Is ‘Vision Zero’ doing enough?
Good Morning, I’m John Carroll in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, July 10th.
Is San Diego doing enough to end traffic deaths?More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
An excessive heat warning is now in effect for all areas of the county, except the coast.
An excessive heat warning was issued yesterday (Tuesday) for the inland valleys … that’s Poway, La Mesa, El Cajon, Escondido, Santee and San Marcos.
The heat warning for the valleys and the mountain areas expires tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 P-M.
While the one for the deserts is in effect through Friday night.
Find where to go for free A-C at Cool Zones dot org.
Average San Diego County gas prices have risen. It’s up 1.2 cents to nearly 5 dollars a gallon.
That reflects a broader trend … the national average rose over the last week because of higher oil prices.
Experts say price increases are restrained for now … but the upcoming hurricane season could impact U-S oil prices in the coming weeks.
Yesterday (Tuesday) the San Diego Zoo shared a first look of pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao.
The pair arrived from China at the end of June.
The Zoo said it’s working with Chinese experts to cater to the dietary needs of the pandas.
The animals are getting a variety of fresh bamboo and wowotou, a traditional Chinese bun also called ‘panda bread.’
Zoo officials say it will be several weeks before the public will be able to see the pandas
Go to kpbs dot org for photos of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao.
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
TWO-THIRDS OF OFFICEHOLDERS IN SAN DIEGO, IMPERIAL AND RIVERSIDE COUNTIES HAVE RECEIVED THREATS.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER AMITA SHARMA HAS MORE ON THE SECOND PHASE OF A SURVEY.
Of the two thirds of elected officials who reported being threatened, the survey showed no significant difference in race or party affiliation. But initial findings did show a huge gender gap. Eight percent of men reported weekly intimidation, compared to 31 percent of women. Thirty-eight percent of men and 69 percent of women say it happened monthly. Rachel Locke is director of the Violence, Inequality and Power Lab at USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, which did the survey. She says the targets of threats report hearing comments like…. “I'm being told to have thicker skin. I'm being told this really isn't a problem, but I can't sleep at night. I don't feel safe. I'm worried where I go in my community. Am I crazy? Am I crazy to feel these ways?” Similar to women and racial minorities in last year’s survey, conservative white male politicians now report threats are worsening and they’re afraid. John Porten, a researcher at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, says the harassers may be buoyed by their own success and want to expand. If it worked to intimidate these people, there's no reason that we can't intimidate others.” Porten says the poll also showed 25 percent of officeholders censor what they say publicly to shield themselves from harassment. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
Nine years ago, San Diego adopted a goal of achieving zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2025. That deadline is now less than six months away. But city streets are just as deadly as they were in 2015.
Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says those who have lost loved ones to traffic violence see a city government that's asleep at the wheel.
Part of moving out here and picking living in a neighborhood like Hillcrest is that it's a walking community. Josh was able to work in the neighborhood… Scott Moore is remembering his best friend, Josh Gilliland. The two moved to San Diego as a couple in 2001, fleeing the homophobia they grew up with in Kansas. They stayed friends after their breakup. Then, on the evening of June 10 last year… Josh was walking to work, which was Cheers, the watering hole down the street in University Heights, in the same walk he's done for years… A driver, who was later charged with DUI, ran a red light and struck Josh as he tried to cross El Cajon Boulevard. Josh died in the hospital four days later. I mean, I don't think I'll ever be completely whole again. ... We spoke almost every day. It's just really difficult to… I continue to want to call him and tell him something. There are so many things that I could only tell Josh or that we would only understand. Josh's death was especially painful because neighbors had been complaining about this intersection of El Cajon and Park Boulevard for a long time. It's enormous and confusing. And the streets are wide, which encourages speeding. Just a few months ago, a driver went off the road here and crashed into the fence of a brand new dog park… which still hasn't reopened. Scott sees Mayor Todd Gloria boasting about how many miles of streets the city is repaving… and it doesn't sit right with him. Losing somebody when it could have been prevented and knowing that other things are being funded, that intersections like this one behind me aren't getting the attention that they need — I mean, there's so many of them. We have a list of 15 most dangerous intersections, and this intersection didn't even make the list! In 2015, the San Diego City Council signed on to Vizion Zero, a global movement to end all traffic deaths and serious injuries. The city even gave itself a deadline of 2025. But the number of people dying in crashes on city streets each year hasn't budged. Last year's death toll was 62. Unfortunately, we see nationally that fatalities haven't really dropped. Unfortunately. Even coming back out of COVID and seeing normal types of operations and community experiences, unfortunately, we're seeing that those aren't dropping. Bethany Bezak is director of the San Diego Transportation Department. She acknowledges the city will almost certainly fail its Vision Zero goal next year. But she says her department is still committed to improving street safety. The transportation department continues to track and monitor with police department and make sure that we understand the highest crash intersections and where some of those safety improvements are needed. And then we're really focused on utilizing our in- house teams to be able to implement those quick and easy — quick build is what we call it — types of installations that might be just a simple crosswalk striping. These here are quick build projects, flex posts, and they're able to be put up in a matter of days. Laura Keenan is founder of Families for Safe Streets San Diego. She became an activist after her husband, Matt Keenan, was killed while biking in 2021. We meet across the intersection where Josh Gilliland was killed last year next to some freshly painted bike lanes. Keenan says the quick-build safety projects with paint and plastic delineators are great… for streets with slower speeds. On streets where cars and drivers do exceed deadly speeds, they're not always sufficient. They get us, I think, 80% of the way there. But sometimes that extra 20% is life and death. And so we really want the city to focus on adding physical barriers when the travel speeds call for it. Earlier this year, Keenan led a coalition that pushed for more traffic safety funding in the city budget. They got an extra $785,000. It's not nothing… but meaningful safety improvements to massive intersections like this one will cost a lot more. Scott Moore agrees the cheap and fast fixes are worthwhile. But they're not enough. The bike lanes and the changes that are being made, it's awesome. It's stuff that we wanted for so long. There's so much good stuff happening. It pains me to see that nothing's done about some of the worst intersections in the neighborhood. It just doesn't seem consistent with the message that the city has given us, saying that they are committed to safer streets. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news
Coming up.... The Miramar Reservoir has reopened for boating, kayaking and other watersports. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
SAILORS ON THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER ABRAHAM LINCOLN WILL GET TO ENJOY SOME EXTRA CREATURE COMFORTS DURING THEIR UPCOMING DEPLOYMENT. THAT’S THANKS TO A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE NAVY AND THE USO. MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER GOT A LOOK AT THE NEW LOUNGE.
OVER THE LAST MONTH THE NON-PROFIT USO RENOVATED WHAT USED TO BE THE SHIP’S LIBRARY INTO AN EXPANSIVE LOUNGE WITH A SMALL MOVIE THEATER, SEVERAL VIDEO GAME STATIONS, SOUND-PROOF PHONE BOOTHS AND EVEN AN ARTIFICIAL FIREPLACE. CAPTAIN PETE RIEBE (REE-BEE)IS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE LINCOLN, HE SAYS THE IDEA IS TO GIVE SAILORS AND MARINES A SPACE AWAY FROM THEIR BUSY WORK LIVES WHILE AT SEA. “BETWEEN THE FLOORING AND THE PAINT AND THE DECOR, IT'S SORT OF A DEMILITARIZED ZONE, A SORT OF UH YOU KNOW IT JUST IT JUST SCREAMS HOMEY COMFORT, NOT “WARSHIP.” THE LINCOLN IS THE 5TH CARRIER TO OPEN A USO CENTER. THE NON-PROFIT SAYS THIS ONE COST NORTH OF $200,000 AND WAS ENTIRELY FUNDED BY DONORS. RIEBE SAYS SIXTY PERCENT OF THE SHIP’S CREW IS YOUNGER THAN 24 AND THIS ONE WAY THE SERVICE IS TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEEDS OF THIS GENERATION OF SAILORS. ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS
OCEANSIDE BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS CAN NO LONGER USE OR HAND OUT STYROFOAM PACKAGING.
THE CITY’S MARINE DEBRIS REDUCTION ACT IS NOW IN EFFECT, BANNING POLYSTYRENE FOAM.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN HAS REACTIONS FROM ONE LOCAL BUSINESS.
“STYROFOAM IS ACTUALLY VERY DETRIMENTAL TO THE ENVIRONMENT” ROXANA PAVEL IS THE OWNER OF ALL MINE PIZZA IN OCEANSIDE. SHE’S BEEN IN BUSINESS HERE FOR TWO YEARS AND HAS NEVER USED STYROFOAM PRODUCTS. WHILE COMPOSTABLE TO-GO CONTAINERS MIGHT BE A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE … SHE SAYS … THAT’S JUST PART OF DOING BUSINESS. “THAT INCLUDES RENT, LABOR, FOOD AND TO-GO CONTAINERS. SO, ANYTHING THAT WE PAY THAT WE ACTUALLY GIVE TO A CONSUMER, WE TRANSPORT THAT COST, AND WE BUILD IT INTO OUR PRODUCTS. I THINK IN THE LONG RUN, IT'S DEFINITELY CHEAPER BECAUSE THE COST OF THE IMPACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT IS MUCH HIGHER.” SHE SAYS 10 YEARS AGO … IT WAS HARDER TO FIND COMPOSTABLE CONTAINERS … BUT NOW THEY’RE AVAILABLE FROM ALMOST EVERY MAJOR SUPPLIER. STYROFOAM IS THE FIRST PHASE OF THE ORDINANCE. COME JANUARY … OCEANSIDE WILL ALSO BAN SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BAGS. SOQ
AFTER NEARLY A YEAR, THE MIRAMAR RESERVOIR IS BACK OPEN TO BOATS. REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS IT MARKS THE SUCCESSFUL INSTALLATION OF AN UNDERWATER PIPELINE MEANT TO INCREASE THE LOCAL WATER SUPPLY.
Torrey Thomas and his friends brought kayaks and fishing poles to the Miramar Reservoir on Tuesday. We’re here to do some bass fishing. We’re glad the lake has reopened. It’s been about a year now and this is our local lake, so we’re glad to get back on the water. The city closed the reservoir to boats in September to install a mile-long underwater pipeline. It’s part of the city’s effort to reduce San Diego’s dependence on imported water. Amy Dorman, with the city’s Pure Water program, says purifying recycled water will give the city a reliable water supply. We recently had a good rain year. But if you've lived here more than 5 to 10 years, you know that we also get our share of drought cycles. The city’s goal is to produce nearly half of San Diego’s water supply by 2035. Katie Anastas, 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 John Carroll. Debbie Cruz is back tomorrow. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
