Hundreds of thousands of California ride-share drivers could soon form a union
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12TH>>>> [ HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CALIFORNIA RIDE-SHARE DRIVERS COULD UNIONIZE … BUT SOME HAVE RESERVATIONS .. ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO WANTS YOUR FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT OF THE MID-CITY COMMUNITIES PLAN
CITY HEIGHTS, KENSINGTON-TALMADGE, EASTERN AREA AND NORMAL HEIGHTS ARE ALL PART OF MID CITY
THE CURRENT DRAFT OF THE PLAN WOULD ALLOW FOR 30-THOUSAND NEW HOMES IN THE AREA OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS.
THAT INCLUDES TOWNHOMES, COTTAGES AND SMALLER-SCALE HOUSES
SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA SAID QUOTE SAN DIEGO NEEDS MORE HOMES PEOPLE CAN AFFORD AND MID-CITY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF MEETING THAT NEED
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SPEAKING OF NEW HOMES…
ACCORDING TO AXIOS, [AXE-E-OSS] THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS LOOKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO 11 OF ITS
PUBLICALLY-OWNED SITES … THAT INCLUDES SEVEN LIBRARIES
SOME SITES THAT STOOD OUT … ARE:
THE BARNES TENNIS CENTER OVERFLOW PARKING LOT IN POINT LOMA, AND BALBOA PARK'S OPERATIONS YARD
... SOME OF THE LIBRARIES UNDER CONSIDERATION ARE IN :
NORTH PARK, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, CLAIREMONT AND LINDA VISTA
THE CITY ALSO TOLD AXIOS THAT THERE ARE NO PLANS TO REPLACE OR INTERRUPT LIBRARY SERVICES BUT A RE-DESIGN WOULD BE NEEDED
TO INCORPORATE HOUSING
YOU CAN GIVE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSAL TODAY FROM FIVE TO 6:30 AT AN OPEN HOUSE AT THE STAND-LEY REC CENTER IN UNIVERSITY CITY
OR AT GOLDEN HILL’S REC CENTER ON FRIDAY STARTING AT 6 P-M
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IT’S NOW EASIER TO TELL THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO ABOUT PROBLEMS AT CITY PARKS.
THAT’S BECAUSE THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO’S 'GET IT DONE' WEBSITE NOW ALLOWS YOU TO REPORT FORTY-SIX DIFFERENT PARK PROBLEMS
BEFORE YOU HAD TO REPORT ALL PARK PROBLEMS UNDER ONE CATEGORY
ONE STANDOUT CHANGE IS A NEWLY-ADDED QUICK RESPONSE CODE TO REPORT OFF-LEASH DOGS AT PARKS THE CITY OPERATES WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS
THE UNION-TRIBUNE SAYS THIS HAS BEEN A LONGTIME ISSUE THAT OFFICIALS HAVE STRUGGLED TO ADDRESS
THE NEW FEATURE WON'T HIT THE APP UNTIL LATE SUMMER OR EARLY FALL
THE U-T SAYS THE CITY RECEIVES MORE THAN 1 THOUSAND COMPLAINTS PER DAY WITH ABOUT 700 A DAY HAVING TO DO WITH CITY PARKS
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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HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS ACROSS CALIFORNIA COULD SOON BE PART OF A NEWLY FORMED UNION.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THE CALIFORNIA GIG WORKERS UNION WOULD GIVE DRIVERS A SEAT AT THE TABLE WHEN NEGOTIATING PAY AND BENEFITS. BUT NOT ALL RIDESHARE DRIVERS IN THE REGION ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL CHANGE
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UNIONRIDE 1 (ja) SOQ :57
The California Gig Workers Union, or CGWU, recently met a required 30% threshold of active drivers who support the effort, according to the state’s Public Employment Relations Board.
Librado Rivera is a rideshare driver in San Diego County. He’s also co-founder of San Diego Drivers United.
He said he's making much less money than he used to on the job… but Rivera’s not excited about joining a union.
“We do have certain concerns about it, especially in regards to the dues that drivers have to be paying in order to be affiliated with receiving this benefit.”
State lawmakers passed AB 1340 last year. That gave drivers a path to form a union and bargain for protections.
State regulators will need to certify CGWU within 30 days of the authorization for the union to become the exclusive bargaining representative for Uber and Lyft drivers. JA KPBS News.
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A NEW BATTERY STORAGE FACILITY OPENED IN POWAY YESTERDAY (TUESDAY).
IT’S THE FIRST SUCH FACILITY TO OPEN SINCE A SERIES OF BATTERY STORAGE FIRES SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN TAKES A LOOK AT THE STEPS THE NEW FACILITY IS TAKING TO MINIMIZE FIRE RISKS.
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POWBATT 1(an) TRT: 0:52 SOQ
NATPOP "and cut … cheers/applause”
The ribbon-cutting is the culmination of nearly a decade of work to bring the Nighthawk Energy Storage Project online.
NATPOP “It’s one of the largest battery projects in the country.”
Justin Johnson is the C-E-O of Arevon (ah-REE-von) … the owner and operator of the Nighthawk facility.
This is the first such facility to come online since a series of battery storage fires more than 2 years ago.
Johnson says the new facility is safer because of new technology.
“These projects have the latest chemistry. they're made of lithium ion phosphate which is the most resistant to thermal runaway. And then we have all sorts of safety features around the facility. We have a fire hydrant loop. We have a 12 to 14ft wall. We have IR cameras that are constantly surveying the facility to look for any sort of temperature differences.”
The facility has enough storage capacity to keep nearly 400-thousand homes running for up to four hours.
AN/KPBS
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A SAN DIEGO COUNTY INSPECTION OF THE OTAY MESA DETENTION CENTER FOUND TWO TUBERCULOSIS CASES THAT OFFICIALS SAY WERE NOT REPORTED.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS THE COUNTY RELEASED A REPORT OF ITS FINDINGS THIS WEEK.
OTAY 1 trt: 1:06
County health officials inspected the Otay Mesa Detention Center in June. They learned about two tuberculosis cases from a medical testing vendor…not the facility’s medical staff.
The county says the facility took several weeks to cooperate with its investigation.
That matters because tuberculosis, or TB, is airborne.
DR. ANNIE COWELL
Every time you cough, or even talking, it causes the particles to go in the air, and the mycobacteria to go, and that’s how it spreads.
Dr. Annie Cowell is an infectious disease specialist at UC San Diego.
DR. ANNIE COWELL
Every time a case is reported, the county comes in, and they see who was in close contact with this person over time.
She says TB is more likely to spread when people have prolonged contact in close quarters.
The county is recommending better communication about contagious diseases, vaccinations and more timely access to medical devices.
The county says it plans to seek annual inspections of the facility.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN SOUTHEAST SAN DIEGO WANT TO RECLAIM LAND ONCE PLANNED FOR A FREEWAY.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THERE'S A WORKSHOP TOMORROW ( THURSDAY) IN NATIONAL CITY TO IMAGINE WHAT IT COULD BE INSTEAD.
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REDEVELOP 1 (ab) 0:47 soq
AB: Caltrans started planning Highway 252 in the 1960s. But the project was abandoned in the 80s amid neighborhood opposition. Most of the right-of-way Caltrans purchased for the freeway has been redeveloped. What remains is a stub of about 57 acres next to the 805. Janice Luna Reynoso is executive director of Mundo Gardens. The nonprofit has been hosting workshops that invite residents to reimagine what the land could be.
JLR: And a lot of the time, they know some of the story and they might not know all of the story. So it's always a good thing to share the story about the 252, of residents stopping that freeway 50 years ago that gave us an opportunity to reclaim the land.
AB: Thursday's workshop is 5-8 p.m. at the Mundo Gardens homebase in National City. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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A CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER IS LOOKING TO CRACKDOWN ON TICKET SCALPERS BY CAPPING RESALE PRICES AT 10 PERCENT OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE AT INDEPENDENT VENUES.
CAP-RADIO'S CHRIS FELTS REPORTS
TICKETCAPS 1 (cprn) (1:14) SOQ: “send fake ones.”
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Inside Harlow's nightclub in Downtown Sacramento, Democratic Assemblymember Matt Haney argued ticket scalping is no longer a person standing outside a venue trying to make a couple extra bucks off an extra ticket.
["Regular people are now having to compete against professional scalpers with massive millions of dollars behind them, and those same scalpers then turn around and charge fans whatever they think they can get away with.]
The bill would apply to venues with capacities under 3,000. Daniel Romandia is the marketing director for Harlow's.
He says tickets that were once just 25 dollars sold through the venue can often end up being re-sold online for up to $100.
["We start seeing less and less sales at our bar sometimes because those limited wallets that people have are getting stretched out just on a ticket that they think they're buying from us, but ultimately they're buying them from some random seller, they don't know"]
Critics believe it could reduce competition in the secondary ticket market, furthering Live Nation/Ticketmaster's perceived monopoly at a time when Attorney General Rob Bonta is pushing to break up the company.
Platforms like Seat Geek say reduced competition could ultimately drive customers to alternative black markets where there's no recourse for sellers who either don't deliver tickets or send fake ones.
TAG: THAT WAS CAP-RADIO’S CHRIS FELTS. THE BILL WILL BE HEARD BY THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE TOMORROW ( THURSDAY).
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THE GROSSMONT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD RECENTLY VOTED TO BOOST ATHLETICS FUNDING.
EAST COUNTY REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS THIS COMES JUST OVER A YEAR AFTER THEY CUT THE DISTRICT’S TEACHER LIBRARIAN POSITIONS.
GSUCOACHES (4:46) SOC
In the Spring of 2025, Grossmont Union High School District leaders claimed a budget deficit of $2.4 million. So the board majority voted to cut a number of positions, including teacher-librarians.
NATS OF BOOING / YELLING SHAME
To say the decision was controversial is an understatement. Members of the public yelled so loud during a March meeting that they had to finish it in another room.
Fast-forward to the board’s regular meetings in recent months. Members of that same board majority -- including Scott Eckert, Gary Woods and Jim Kelly -- voted to increase the athletics budget by roughly $3.9 million.
Among other things, the money will increase stipends and pay to coaches and athletic directors. They made this vote knowing it would add to the district's budget deficit.
Here’s Superintendent Kirsten (Keer-sten) Vital (vih-tal) Brulte (Brewl-tee) at the July meeting.
BRULTE SOT (JULY MEETING)
“And I do, as your superintendent, have to let you know that again, this will add to our deficit spend. We don't have this money. I fully support athletics, performing arts, but we have some work to do to prioritize priorities.”
The trustees say they need to spend the money so the district can improve enrollment and compete with other high school athletic programs. Including the charter high schools in the district – Helix and Steele Canyon.
Here’s Eckert at the July meeting.
ECKERT SOT (JULY MEETING)
“We are losing lots of students and when we promote athletics, we’re going to retain more students, we’re going to attract more students.”
Eckert did not document this assertion with any specific enrollment numbers. And one expert is skeptical that the spending would have a significant impact.
PICUS SOT (ZOOM)
“I think it might increase enrollment at the margins. That is, a few more students may show up. But most likely, that would be to recruit potential superstar football players.”
That’s Lawrence Picus (Pie-cuss). A professor of education policy and finance at the USC Rossier School of Education. He says the money might be better spent on improving college acceptance rates.
The board’s decision was particularly galling to those who fought last year against the library cuts. Among them is, Mount Miguel High School history teacher Jason Balistreri. He’s a former librarian and coach.
BALISTRERI SOT (ZOOM)
“I understand the plight of athletics and coaches to fundraise and pay for refs and athletic trainers, and there's some good, but this just seems an obscene allocation of resources away from, well, I would biasely say, you know, should be first spent in the classroom, in libraries, in academics.”
At the board’s previous meeting, Trustee Jim Kelly deepened the controversy with racially charged comments from the dais.
KELLY SOT (JUNE MEETING)
“I don't know if I can tell the story. There's a number of kids, a lot of minority kids, a lot of a lot of fatherless kids, Black, Hispanic, poor. Some of these kids, I've heard from coaches, one coach had taught at a certain high school, I won't mention it, four of these kids had gotten sports were suicidal and they had told the coach, "If it wasn't for this, I was going to kill myself. But sports changed everything for them.”
At the July meeting, Kelly said that quality coaches are not all the high schools need. They also need quality trainers, who can better handle serious injuries, like concussions.
During public comment at that meeting, Jenee (Jah-nay) Littrell (Lih-trell) addressed Kelly’s statements regarding Black and Hispanic student athletes. She’s a former educator in the district and is running for a trustee seat this fall.
LITRELL SOT
“Trustee Kelly singled out Black and Hispanic boys and used language that invoked stereotypes about their families, neighborhoods and futures. His remarks reduced students to stereotype defined by absent fathers and poverty while suggesting that athletics may be their only pathway to a better life.”
Chris Emerick is a history teacher and former football coach.
He’s also a union official,
EMERICK SOT
“Our biggest problem that this was negotiated behind the union’s back.” BUTT TO “I believe coaches should get paid. But I've talked to to to teachers/coaches that are union members and they even feel that this has been bargained in bad faith.”
The divisions among board members were clear in both the June and July votes. Trustee Chris Fite cast one of the dissenting votes.
FITE SOT (JULY MEETING)
“I'm not against athletics, but there is no data to show that we will recoup this money.”
The district has yet to release an updated budget that reflects the increase in athletics spending.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News
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That’s it for the podcast today. Today’s pod was 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.
