It’s baseball season at Petco Park
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH>>>> WE’LL BRING YOU THE EXCITEMENT OF OPENING DAY AT PETCO PARK That AND MORE , next. But first... let’s do the headlines…########
THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THIS WEEK VOTED TO DEVELOP A PILOT PROGRAM TO HELP RESIDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK OF LOSING BENEFITS BECAUSE OF RECENT FEDERAL BUDGET CUTS
THE SAFETY NET BRIDGE PROGRAM WOULD PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SERVICES LIKE FOOD, HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
SUPERVISOR MONICA MONTGOMERY STEPPE INITIALLY PROPOSED THE PROGRAM
HER OFFICE SAYS IT WILL FOCUS ON ZIP CODES WITH THE HIGHEST RISK OF PEOPLE LOSING MEDI - CAL
COST ESTIMATES AND PLANS TO IMPLEMENT INCREASED ACCESS TO FOOD WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD WITHIN THE NEXT 45 DAYS
AN ANALYSIS CONDUCTED BY THE COUNTY FOUND THAT AROUND ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND RESIDENTS COULD BE AT RISK OF DELAYING CARE, SKIPPING MEDICATION OR GOING WITHOUT BASIC HEALTH SERVICES
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ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA IS SUING SIX PEOPLE AND THREE FRAUDULENT CHARITIES FOR ALLEGEDLY PROFITING FROM FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES AT PETCO PARK AND SNAPDRAGON STADIUM
AS FIRST REPORTED BY VOICE OF SAN DIEGO, THE TWO LEADERS OF THE CHARITY SCAM HAVE PLEADED GUILTY TO THEIR ROLE IN THE SCAM
THE FUNDRAISING PROGRAM IS MEANT TO ALLOW CHARITIES TO VOLUNTEER AT STADIUM CONCESSION STANDS AND RECEIVE A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS
THE LAWSUIT SAYS TWO PEOPLE AND FOUR OTHER CO-CONSPIRATORS USED FAKE CHARITY NAMES TO DEFRAUD THE PUBLIC AND STEAL JUST SHY OF FOUR MILLION DOLLARS IN CHARITABLE FUNDS
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YOUR SAN DIEGO PADRES HOME OPENER WAS YESTERDAY AND
UNFORTUNATELY THEY FELL SHORT TO THE DETROIT TIGERS BY A SCORE OF 8 TO 2
BUT REGARDLESS OF THIS SEASONS' UPS AND DOWN, ONE THING THAT IS CONSISTENT IS WHERE PETCO PARK RANKS AS A BALLPARK
USA TODAY RANKED PETCO PARK AS THE NUMBER ONE BALLPARK IN THE M-L-B FOR 20-26
THEY CITE THINGS LIKE DOWNTOWN'S SKYLINE AND THE FOOD OFFERINGS AS KEY FACTORS
AND WITH ALL THE LOVE THAT SAN DIEGANS HAVE FOR THEIR PADRES, M-T-S IS BOOSTING TROLLEY SERVICE THROUGH SATURDAY
MTS SAYS THAT AN AVERAGE OF 8 THOUSAND FANS RODE THE TROLLEY
TO PADRES GAMES LAST SEASON
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more ON PADRES OPENING DAY
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KPBS WAS AT OPENING DAY AT PETCO PARK
REPORTER JACOB AERE SPENT THE DAY SPEAKING TO FANS.
OPENINGDAY 1 (:50)
On the field, in the stands and around the Petco Park … the excitement for a new baseball season is in the air.
Fans and players arrived at the stadium early Thursday morning. Cesar Luna was waiting outside of the gates with his friend and sister ahead of first pitch.
“Today the energy is here. Everybody comes together for the first game of the season, it's almost like a playoff atmosphere honestly."
He hopes the Padres can make it deep into the playoffs this year.
Padres star third baseman Manny Machado says he has one main expectation for the new season:
“Health. I think that's the most important part. Just go out there and be healthy and play some healthy baseball.”
The Padres begin the season with a best of three series against the Detroit Tigers that wraps up Saturday.
They’ll continue their home stand versus the San Francisco Giants early next week. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW IS RELAUNCHING ITS INNOCENCE AND JUSTICE CLINIC.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON LOOKED INTO WHAT THEIR WORK MEANS FOR PEOPLE IN SAN DIEGO’S JUSTICE SYSTEM.
INNOCENCE 1 S/S trt 1:17 SOQ (kh/mb)
SOT :06 Lightning strikes anywhere, any place, at any given time. So does injustice.
Miguel Solorio spent 25 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
SOT :12 It’s like being stranded in the middle of the ocean, right? And you're hoping and praying that a plane or a boat, a submarine or something passes by to rescue you.
For Solorio, that boat was an innocence project in northern California.
They helped exonerate him in 20-23.
He came to California Western’s clinic relaunch Wednesday night.
They relaunched in part to correct a public misperception that the clinic had closed.
In reality, they’ve been very busy. Their wait list is about 200 people long.
They rely on donations. And students like Diana Wong.
SOT :05 You get so invested in the cases and it's you're so passionate about it, you just kind of don't want to stop.
She says she just accepted a job at the public defender's office.
That pipeline is a key part of the clinic’s mission.
Whether their students end up as defenders or prosecutors or judges, they’ll bring with them an understanding that the lightning of injustice can strike anyone.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
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SOME CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS ARE PROPOSING LEGISLATION TO STOP TAXING MILITARY RETIREMENT PAY.
MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS SIMILAR EFFORTS OVER THE YEARS HAVE FAILED.
MIDWAY 1 (ad) :56
On the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum a coalition of lawmakers and advocates say they want to give military retirees more incentives to stay in California.
CB: veterans are a major part of our local economy here.
Democratic state senator Catherine Blakespear represents the 38th District. That includes Camp Pendleton.
She says keeping military retirees in the state would offset the lost state tax revenue because most of them start second careers.
CB: we would be able to keep those people and then we would have, revenue coming in from the second job. So, you know, it could end up actually resulting in more money.
THE FIRST $20,000 OF MILITARY AND SURVIVOR BENEFIT PAY IS ALREADY EXEMPT FROM STATE INCOME TAX BECAUSE OF A PROVISION IN LAST YEAR’S BUDGET.
Multiple previous efforts to completely eliminate the tax failed to make it through the legislature over the last few years.
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LAUGHTER AND JOY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CENTRAL TO THE BLACK EXPERIENCE.
THE 90'S ESPECIALLY WERE A GOLDEN ERA FOR BLACK COMEDY
BUT IT DIDN'T JUST START THEN, THERE WERE OTHERS THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR SHOWS LIKE IN LIVING COLOR, MARTIN AND A DIFFERENT WORLD. THE TRUTH IS, BLACK COMEDIANS HAVE ALWAYS SHAPED CULTURE AND CIVIL DISCOURSE IN AMERICA
PBS NEWSHOUR CO-ANCHOR GEOFF BENNETT IS OUT WITH A NEW BOOK CALLED BLACK OUT LOUD: THE REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF BLACK COMEDY FROM VAUDEVILLE TO ‘90S SITCOMS.
I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH GEOFF TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT.
HERE’S THAT CONVERSATION:
(0:00) For San Diego News Now, this is Lawrence K. Jackson. I'm so excited to be joined here (0:04) with a journalist that I'm humbly able to call a colleague and someone I really respect, (0:09) but really just someone who is a kind person and someone who, as far as journalists go, (0:13) is one of the sharpest ones I know. Jeff Bennett is here with us, the author of the forthcoming (0:18) and now out Black Out Loud.
Hey, Jeff, how you doing? Lawrence, it's so great to be with you. (0:22) Good, good, good. Listen, you were the 2025 Washington Association of Black Journalists (0:27) of the Year.
So as soon as I saw that, I was like, Jeff's got to write a book. He's got to (0:33) have something coming, at least some t-shirts or something. But we get Black Out Loud.
Although (0:37) I know you were working on this book for over two years. So can you take us back to the initial (0:42) inception of Black Out Loud? Yeah, well, thank you. I should say, to your point, (0:46) I've covered national politics for some 20 years.
And so in thinking about the book that I wanted (0:51) to write, one of the questions I got from publishers is, why aren't you writing a book (0:55) about politics? Well, I will tell you, it's because from where I sit, culture, especially (1:00) these days, and some of the stuff that we certainly saw in the 90s, is way more like (1:06) culturally enduring and durable than is politics and policy. And so one of the lingering questions (1:13) I've had is, what was it about the 1990s where you had all of these formative and foundational (1:18) shows that I grew up with, Black sitcoms like A Different World, Living Single, Martin, Fresh (1:25) Prince, In Living Color, which is sketch comedy. How did they all exist on the air at the same time? (1:31) It wasn't as if there was a single breakout hit.
But you had all of these hits that were top rated, (1:36) and they were on the air, they were competing, they were cross pollinating. And what it meant (1:41) was you had all of these different versions and visions of Black life on the air in people's, (1:47) Americans living rooms, 20 million people a night were watching these shows. And so what was the (1:52) cultural imprint of that? What was the cultural legacy of that? How did we get to that moment? (1:56) What did it mean when these shows were on the air? And then ultimately, why did it all unwind? (2:00) And what are we left with as a result? And so that was the genesis of this book.
(2:04) That's really, really cool. I really like your early book's message of, (2:07) for those who laughed against the odds and made that laughter a legacy, (2:11) was the idea of Comos laughing as a form of rebellion, (2:15) initially part of what launched Black Out Loud? And if not, what did? (2:21) Yeah, I mean, that is true, certainly, for Black Americans. If you look at the origins of Black (2:27) performance in this country, it's minstrelsy, it's vaudeville.
So you had these Black performers who (2:32) were on stage and coming up with acts that had to exist in real narrow limits. I mean, all they (2:39) could do was perform these degrading and dehumanizing caricatures, because that's what (2:44) the culture allowed. Even before that, a joke was powerful for enslaved people.
I mean, there was a (2:51) level of communication that was baked into jokes at the time. It was a way of preserving one's (2:57) dignity, one's humanity. And so in understanding how we got to the 90s, and how we got that real (3:03) renaissance of Black comedy and sitcoms on the air, when I did the research, and I started (3:09) understanding what influenced the creators and the comedians of the 90s, going back decade, (3:16) before decade, before decade, before decade, what you end up with is the origins of Black (3:21) performance, Black comedic performance.
And that's the beginning of the arc of this book. (3:27) So I start with minstrelsy, I go to vaudeville, you get to the 60s, early 70s with, you know, (3:33) Dick Gregory and Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, who sort of just blows the doors off of the place (3:37) and reinvents what comedy can do. And all of that is the path that the comedians and (3:44) different performers, performers walked to get to the 90s renaissance.
(3:48) All right, absolutely. Let's let's talk some central themes of Black Out Loud. (3:52) I'll throw out one and then I'll let you just go.
For me, after going through it, representation (3:58) obviously is to me a central theme. Especially when you speak about the 90s and you speak about (4:03) the breakout shows. You know, all of these families weren't perfect picture perfect families.
(4:08) But it was nice to get a range of kind of working class, maybe a little bit more rough around the (4:13) edges. And then just everyday Black folks where sometimes it feels like you have to, you know, (4:18) be doctor doctor certain to just to just get acknowledged. But talk to me about some of the (4:23) central themes that we and readers will find in Black Out Loud.
(4:26) Yeah, and it's a great point that you that you raise, because I think one of the gifts of that (4:31) era was that there were so many shows on the air simultaneously. What it meant was that no one show (4:36) had to bear the burden of representing the totality of Black life. And for Black folks who were (4:42) watching, it meant that you saw different visions, different versions of yourself, of your friends, (4:48) of your family.
And then again, these shows were popular cross racially. They were the top rated (4:54) shows at the time. So what it meant was for for other folks, it meant that they were seeing (5:00) normalized images of Black joy, aspiration, ambition, chaos, as was in the case of Martin (5:07) Lawrence in their living rooms.
And so that's why one of the reasons why I think these shows (5:12) were so resonant and impactful was that even though you had these storytellers coming up with (5:17) these sitcom ideas that were very specific and authentic and true in many ways to the Black (5:22) experience, because they were so specific, it meant that they had universal appeal. (5:27) Wow, that's powerful. Another excerpt from your book that I really liked.
It said, I'm a journalist (5:32) now, but I grew up loving comedy because it was one of the first places I saw truth telling as an (5:37) art form. Comedians lately, we even did a package on KPBS about this. They've been more vocal around (5:43) being censored and feeling like, oh, even when I do my stand ups in the comedy cellar or the show, (5:49) the reactions aren't the same as what they used to be.
Do you see any comparisons to that (5:55) and recent threats to our First Amendment rights and kind of using comics and comedy (5:59) as a way around that in a way? It's like, hey, I'm just joking. I'm just joking. (6:04) Yeah.
You know, comedy has a way of lowering defenses and Black comedians for sure have (6:10) always used comedy as a way to critique the current moment, whether it's racism or (6:19) classism, whatever the case may be. And it's interesting to hear you say that (6:25) modern comics tend to focus more on being censored because it hasn't always been (6:32) that self-referential, the comedy. But yeah, no, it's a great point.
And one of the reasons, (6:38) speaking with Sinbad about his role on A Different World, he had made the case because that show was (6:43) socially conscious in a way that few sitcoms were previous. And he made the point that (6:49) that's when comedy works at its best, when it gets people to consider a point that they wouldn't (6:55) have otherwise considered because it's wrapped up in the conceit of a joke. Laughter has always (7:01) been in so many ways central to the Black experience.
I mean, it's also true that Black (7:07) comedy has never been just about the laughter. It has been a survival strategy, which was the (7:12) case for enslaved people. It's been a political language.
It was an economic engine. I mean, (7:16) one of the reasons why the 90s was so seminal in terms of sitcom was because that was when networks (7:22) and advertisers were looking at Black audiences differently. There was a growing Black middle class.
(7:28) There was a determination that that was a group of demographic, a TV-watching demographic that (7:33) network wanted to go after, and that was reflected in the programming. So whether it was from, you (7:38) know, Vaudeville to 90s network sitcoms to streaming, Black performers have always used (7:43) comedy to critique power, to code language. And in so doing, it really shaped American identity (7:51) itself.
Absolutely. This was Jeff Bennett, author of Black Out Loud. He is also the co-managing (7:56) editor and co-anchor of PBS NewsHour.
In conversation with me, Lawrence K. Jackson (8:01) of KPBS. Thank you so much, Jeff, for your time. Thank you, Lawrence, for the invitation.
(8:05) I appreciate it. Absolutely. Absolutely.
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AS WE DO FOR YOU EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY, HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND EVENT IDEAS FOR YOU AND YOURS
FOR THE PARENTS AND KIDDOS ALIKE, SESAME PLACE SAN DIEGO IS RE-OPENING ITS DOORS FOR SPRING BREAK AND TO CELEBRATE THEIR FOURTH ANNIVERSARY
YOU CAN ENJOY RIDES LIKE COOKIE MONSTER’S COOKIE CLIMB AND ELMO’S ROCKIN ROCKETS
IF YOU’RE LESS INTO ANIMATED ANIMALS AND MORE INTO THE REAL THING, THEN ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, THE PET AND REPTILE EXPO MIGHT JUST BE FOR YOU
IT TAKES PLACE ON THE DEL MAR FAIRGROUNDS AND FEATURES A REPTILE HABITAT WORKSHOP, THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADOPT A PET OR JUST GET A CLOSER LOOK AT VARIOUS SPECIES
ALSO ON SUNDAY IS CORAZON FLAMENCA
THERE WILL BE SINGING, GUITAR PLAYING AND OF COURSE FLAMENCO DANCE PERFORMERS
AND IT ALL TAKES PLACE AT THE HISTORIC POINT LOMA ASSEMBLY HALL
WHATEVER YOU DO THIS WEEKEND, ENJOY!
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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 weekend.
