Family of Islamic Center shooter sues mental health facility

Good Morning, I’m Katie Hyson in for Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s Tuesday, September 8th.

>>>> THE FAMILY OF ONE OF THE SHOOTERS IN THE ISLAMIC CENTER ATTACK IS NOW SUING A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY.

More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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A NEW ENTRANCE FOR MOTORCYCLES OPENS TODAY AT THE SAN YSIDRO PORT OF ENTRY.

U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SAYS IT’S HOPING THE NEW LANE WILL SPEED THINGS ALONG FOR TRAVELERS.

MOTORCYCLE DRIVERS ARE REQUIRED TO USE THE NEW ENTRANCE.

IT’S NEAR LANE 15.

AND WILL OPERATE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 4 A-M TO 10 A-M.

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CONSTRUCTION IS NOW UNDERWAY ON A NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY FOR OLDER ADULTS IN IMPERIAL BEACH.

HALF OF THE 50 UNITS WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR SENIORS EXITING HOMELESSNESS.

THE COUNTY SAYS THE THREE-STORY BUILDING IS AT THE FORMER SITE OF THE IMPERIAL BEACH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.

IT'S NEXT TO THE NEW IMPERIAL BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER.

THAT CENTER PROVIDES FOOD ASSISTANCE AND OTHER SERVICES.

THE COUNTY EXPECTS IT TO BE COMPLETED BY EARLY 20-28.

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LABOR DAY CELEBRATIONS AT PACIFIC BEACH TEND TO LEAVE BEHIND A MESS OF SINGLE-USE PLASTICS AND CIGARETTE BUTTS.

VOLUNTEERS PLAN TO CLEAN THAT UP TODAY IN AN EFFORT CALLED THE SHORELINE SWEEP.

THE GOAL IS TO STOP THE TRASH FROM REACHING THE OCEAN AND HARMING WATER QUALITY AND WILDLIFE.

PLUS, THERE’LL BE LIVE MUSIC.

IT’S LED BY I LOVE A CLEAN SAN DIEGO. IT STARTS AT THE TAYLOR BRANCH LIBRARY AT 3 P-M.

YOU CAN REGISTER AT CLEAN S-D DOT ORG.

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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 FAMILY OF ONE OF THE SHOOTERS IN THE ISLAMIC CENTER ATTACK IS NOW SUING A MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY FOR NEGLIGENCE AND WRONGFUL DEATH.

REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN HAS MORE ON WHAT THE FAMILY SAYS HAPPENED LEADING UP TO THE SHOOTING IN MAY.

Attorney Norm Finklestein is representing the family of 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez — one of the gunmen in the deadly Islamic Center attack in May that claimed three lives. “This was preventable.” The suit alleges that four days before the shooting, his mother received a call from the FBI. The FBI told the mother her son was on the dark web looking for collaborators to shoot up a mosque. That’s when she contacted her son’s therapist as well as Park Mental Health, according to the lawsuit. “Figuring that they were going to take steps to protect him. He was doing this while he was there, while he was living at the facility. Apparently, they let him keep his phone and the next thing that happened was the shooting.”In a statement, Park Mental Health says many of the claims in the lawsuit are incorrect or counterfactual. The suit is seeking monetary damages.  AN/KPBS 

KPBS DOESN’T TYPICALLY NAME THE PERPETRATORS OF MASS SHOOTINGS TO AVOID GLORIFYING THEIR ACTIONS OR INSPIRING COPYCATS. KPBS HAS DECIDED TO NAME HIM IN ITS ONGOING COVERAGE OF THE CASE AND PUBLIC PROCEEDINGS BECAUSE IT IS WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

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A STRONG EL NIÑO COULD MEAN A WETTER THAN NORMAL WINTER FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

THAT’S FAR FROM CERTAIN, BUT REPORTER JOHN CARROLL SAYS THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS NOW STARTING REGULAR BRIEFINGS ON THE PHENOMENON.

The last time a powerful El Niño formed in the Pacific was during the winter of 2015-2016… and that ended up being a drier than normal winter. On the other hand, the same meteorological condition was in place in the winter of 2004-2005 and more than 22-inches of rain was recorded at San Diego International Airport.  Meteorologist Todd Hall from the l-A/Oxnard office says the condition is best thought of as a scene setter. Hall says if the atmosphere interacts with the warm water, then a wet winter is on tap.  but he says he and his fellow meteorologists want to avoid warning fatigue… or what you might call the boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome. “As far as event-driven watches and warnings, we want to reserve these for imminent high-confidence hazards that pose a direct threat to life and property.” The National Weather Service says it will hold El Niño briefings every Friday right through winter. John Carroll, KPBS News.

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IN IMPERIAL COUNTY, THE E-P-A IS COMMITTING TO RESOLVING THE CRISIS IN THE NEW RIVER WITH URGENCY.

IT’S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST POLLUTED RIVERS IN THE NATION.

ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS BRINGING RENEWED HOPE TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

At Calexico City Hall, the council chambers fill up slowly on a recent Tuesday. Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Boundary and Water Commission are going to announce their commitment to stopping pollution in the New River. Elected officials, government staff and Border Patrol agents take up most of the seats. Astrid Caldéras is one of the few Calexico residents here. She says neighbors weren’t aware of the meeting. “They’re kind of tired of the system.” She says residents have been pushing the state and federal governments for solutions for decades. “They have been part of DC. They have been part of projects. They were taken to Sacramento to speak, and nothing happened in 10, 20, 30, 40 years. So the people are tired, plus they’re very ill, you know?” She believes her neighbors have developed health conditions related to the pollution. As an environmental health researcher, Calderas has documented hydrogen sulfide levels near the river exceeding state standards. She says the toxic gas destroys metal, such as residents’ outdoor air conditioners. “When you see them corrode, I'm like, wait a minute, I live here, my community is impacted, my family is impacted.” At the roundtable, Calderas tells federal officials why her community deserves urgent attention. “This is not only an environmental issue, but a matter of public health and environmental justice and quality of life, and there has not yet been any complete solution for the community.” The New River flows from Baja California and travels through Imperial County into the Salton Sea. News reports mention pollution in the river as far back as the 1940s. According to the state, the crisis “is believed to be closely aligned with population growth.” Today, more than 1 million people live in Mexicali. “And most of the contamination comes from the industrial sector in Mexicali.” Congressman Raul Ruiz represents Calexico. He’s also a physician. He says the people in his district deserve to live in a healthy environment. “When you hear the stories of people having gastric, esophageal and other types of cancers and the suspicion that these industrial waste have carcinogens in there, then enough is enough.” He says he’s been monitoring the EPA’s response to the sewage-laced Tijuana River at the San Diego-Mexico border.  Last year, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited the Tijuana River Valley and vowed to stop that crisis with urgency. “I pressed the administrator to make that same commitment in terms of urgency and priority for the people who live in Imperial Valley, who suffer for many decades from this contamination, that it's not just about the bigger cities and affluent communities.” Ruiz says he got the EPA’s attention. “Our commitment here to you is that we’re here to do the same.”  Mike Martucci is an EPA regional administrator. He says the agency is working with Mexico on expanding treatment capacity at a plant in Mexicali. It would prevent more flows from entering the river. “We want to see these projects come to completion as expeditiously as possible. One of the ways that we do that is to bring pressure to Mexico to move those projects along at a pace that's acceptable to us.” Efforts are also underway to upgrade and expand a treatment plant in Calexico.  The city of Calexico is applying for state bonds to fund that work. And there could be new agreements with Mexico. “What else is in that water?” What else is in the water? Wayne Belzer is with the IBWC. His agency is conducting a water quality study that could determine what in the water needs to be regulated in those agreements. “The US and Mexico, all the stakeholders and all the agencies that are involved through our meetings to sit there and review that data and look at the results and say, okay, well, what is the sources of concern? What is our next steps?” He says the study is not ready to publish. In all her years of advocating for her community, Calderas says this is the first time she’s heard federal officials acknowledge they’ve fallen short. “I’m feeling very hopeful that there’s something going to be happen(ing), especially because Dr. Ruiz was on the table.” Ruiz says cleaning the New River will also help the Salton Sea and make the valley a healthier place to live. “It must be the Imperial Valley’s moment.” Tammy Murga, KPBS News

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THE SAN DIEGO PINBALL COMMUNITY HAS BEEN GROWING AS PART OF A RESURGENCE OF THE BARCADE INDUSTRY.

WEB PRODUCER RILEY ARTHUR TELLS US ABOUT THAT GROWTH.

There are now 67 locations to play pinball in San Diego County. But twelve years ago, Mark Schulz couldn’t find many places to play and the few machines he did find were in poor condition.  “I wanted to see more pinball out there and I wanted it to be better maintained, so when you put your money in it, you're gonna have a good experience, you're gonna have a lot of fun playing it. There's nothing worse than putting a dollar in a machine and then one of the flippers doesn't work.” Schulz founded Pincraft Pinball in 2014. It is now the largest pinball operator in the county. They currently have 51 machines in 11 different locations. Two pinball leagues compete roughly six times a month. Schulz says a decade ago there was only one tournament a month. “All skill levels come and play in these tournaments because pinball is different for everybody. For some people, it's more of a social gathering. For other people, it's a little more competitive for higher level players.” The growing San Diego barcade culture is not limited to the increase in popularity of pinball. It also extends to other types of arcade games. Riley Arthur KPBS News

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MEXICAN POET AND NOBEL LAUREATE OCTAVIO PAZ SAYS POETRY MAKES REAL “THE UNSPOKEN, THE SPIRIT, THE SOUL.”

AS VIDEO JOURNALIST MATTHEW BOWLER SHOWS US, TIJUANA IS PROUDLY CONTINUING THAT TRADITION WITH A NATIONAL POETRY PRIZE AND THE WINDOW FOR SUBMISSIONS IS OPEN NOW.

Tijuana’s streets are a special place. The noise, the people, the colors give this city of nearly 2 million people its own rhythm, its own music. And its own poetry. Sometida a mi civilización. Reducida al salvajismo puro. Abierta a la naturaleza bárbara. Subjugated by my civilization. Reduced to pure savagery. Opened to barbaric nature. Poet Sofía Favela Magro sits in the well-known Tijuana bookstores Libros, Cafe y Jazz and reads one of her poems. For Favela, Tijuana is a special place to write. A modo de una guerra a través de las letras. Entonces se puede escuchar vibrante por la emoción, ya sea el amor, ya sea algún reclamo político. Pero siempre hay emoción en las letras que la gente de aquí escribe. Waging a sort of war through their letters. You can hear the emotional intensity—whether it’s about love or a political grievance—but there is always emotion in the words people here write. Hay un hombre que me mira desde su silla, desde su mano inmóvil, que escribe sin escribir en una vieja máquina de nombres rotos.  There is a man watching me from his chair, from his hand. Motionless writing without writing on an old machine of broken names. That’s Samantha Luna, Director of the Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura de Tijuana or IMAC reading one of her favorite poems called Gato by Sara Uribe. Since 1998 the Tijuana IMAC has sponsored a national poetry prize called the Premio Nacional De Poesía Tijuana. Poets have until September 11 to submit their book. The book can be from 60 to 120 pages, it must be in Spanish and the poet must either be a Mexican citizen living in Mexico or a legal resident of Mexico for at least 5-years. El año pasado fueron 120 trabajos, 120 trabajos, de los cuales 101 completaron como todo lo que se requiere dentro de la convocatoria. Este año esperamos el doble. Last year, we received 120 submissions, 120 entries, of which 101 met all the requirements outlined in the call for entries. This year, we expect double that number. The winner will not only have their book published by the IMAC, but they will also receive 90,000 pesos, or about 5,000 dollars. En la casa vecina agoniza un perro. Asustados por sus gritos, comenzamos a recordar en silencio nuestra infancia. A dog is dying in the house next door. Startled by its cries, we begin to recall our childhood in silence. Claudia Berrueto won the Premio Tijuana in 2008 for her book Polvo Doméstico or Domestic Dust.  Berrueto says Winning helped  launch her career. Oh, it was very exciting because it was my first prize in poetry. And I was needing to believe in my writing. Un animal dolorido nos mira desde lo más hondo de la memoria. A suffering animal gazes at us from the depths of memory Luna says poetry shows us who we are. La poesía es una de las vías y una de las mejores maneras de poder, eh, dejar testimonio de todo esto que estamos viviendo en los tiempos  presentes. Poetry is one of the avenues, one of the best ways, to bear witness to everything we are experiencing in these times. Rough and tumble and uniquely beautiful, Tijuana is poetic in so many ways. Un hombre al que me acerco lentamente como un gato silencioso. A man I approach slowly, like a silent cat. Nosotras estamos en paz, en un misterio y que hemos creado en nuestro rito sagrado. We are at peace, within a mystery that we have created in our sacred rite. The winner will be announced November 12. Matthew Bowler KPBS News

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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth. Today’s podcast was hosted and produced by me, Katie Hyson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.