County urges public to take action before new federal restrictions kick in
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18TH>>>> [NEW FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS ON CAL FRESH AND MEDI CAL COULD IMPACT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ACROSS THE COUNTY]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THE FACE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IS RETIRING
GREGORY BOVINO TOLD THE AP HE PLANS TO RETIRE IN THE COMING WEEKS
BOVINO LED CONTROVERSIAL IMMIGRATION SWEEPS IN SEVERAL DEMOCRATIC-LED CITIES INCLUDING LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO AND MINNEAPOLIS
UNDER BOVINO’S WATCH, TWO AMERICANS WERE SHOT AND KILLED AT THE HANDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS
AFTER, HE WAS REPLACED BY BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN AND BOVINO RETURNED TO HIS POSITION AS CHIEF OF THE BORDER PATROL’S EL CENTRO SECTOR
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LAST MONTH SAW AN INCREASE IN HOME SALES IN THE COUNTY AND ACROSS THE STATE
THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS SAYS FAVORABLE MORTGAGE RATES ENCOURAGE BUYERS TO ENTER THE MARKET
SALES ACROSS THE COUNTY SAW A MORE THAN 22 PERCENT UPTICK BETWEEN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
THE ASSOCIATION’S CHIEF ECONOMIST SAYS WHILE MORTGAGE RATES REMAIN BELOW LEVELS SEEN IN YEARS-PRIOR, THEY RECENTLY JUMPED UP TO THEIR HIGHEST LEVEL IN SEVEN MONTHS
THAT COULD IMPACT OVERALL HOME SALES AS WE HEAD INTO THE SPRING HOMEBUYING SEASON
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SNAPDRAGON STADIUM IS SET TO HOST ELEVEN OLYMPIC SOCCER MATCHES !
TWO OF THEM WILL BE BRONZE-MEDAL GAMES –THE MEN'S ON JULY 27TH AND THE WOMEN'S ON JULY 28TH
DURING THE OLYMPICS, SNAPDRAGON WILL BE REFERRED TO AS SAN DIEGO STADIUM BECAUSE OF OLYMPIC SPONSORSHIP RULES
OTHER MATCHES ARE GROUP-STAGE GAMES, AND SEMI AND QUARTERFINAL MATCHES
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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HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF COUNTY RESIDENTS COULD BE IMPACTED BY NEW FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS ON FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS THE COUNTY IS URGING THE PUBLIC TO TAKE ACTION BEFORE THE NEW RULES START NEXT MONTH.
BENEFITS 1 TRT 0:55 SOC
Beginning April 1st, new federal rules could cause some CalFresh and Medi-Cal recipients to lose benefits if they don’t update their information. Certain lawfully present noncitizens, like asylees and refugees, will also no longer qualify for CalFresh.
Federal rules now include new work requirements for some adults, who will need to log at least 80 hours a month of work, training, or volunteering to keep benefits.
Casey Castillo runs the San Diego Food Bank.
CASEY CASTILLO
SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK
So we were prepared, we've been mindful of this, we knew it was coming….We anticipate seeing more people in line, and more people visiting pantries throughout San Diego County.
County officials say most people will still qualify…but staying informed and updating your information is critical to avoid losing benefits.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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THE COUNTY RECENTLY RECEIVED NEARLY 100 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE STATE FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TREATMENT.
THE MONEY COMES FROM PROPOSITION 1 WHICH VOTERS APPROVED IN MARCH 20-24.
REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN SAYS THAT WAS THE LARGEST SINGLE AWARD FROM THE GRANT.
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BHFUNDING 1(an) TRT: 0:55 SOQ
With round 2 funding recently announced, San Diego is receiving 1-hundred-71 million dollars, with the county receiving 99-point-5 million dollars from the grant.
“it’s a milestone for behavorial health in San Diego County.”
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer says the money will go toward building a state-of-the-art Behavioral Health Wellness Campus in the Midway District.
Lawson-Remer says it’ll be a hub for crisis stabilization and outpatient care.
TERRA LAWSON-REMER // SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERVISOR (D-3)
“For too long we had a fragmented system. And still every single day, patients across San Diego County have to go sometimes 1 to 5, 12 different places to get the treatment that they need.”
The county was one of three grantees in the region. The Pala Band of Mission Indians received nearly 22 million dollars for a substance abuse and mental health treatment center.
Palomar Health is the third grantee in the region, receiving 50 million dollars in restored funding for a 120-bed behavioral health campus in Escondido.
AN/KPBS
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ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS DONALD TRUMP DID IN HIS SECOND TERM WAS GUT THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU.
REPORTER JOHN CARROLL SAYS THE COUNTY WANTS TO CREATE A SIMILAR ENTITY FOR COUNTY RESIDENTS.
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CONSUMER 1 1:04 SOQ
THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU WAS CREATED IN THE WAKE OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2007 - 2008. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PRACTICALLY ELIMINATED IT EARLY IN HIS SECOND ADMINISTRATION. NOW, COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CHAIR TERRA LAWSON-REMER WANTS TO CREATE A LOCAL VERSION… THE COUNTY CONSUMER PROTECTION UNIT. AT A TUESDAY NEWS CONFERENCE, SEVERAL SPEAKERS TALKED ABOUT SITUATIONS THEY’VE FOUND THEMSELVES IN WHERE THEY COULD’VE REALLY USED SUCH HELP… INCLUDING AIR FORCE VETERAN TONYA SAVICE.
“Someone stole my social security number and filed a tax return of $158,000… It caused my social security disability to be stopped. $1,500 a month I’ve lost in income. Now I can’t even afford to live in San Diego county.”
THE LOCAL C-C-P-U WOULD BE FUNDED BY MONEY GAINED THROUGH LEGAL SETTLEMENTS. THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IS SCHEDULED TO VOTE ON ITS APPROVAL AT THEIR MEETING NEXT WEEK. JC, KPBS NEWS.
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THE WORLD’S MOST-WATCHED SPORTING EVENT KICKS OFF IN JUNE, AND SAN DIEGO WILL BE A PART OF IT.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS TWO TEAMS WILL SET UP CAMP HERE FOR THE FIFA WORLD CUP.
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WORLDCUP 1 (:52)
There won’t be any World Cup games here …. But Switzerland and New Zealand will have base camps in the region. They'll stay at local hotels and train at local facilities for about a month.
Adam Benmoise works for San Diego Jewish Academy, which will host the Swiss team. He says they've started to upgrade the facilities to meet FIFA World Cup standards.
“Every other week we have the FIFA pitch department coming out here – coming to see the field, taking samples, and doing tests, making sure maintenance is on pace and everything is going to be good and ready.”
New Zealand will train at University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium.
Due to strict FIFA security regulations the general public will not be allowed to watch training sessions at basecamp facilities … but each team is required to host a community event.
Teams begin to arrive in late May. JA, KPBS News.
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A GROUP OF ADULT MUSICIANS IN CORONADO HAVE DUSTED OFF THEIR FLUTES, VIOLINS AND TROMBONES TO PLAY MUSIC TOGETHER WITH JOY AND NO JUDGEMENT.
WEB PRODUCER BRENDEN TUCCINARDI (TWO-CHIN-ARDEE) HAS MORE ON THIS ORCHESTRA THAT LABELS ITSELF, TERRIBLE.
TERRIBLEORCH (bt) TRT (3:29) SOQ
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Rows of chairs are arranged and ready in a space at the Coronado Community Center on a February evening. For now, the only sounds are the hum of fluorescent lighting and the squeal of sneakers from the basketball court across the hall.
In a couple of minutes that’ll change … when the room is filled with the sound of really bad music... courtesy of the Coronado Terrible Orchestra.
NAT POP 1
The orchestra brings together folks like Brianna who want to recapture one of the great joys of childhood – the freedom to perform poorly and be celebrated for it.
SOT 1 “It's nice to be able to have space to be bad at things. I like space to fail, so I'm excited about it.”
Cassie O'Hanlon conducts the orchestra. She was inspired by a similar concept in Fort Wayne, Indiana … where she lived before moving to San Diego.
SOT 2: “When I moved out here, I started noticing that at least south, there's just not as big of a music community, as I started building my flute studio,” O’Hanlon said. So I just thought, why not try? You know, there's got to be people with instruments in their closets that want to play.”
The Fort Wayne Terrible Orchestra was inspired by The Really Terrible Orchestra of Scotland. They all have the same mission: provide adult beginner instrumentalists a judgement-free space.
NAT POP 2
In the early 2000s, Jasmine Coldiron played the viola in the Mar Vista High School orchestra in Imperial Beach. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever have a chance to do it again.
SOT 3 - JASMINE COLDIRON: “It was definitely something that I've looked for throughout the last decade or so, and I'm really glad that I found it,” she said.
Coldiron heard about the Terrible Orchestra from her friend Geneva Wallace, who played violin in the same Mar Vista orchestra.
SOT 4 - JASMINE COLDIRON: “She sent me a link to this class and said we should do it. And I was like, yeah, throw caution to the wind, whatever … How bad could it be? Like it got to at least give it a try, you know, life's too short.”
Wallace said she felt a sense of freedom right from the start.
SOT 5 - GENVA WALLACE: “I wasn't nervous because I figured everybody’s going to be terrible. Probably everybody else hasn't played an instrument in 20-odd years too. So I'd be in good company. And my friend was with me so it was an exciting experience no matter what.”
The two are most excited to play for their families.
SOT 6- JASMINE COLDIRON: “My husband and my daughter … they know that I've (played) in the past, but they've never gotten to see me perform. So, I'm excited to play for them.”
Wallace is mom to an 11-year-old and a 6-year-old.
SOT 7 - GENEVA WALLACE: “I just like doing stuff to make them proud and get them excited about the arts. I was a big arts person growing up and I like to get them involved and see all the fun that could be out there in the arts world.”
NAT POP 3
O’Hanlon knows she’s succeeded when she sees the room ignited with a love for music, no matter how bad the music might be. .
SOT 9: “I can only hope that they will just be incredibly kind to themselves while playing their instrument and just continue to play,” she said. “Even if they don't continue to play here as a group, just find the joy a little bit and continue to have music as part of their lives.”
The orchestra will practice throughout March and a performance is being planned for April.
Brenden Tuccinardi, KPBS News
NAT POP 4
SOT: “Nicccceeee job!”
TAG: FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO SIGN UP, GO TO KPBS DOT ORG SLASH TERRIBLE ORCHESTRA
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THE SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL WILL SHOWCASE 147 FILMS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE OVER THE NEXT FIVE DAYS.
CINEMA JUNKIE BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS YOU’LL HAVE TO MAKE SOME TOUGH CHOICES DURING THIS COMPRESSED FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
SDLFF (ba) 4:00 SOQ
The San Diego Latino Film Festival turns 33 this year and that makes its founder Ethan Van Thillo reflect on its history.
ETHAN VAN THILLO We started as a small student Chicano film festival here in San Diego. And now to be celebrating 2026 with a tribute to Luis Valdez, who's known as the father of Chicano cinema and Chicano theater, is a really wonderful celebration. I'm really excited about it.
Valdez will be at the festival to host a screening of American Pachuco, a documentary about him.
ETHAN VAN THILLO As the founder of Chicano Cinema, Luis Valdez, is someone who's made films like La Bamba, Zoot Suit, he's just a legend in the community, a legend for Chicano Cinema in general. So to be able to have him here in person to show that movie in a movie theater with everyone around, to be able to do a Q&A with them, is really an honor.
The high cost of theater rentals has forced the festival to cut back on its usual 11 day schedule.
ETHAN VAN THILLO So we took it down to 5 days last year and we actually found out that we had the same amount of people come. And the same wonderful energy. You know, that's what I love about the film festival, and that's why we have over 147 films. I want people just to come in there and just experience different things, and you feel that energy in the theater.
But that means attendees face fewer opportunities to see films with more films overlapping in multiple venues.
ETHAN VAN THILLO Yeah, we're forcing people to make choices and then also, you know, maybe see a film at 2 o'clock on a Friday. And then also late night films too, 9:30 and 10…
Late night is perfect for films in Un Mundo Extraño, a sidebar showcasing genre films that may take you out of your comfort zone, like Santa Zeta.
CLIP Santa Zeta
This is my favorite film of the festival – vibrant and bold with fierce energy and a willingness to go someplace dark. The films of Un Mundo Extrano were programmed by Luis Martinez. He sees the sidebar as a complement to the festival films that are more grounded in real world themes.
LUIS MARTINEZ Alongside those issues we want to showcase that Latinos have a great love of genre films, and Un Mundo Extraño is a counterbalance to the more serious fare by showcasing how Latinos deal with their trauma, with their past, with their history through horror, through sci-fi, through telling interesting stories.
Catherina Cojulun’s short New Human is part of Un Mundo Extrano programming. Her film is a cautionary sci-fi tale about a woman about to leave her clone on a dying planet.
CLIP How much do you know about the earth? About it’s beginning to now, do you know how it got like this?
CATHERINA COJULUN I'm just so proud that this film specifically, that's not necessarily the most outwardly Latino film can be in this festival and be an expansion of what we can create and I just want to make films that are out of the box of what so many people I feel like put us in.
For Van Thillo, it is important to have a safe place to celebrate Latino culture and the diversity of Latino cinema..
ETHAN VAN THILLO We need to teach future generations the joy and the power of seeing movies together. We need to teach future generations about the history of the Chicano/Latino community. We have a federal government that's working day after day to erase history, to take it away from schools, to take it away from libraries, to destroy public spaces like movie theaters. So we need to really celebrate and bring people together to document and to preserve the history of the Chicano community, Latino community, and Latino film and art.
So clear your calendar for the next five days and immerse yourself in the San Diego Latino Film Festival. As someone who has attended all the previous 32 years, I am so grateful we have this amazing showcase.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
TAG: THE SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL RUNS TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT AMC MISSION VALLEY, DIGITAL GYM CINEMA, AND SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE.
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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!
