Governor Newsom will consider renaming Cesar Chavez Day
<<<HEADLINES>>>
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH>>>> STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS ARE REACTING TO SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST CESAR CHAVEZ More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
AMID SKYROCKETING GAS PRICES, MTS RELEASED A COMMUTE COST CALCULATOR
IT COMPARES THE COST OF DRIVING ALONE TO RIDING M-T-S PUBLIC TRANSIT
THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A GALLON OF SELF-SERVE REGULAR GASOLINE ON WEDNESDAY WAS 5.64 A GALLON – ITS HIGHEST AMOUNT SINCE OCTOBER 20-23
IT HAS NOW RISEN FOR 28 CONSECUTIVE DAYS
THAT’S ACCORDING TO FIGURES FROM TRIPLE A AND THE OIL PRICE INFORMATION SERVICE
YOU CAN ACCESS THE CALCULATOR AT S-D-M-T-S DOT COM SLASH COMMUTE
#######
IF YOU'VE HAD A CASE OF THE SNIFFLES RECENTLY, THE ASTHMA AND ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA SAYS YOU'RE NOT ALONE
THEY RECENTLY RANKED SAN DIEGO AS THE SECOND MOST CHALLENGING CITY IN THE UNITED STATES TO LIVE IN WITH A POLLEN ALLERGY IN 2026…
THE REPORT RANKED THE LARGEST 100 CITIES IN THE COUNTRY
IN 20-26, THEY SAY CLIMATE CHANGE INCLUDING ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS PLAYED A HUGE FACTOR TOWARDS THE SPIKE SEEN IN TREE, GRASS AND WEED POLLEN
THE A-A-F-A SAYS THAT MORE THAN 106 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE U-S HAVE
ALLERGIES AND/OR ASTHMA
#######
THE UNION-TRIBUNE IS REPORTING THAT THE FINAL SECTION OF A SEVEN-MILE LONG, ELEVATED HIGHWAY NEAR THE U-S MEXICO BORDER IS NOW OPEN
THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO CUT DOWN ON TIME SPENT IN TRAFFIC
THE U-T SAYS THE NEW HIGHWAY GIVES VISITORS AND RESIDENTS MORE TRAVEL OPTIONS TO AREAS LIKE THE SAN YSIDRO BORDER CROSSING, DOWNTOWN TIJUANA AND THE TIJUANA AIRPORT
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
<<<UNDERWRITING BREAK>>
######
<<<MUSIC BUMP INTO A BLOCK>>
##########
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM SAYS HE’LL CONSIDER RENAMING CESAR CHAVEZ DAY.
SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE LATE FARM LABOR ORGANIZER WERE REPORTED WEDNESDAY BY THE NEW YORK TIMES.
THE HOLIDAY IS ESTABLISHED IN CALIFORNIA STATE LAW AND FALLS ON MARCH 31ST. NEWSOM ACKNOWLEDGED CONVERSATIONS ARE TAKING PLACE IN THE LEGISLATURE TO CHANGE THE HOLIDAY BEFORE THEN.
NEWSOMCHAVEZ 2A (cprn) (0:12)
"But we need to move, if we need to move we’ll do so together. We’ll talk to the caucuses. There are already conversations at the staff level and you can imagine Sacramento, those are robust right now."
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS OF BOTH THE STATE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE ISSUED STATEMENTS ON WEDNESDAY.
BOTH SAID THEY STAND WITH SURVIVORS AND ARE WAITING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS.
########## (no music bump)
NOW WE GO TO REPORTER JOHN CARROLL TO TELL US HOW SOME SAN DIEGO LEADERS REACTED TO THE NEWS.
__________________________________________________
CHAVEZ 1 : 45 SOQ
SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA CALLED THE ALLEGATIONS SHOCKING AND DISTURBING. THE MAYOR SAID THE PROGRESS IN ADVANCING THE FARMWORKER RIGHTS MOVEMENT IS A COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE WHO CARRIED IT FORWARD. SOUTH BAY ASSEMBLY MEMBER DAVID ALVAREZ - SAID THE ALLEGATIONS OF VICTIMS SHOULD NOT ONLY BE HEARD, BUT TREATED WITH INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. AND THE SAN DIEGO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING IT IS REVIEWING ITS PLANNED PARTICIPATION IN CÉSAR CHÁVEZ DAY ACTIVITIES… AND ITS BROADER CONNECTION TO CHÁVEZ, INCLUDING THE NAMING OF THE CÉSAR E. CHÁVEZ CAMPUS IN BARRIO LOGAN. JC, KPBS NEWS.
##########
THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL PASSED A CONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION DEFINING ANTISEMITISM.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS THAT FOLLOWED FOUR HOURS OF HEATED PUBLIC COMMENT AND A LONE “NO” VOTE BY A JEWISH COUNCILMEMBER.
ANTISEMITISM 1 trt 1:17 SOQ (kh/mb)
Antisemitism has been rising. That’s according to Jewish Groups and hundreds of speakers at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Liat Cohen-Reeis directs a local antisemitism taskforce.
SOT :04 In order to understand what something is, we need a definition. We need the language.
Nearly everyone who spoke agreed antisemitism needs to be combatted.
They disagreed on how to define it.
The city adopted the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA (eye-ruh).
It says antisemitism is quote “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred.” It includes 11 examples. 7 of them involve the state of Israel.
Critics say the language has been used to silence criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians.
One of those critics is Jewish councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera.
He says people must be allowed to both love Jewish people and speak freely against actions by the Israeli government.
SOT :09 A definition that cannot hold both of these things at once is not a tool for fighting antisemitism. It is a tool for silencing people who care about everyone.
He urged the council to consider other definitions. But he was outvoted 8 to 1.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
##########
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED AN EXTREME HEAT WARNING THROUGH SATURDAY FOR THE COUNTY’S DESERTS.
AND THERE’S A HEAT ADVISORY FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTY… WHERE HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY.
REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN TAKES A LOOK AT HOW PEOPLE ARE ESCAPING THE HEAT.
===
HEAT 1(AN) trt: 0:38 SOQ
NATS nature/birds
With the sun bearing down and the heat not letting up anytime soon …
NATS a/c sound
… staying indoors in an air-conditioned room is a given.
But if A-C isn’t available, you can go to a cool zone. There are 10 in the city of San Diego … including one in San Carlos. That’s where Dia Comeaux (COMO) was for an exercise class.
She says she’s been keeping cool by opening her windows at night.
SOT 3719 21:42:29.25 → 21:42:35.11
CG: Dia Comeaux // La Mesa Resident
“And that cools everything down. Close the windows first thing in the morning and then it usually stays pretty cool till the afternoon.”
If it gets too hot, Como will go to the movies or shop at grocery stores for the A-C.
Experts say you should avoid strenuous outdoor activities in the middle of the day
AN/KPBS
##########
ENCINITAS HAS A PUBLIC ART PROGRAM THAT PLACES TEMPORARY SCULPTURES ON PEDESTALS AROUND THE CITY. BUT SOME OF THOSE PEDESTALS SAT EMPTY FOR MONTHS BECAUSE OFFICIALS AND RESIDENTS COULDN’T AGREE ON WHAT QUALIFIES AS ART.
ARTS REPORTER AUDY MCAFEE TELLS US HOW NEW GUIDELINES SET OUT BY THE ARTS COMMISSION AIM TO CHANGE THAT.
PUBLICART (3:51) SOQ
-----------------------------------------------------------
In 2024, artist Bella Bowman submitted a piece for the Encinitas Public Art Sculpture Loan program. Her piece features two mushrooms with faces hanging off a flower painted in greens, pinks and reds. She calls it “Fun Guys” – a play on the word fungi.
She says her sculpture met all the initial criteria to be considered a finalist, but that did not guarantee a spot.
BELLA BOWMAN: “It was already installed in the city of Vista for a few years prior by a city arts commission as well. So I thought, hey, let's get Encinitas on the map.”
When it came down to the final vote at a council meeting, the piece was rejected using a five-star rating system similar to Amazon reviews. Bowman received three stars.
Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehlers(Ey-Lers), then a council member, opposed the piece. Here’s what he said at that meeting.
BRUCE Ehlers:“It's right next to the road. It's right next to a beautiful native oak tree that's probably about 25 ft tall, right? I mean within 10 ft of it and that's the back backdrop to the this. Um, sculpture, you know, I'll be polite. Uh, so in this case, the colors wrong. Um, it uh it it it doesn't belong there.”
As an artist, Bowman is not new to rejection, but she felt the comments were unconstructive.
BELLA BOWMAN:“I think sticking to, Hey, these are the criteria we put. This doesn't align with that." I think leaving all sort of emotion out of it because a lot of personal comments were made like discarding it even existing as a piece of art like, Nah, this isn't art."
Sun Vista Park is where Bowman's art would have been installed.
Today, Ehlers says that regardless of his views on a piece, he doesn't think the location of the pedestal at Sun Vista was a good choice to begin with.
BRUCE Ehlers:“I quite frankly think this is set too close to the road. It It kind of detracts from the artwork. So it's kind of hard to enjoy it out here.”
Back in 2024, when the council rejected Bowman’s sculpture and couldn't agree on another piece, the pedestal remained vacant for 10 months. Ehlers says it was better to leave it empty until the right fit came along.
BRUCE Ehlers:“I know a lot of people say that art's there to provoke thought and controversy but, it’s not, it's not the job of the city to provoke citizens. It's the job of the city to maintain the city, improve the city.”
Katy Fox is the Encinitas Arts Commission chair. She says they began asking the public broad questions about what role art plays in the community. From those responses, a mission statement was created.
KATY FOX:“Public art in Encinitas tells a story that shifts the moment in an uplifting way that unifies us in new perspectives and also um reflects Encinitas’ unique culture.”
Another change to the sculpture program is how the public will interact with proposed art. Fox says the city will place blown-up images of the sculptures around Encinitas.
KATY FOX:“Display them in municipal buildings so that people can interact with them a bit over time and then send their their comments into the city. And it's not just open comments. It's really saying, Here's the mission statement. Do you think that these are fit?”
Fox says the artist will also no longer be anonymous, giving them a chance to explain their art at a council meeting before the final vote. She hopes this new process will encourage more people to apply and allow those previously rejected to try again.
KATY FOX:“If you've ever felt like the doors been closed to you, The doors are really wide open right now.”
Bowman says she would submit to the program again. Until then, “Fun Guys” currently stands at Carillo Pottery in Oceanside.
She advises other artists not to be discouraged by rejection.
BELLA BOWMAN:“Don't let it make or break you. So, a loss shouldn't make you, a win shouldn't make you. You just keep going in pursuit of something that is bigger than you as an artist.That's why we create.”
Audy McAfee, KPBS news.
##########
NOWRUZ (know-ROOZ), THE PERSIAN NEW YEAR THAT CELEBRATES SPRING, BEGINS FRIDAY.
ARTS REPORTER JULIA DIXON EVANS TELLS US ABOUT A LOCAL MOTHER-DAUGHTER AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR DUO WHO JUST RELEASED A NEW CHILDREN'S BOOK EXPLORING THE HOLIDAY THROUGH YOUNG EYES.
NOWRUZBOOK 1 (1:13) SOQ
__
Author Zohreh Ghahremani grew up in Iran, but her daughter, illustrator Susie Ghahremani, has never been able to visit. Still, Zohreh kept the Nowruz tradition alive.
"I grew up with Norouz,
I thought that was the main holiday for the entire world."
Susie said Nowruz honors the start of spring, and brings families together to hope for change and renewal.
But as I get older, it really feels like the darkness is fading away of winter and um it really is an opportunity for things to sort of turn around,"
In "Celebrate Nowruz," the main character prepares the Nowruz "haft-seen," a unique table spread of seven symbolic foods.
With war in Iran this year, Nowruz feels different for the Ghahremanis.
What matters this Noros is how it affects our children.
And also Norus has survived so many wars. This is something that has survived for 3,000 years and hopefully it will survive forever.
Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS News
##########
<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>
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!
