Imperial Valley data center developer seeks access to Colorado River water
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s TUESDAY, JUNE SIXTEENTH>>>> [ THE COMPANY BEHIND A LOCAL DATA CENTER HAS FILED A LAWSUIT, SEEKING ACCESS TO WATER FROM THE COLORADO RIVER ]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########
A HEADS UP FOR ANY OF OUR NORTH COUNTY LISTENERS ...
TODAY AT 6 P-M, THE COUNTY SHERIFFS' OFFICE WANTS FEEDBACK FROM NORTH COUNTY RESIDENTS ON THE FUTURE OF THE VISTA DETENTION FACILITY
THE EVENT TAKES PLACE AT THE ENCINITAS COMMUNITY CENTER LOCATED AT ELEVEN-FORTY OAKCREST PARK DRIVE
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAYS THIS SECOND FORUM GIVES ATTENDEES THE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE PLANNING PROCESS CURRENTLY IN PLACE FOR POTENTIAL UPGRADES...
THE OFFICE SAID IN A STATEMENT IT’S PART OF THE SHERIFF’S QUOTE COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY BY ENSURING THE PUBLIC AND MEDIA ARE INFORMED ABOUT HOW WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICES TO PEOPLE IN OUR CUSTODY END QUOTE
THIS COMES AFTER THE UNION-TRIBUNE REPORTED A CITIZEN OVERSIGHT BOARD BACK IN APRIL FOUND TWO COUNTY SHERIFFS’ DEPUTIES CRIMINALLY CONNECTED TO THE 20-24 DEATH OF A MAN AT THE VISTA DETENTION FACILITY.
THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS AT THE TIME
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LOCAL CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS ARE ASKING THE U-S SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION FOR THEIR CONTINUED-SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY POLLUTION...
IN A JOINT-LETTER, LEADERS SAY THAT AS SOUTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY BEACHES CONTINUE TO BE IMPACTED BY TRASH AND TOXIC WASTE COMING FROM THE RIVER ... LOCAL BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO SUFFER
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES ADDED THAT AS SUMMER APPROACHES, MANY LOCAL BEACHES IN SOUTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY ARE BRACING FOR A FIFTH-STRAIGHT SUMMER OF BEACH CLOSURES IN THE AREA DUE TO QUOTE DANGEROUS LEVELS OF BACTERIA FOUND IN THE WATER
LOCAL REPS SAY THE RESULT IS A LOSS IN REVENUE FOR SOUTH SAN DIEGO’S SMALL BUSINESSES AND COMMUNITY AS BEACH GOERS CONTINUE TO OPT FOR BEACHES FURTHER UP THE COAST
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THE AVERAGE COST OF A GALLON OF SELF-SERVE, REGULAR GASOLINE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY HAS DECREASED FOR THE TWENTY-THIRD TIME IN 24 DAYS ...
IT NOW SITS AT FIVE DOLLARS AND SEVENTY-ONE CENTS ... ITS LOWEST AMOUNT IN OVER TWO AND A HALF MONTHS
AS FIRST REPORTED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, AN INITIAL AND TENTATIVE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REPORTEDLY REACHED BETWEEN THE U-S AND IRAN...
IT ALLOWS FOR WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP CALLED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA A QUOTE TOLL FREE OPENING OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
EXACT DETAILS OF THE DEAL ARE STILL FORTHCOMING AND HAVEN'T BEEN RELEASED YET. THE A-P REPORTS IMPLEMENTATION WILL NOT BEGIN UNTIL THE DEAL IS FORMALLY SIGNED; CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE THIS FRIDAY IN SWITZERLAND
CRUDE OIL PRICES DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY FOLLOWING THE NEWS
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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AN IMPERIAL VALLEY DATA CENTER DEVELOPER HAS FILED A LAWSUIT SEEKING ACCESS TO WATER FROM THE COLORADO RIVER.
REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS THE COMPANY IS CHANGING COURSE FROM ITS PROMISES EARLIER THIS YEAR.
IIDSUIT 1 (:56) SOQ
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For months, Sebastian Rucci said his data center project would not take water from the Colorado River.
Rucci is a developer and lawyer based in Huntington Beach. He’s trying to build a massive AI data center complex in the Imperial Valley. That he says needs around 750,000 gallons of water per day for cooling.
In the Imperial Valley, the Colorado River is the only source of fresh water. The river is also suffering from a historic drought and has already fallen to dangerously-low levels this year.
Rucci has said repeatedly that they would rely on recycled wastewater from nearby cities. And would not need to draw on the Colorado.
Now though, Rucci’s company, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, is going to court to do just that.
Earlier this month, the developer sued the Imperial Irrigation District, or IID. Seeking access to 260 million gallons of water per year. That’s more than the annual needs of seven thousand Imperial County residents.
Rucci didn’t respond to an interview request. A lawyer for IID declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM CLAIMS HE AND HIS WIFE, FIRST PARTNER JENNIFER SIEBEL (SIGH-bel) NEWSOM, ARE BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
NEWSOM MADE THE ACCUSATION IN A VIDEO RELEASED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND HIS OFFICE’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
HE CLAIMS INVESTIGATORS HAVE SHOWN UP AT HIS HOME... AND THE HOMES OF HIS RELATIVES AND PAST EMPLOYEES.
NEWSOM ACCUSES PRESIDENT TRUMP OF ABUSING HIS POWER OVER THE AGENCY TO LOOK FOR A CRIME TO PROSECUTE.
Newsom 2A :18 “Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide. His political operatives can take every record and read every page, but they’ll be looking in the wrong place. Because if they really want to find corruption, then look no further than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
IN THE VIDEO, NEWSOM ALSO SUGGESTS THE INVESTIGATION IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED BECAUSE HE IS CONSIDERING A RUN FOR PRESIDENT.
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SAN DIEGO IS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S MOST EXPENSIVE REGIONS AND PEOPLE ARE FEELING THE SQUEEZE.
IN THE LATEST FOR OUR PRICE OF SAN DIEGO SERIES, MILITARY AND VETERANS REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS EVEN MILITARY FAMILIES HAVE TO ADAPT.
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Marjorie Jones-Bias, veteran and Navy spouse
“I already had in my mind, like Pacific Beach or maybe Mission Valley.”
Army veteran Marjorie Jones-Bias was excited when her husband received orders to San Diego in 20-22. She was familiar with San Diego but was surprised by what she found when they began house hunting.
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Marjorie Jones-Bias, veteran and Navy spouse
The rent was expensive, and then we couldn't even fathom having to afford that and utilities.
The military provides housing for troops and their families by giving them a tax-free Basic Allowance for Housing, or B-A-H.
It varies based on a member's rank, whether they have dependents and where in the country they're stationed — higher cost of living areas receive higher B-A-H.
Jones-Bias' husband is an E-6 with a family so, in San Diego, he's paid about 4 thousand dollars a month in BAH.
That wasn’t going to be enough.
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Marjorie Jones-Bias, veteran and Navy spouse
And so ultimately we decided to wait it out and to go into housing.
Base housing in San Diego is provided by Liberty Military Housing, a private company that partners with the Navy.
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Philip Rizzo, CEO, Liberty Military Housing
Being able to have a little space of your own in Southern California is a huge deal, and that's available for the families to live with us,
Philip Rizzo is the CEO of Liberty Military Housing. The company charges each service member based on their BAH rate.
It manages entire neighborhoods of homes throughout the San Diego area, including in Murphy Canyon and Liberty Station.
But they have limitations.
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Philip Rizzo, CEO, Liberty Military Housing
there's about 62,000 that are eligible to live in housing. We only have 17,000 homes.
Jones-Bias says for her family living in military housing made the most sense.
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Marjorie Jones-Bias, veteran and Navy spouse
That BAH covers your rent. It covers 24 over seven maintenance. It covers replacement of any appliances. It covers the water, it covers the electricity. And then whenever they do renovations, of course, like replacing the floors, replacing the carpet, the doors, all of that is included within whatever is your rate.
Her family lived in a Navy hotel for five months waiting for a unit to open up in Liberty Station.
Rizzo says that’s not unusual.
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Philip Rizzo, CEO, Liberty Military Housing
So we have waiting lists. They're a little More relative to where people want to live.
For some military families, the answer to expensive housing is more than an hour away in vRiverside County.
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Cecilia Yacuta, Navy Region Southwest
we have seen a huge increase on military families moving outside of that San Diego area
Cecilia Yacuta runs child and youth programs for the Navy in the region. Along with housing, childcare costs consistently rank among the top concerns for military families.
New military Child Development Centers have opened around San Diego over the last several years. Child care on base can save military families thousands of dollars a month versus outside daycare.
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Cecilia Yacuta, o
all of our programs go under something called total family income. So we base their fees, their military pay, day fees based on their total family income. And then we get subsidized later after the fact.
But there’s still a waiting list. Yacuta says military families can receive fee assistance if they have to seek care at an outside facility.
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Cecilia Yacuta, Navy Region Southwest
So our waitlist has dropped tremendously and not only because of the new facilities, but because of our fee assistance program as well. Before a few years back, maybe our waitlist could have been around 4000 kids here in metro San Diego. Now we're down to a few hundred kids.
Jones-Bias says without the fee assistance program her family wouldn’t have been able to afford childcare.
There’s been other adjustments, too.
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Marjorie Jones-Bias, veteran and Navy spouse
So yes, we do a lot of planning,
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I think that since living in California, we've actually started to read our ad papers. So we use coupons, we see when there's a deal on different juices or if meat is on sale.
She says life here is worth the extra work.
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Marjorie Jones-Bias, veteran and Navy spouse
We really love it here. I think the cost of living is worth the things that you receive. It's just not something that's affordable for a military family.
Andrew Dyer, KPBS News.
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HAZARDOUS SWIMMING CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY ALONG SAN DIEGO’S COASTLINE. METEOROLOGISTS SAY SEVERAL DAYS OF HIGH-RISK RIP TIDES ARE UNUSUAL.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA EXPLAINS WHY.
RIPTIDES1 trt: 54 SOQ
The National Weather Service says life-threatening rip currents and elevated surf are likely this week.
Sebastian Westerink is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He says a couple days of strong currents is normal this time of year.
RIPTIDES 1a 00:10
“Usually, we see the south swells come and impact our coast for a day or two. And that's usually kind of the extent of our beach hazardous statement.”
But several days of high-risk currents are more unusual.
He says multiple storms far into the Pacific Ocean are sending massive amounts of water up onto beaches.
But the threat of rip currents didn’t stop Zuri Fleming from surfing in Ocean Beach on Monday morning.
RIPTIDES 1b 00:07
“It makes me a little bit nervous because I'm just beginning to surf. But I actually like to ride the rip currents on my boogie board.”
If getting in the water, lifeguards recommend swimming in front of a guarded beach. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth. This podcast is 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.
