Cost of food, shelter and medical care among highest in the nation
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s TUESDAY, JANUARY 20TH>>>> MORE THAN A QUARTER OF SAN DIEGANS DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HAS NAMED TWO SAN
DIEGO BAY FERRIES TO ITS NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC
PLACES
THE SILVERGATE, BUILT IN 19-40 AND THE CABRILLO, BUILT
IN 19-64, ARE BOTH STILL IN OPERATION TODAY
THE SILVERGATE BEGAN SERVICE JUST BEFORE THE U-S ENTERED INTO WORLD WAR TWO
IT BEGAN AS A TRANSPORTATION METHOD FOR THOSE TRAVELING
FROM SAN DIEGO TO NAVAL STATION NORTH ISLAND ON CORONADO
A STATEMENT FROM FLAGSHIP CRUISES AND EVENTS SAYS
THE CABRILLO WAS OPERATED AS AN EXCURSION VESSEL DURING
THE POST-WAR MARI-TIME RECREATION BOOM
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THE REPAIR TO THE MASSIVE SINKHOLE ON MORENA BOULEVARD NEAR SHERMAN STREET ISN'T EXPECTED TO BE FULLY COMPLETED UNTIL THIS EVENING
THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO SAID THE BROKEN PIPE THAT CAUSED THE SINKHOLE WAS FIXED FRIDAY
THEN CREWS FROM AT&T AND S-D-G-&-E NEED TO FIX THEIR DAMAGED LINES BEFORE THE TRENCH CAN BE FILLED, WATER RESTORED AND ROADS REOPENED
ALMOST A DOZEN BUSINESSES IN THE AREA HAVE BEEN WITHOUT WATER SINCE THURSDAY
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FORECASTERS SAY THAT THE DRY AND WARM WEATHER SHOULD
CONTINUE ACROSS THE COUNTY TODAY
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ROUGHLY FIVE TO TEN DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR
TOMORROW, A COOLING TREND WILL BEGIN AND CONTINUE
THROUGH FRIDAY
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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FOOD, SHELTER AND MEDICAL CARE CONTINUE TO SQUEEZE SAN DIEGANS’ POCKETBOOKS. IN FACT, THEY STILL PAY SOME OF THE HIGHEST COSTS IN THE COUNTRY FOR BASIC NECESSITIES. AS A RESULT, MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING HUNGRY. AND A LOCAL ECONOMIST SAYS THERE ARE SIGNS OF A WEAKENING LOCAL LABOR MARKET.
REPORTER AMITA SHARMA SPOKE TO KPBS'S KATIE ANASTAS ABOUT SAN DIEGO’S ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR 2026.
SDECON 3:54 ("...Thank you Katie.")
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Q. Amita, let’s start with inflation. What kind of toll are high prices taking on San Diegans?
Well, let me give you the backdrop of what people in the San Diego region are facing. At 4 percent, we have the second highest inflation in the country. Broken down…that means that we’re paying 5.6 more on housing than in November 2024, 7 percent more at the gas pump and around 1 percent more on food, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You mentioned the toll on people…I spoke with 65-year-old Carol Peter who lives in a trailer in an RV Park in El Cajon. Her rent on the tiny spit of land where her RV sits just went up from $750 a month to 1,045 a month…so she NOW spends 80 percent of what she receives monthly from Supplemental Security Income on housing…leaving her very little for food. She clips coupons, depends on Meals on Wheels and CalFresh. But she still doesn’t have enough to eat.
Carol Peter/El Cajon Resident [00:09:57] “I'm just sticking to the basics. I'll eat oatmeal for dinner, and I guess I eat maybe twice a day, which now it's considered intermittent fasting, but that's basically what I've decided to do.”
Q. AMITA, GIVEN WHAT WE JUST HEARD ABOUT HOUSING TAKING UP AN OVERWHELMING SHARE OF HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS... WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY IN THE REGION?
Not good, Katie. And expected to get worse. In fact, the numbers haven’t been this high since the pandemic. And since the pandemic, nationally, the cost of food has risen 25 percent. Joseph Kendrick of the San Diego Hunger Coalition says food insecurity in the area has risen in recent years in lockstep with inflation and stagnant pay. Today, there are 850,000 people who don’t have enough to eat in a county of just over 3 million people. So around 26 percent of San Diegans. He says it’s higher – 32 percent – for children and 39 percent for people with disabilities.
Joseph Kendrick/Research Manager The San Diego Hunger Coalition 5:37 “I think it says that we're struggling as a county. I think a lot of this is wages. It means that workers just simply aren't being paid enough, especially with the exorbitant cost of living and the exorbitant cost of raising children in this county with how expensive home prices are, rent is, gas, food.”
Q. Amita, speaking of wages, how are we doing on the job front in 2026?
At 4.6 percent, unemployment in San Diego County is a smidge higher than the national average…basically mirroring it. And local economist Alan Gin characterizes the local labor market as a little weak right now. He blames uncertainty.
Alan Gin, USD Associate Professor of Economics [00:05:44.29] “The tariff situation keeps changing. If you're a business, it's difficult for you to make plans, particularly about hiring people and making a commitment to hire somebody for the long term. If you don't know when or what your input prices are going to be or whether or not then you're going to have to pay the tariff somewhere along the line.”
And Katie,The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases inflation figures for local metropolitan areas every two months. Nationally, every month. And inflation ticked up just 0.3 percent across the country in December…2.7 over the last year. Nationally, inflation spiked for energy, medical services and housing. We’ve seen those same spikes right here in San Diego.
Katie: Amita, thank you.
Amita: Thank you.
HOST OUT: THAT WAS AMITA SHARMA SPEAKING WITH KATIE ANASTAS. THE REPORTING WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE PUBLIC MATTERS PARTNERSHIP. FIND MORE ABOUT PUBLIC MATTERS ONLINE AT KPBS-DOT-ORG.
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ENHANCED FEDERAL TAX CREDITS HELPED MORE THAN 30-THOUSAND SAN DIEGANS GAIN HEALTH COVERAGE THROUGH COVERED CALIFORNIA SINCE 20-21. THOSE SUBSIDIES EXPIRED ON DECEMBER 31ST.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO EXPLAINS HOW FEDERAL CHANGES ARE AFFECTING WHO’S BUYING HEALTH INSURANCE AS THE OPEN ENROLLMENT DEADLINE APPROACHES.
COVEREDCA 1 trt: 1:04 SOQ
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Since 2021, enhanced federal tax credits helped keep health insurance affordable for about 150,000 people in San Diego County. But those extra subsidies expired at the end of last year.
JESSICA ALTMAN
COVERED CA
We do still have tax credits in 2026, no matter what Congress does, and most people are eligible for them.
Jessica Altman runs Covered California. She says fewer people are signing up for the first time compared to last year.
JESSICA ALTMAN
New enrollment, like the rest of the state, is down about a third in San Diego.
Covered California is also seeing more people cancel coverage or switch to lower-cost plans with higher deductibles. That’s especially true among middle-income earners.
JESSICA ALTMAN
It can cause people to not seek care they would otherwise. On the other hand, they are staying covered.
Open enrollment runs through January 31st. Covered California says free enrollment help is available online, by phone, and through local community partners.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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THE ALL PEOPLES CELEBRATION EACH YEAR RECOGNIZES COMMUNITY LEADERS FOR THEIR WORK. ORGANIZERS SAY EVEN THOUGH THERE’S A RENEWED SENSE OF URGENCY, FOR ACTIVISTS THIS WORK IS CONSTANT.
REPORTER ANDREW DYER WAS AT MONDAY’S EVENT AND BRINGS US THIS REPORT.
ALLPEOPLES 1 (AD) :52 SOQ w/ nats fade
SINGING, DANCING AND DRUMMING — COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS GATHERED ON THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR HOLIDAY TO CONNECT, SHARE BREAKFAST AND LIFT EACH OTHER UP.
LAWANA RICHMOND IS THE BOARD PRESIDENT OF ALLIANCE SAN DIEGO, WHICH HOSTED THE EVENT AT BALBOA PARK.
SHE SAYS THOSE EXPRESSIONS OF JOY ARE WHAT THE DAY IS ALL ABOUT.
LR: A CELEBRATION OF JOY AND LOVE AND PEACE AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT JOY ITSELF IS RESISTANCE.”
RICHMOND SAYS ONE LESSON FROM KING THAT RESONATES TODAY IS HIS LOVE FOR HUMANITY.
LR: IT WASN'T ANY ONE POPULATION OR DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP. AND I THINK THAT WE ARE IN A PLACE WHERE MORE PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, HOW CONNECTED WE ALL ARE.
SHE SAYS THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN ALL PEOPLE’S CELEBRATION.
ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS.
TAG: KPBS WAS ONE OF THE EVENT’S SPONSORS.THE KPBS NEWS OPERATION MAINTAINS EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE FROM KPBS EXECUTIVES, SDSU AND CORPORATE UNDERWRITERS AND DONORS.
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AFTER MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF SEWAGE SPILLED INTO SAN DIEGO OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS, FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY THE FLOWS HAVE STOPPED. THE CAUSE WAS A MAJOR SEWAGE PIPE COLLAPSE IN MEXICO LAST WEEK.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA REPORTS THIS HAS SINCE BEEN REPAIRED.
The stench of raw sewage penetrated Bobbi Otero’s Nestor home last week. This wasn’t the first time.
TJSEWAGE 1 00:11
“When it's really bad, I feel like I can taste it. You're coming down the street a half a mile away, and you can just … You’ve got your windows down cuz it’s a beautiful San Diego and, it's like, oh, there's that odor.”
Federal officials say beginning Thursday about 11 million gallons more of untreated wastewater gushed into San Diego each day.
The Insurgentes wastewater system in eastern Tijuana had collapsed sending untreated sewage into the Tijuana river.
Phillip Musegaas (mew-SEE-guss) says this latest spill calls for an urgent end to the sewage crisis. He’s with the nonprofit San Diego Coastkeeper.
TJSEWAGE 1 00:04
“We need more attention and more action on the part of Mexico.”
Also last week, Congressional leaders announced securing nearly three-point-five million dollars to remove trash from the Tijuana River Valley. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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LATE MUSICIAN RICK FROBERG FOUND NATIONAL ACCLAIM AS A ROCK STAR. ARTS REPORTER JULIA DIXON EVANS EXPLAINS HOW A NEW BOOK EXPLORES A SIDE OF FROBERG NOT EVERYONE SAW: HIS VISUAL ART.
FROBERG 1 (1:09) SOQ
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"…a lot of the band stuff…He was the artist for all of his band art, all the bands"
Rick Froberg died in 2023 at age 55. Known for his bands Drive Like Jehu, Obits and Hot Snakes, the news shook the local and national music scenes; his musical journey was one of those rare "made it" stories.
And through all of his musical success, he was always making art.
"Rick started drawing as soon as he was old enough to pick up a pencil and he really never stopped."
Britton Neubacher, Froberg's longtime partner, worked with a team to gather some of Froberg's visual art in a new book, "Plenty for All" —
The book includes a huge range of sketches, band posters, linocut prints and watercolors.
Britton Neubacher, artist and "Plenty for All" archivist
"I also am excited for people to get maybe a more intimate sense of the person himself. A deeply complex and huge hearted force of nature"
Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS News.
TAG: ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS WILL DISCUSS THE BOOK AND PERFORM AN ACOUSTIC SET TONIGHT AT SEVEN AT THE BOOK CATAPULT
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THE 36TH ANNUAL SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL KICKS OFF THIS SATURDAY WITH “ONCE UPON MY MOTHER.”
CINEMA JUNKIE BETH ACCOMANDO BRINGS US A PREVIEW OF THE FESTIVAL.
JEWISHFILM (ba) 4:03 SOQ
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For more than three decades the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival has celebrated Jewish culture through film, and used cinema to inspire, entertain, and foster connection. This year, the festival arrives amid continued tensions in the Middle East and increasing political unrest in the United States. Several films highlight women whose passionate activism might be just the motivation we need right now.
“Iron Ladies” documents the story of Jewish housewives and mothers who, at the height of the Cold War, defended the rights and freedoms of Soviet Jews in the USSR —and won. Known as the 35s, this international network of women had no prior political experience, but they refused to stand idly by.
CLIP To be really effective we had to get under the teeth of the Soviet authority. We tried to stay within the law but we were probably on the edge… No one could control them, you could advise them sure…if not for this group of 35 women we would all be dead.
In the animated film “Where is Anne Frank?,” Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne dedicated her diary, comes to life.She is shocked to see how history repeats itself but also inspired by Anne’s enduring legacy.
CLIP Anne did not write this diary so you could worship her, what is important – get in the truck – Do everything you can, to save one single soul.
Exemplifying that idea is Henrietta Szold.
ABBY GINZBERG: Henriette Szold may be the most famous Jewish female icon you've never heard of.
Filmmaker Abby Ginzberg hopes to change that with her documentary “Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy Of Henrietta Szold.” Szold was a Victorian woman transformed into a pioneering political activist we can still learn from today.
ABBY GINZBERG I feel like I resurrected her views of why it was so important to not ignore the fact that there were Arabs who lived in Palestine. So Henrietta felt like we should be able to work this out. Her viewpoint did not win out. And when the view about we are creating a Jewish state in which the Jews are going to be... We're not interested in binationalism, we want a Jewish state. They did that to some extent at their peril. We are looking at some of the terrible repercussions that come from the choices that were made back in the '30s and the '40s. One lesson that we might learn from Henrietta's experience would be, that we have to somehow figure out how not to go for either a maximalist Jewish position or a maximalist Arab position, what does that look like today?
Learning lessons is also key in the documentary The Last Spy.
CLIP My name is Peter Sichel. I'm 100 years old. I was the head of the CIA in Berlin and worked in Washington with the CIA and ultimately ended up in Hong Kong.
He gives an often critical view of U.S. foreign intelligence from the inside.
CLIP Collecting reliable intelligence is difficult enough, but people in high places have an idea of what it should be, and if the intelligence doesn't fit, they don't believe the intelligence.So why did you stay? It's like being on a drug. It is a fascinating game.
And it’s a fascinating film that provides candid insights that illuminate ongoing issues today, showing how we are still not learning from the past.
The San Diego International Jewish Film Festival serves up shorts, features and documentaries that take us through history and personal narratives, sometimes with joy, sometimes with pain but always with a desire to foster understanding and dialogue.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
TAG: The San Diego International Jewish Film Festival runs Saturday through February 4 in person at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, followed by a virtual screening program starting February 5.
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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 Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and subscribing; by doing so you are supporting public media and I really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!
