High gas prices hurting those who drive for a living
Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Tuesday, March 8th
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Gas prices and ride share drivers
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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San Diego Unified has a new superintendent. The district announced on Monday that interim superintendent Dr Lamont Jackson would be given the permanent job. He’s replacing Cindy Marten, who resigned after becoming deputy secretary of the US department of education.
Dr Lamont Jackson was a student in the district and has worked as a teacher, principal, and area superintendent over the past 30 years. Here’s Dr. Jackson.
“we will continue to pursue the idea of closing the achievement gap by creating a system that is anti-bias and anti-racist. we will focus on effective teaching and learning and leading."
The board of trustees will ratify his new contract at their meeting on March 22nd.
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San Diego State University changed its mask policy on monday. Students will no longer have to wear them at indoor events and meetings. However … They still have to wear masks when inside the classroom and other instructional areas.
The change came after the C D C designated san diego’s covid transmission rate as low on thursday.
San Diego Unified board of education vice president Sabrina Bazzo says that’s the same reason San Diego Unified announced its lifting its mask mandate next month.
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Mayor Todd Gloria on Monday announced that seven proposed affordable housing projects are being recommended for funding under a new program called “Bridge to Home.” The 7 projects would build 662 apartments in the city, in areas such as San Ysidro, Downtown and the East Village. Under the bridge to home program, nearly 32 million dollars in loans is being made available to affordable housing developers. The loans come from the city’s Economy Development department.
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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.
Gas prices are over $5 a gallon at most San Diego gas stations … and while most of us complain about paying that much at the pump … people who drive for a living are hurting the most.
KPBS reporter Kitty Alvarado spent the day with a rideshare driver who says gas prices will force many to quit the job altogether.
It’s the dreaded moment of the day, it’s going to hurt
Tonje Ettsevoll has been a ride share driver for five years … but this is the first time she’s had to pay almost six dollars for a gallon of gasoline …
Tonje Ettsevoll
San Diego County Ride Share Driver
Gas os 5.78, that’s insane amount of money, that’s twice as much as when I started five years ago and I’m making half the money
I used to fill up my tank for about 32 dollars around there now it’s over 50 dollars so of course, everything you’re earning it just eats into that
According to AAA gas prices in San Diego County set records nearly every a gallon is55 cents more than a week ago …
Ettsevoll says ride share drivers are on the edge.
I hear a lot of anger out there, there’s a lot of drivers who want to strike, there’s a lot of frustration, and I even talked to a driver that’s living in his car
She says most people have the misconception that when they pay a high rate, she is pocketing a big part of it … that’s not the case.
I had a passenger that was very upset that he paid $85 for his ride and I said ‘wow that’s a lot, what do you think I got? 18, $18 out of 85 so it’s really really tough. And it makes it harder to justify going out late at night picking up people who are drunk when you don’t get paid good money
She says she got into the business for the flexibility, the flexibility that companies like Uber and Lyft tout … but inflation and gas prices that climb by the hour are squeezing her dry
When everything increases in price, the gas increases, everything around you, your rent, your food, then and you can’t pay for your rent and you can’t pay food, then where’s the flexibility in that? There’s no flexibility in being poor .
Kitty Alvarado,
Nat sound tapping handle You gotta get every last drop with these kind of prices
KPBS News
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At least 90,000 restaurants and bars across the country have closed since the beginning of the pandemic- that's according to the Independent Restaurant Coalition. And while the recent drop in COVID-19 infections is encouraging, new variants and future waves are not out of the question. The California Report's Keith Mizuguchi says all that uncertainty has restaurant owners on edge.
That was The California Report's Keith Mizuguchi.
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The largest corruption scandal in navy history is in court. kpbs military reporter steve walsh says prosecutors say the man they called fat leonard seduced the seventh fleet.
In 2015, Leonard Glenn Francis pleaded guilty to overcharging the Navy millions of dollars to birth ships around the western pacific. The last five Naval officers charged with helping him are now on trial. Tom Wright talked to Francis for the podcast Fat Leonard.
In the Philippines, they get off, you know they have these crazy parties with carousels of prostitutes and non stop drinking they share photos of women afterwards they they took crudely about women all this kind of stuff is in the indictments.”
During opening arguments, attorneys for the five officers, including retired rear Admiral Bruce Loveless, say their clients didn’t have the power to steer Navy contracts to Francis, the way prosecutors allege. Steve Walsh KPBS News.
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Cardiff state beach is getting an extra helping of sand this week. Caltrans and sandag crews are dredging the sand from the San elijo lagoon, and it’s being piped over to cardiff.
Kim smith with sandag says the project benefits Cardiff beach visitors and the natural habitats of the san elijo lagoon.
“it's good for the grunions. it's good for the invertebrates. so there's a lot of good benefits by us putting sand on the beach.”
The beach will remain open but nearby residents and businesses may expect an increase in traffic, construction activity, and traffic control signs. dredging is ongoing for 24 hours and hauling will take place Monday through Friday from 7am to 7pm. The project is expected to be completed by april.
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Coming up.... What does it mean to be woke? We’ll bring you the answer, just after the break.
Over the past two years conversations about race, gender and equity have become more mainstream and in some cases more contentious. That’s why KPBS Race & Equity Reporter Cristina Kim has been collecting your questions as a part of a series we’re calling “Let’s Talk About.”
Tell us your questions about race, gender and equity by calling (619) 630-8516 and leaving a message.
Karama is a non-profit organization made up of Arab and non-Arab members. This Friday the organization kicks off its 11th annual Arab Film Festival.
KPBS film critic Beth Accomando has this preview.
Karama focuses on issues of the Arab and Islamic world with a special emphasis on Palestine. President Larry Christian says In 2012, the group launched a film festival with specific goals.
LARRY CHRISTIAN: The celebration of Arab culture and a sign of pride for the local community, and reach out to the broader community to show what the Arab community really is. Film is a really good medium for showing humanity.
And that’s why film is an excellent medium to challenge stereotypes. It can also offer different perspectives on histories we may think we know.Heliopolis looks to Algerian resistance to French colonialism in 1945 while Trapped focuses on women from diverse social backgrounds who find themselves caught up in the turmoil of the early days of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
CLIP protesters in the streets
The festival opens Friday night with the Palestinian film The Stranger set in the occupied Golan Heights. Christian says it touches on timely issues.
LARRY CHRISTIAN: There are occupations and annexations that happen in Europe, that are widely condemned and those that happen in the Arab world that are accepted and recognized even by the U.S.
Karama’s Arab Film Festival runs the next three weekends in person at the Museum of Photographic Arts.
Beth Accomando KPBS News.
That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
