How much money is the city leaving on the table by keeping beach parking free?
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH>>>> [ WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE COST OF KEEPING BEACH PARKING FREE ]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########
FIVE YEARS AFTER ITS INCEPTION, A SOCIALLY EQUITABLE CANNABIS POLICY HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BEEN APPROVED BY THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
THE POLICY GOES INTO EFFECT IN 30 DAYS.
IT WILL EXPAND THE NUMBER OF CANNABIS BUSINESSES IN OUR COUNTY’S UNINCORPORATED AREAS
… PREVIOUSLY, IT WAS CAPPED AT FIVE
THE PROGRAM IS THE COUNTY’S WAY OF ADDRESSING DECADES OF INEQUALITY FROM THE WAR ON DRUGS
THE SOCIALLY EQUITABLE CANNABIS PROGRAM ALLOWS PEOPLE WITH PREVIOUS CANNABIS-RELATED ARRESTS AND CONVICTIONS OR THOSE LIVING IN HIGH-ARREST COMMUNITIES TO HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES AT SECURING AN OPERATING PERMIT
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FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS IS NOW AVAILABLE TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS LOOKING TO BUILD IN SAN DIEGO.
THE MONEY IS PART OF THE CITY’S ‘BRIDGE TO HOME’ INITIATIVE
THE PROGRAM WAS STARTED BY MAYOR TODD GLORIA BACK IN 20-21
THE CITY SAYS 8 OF THE 30 PROJECTS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE PROGRAM HAVE BEEN COMPLETED; CREATING NEARLY 700 AFFORDABLE HOMES
THE ‘BRIDGE TO HOME’ PROGRAM DOES THIS BY CLOSING FUNDING GAPS THAT OTHERWISE WOULD KEEPAFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS FROM MOVING FORWARD
CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED AN ADDITIONAL 17 PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR SOON TO BE
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DOLLY PATRON’S LEGACY IS LIVING ON HERE IN SAN DIEGO
JUST DAYS AFTER THE ACTRESS AND COUNTRY SINGER’S DEATH, DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY ANNOUNCED A NEW PARTNERSHIP
IT’S NOW PARTNERING WITH THE DR.SEUSS FOUNDATION TO GIVE OUT FREE BOOKS EACH MONTH
THE PROGRAM PROVIDES FREE BOOKS MONTHLY FOR CHILDREN UNDER FIVE
HERE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, THAT’S ROUGHLY 170-THOUSAND KIDS THAT COULD NOW HAVE FREE BOOKS FOR THEIR FIRST FIVE YEARS OF LIFE
THE LOCAL EFFORT IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY SENATE BILL 11-83
THAT ESTABLISHED A STATEWIDE IMAGINATION LIBRARY PROGRAM
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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IT’S LABOR DAY WEEKEND AND THAT MEANS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HEADED TO THE BEACH. THOSE WHO DRIVE WILL HAVE LOTS OF PARKING AVAILABLE, AND CITY LEADERS ARE AIMING TO MAKE SURE THAT PARKING STAYS FREE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER JAKE GOTTA LOOKED INTO THE ISSUE, AND THE MONEY THE CITY COULD BE LEAVING ON THE TABLE.
BEACHPARK 1 (jg/dw) TRT: 3:12 SOQ
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if you're heading to the beach in san diego, you can count on a few things ... beautiful views, lots of sun, and free parking.
pyper vargas
0:40 - 0:45 [0:05]
“come on, dude, you shouldn’t pay to park down here. this is why we pay the big bucks down here.”
that's piper vargas, who was hanging out in pacific beach on wednesday. he's definitely not alone; many san diego residents, like kevin reeves, consider free parking at beaches ... and parks ... an absolute must.
kevin reeves
0:12 - 0:20 [0:08]
“i believe that parking should be free at the beach. i don't think that is the way that san diego should find their revenue.”
san diego city council members joe lacava and raul campillo feel the same way. so much so that they've proposed an ordinance that would ban paid parking at city-owned beach lots ... forever.
joe lacava
san diego city council president (d1)
1:33 - 1:51 [0:18]
“what council member campillo and i wanted to do was to really draw a line in the sand, if you will, that says, okay, you want to start thinking about it? one place we do not want you to think about it is paid parking at the beaches and bays of san diego.”
but if you travel up the southern california coast, you'll find that san diego is the exception. paid parking is the norm at orange county and los angeles beaches ... and also state beaches like torrey pines.
and this ordinance is coming at a time when san diego's budget deficits continue to balloon. it got so bad this year that the city closed about half of the public bathrooms in mission bay park. they were later reopened after public outcry.
but if it meant the bathrooms would always be open, pyper vargas said he might change his mind about paid parking.
pyper vargas
1:12 - 1:18 [0:06]
“yeah that’d be a good trade-off, yes. because everybody has to pee!”
[jake standup]
there are more than 8,000 parking spaces in the city’s beach lots. in the summertime, they’re usually full.
if the city charged $2.50 an hour it could collect more than 200 thousand dollars per day of full lots.
over a year, the revenue would be in the tens of millions of dollars.
but lacava said new revenue ideas are off the table
joe lacava
san diego city council president (d1)
0:55 - 1:12 [0:17]
“when we adopted that budget in june, there was really a commitment by the mayor as well as the city council that said, ‘this time we're not going to look at revenue, new revenue ideas, we're just going to cut services so we can deliver a balanced budget.”
earlier this year, the city started charging for parking at balboa park, but that didn’t end well.
under threat of lawsuits from the lincoln club, the city cut a deal, and parking will be free again in 2027
campillo says the beach parking ordinance is a lesson learned from the park fiasco.
but to pacific beach resident david cuthellfree parking has real impacts on his neighborhood.
david cuthell
pacific beach resident
1:29 - 1:40 [0:11]
“we've had several people get killed this year due to traffic fatalities. and the more vehicular traffic that you have in a community, the more of a risk you have for these kinds of things.”
cuthell said he does see a lot of people riding bikes or walking to the beach, but that option is tough for those who live further away.
and taking the bus to the beach takes a lot longer than driving.
for now and in the near future, those drivers will have a free parking spot waiting for them when they get there.
jake gotta, kpbs news.
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BATTERIES ARE CENTRAL TO OUR CLEAN ENERGY GOALS. BUT BATTERY STORAGE FACILITIES ARE A FIRE RISK. AND MANY OF THEM ARE BEING BUILT IN THE FIRE-PRONE BACKCOUNTRY.
EAST COUNTY REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS SOME RESIDENTS ARE WORRIED THERE AREN’T ENOUGH PROTECTIONS IN PLACE AS THESE FACILITIES PROLIFERATE.
BATTORD (1:04) SOC
After years of hearing complaints from East County residents about fire risks and other issues associated with battery storage facilities ... county officials have produced a draft ordinance that aims to address their concerns. They presented it at an information session last week.
“Overall, this approach helps us balance between the need for grid support and energy reliability with appropriate community safeguards.”
That’s County of San Diego Planning and Development Services staff member Chen (Hen) Levy. Among other things, she says the ordinance establishes how it will grant permits based on the size and scope of a project.
Meeting attendee and Boulevard resident Mason Smith says this draft ordinance doesn’t go far enough to protect against fire.
“To know that and to still put it in a high-fire severity zone is very strange to me, and so I would like to see that, at least much more taken into account.”
County staff said they will gather the public’s feedback and make edits to the ordinance. Another information meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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CALIFORNIANS WILL WEIGH IN ON WHETHER THE STATE SHOULD IMPLEMENT A VOTER ID REQUIREMENT THIS NOVEMBER.
CAP-RADIO’S LAURA FITZGERALD HAS MORE ON PROPOSITION 39.
PROP39 1 (1:13) SOQ
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Prop 39 would amend California's election laws to require voters to show a government-issued ID when they vote to prove they’re eligible. Those who vote by mail would have to list the last four digits of a government-issued ID number, like a driver’s license number, on their ballot.
Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio of San Diego, who heads the conservative organization Reform California, is the measure’s main proponent. He argues adopting a voter ID requirement would boost public trust in elections and prevent voter fraud.
DEMAIO: Voters will be able to restore election integrity in our state, citizenship verification, auditing voter rolls, and yes, requiring ID to vote.
Those on the NO side, mainly the state’s top Democrats, say voter ID requirements ultimately make it harder for those who don’t have a driver’s license or other government documents to cast a ballot, even if they’re eligible.
US Senator Alex Padilla from California.
PADILLA: Prop 39 will make it harder for eligible Californians to register and vote. That’s what they want. They want to put more bureaucracy between an eligible voter and the ballot box.
California is currently one of 14 states without any voter ID law in effect.
In Sacramento, I’m Laura Fitzgerald
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MEMBERS FROM THE SAN DIEGO ORIGINAL BLACK PANTHER PARTY GATHERED YESTERDAY (THURSDAY) TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF ONE OF THEIR OWN.
JEFFEREY JENNINGS WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION.
JENNINGS JOINED THE BLACK PANTHERS DURING THE JIM-CROW ERA.
BLACKPANTHER 2A: (00:11)
“He was dedicated to the principles of the black panther. To defend the black community as well as the overall community”
HENRY LEE WALLACE THE FIFTH WAS A LONGTIME COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND. HE SAYS JENNINGS STOOD OUT FOR HIS WILL-DO ATTITUDE AND COMMITMENT TO DEFEND UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES.
HE COLLABORATED WITH WALLACE TO REVITALIZE THE PARTY IN 2016. HE WAS RECOGNIZED BY COMMUNITY LEADERS FOR HIS SERVICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISM.
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SOME MAJOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS IN SAN DIEGO HAVE CUT STAFF RECENTLY DUE TO FUNDING STRUGGLES.
BUT AS JACOB AERE REPORTS, FORMER STAFF AT ONE OF THOSE INSTITUTIONS, CLAIM THERE’S MORE TO THE STORY.
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MUSEUMLAYOFFS 1 (1:00) SOQ
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE REGION ARE STRUGGLING WITH FUNDING.
LOCALLY IT’S LED TO LAYOFFS AT BOTH THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART AND THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO. S-D-M-A LAID OFF JUST UNDER TWELVE PERCENT OF ITS STAFF. THE -IC-A LAID OFF OVER FORTY-PERCENT
FORMER I-C-A CURATOR JORDAN KARNEY CHAIM (HEIM) WAS AMONG THOSE LET GO. SHE ALLEGES THE I-C-A SITUATION WAS MORE THAN JUST A FUNDING DOWNTURN, SHE'S LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY.
“I think it really boils down to financial challenges which I really think comes down to financial mismanagement.”
THE I-C-A BOARD PROVIDED KPBS A STATEMENT ADDRESSING AN AUGUST 18 LETTER FROM CURRENT STAFF EXPRESSING “NO CONFIDENCE” IN CURRENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANDEW UTT.
IN PART THAT STATEMENT SAID “THE BOARD TAKES THE CONCERNS RAISED SERIOUSLY,” AND THAT THEY HAVE “ENGAGED OUTSIDE COUNSEL AND BEGUN A REVIEW OF OUR FINANCES AND GOVERNANCE.”
JACOB AERE, KPBS NEWS.
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth and hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K. Jackson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great day/weekend.
