Controversy over moving rail line into tunnel
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, August 28th.
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Plans to move the rail line off the Del Mar Bluffs and into an underground tunnel are causing controversy. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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An Excessive Heat Watch will be in effect in the county’s valleys and mountain areas starting at 10 this morning until 8 tomorrow night.
The National Weather Service says temperatures will be up to eight degrees above average for this time of year.
In the county’s inland areas temps are expected to be in the mid 90s, by the coast the high 70s, and in the mountains, it’ll be in the high 80s.
An excessive heat warning will also be in effect until tomorrow night in the county’s desert areas, where temps will reach up to 113.
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San Diego is among the 13 worst spots for human trafficking in the country.
That’s according to the F-B-I.
A 20-16 study by U-S-D and Point Loma Nazarene University shows that about 8-thousand people are victims of human trafficking each year, and the average age of victims is 16.
Tomorrow, county supervisor Jim Desmond plans to introduce a proposal that would increase human trafficking awareness education in schools.
Currently, 7th and 8th grade students are given anti-trafficking training.
“We want to expand that. out of 500,000 students – a half a million students — only a fraction are getting that education..”
The proposed legislation would provide training and educational materials to parents, students, school staff and teachers.
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The Regional Task Force on Homelessness has published an initial report on veteran homelessness in the county.
The monthly measure is to track the organization’s progress toward its goal of reducing veteran homelessness to zero.
The report says, the county needs to increase the number of homeless veterans placed in housing every month from 70 to 77 to meet the goal.
The report says the county could meet its goal in a little over a year.
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Coming up… A closer look at the proposed routes and timeline to move the rail line off the Del Mar Bluffs into an underground tunnel.
More on that story, next, just after the break.
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Coastal erosion means it’s a problem to have train tracks right along the beach.
One solution: to move the rail line off the coastal bluffs, including in Del Mar.
Plans to tunnel that portion of the rail line are underway.
But North County reporter Tania Thorne says Del Mar residents aren’t happy about it.
Just a few feet of delicate rock stand between the scenic Del Mar rail line and the beach down below where people often sunbathe and walk. It's also the area where officials want to move the rail line away from the beach…into a tunnel. It would be a permanent solution to coastal erosion halting train service. But those plans don’t sit very well with some of Del Mar residents… because they include an underground tunnel running under the town. Who does not want a tunnel running under Del Mar? Raise your hand. During a recent city council meeting, SANDAG gave residents an update on the LOSSAN rail realignment project in Del Mar. 5 route options were presented, and two of them have been studied more seriously by SANDAG. Deputy CEO Colleen Clementson explains why. So this just really helps to inform the process. It doesn't necessarily take anything else off the table. It just gives us this finer level of detail to really understand the constraints that we're dealing with in this project. The state has given a $300 million dollar grant to study the best options. The 2 routes that were analyzed run underneath two roads, Camino Del Mar and Crest Canyon. And as we started to do that more detailed analysis, we we came to understand that we didn't actually need as big a tunnel as we thought. it can actually be smaller. And so what we did it's called 10 percent design on 2 of them. But Clementson says the analysis doesn't mean the other options are eliminated. Reverend Paige Blair-Hubert is the director of St. Peters Church, which is sandwiched between the two studied routes. We're pretty familiar with this soil. We very recently did a construction project in which we dug an elevator shaft and it was actually the most hairy part of the project. Blair-Hubert says before a shovel went into the ground, soil tests and engineering had to be cleared. But nothing predicted what they found once digging began. The sides were coming in on themselves and it was like they were trying to shovel glitter. It was pretty hairy and It wasn't clear what it was going to take to stabilize. And that was just a little elevator shaft a block away in either direction of the two proposals they’re discussing. Her concern is what will come out of the environmental studies that have yet to be done. If the soil is already problematic where they have the train tracks, and its problematic because of the vibration and the use and erosion then tunneling through the earth and creating erosion opportunities and more vibration opportunities it just seems pretty problematic. Some residents think it would be better to move the tracks near the I-5 freeway. But Clementson with SANDAG says the I-5 route comes with challenges. So with I 5. When you kind of look at some of the other options, it's further away from the existing rail corridor. So you have to build more infrastructure… that increases cost. And Clementson says more tracks mean a larger impact to homes and businesses. We absolutely want to minimize the amount of property that has to be purchased. But we know, no matter what with this project there will be the need for property acquisition. And longer rail lines mean an increase in travel time too, which SANDAG doesn’t want. The train between San Diego and Orange County has been halted over and over again because of another trouble spot in San Clemente. State Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D) Encinitas what's been happening is that individual sections will compete against each other for grants, State Senator Catherine Blakespear says the responsibility for the 351 mile long corridor currently falls among multiple agencies. they'll also make their own just internal decisions about whether the transit agency wants to make an improvement to that section. Blakespear says the agencies need to come together and prioritize projects, not compete for funding. And right now, the attention falls on Del Mar. A final design for Del Mar won’t be announced until 2026. Until then, SANDAG plans on conducting studies and talking to the public. TT KPBS News.
TAG: SANDAG invites the public to weigh in on the plans Wednesday at 6-30 p-m, at Del Mar’s city hall.
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Some people commute to work by train, but for others who commute by car, even with the new norm of remote and hybrid work, traffic is still a headache.
Reporter Jacob Aere says a new study reveals that commuting to a job may be costing more than you think.
A new study shows commuters in san diego lose an average of $6,200 in wages per year due to an average 45 minute round-trip commute. it’s similar in chula vista … and even worse in oceanside. and many lower-income workers have no choice but to drive, says circulate san diego’s colin parent. “we can't be talking about working from home for bus drivers, for nurses, for school teachers. we really do need to take into account and think about how to improve people’s commutes.” the study shows that roughly 9 to 12 percent of annual wages in san diego county go straight into a gas tank. jacob aere, kpbs news.
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Coming up.... A San Diego Lifeguard Lieutenant gives us tips on how to stay safe in the water. We’ll have that and more, just after the break.
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Summer is beginning to wind down, but people are still flocking to area beaches and bays, to not only escape the heat but to just simply enjoy what the San Diego coastline has to offer.
But with all the fun to be had, we can’t forget how a day of fun can easily turn into a tragic situation, if we don’t put safety first.
Here to give us a refresher on how to stay safe during water play is San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Lifeguard Lieutenant Jacob Magness ... Welcome to the San Diego News Now podcast.
I’m thinking stronger and different skills are needed in the ocean than in a swimming pool, or even a lake. Can you talk a little about this?
Do rules differ for let’s say a paddleboarder or a swimmer, from someone on a boat or a jet ski? Especially, in those no-wake areas, how do they all safely co-exist in a crowded bay?
Do people need special training or a license to drive a boat or operate any other watercraft?
How about age limits, for let’s say the jet skies. Is there a minimum age for that?
Is there anything we should know to stay safe in the water?
With the upcoming Labor Day holiday, we get a lot of visitors.. how do you make sure they’re being safe and are aware of the dangers of being in the water, such as.. with rip currents?
Can you give us something quick in case you are caught in a rip current?
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We’ve been bringing you stories about public art in our community.
For this installment, video journalist Matt Bowler has the story of San Diego artists who make art in public, that’s also about the public.
They wear out shoe leather They talk to strangers They move through our shared spaces like, ballerinas. For them, the public is the source of their art. Ariana Drehsler is a photojournalist for Voice of San Diego. Even on assignment, sometimes the street gives her something beautiful. Months ago when I photographed the point-in-time count I saw this woman at 7:00 AM feeding the birds, the light was amazing and you all these birds Street Photography means depicting ordinary life…and it’s one of the oldest photographic styles. Chantel Paul is the Galleries and Exhibitions Coordinator for San Diego State University’s four galleries. Chantel Paul Galleries and Exhibitions Coordinator for SDSU Street photography is a style of photography that quite often is referred to as something that is really capturing the energy or essence of life on the street. She says the desire to document San Diego comes out of a sense of pride. I think the fact that people are working in our city in this way, it also elevates San Diego in a way. To say people want to share what the city is, they want to create a portrait of the city. Street photography is about the public and it’s made in public. So in some ways, it is public art. Matt Bowler KPBS News.
TAG: Ariana Drehsler’s street photography can be found on her instagram page.
It’s linked on kpbs-dot-org.
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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. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Monday.
