County supervisor wants to inspect Otay Mesa Detention Center
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, JANUARY 23RD>>>> A COUNTY SUPERVISOR IS CALLING FOR INSPECTIONS OF THE OTAY MESA IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTER
More on WHY next. But first... let’s do the headlines…########
FORTY ONE HIGH SCHOOLS WILL FACE OFF AGAINST EACH OTHER IN COURT
WELL, ALMOST...IT'S ALL A PART OF THE SAN
DIEGO COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL COMPETITION
THINGS KICKED OFF YESTERDAY WITH A RECORD SETTING EIGHT
HUNDRED AND FIFTY STUDENTS PARTICIPATING
THEY'LL FACE REAL TRIAL SCENARIOS AT THE COURTHOUSE DOWNTOWN
STUDENTS WILL TAKE ON THE ROLES OF WITNESSES, LAWYERS, CLERKS AND BAILIFFS AND GET TO PRESENT THEIR ARGUMENTS BEFORE REAL STATE AND FEDERAL JUDGES
THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND WILL TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY TENTH
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THE NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT WILL SUSPEND COASTAL RAIL SERVICE BETWEEN SAN DIEGO AND SOUTHERN ORANGE COUNTY FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS MONTH.
ACCORDING TO N-C-T-D OFFICIALS, THERE WILL BE NO COASTER OR AMTRAK SERVICE BETWEEN THE OCEANSIDE TRANSIT CENTER AND THE SANTA FE DEPOT THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
THEY SAY THE RAIL CLOSURE IS DUE TO CRITICAL INFRA-STRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE REGION.
THE CLOSURE WILL ALSO IMPACT PASSENGERS ON THE METROLINK ORANGE COUNTY LINE, WHICH TAKES TRAVELERS FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO SAN DIEGO.
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IF YOU LIVE IN VISTA, THE CITY IS ASKING YOU TO VOTE ON A NEW
CITY LOGO
...THERE'S EVEN AN OPTION FOR "I DO NOT LIVE IN VISTA" AS
WELL, JUST IN CASE YOU'RE A GRAPHICS LOVER LIKE ME
THEIR CURRENT LOGO DATES ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2004 AND
THEY'D LIKE SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE ... MODERN
THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE LOGO TO CHOOSE FROM
THE SURVEY IS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15TH
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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A COUNTY SUPERVISOR WANTS INSPECTIONS OF THE OTAY MESA IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTER.
REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS CALLS FOR LOCAL OVERSIGHT COME AMID A RISING DEATH TOLL IN ICE DETENTION CENTERS NATIONWIDE.
INSPECTIONS (gs) 1:11 SOQ
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As the Trump Administration continues its mass deportation campaign, there is growing concern about the conditions inside immigrant detention centers. And now, County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer says it’s time that local officials get access to the privately run federal detention center in Otay Mesa.
“It’s terrifying, to be frank, the notion that you could have people locked away, incarcerated, with no oversight – especially as these deaths have been reported.”
Last year, 32 people died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody – the most since 2004.
Federal law gives members of Congress the authority to inspect ICE facilities. But Trump administration officials have barred several Democrats in Congress from entering detention facilities in San Diego and elsewhere.
“I think if ICE was actually doing what it was supposed to do and was being adequately monitored by federal officials, I would feel less need for us as a county to step into this moment and into this vacuum"
Lawson-Remer says California’s Health and Safety code gives her the authority to conduct an inspection.
ICE did not respond to questions from KPBS for this story.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News.
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SURVIVORS COMMEMORATED THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE JANUARY 22ND FLOODS YESTERDAY (THURSDAY).
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS THEY ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR RECOVERY.
FLOODANNI trt :54 SOQ (kh/mb)
*nat pop* . . . que haya mucha fe y perseverancia en toda persona en este barrio . . .
On the second anniversary of the floods, neighbors gather in Shelltown to pray.
They ask God to help them to heal. And, to win in court.
Their lawsuit claims the City of San Diego failed to maintain storm channels in their neighborhood … which is majority Latino and low-income.
Beba Zárate says not enough has changed since the floods.
SOT :16 The canal or the creek is not clean. So whenever the rain is coming, there is some kind of issues because the trash is out there.
She wants the City to maintain the storm channels more regularly.
The City didn’t immediately respond to questions from KPBS.
After a blessing, the neighbors release balloons into the sky. To show they, too, will rise from the wreckage.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
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THE FLOODING ALSO STRUCK THE NEARBY SOUTHCREST NEIGHBORHOOD.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN HAS AN UPDATE ON THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO'S EFFORTS TO UPGRADE THE COMMUNITY'S STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
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STORMDRAINS 1 (ab) 1:22 soq
AB: Beta Street in Southcrest sits at the bottom of the Chollas Creek watershed. When torrential rains hit the city on January 22, 2024, the channel here was overwhelmed. Houses flooded. Residents fled to their roofs. Since then, the city has been working to keep the Beta Street channel clear of debris and an invasive plant called arundo, says Leslie Reynolds of the nonprofit Groundwork San Diego.
LR: It's a large bamboo-like growth that traps the water, expands the flooding, and is extremely unmanageable. It's a hard maintenance task, but it's one that the city is undertaking. You won't see any of that here in this segment now.
AB: In addition to the channel maintenance, the city is also designing a larger storm drain system for the area. Reynolds says design work is underway, with construction scheduled to start in 2029. But Greg Montoya is skeptical. His home on Beta Street flooded two years ago.
GM: My opinion is I won't believe it till I actually see it done and completed because the city will come in and do something and then abandon it.
AB: Even if the improvements on Beta Street get fully funded, the city still has a deficit of about $3.7 billion in stormwater infrastructure needs. The city's independent budget analyst says until enough voters are willing to pay higher taxes, that problem will only get worse. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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COUNTY LEADERS SAY THEY HAVE A PLAN TO HELP REDUCE TOXIC SEWAGE POLLUTION IN THE TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY AND MEASURE ITS EFFECTS ON THE HEALTH OF RESIDENTS.
SUPERVISOR PALOMA AGUIRRE IS PROPOSING USING NEARLY $5 MILLION IN COUNTY RESERVES FOR TWO INITIATIVES.
TJRIVER 2A 00:05
“This isn't just a plan on paper. It is a commitment to protect the health of South Bay families.”
ONE WOULD GO TO BUILD A TEMPORARY PIPELINE EXTENSION AT A SEWAGE HOTSPOT TO PREVENT POLLUTION FROM BECOMING AIRBORNE.
THE OTHER WOULD FUND TWO HEALTH STUDIES THEY SAY COULD ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW SEWAGE EXPOSURE HAS IMPACTED RESIDENTS’ HEALTH.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IS EXPECTED TO CONSIDER THEIR PROPOSAL ON TUESDAY.
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MEANWHILE, A GROUP OF SOUTH COUNTY STUDENTS IS URGING STATE LAWMAKERS TO HELP PROTECT THEM FROM THE ONGOING TIJUANA SEWAGE CRISIS. THEY FLEW TO SACRAMENTO THIS WEEK TO MEET SENATORS AND ASSEMBLY MEMBERS.
TAMMY MURGA SAYS THEY LOBBIED SUPPORT FOR LEGISLATION.
STOPSEWAGE 1 trt: 0:50 SOQ
Childhood memories of the beach are Sean Wilbur’s favorite.
*Nat sound*
STOPSEWAGE 1 00:
“A lot of it was spent at the beach out there. Boogie boarding or out there building sandcastles.”
Out there is Coronado. He loved it enough to help lead the junior lifeguard program.
*Nat sound*
But in recent years, sewage from Tijuana severely polluted the shoreline. Beaches closed.
STOPSEWAGE 1 00:
“How do we spend two weeks with these kids teaching them about water safety without going in the water?”
The Coronado High School senior wants relief from what has been a decades-long problem.
So, he and several students from his school’s Stop the Sewage Club and Chula Vista Community Charter School flew to Sacramento.
They met with several lawmakers and urged them to support legislation that would make state funding for sewage cleanup more quickly accessible.
The students plan to lobby again in Sacramento in April. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, PLANS FOR A ONE-MILLION-SQUARE-FOOT DATA CENTER HAVE BEEN QUIETLY MOVING FORWARD IN IMPERIAL COUNTY. ALTHOUGH THE PROJECT COULD NEED IMMENSE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY AND WATER, ITS DEVELOPERS ARE OPENLY SEEKING TO AVOID THE STATE’S ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS.
IN THE THIRD OF A THREE-PART SERIES, REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS THAT UNCERTAINTY AROUND THE PROJECT’S ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS HAS SPARKED A MOVEMENT AGAINST IT.
IVDATACENTER PT 3 (4:51) SOQ
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It was in late November that Kathia Olivas learned that a massive data center had been planned just a couple streets away from her family’s home.
20251218_ksuzuki_ivdatacenter_z63_kathia olivas 1 / 12:05
When I first heard about it, I said ‘Oh no, we’re next.”
Olivas is a 22-year-old substitute teacher and community organizer. She lives with her parents in the City of Imperial. And one of her first thoughts was about how this project could impact resources in the Valley.
20251218_ksuzuki_ivdatacenter_z63_kathia olivas 1 / contin.
We suffer from climate change already. In our summers, we reach more than 120 fair and height. Our people are struggling to pay their water bills that just went up this year. Our people are struggling to pay their energy bills.
Right now, there aren’t many clear answers about the project’s impact. This week, KPBS reported that the developers behind the data center have designed it to avoid California’s environmental review process.
That means local officials haven’t done an in-depth analysis of how the project could affect the valley’s water and air. And tax its power supply.
20251202_datacenter_sebastian rucci / 41:00
We tried to do environmental things from day one.
Sebastian Rucci is one of the main developers behind the project. He argues that his company still plans to reduce the data center’s environmental impact. Like relying entirely on recycled municipal water from nearby cities.
20251202_datacenter_sebastian rucci / 34:02
We're paying for everything, the infrastructure and the cost. So when we get it, it's not free. We will pay also the cost for the reclaimed water. [...] So we become a net benefit to both communities.
Last month, Rucci said he had reached an agreement to buy 6 million gallons of reclaimed water from the surrounding cities of El Centro and Imperial — far more than the data center could need. He says his company would pay for the necessary infrastructure upgrades and would release the remaining water into the Salton Sea.
Rucci also said the regional power utility, the Imperial Irrigation District or IID, had studied his proposal and believed they could handle the increased energy demand.
But local officials have cast some doubt on those claims.
City leaders in El Centro and Imperial both said they had talked about a water agreement. But they said they hadn’t formally agreed to anything. Here’s Imperial City Councilmember Katie Burnworth.
20251209_datacenter_katie burnworth / 9:05
There has been discussions about it. There's never been a signed contract. We actually don't have the infrastructure right now or even anything permitted to, you know, provide recycled wastewater.
IID officials also said their current infrastructure might not be able to meet the data center’s energy needs. They said they’re trying to be ratepayer neutral, but also said they didn’t know how upgrades might affect regional energy costs.
That uncertainty has rattled many residents., More than two thousand people have signed a petition opposing the data center. And protestors have flooded public meetings for the Imperial County government, which is deciding on the project.
Here’s Burnworth again, speaking on the importance of environmental reviews
20251209_datacenter_katie burnworth / 7:02
You can't just trust that somebody's going to do something okay anymore, right? We don't do that. We don't even buy a car without signing paperwork, saying we're going to meet these conditions. Why would we have something like this built in our backyard without the same conditions.
Imperial County isn’t the only place that’s seeing a backlash against projects like this. Across the country, tech companies are racing to build a new generation of massive data centers for AI development. And more communities are pushing back over the potential environmental costs.
Bernie Sanders Video / 3:14
This process is moving very very quickly, and we need to slow it down.
Last month, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said he would push for a nationwide moratorium on data center construction.
Bernie Sanders Video / 3:46
This moratorium will give democracy a chance to catch up with the transformative changes that we are witnessing and make sure that the benefits of these technologies work for all of us.
In Imperial County, the question now is whether the developers’ plan to avoid environmental review will hold up against growing scrutiny. The county says they could have just one vote left before a go ahead on construction.
Last month, the battle over the project also moved into the courts. After the City of Imperial sued to challenge it.
Rucci, the developer, and the county government have asked the court to dismiss the case. Rucci has also filed his own lawsuit against the City of Imperial. Claiming they’ve engaged in a coordinated campaign to sabotage the data center.
To Olivas, the teacher and organizer, the data center is a repeat of an old story. Of the many industries that have set up shop in the Imperial Valley.
20251218_ksuzuki_ivdatacenter_z63_kathia olivas 1 / 6:16
it makes sense that they came to our neighborhood. It makes sense that they saw a rural town, a town that has no job employment, and a town that has been forced into militarization, and they assume that we wouldn't organize.
But despite that precedent, Olivas and others say they see things happening differently this time. They see more people standing up. Asking questions. And holding their elected officials accountable.
20251218_ksuzuki_ivdatacenter_z63_kathia olivas 1 / 31:23
Our people are informing themselves. They're educating themselves not only in facts of the consequences that the data center could have, but on the lived experiences of US residents throughout the whole country.
The county Board of Supervisors is set to hold a vote on the project in the coming weeks.
In El Centro, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
TAG: MAKE SURE TO TUNE INTO THIS PODCAST ON MONDAY FOR OUR POD BEHIND THE PACKAGE INTERVIEW WITH KORI ABOUT HIS DATACENTER SERIES.
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth. 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 weekend.
