Jeanne McKinney, filmmaker, Ronin 3: The Battle for Sangin
this is your next door neighbor. This is your UPS driver. This is, you know, this is people now that are blended back into civilization.
But they were wearing that uniform. Walking around in a kill zone you know, in 2010.
A lot of the veterans that served in the Sangin Valley still carry scars and trauma from the fighting.
TBut Brooks wants people to move beyond stereotypes that persist about combat veterans struggling to adjust to the civilian world.
Z63_2806.mp4 07;45;15 - 08;05;08
Stephen Brooks
That's that's not the case, you know, for for everybody or most people. Honestly, mental health resources are amazing these days, and there's so much less stigma around seeking mental help.
He recommends Marines use available resources when they transition out of the military.
Z63_2806.mp4: 11;47;11 - 11;55;22
Stephen Brooks lean on your network, lean on your friends.
That's going to be sort of the best path that you have to to sort of successfully reintegrate.
Andrew Dyer, KPBS News.
ANCHOR TAG: THE DOCUMENTARY RONIN 3: IS NOW STREAMING ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
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108-YEARS AGO TODAY, WORLD WAR ONE CAME TO AN END… AND IN 1919, THIS BECAME VETERANS DAY
FOR OUR NOVEMBER MUSEUM A MONTH, REPORTER JOHN CARROLL TAKES US TO A ONE-OF-A-KIND PLACE THAT STANDS IN HONOR OF THOSE WHO’VE SERVED SINCE THE NATION’S FOUNDING.
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MAMSOLEDAD FEATURE 4:28 SOQ
TRACK:
In a region that features endless beautiful views, the one from atop Mount Soledad stands out. 360 degrees across a large swath of San Diego county… pairs with a vista of the Pacific Ocean to create a very special place.
SOT (6311) 1:23:27 - 23:35
“We strive on a daily basis to project this memorial as the most pristine veterans memorial in the United States.”
TRACK:
That’s Neil O’Connell… he’s the executive director of the Mount Soledad Memorial Association - the non profit that runs the memorial.
SOT (6311) 1:24:01 - 24:14
CG: Neil O’Connell/Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial
“So when folks come here, to the tune of about 350,000 visitors a year to the memorial, they will come in here and view a memorial unlike anything they’ve seen anywhere.”
TRACK:
The memorial has changed a lot over the years since it was dedicated in 1954. For decades, it was just the white cross at the peak of Mt. Soledad. And there were challenges to that cross being there… years of litigation.
SOT (6311) 1:34:01 - 34:13
“The whole entire case took forever - it really was about 26 years. And, it held our hands for quite a bit of the while because we couldn’t develop the memorial.”
TRACK:
Over the years, the Mt. Soledad land has been owned by both the Navy and the City of San Diego. The litigious chapter finally ended in 2015 when the memorial association bought the land from the Defense Department. But years before that, work began on the walls which host the plaques… plaques that feature pictures, along with the awards the vets earned and the era in which they served.
SOT (6311) 1:28:46 - 28:59
“We got serious in 2000, 2002 - we said listen folks, we have an opportunity here to take this to the next level. So henceforth, we built six walls and we started up with the plaque project.”
TRACK:
The walls are finished in a black granite…
SOT (0275/OSMO) 15:40:02 - 40:13 - 40:32
“This granite, 3 centimeters - it is the same exact granite that’s on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC… The plaques are about a quarter inch thick and there’s somewhat of a standard appearance to these, with the look of a photo, the layout and the individual’s awards - decorations.”
TRACK:
There are currently about 7,800 plaques - and room for about a thousand more… each of them with glimpses into the unique stories of some extraordinary people… some known only to family and friends…
SOT (0275) 15:45:56 - :46:06
“Look at this. Navy Cross, Bronze Star, World War II victory.”
TRACK:
And there are the vets that are very well known…
SOT (0290) 15:57:44 - 57:48
“We have an unbelievable piece of history here with Dorie Miller…”
TRACK:
Doris “Dorie” Miller, as you may know, was a mess attendant on the USS West Virginia when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. After rushing the ship’s mortally wounded captain to safety, he took over an unattended 50-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun and fired at incoming Japanese aircraft. He’d had no training on the weapon, yet various eyewitnesses say he downed between four and six aircraft. He was awarded the Navy Cross. O’Connell says he deserves more.
SOT (0290) 15:59:15 - 59:28
“He personally in today’s standard should be upgraded to the Medal of Honor, without a doubt, and there’s resolutions out there and I hope there’s some consideration for that to happen.”
TRACK:
Not every veteran on a plaque here has passed away. (Another little) An unexpected moment came when we saw a plaque of Jim Wheyland… pictured as a young cigar-chomping marine in Vietnam on his plaque… and just a few feet away, there was Jim today… a docent at Mt. Soledad.
TRACK:
Veterans from every era are here… from the Revolutionary War up to the present day… a place of beauty… of remembrance… a spot to reflect on the gift of service given by Americans for 250 years. JC, KPBS News
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IN JOHN PEARSON’S "JAMES BOND: THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF DOUBLE-OH-SEVEN ," NOVEMBER 11TH IS CITED AS THE BIRTHDAY OF IAN FLEMING’S FICTIONAL BRITISH SPY.
AS A LIFELONG DOUBLE-OH-SEVEN FAN, OUR CINEMA JUNKIE, BETH ACCOMANDO, IS HOSTING A BOND BIRTHDAY PARTY TODAY AT THE DIGITAL GYM CINEMA.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT :
BONDBDAY (ba) 1:19 SOQ
Sean Connery retired from playing the MI6 agent with a license to kill in 1971 but was lured back in 1983 for the Bond film Never Say Never Again.
CLIP Q: Now that you’re on this I hope we’re going to have some gratuitous sex and violence…
Bond: I certainly hope so too
In honor of Bond’s birthday, Film Geeks SD is hosting a screening of Never Say Never Again with a live commentary by Sir Sean Connery.
CLIP Tom Steward as Sean: The Live commentary for Never Say Never Again
Will reveal what it was like for me to return to the role of James Bond at age (mumbles) and answer all the questions you might have about the making of the film.
Yeah, we didn’t raise Sir Sean from the dead but we are channeling him through writer and actor Tom Steward who created the Fringe show One Man Bond. It was exactly 007 years ago that Steward gloriously performed a live commentary as Roger Moore for Moonraker. Now he returns to delight partygoers with an interactive commentary for Never Say Never Again. Plus he’ll provide a musical introduction, host Bond trivia, and provide a gadget from Q Branch.
So pick up your 007 ID badge Wednesday at 7pm for your license to celebrate Bond at Digital Gym Cinema.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News
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That’s it for today’s pod. This podcast is edited by Laura Castañeda & is hosted and produced by myself, 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.
