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Could SANDAG actually be adding a public transit connection at SD International?

 September 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM PDT

<<<HEADLINES>>>

Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD>>>>  [ COULD SANDAG ACTUALLY BE ADDING A PUBLIC TRANSIT CONNECTION AT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT?  ]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########

WHAT DO FOOD SCRAPS, GRASS CLIPPINGS AND USED PAPER TOWELS HAVE IN COMMON?   

THEY’RE PART OF THE GREEN WASTE -- 62 TONS OF IT -- CLEARED FROM THE SAN DIEGO RIVER WATERSHED AT MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK.  THAT’S LIKE THE SIZE OF A NORTH ATLANTIC WHALE

IT TOOK ONE POINT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS IN GRANT MONEY TO ACHIEVE THIS AND ALSO HELP MANAGE INVASIVE VEGETATION AND RESTORE HABITATS 

THIS MORNING, AS PART OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH, MAYOR TODD GLORIA AND OTHER LEADERS GATHERED AT MT-RF TO TOUT THE WORK BEING DONE, WHICH WAS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP 

THE MULTI-YEAR EFFORT IMPACTS MORE THAN 750 ACRES OF THE PARK

AND IMPROVES UPON PLANS TO PROTECT THE LAND AND REDUCE THE RISK OF WILDFIRES.  

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A ONE-DAY POLICE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP ON MONDAY RESULTED IN MORE THAN SEVENTY CITATIONS

ESCONDIDO’S POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THAT 72 TICKETS WERE ISSUED TO DRIVERS, PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS 

VIOLATIONS INCLUDED THINGS LIKE UNSAFE TURNS, SPEEDING AND FAILURE TO SIGNAL

THREE PEOPLE WERE ALSO CITED FOR DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE OR DRIVING ON A SUSPENDED LICENSE 

E-P-D SAYS THEY’RE ALSO WORKING ON ENFORCING FUTURE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

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 THE SAN DIEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY IS HELPING TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL SKILLS GAP

ANYONE OVER 13 YEARS OLD WITH AN ACTIVE SD-PL LIBRARY CARD IS NOW ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THE “GROW WITH GOOGLE” PROGRAM

GOOGLE SAYS THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM HELPS PARTICIPANTS LEARN DIGITAL WORK SKILLS IN FIELDS LIKE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CYBERSECURITY, I-T AND DATA ANALYTICS 

ACCESS IS FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED 

PEOPLE CAN RECEIVE A 6-MONTH LICENSE AND HAVE THE OPTION TO FINISH AS MANY ELIGIBLE COURSES AND CERTIFICATES AS THEY WISH

SD-PL SAYS THAT FOR A PERSON STUDYING FIVE TO TEN HOURS PER WEEK, THE CERTIFICATE TAKES ANYWHERE FROM THREE TO SIX MONTHS TO COMPLETE … 

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HERE’S THE LATEST ON WHERE IT'S CURRENTLY SAFE TO SWIM

THE COUNTY BEACHES AT THE END OF SEACOAST DRIVE AND CORTEZ AVENUE ARE OPEN AGAIN AFTER RECENT WATER SAMPLES MET STATE HEALTH STANDARDS

A NEW ADVISORY IS IN PLACE FOR OCEANSIDE’S PIER, SAN LUIS REY RIVER AND HARBOR BEACH

CURRENT BACTERIA LEVELS AT THOSE LOCATIONS EXCEED CURRENT HEALTH STANDARDS… AND ADVISORIES REMAIN IN LA JOLLA COVE AND THE LA JOLLA CHILDREN’S POOL

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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THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS, OR SANDAG, IS PLANNING FOR A FUTURE WITH AN EASY PUBLIC TRANSIT CONNECTION TO THE AIRPORT. LAST WEEK THAT IDEA GOT ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALITY 

PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER JAKE GOTTA HAS THE DETAILS

AIRCONNECT1(jg/qo) [1:11] SOQ

sandag and local leaders have been talking about an airport transit connection since at least 2007

but for san diego city council member sean elo-rivera the talking stage has gone on long enough.

ser1.mp4 0:12 - 0:24 [0:12]

“what we haven't moved from is just talking into at least the version of talking that is like moves us toward action.”

the agency has narrowed its options to just a few concepts that would connect the airport to downtown.

sandag staff presented these options to the active transportation committee on friday, and said they want to gather more information about the trolley versus people mover concepts.

elo-rivera and supervisor joel anderson both pushed the staff to ask for actual proposals to get the ball rolling.

and there could be a good reason to move quickly. if the region can’t select a project to begin construction by 2029, it could lose 350 million dollars that the airport agreed to contribute.

but sandag ceo mario orso cautioned that breaking ground in 2029 could be an unrealistic timeline due to potential legal threats

in the meantime, sandag will help create new direct bus lines to the airport from downtown and old town stations.

jake gotta, kpbs news

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COULD A “KILL SWITCH” SHUT DOWN ROGUE A-I? 

GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM THINKS IT'S A POSSIBILITY. 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY REPORTER CARLY KAY SAYS NEWSOM SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT WILL HAVE A-I EXPERTS  EVALUATE SAFETY REGULATIONS 

AINEWSOM TRT: 00:49 SOQ

________________________________________________

BEN BERGEN (BURR-G-IN) IS A COGNITIVE SCIENCE PROFESSOR AT U-C SAN DIEGO. AND HE’S PUTTING ME TO THE TEST.

**NAT*** (:02)

“YOU’RE THE INTERROGATOR.

OK.

YOU CAN ASK ANYTHING.

WE’RE LIVE CHATTING WITH AN AI BOT AND A HUMAN SIMULTANEOUSLY.

THE CHALLENGE? PICK THE CONVERSION WITH THE REAL PERSON.

**NAT*** (:02)

OOOOO WE’RE BOTH WRONG!

BERGEN SAYS A-I CONVINCES PEOPLE THEY’RE HUMAN MORE THAN HALF THE TIME.

IT’S ONE EXAMPLE OF THE TECHNOLOGY’S POTENTIAL DANGERS. AND WHY GOVERNOR NEWSOM BELIEVES A KILL SWITCH MIGHT BE NEEDED.

BERGEN IS SKEPTICAL.

AINEWSOM 1A (00:07)

“THAT’S TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING BECAUSE A LARGE PART OF THE PROBLEM IS BECAUSE WE DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW WHEN A KILL SWITCH IS NEEDED.

NEWSOM’S EXPERTS WILL GATHER IN NOVEMBER TO TALK ABOUT OTHER POSSIBLE REGULATIONS. CARLY KAY, KPBS NEWS.

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AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY INTO FOUR RAPES AT CAL STATE SAN MARCOS… ALL WITHIN THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF THE FALL SEMESTER 

A UNIVERSITY SPOKESPERSON SAYS THE VICTIMS KNEW, OR WERE  ACQUAINTED WITH THEIR ATTACKERS… AND THAT ALL ATTACKS HAPPENED IN RESIDENCE HALLS

THE UNIVERSITY SAYS IT WILL BEGIN PREVENTION AND CONSENT EDUCATION BEFORE STUDENTS GET TO CAMPUS… AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

C-S-U-S-M PRESIDENT ELLEN NEUFELDT SAYS THE UNIVERSITY IS DOUBLING DOWN ON HOW IT’S ADDRESSING THE ATTACKS

CSUSMRAPES  1A               :12

“MORE EDUCATION, AND NOT JUST THAT - INCREASED SECURITY.  OUR POLICE, OUR HOUSING STAFF, OUR TITLE IX STAFF AND SO MANY MORE ARE READY AND WILLING TO HELP AND ALREADY IN ACTION.”

NEUFELDT SAYS THERE ARE RESOURCES TO HELP ANYONE WHO’S EXPERIENCED SEXUAL ASSAULT OR HARASSMENT

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AS MEDIA RESOURCES ARE SHRINKING, RESIDENTS IN NORTH COUNTY ARE AT RISK OF LOSING OCEANSIDE’S ONLY PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL. 

K-O-C-T SAYS IT NEEDS TO RAISE ONE-HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO STAY ON THE AIR.

NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN SAYS  A COMBINATION OF CUSTOMERS CUTTING CABLE TO SAVE MONEY AND LOSS OF CITY FUNDING ARE TO BLAME.

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KOCT 1(an) TRT: 0:55 SOQ

K-O-C-T … stands for Oceanside Community Television. And it’s lived up to its name.

The station covers everything from mom-and-pop store openings to school and sporting events through its news and arts and culture programming.

But as more people turn to streaming and cutting cable … the station’s funding has taken a hit.

Carly Starr is the station’s general manager.

SOT 8732 05;34;03;10 → 05;34;20;18CG: Carly Starr // “When I walked in the door, it was almost $480,000 worth of franchise fees that we would receive from Cox Cable subscribers and AT&T subscribers. Since cord-cutting has happened, now we are down to $260, $250,000 a year.”

KOCT hopes that the public will pitch in to keep it on the air. The station has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $100,000.

That will keep it on the air until June 20-27. By then, the station hopes to have new contracts and grants in place to keep it afloat.

AN/KPBS

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GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM ANNOUNCED A STATE OF EMERGENCY THIS WEEK (WHEN) AHEAD OF THE UPCOMING EL NIÑO SEASON.

PEOPLE ARE ALREADY BRACING FOR POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THEIR HOMES.

TO FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR INSURANCE….KPBS MIDDAY EDITION HOST JADE HINDMON SPOKE WITH AMY BACH (“BOCK”). SHE’S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUP, UNITED POLICYHOLDERS. 

ELNINO 4:31 [“What are some of the biggest concerns....causing you to have to pay more, et cetera.”]

OUTRO: THAT WAS UNITED POLICYHOLDERS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMY BACH (Bock) SPEAKING WITH KPBS MIDDAY EDITION HOST JADE HINDMON

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A SAN DIEGO WOMAN HONORS HER LATE DOG BY TURNING GRIEF INTO ART. 

ARTS REPORTER AUDY MCAFEE TAKES US TO SPANISH VILLAGE, WHERE THAT TRIBUTE BECAME SOMETHING BIGGER.

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SPANISHVILLAGE (4:13) SOQ

Amanda Moschella (Mo-shella) is a volunteer at the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. She would come here often with her dog, Shilo (SHY-Low).

MOSCHELLA: She was 16 years old. She just celebrated her 16th birthday in March. And she was a warrior. Everyone who knew her knew whatever battle she was kind of given.

Moschella says Shilo's expected life span was six years. Shilo was also diagnosed with cancer, beat kidney failure and recovered from various surgeries.

Shilo's visits to the Spanish Village were one of the main things that kept her going, especially when she got to visit Daniel’s Coffee.

MOSCHELLA: We always walked with her here on the weekends and um she would get a treat for them. So, I feel like it was kind of like her motivation to keep walking through her injuries and her health and things like that.

Unfortunately, Shilo died from Kidney disease at the end of June. Moschella wanted to find a way to honor her.

With permission from the Spanish Village she created a garden with a plaque honoring Shilo.

MOSCHELLA: I think when we planted the garden, it was a really great way for us to kind of be in nature, um decompress after a work day, and when we heard that Daniels wanted to kind of repaint their tiles, I don't think they really thought we were serious when we wanted to help them.

But Moschella was serious. She and some friends began repainting the tiles around Daniel’s Coffee. Moschella says the work gave them a place to grieve together.

MOSCHELLA: It was a safe space for us if we needed to cry or kind of just talk about Shilo which kind of felt a little hard to do out in public or during your everyday, you know, work life.

Azmaira(Az-Myra) Maker is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Aspiring Families, a San Diego mental health and wellness center. The center offers expressive arts therapy, which uses creative activities as part of the therapeutic process.

Maker says creative expression can give people another way to explore feelings that can be difficult to put into words.

MAKER:It's internally self-empowering. It's not somebody telling you what to do or making recommendations. You pick the material, you pick the design, you pick how you want to express it.

Maker says the community aspect can be important, too, particularly during grief.

MAKER: You're not isolated, you're not suffering alone and in silence. Um it's symbolic. Uh I think I think that's why I think it can be so powerful and so effective.

After the work around Daniel’s Coffee was finished, Moschella says the Spanish Village asked her to paint more of the village’s tiles.

She knew she would need more help, so she posted on instagram inviting people who were grieving to join the project. She expected most of the response to come from friends.

MOSCHELLA: We wound up receiving over 100,000 views on the video that we posted to invite people who are processing grief to kind of have a space to put that grief and I was floored with how many responses we received.

One of the people who responded was Winnie Leung, another Spanish Village volunteer.

LEUNG: My dog, Unagi, who passed away a couple months ago, me and him used to come here all the time. And it just brought a lot of really joyful memories for us. And so when I saw it as an opportunity to really give back to this place, I couldn't pass up on that chance.

Leung didn't have any connection to Shilo, or so she thought.

LEUNG: And coincidentally, I found a photo where Shilo appeared in the background and I sent it to Amanda and I was like, is this Shilo? And she said, yes, it's Shilo. And I was like okay I think this is kinda meant to be.”

Nowadays Leung sees the Spanish Village differnelty.

LEUNG: It's not just a colorful artistic village, it's now built from a lot of people collectively coming together, sharing their pain and channeling in a way just to really beautify a very meaningful place.

For Moschella, the project has become about more than remembering Shilo. She says she hopes to keep creating spaces where people can process loss together.

MOSCHELLA: We've noticed that you don't necessarily have to move on and figure out how to move on. Um sometimes you just need to find somewhere to put that grief. And for me that was the Spanish village and kind of picking up a paintbrush and I think now I'm honored to step into the space of creating more opportunities for others who are grieving.

Audy McAfee, KPBS News.

<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>

That’s it for the pod today. Today’s podcast is edited by Traci Tong and is 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/weekend.

First, SANDAG’s considering adding a public transit connection to San Diego International Airport … but there’s a catch. Also, a new executive order looks to help evaluate AI safety regulations. Next, Oceanside's only public access channel is at risk. And, one lady’s tribute to her dog turned into something more meaningful.