Groundwork is being laid for public university in Chula Vista
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s MONDAY, DECEMBER FIRST>>>> [A HYBRID-CAMPUS IN CHULA VISTA WOULD BE A FIRST OF ITS KIND ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THREE IMMIGRANTS ARE FIGHTING BACK AND SUING ICE AFTER BEING DETAINED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
A PROPOSED CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED IN A SAN DIEGO FEDERAL COURT, LAST WEEK
THE SUIT CLAIMS THAT THE DETAINED INDIVIDUALS WERE INITIALLY RELEASED AFTER NOT BEING CONSIDERED A FLIGHT RISK OR DANGER TO THE COMMUNITY
HOWEVER, THEY SAY THEY WERE DETAINED AGAIN AFTER APPEARING FOR THEIR CHECK-IN APPOINTMENTS WITH ICE OFFICIALS
THEIR LAWYERS SAY THIS IS IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THEIR DUE PROCESS RIGHTS AND THAT THE RE-DETENTIONS HAPPENED WITHOUT HEARINGS JUSTIFYING WHY,
THE LAWSUIT CALLS FOR THE PLAINTIFFS TO BE RELEASED AND AN INJUNCTION PUT IN PLACE THAT PROHIBITS THEIR RE-DETENTION UNLESS IT CAN BE PROVEN THAT THEY ARE DANGEROUS OR A FLIGHT RISK
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SOUTHWEST AIRLINES JUST SHARED NEWS OF INCREASED FLIGHTS DURING PEAK MONTHS IN SAN DIEGO
ONCE-DAILY SERVICE FROM SAN DIEGO, TO AND FROM SANTA BARBARA IS ONE OF THEIR NEW ADDITIONS
THEY HAVE ALSO DOUBLED ROUNDTRIP FLIGHTS BETWEEN SAN DIEGO AND SEATTLE, SALT LAKE CITY AND PORTLAND
THOSE CHANGES KICK OFF AUGUST 4TH OF NEXT YEAR
SOUTHWEST CREDITED THE RECENT RENOVATION OF SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’S TERMINAL 1 AS A REASON THE EXPANSION WAS POSSIBLE
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TAXI PLEASE!
MAYBE THAT’S WHAT EMPLOYEES AT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE WILL SAY WHEN THEY’RE IN NEED OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
AND SUPPORT THEY WILL GET, BY WAY OF A 2 YEAR-OLD ENGLISH LABRADOR NAMED TAXI
TAXI IS A CERTIFIED THERAPY DOG AND WELLNESS K-9
HE’S TRAINED TO DETECT STRESS AND RESPOND WITH COMFORT AND CARE
THE AGENCY SAID IN A STATEMENT QUOTE “ …TAXI IS A REMINDER THAT WELLNESS MATTERS AND SUPPORT COMES IN ALL FORMS, EVEN FOUR PAWS AND A WAGGING TAIL.”
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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CHULA VISTA’S DREAM FOR A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY MAY FINALLY BE COMING INTO FOCUS.
AFTER DECADES OF PLANNING AND SETBACKS, SOUTH BAY OFFICIALS ARE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN CALIFORNIA — A HYBRID CAMPUS THAT HOUSES DEGREE PROGRAMS FROM MULTIPLE UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTY.
KORI SUZIKI WENT OUT TO THE EASTERN EDGE OF CHULA VISTA TO SEE WHERE THIS INSTITUTION COULD EMERGE. HERE’S WHAT HE FOUND.
CVEDU (4:36) SOQ
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A wide expanse of empty land stretches from the neighborhood towards the Lower Otay reservoir. It’s quiet. Flocks of crows float on the breeze. The rumble of a distant freeway.
For three decades, South Bay officials and state lawmakers have been searching for ways to bring a university here — to this swath of land.
20251014_cvuniversity_david alvarez / 12:37
We have a college desert where opportunities are not being provided to families and students.
David Alvarez is a state assemblymember for the South Bay. He says higher education opportunities haven’t been equally distributed here. Most major cities in California are already home to public, four-year universities.
With more than two hundred and seventy thousand people, Chula Vista is a major city. It’s a majority-Latino town, home to many first-generation college students, and one that’s at the heart of the San Diego-Tijuana binational region.
But if students here want to earn a bachelor’s degree, they have to leave town.
20251014_cvuniversity_david alvarez / 5:44
It's an investment that's going to really pay a lot of dividends because we're going to be able to have access to education for our families and then secondarily we'll create economic activity in the region
At first, the goal was to become part of the UC or CSU system. At one point, Chula Vista was on the shortlist to become the location for a brand new CSU campus.
But in 2020, the CSU system said they couldn’t justify the cost of a new school .
20200721_cvedu_csu 2020 meeting excerpt / 1:14
Our key finding is that the projected 2035 enrollment demand alone does not justify the development of a new campus at any of the five evaluated locations.
That has led officials to focus on a different idea: a multi-university campus that houses academic programs from other universities and community colleges across the San Diego-Tijuana metro. Alvarez again.
20251014_cvuniversity_david alvarez / 16:50
You've all been to UC San Diego or you've been to San Diego State University or any other number of universities throughout the country or the world and they're very typical, right? It's the one campus, everybody's the same. But there are other states where they are they are doing this where you have multiple institutions on the same campus.
The idea is based on similar campuses across the country. Chula Vista officials are looking at one example in particular — the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado.
20251106_cvedu_auraria officials / 09:30
As we were originally envisioned, it was supposed to be a pipeline from one school to the next for students.
Skip Spear is Auraria’s Chief Administrative Officer. He says the campus houses the local city college and two separate universities — Metropolitan State University of Denver and University of Colorado Denver.
Spear says the idea behind it was to make it easier for students to move between the college and university systems. Hey says having all three institutions in the same place also allows them to lower costs by combining resources.
20251106_cvedu_auraria officials / 10:19
A lot of community colleges in Colorado consist of one or two buildings. Here you're getting access to 150 acres. All the buildings on campus a much larger bookstore than you usually have access to as well as different food options.
There is a key difference between the Auraria Campus and the one envisioned here in Chula Vista. Instead of being a primary home, Chula Vista’s campus would function more like a satellite for the other universities.
To be clear, a physical university campus in San Diego County’s second-largest city is still years away at the earliest. But there is a sense that this new vision is more realistic than previous plans.
20250603_CA Assembly Floor / 09:50
All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote.
One reason for the optimism is that the state legislature passed a bill earlier this year creating a task force to explore funding for the physical campus.
20250603_CA Assembly Floor / 10:00
Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye 67 no 0 measure passes.
Also, the academic infrastructure is already being built. SDSU, UCSD and CSU San Marcos have each announced plans to begin offering degrees in Chula Vista. And they’ll be in industries that are prominent in the South Bay – like nursing, public health, business and cybersecurity.
Alvarez says that’s the plan for the university — to focus more narrowly on degrees that would serve major industries in the South Bay like health care and binational trade.
20251014_cvuniversity_david alvarez / 17:59
We need to offer an education that actually gets people a job, not just gets them a BA, a certificate or a degree, but gets them into the workforce.
For many South Bay students, the idea of a local university is still pretty hazy. On a recent afternoon at Southwestern College, many students told KPBS they had never heard about the project.
But the ones who have are excited.
Jasmine Araujo is a first-year biology student at Southwestern. She loves the idea of having a university campus closer to home.
20251113_ksuzuki_cvedu_iphone / 2:32
Like we have our own nursing program and like there you can get a lot of like there's a lot to offer here compared to like other community colleges and like a lot of them are like much smaller than this campus. So, I think it's really good that want to expand more.
Araujo says she’s proud of what Chula Vista has to offer already. But she says it’s exciting to think of something new.
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AN INITIATIVE TO GIVE LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS NEW ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES IS EXPANDING IN THE COUNTY.
PENNER FELLOW EMMY BURRUS REPORTS THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE COUNTY’S LATEST CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
DECARB (1:13) SOC (SS)
Tens of thousands of county residents participated in shaping the Climate Action Plan in recent years.
The Plan set an ambitious goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. The appliance swap-program is one way the county hopes to achieve that goal.
County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre spoke in favor of the program at a recent board meeting.
“Energy efficiency upgrades can reduce household utilities by 20 to 30%. Programs like this allow us to reduce housing costs while advancing our Climate Action Plan through a policy that benefits both people and the planet.”
In many cases switching appliances means going from gas to electric. Eligible appliances include stovetops, dryers, smart thermostats and water heaters.
The supervisors voted to spend an additional $500,000 to expand the program to all unincorporated parts of the county.
Residents must be low income and live in a home that was built before 2020 to be eligible. Ariel Hamburger is with the county’s Sustainability Planning Division.
“They submit an application to see if they're eligible, and then they'll be supported in looking at what retrofits or upgrades make the most sense for their particular household.”
The application portal for some areas of the county is now open.
Emmy Burrus, KPBS News.
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A section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt is on display in Oceanside today (MONDAY) in remembrance of those lost to the disease.
North County reporter Alexander Nguyen says the quilt also represents the struggles the L-G-T-B-Q-plus community continues to face.
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The AIDS Quilt was created nearly 40 years ago.
Today … four large blocks with 32 quilt panels are on display at the Oceanside Civic Center Library for World AIDS Day.
“it's an international day remembering those that we have lost”
Max Disposti is the Executive Director of the North County L-G-B-T-Q Resource Center.
He says the quilt ensures the lives lost to the disease are never forgotten and also provides hope for the future.
“it's a call to action to see what else needs to be done to bridge the gap on access to healthcare for our people affected and infected by HIV, to destigmatize HIV AIDS by also supporting people in their journey of seeking health and support.”
The AIDS quilt was created in 1987 to help people understand the devastating impact of the disease.
It has grown to more than 50,000 panels… with more than 110,000 names stitched on it. AN/KPBS
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THE CITY OF ENCINITAS IS WORKING TO MAKE ITS ELECTRONIC ROAD SIGNS MORE SECURE… AFTER SOMEONE TAMPERED WITH ONE LAST MONTH TO DISPLAY RUDE MESSAGES.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN ALSO BRINGS US THIS STORY SAYS ITS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED …
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ROADSIGNS 1 :51 SOC
NATS cars driving
Normally, the electronic sign near Quail Gardens Drive and Leucadia Boulevard warns drivers of road construction ahead.
But for a brief time … the sign was reprogrammed with rude and sometimes obscene messages. -
SOT ZOOM 2:03 → 2:09 “It mentioned a body part and things like that on one of them. Yeah, and that's just unacceptable.”
Mayor Bruce Ehlers says the sign wasn’t owned by the city. It was provided by a third-party contractor.
He says this was the fourth time in three months that these variable message signs have been tampered with.
And he doesn’t want it to happen again.
SOT ZOOM 1 → 1:24 “obviously, we're upgrading all of ours immediately, and we're gonna put a requirement on all the contractors that they lock them down better, and that they take other measures to prevent anybody from breaking into them.”
We checked out the sign that had been tampered with. The new lock is the same kind as the one that had been broken off.
AN/KPBS
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WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR PET IF YOU GOT DEPORTED?
THAT’S A SITUATION A NUMBER OF SAN DIEGANS HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES IN THIS YEAR.
REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS BRINGS US THIS DISPATCH FROM THE SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY’S ESCONDIDO CAMPUS.
DEPORTDOG 1 (gs) 1:08 SOQ
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“Good girl Cata. Sit. Yes. Awe, what a good girl.”
Cata is a 4-year-old pitbull mix. She’s one of nine pets the San Diego Humane Society has received from deported families.
That’s likely an undercount – shelters don’t ask for immigration status. So they only know about deportations if people choose to volunteer that information.
“… So far, what we know, we have had nine pets come into our care. Five different owners, five different cases. But there could be more because it’s such a sensitive situation that it may be that we have pets in our care, and we don’t know the full story.”
That’s Nina Thompson from the Humane Society. She says it’s important for families worried about deportation – or people thinking of self-deporting – to have a plan for their pets.
“… It must be incredibly heartbreaking to come to this point – but we do encourage anyone who thinks they might be in this situation to have a plan. .. and possibly have a family member or a friend or somebody care for your pet if you fear this is going to happen.”
People interested in adoption can visit the Humane Society’s website. Another option is to foster a pet - Thompson says the holidays are a great time for a temporary foster because people tend to be at home more often.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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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 thank you for that. Have a great day!
