Latest protest at San Diego’s downtown federal building takes tense turn
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, JANUARY NINTHYES>>> [PROTESTS IN FRONT OF THE FEDERAL BUILDING DOWNTOWN THIS WEEK TOOK A TENSE TURN]
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines…########
SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S PUBLIC HEALTH LAB IS NOW TESTING WASTEWATER IN-HOUSE.
THEY ARE TRACKING COVID-19, FLU, AND RSV ACROSS THE COMMUNITY…NOT JUST IN PEOPLE WHO GET TESTED OR SHOW UP AT A CLINIC.
THE FIRST DATA RELEASED THIS WEEK SHOW COVID-19 LEVELS REMAIN LOW IN THE COUNTY, WHILE FLU CASES ARE INCREASING. JEREMY CORRIGAN IS THE LAB’S DIRECTOR.
WASTEWATER 2A (0:05)
Wastewater surveillance is a very powerful tool for us to make predictions and to see what's going on in our community.
HE SAYS BY ANALYZING SEWAGE FROM WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS, THE LAB CAN PROVIDE AN EARLY, COMMUNITY-WIDE SNAPSHOT OF DISEASE TRENDS.
FEDERAL FUNDING FOR A REGIONAL COVID WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE PARTNERSHIP ENDED IN APRIL 2025
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EL CAJON OFFICIALLY HAS A NEW CITY ATTORNEY.
JENNIFER M. LYON [LION] JOINS EL CAJON FROM IMPERIAL BEACH
WHERE SHE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS CITY ATTORNEY FOR 15 YEARS
WHEN NEEDED, SHE'S BEEN FILLING-IN PART-TIME AS EL CAJON’S
CITY ATTORNEY FOR ROUGHLY THE PAST YEAR
SHE ALSO PROVIDED GENERAL COUNSEL TO PUBLIC AGENCIES LIKE THE RAMONA MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT AND THE SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER CORPORATION
BILL WELLS, MAYOR OR EL CAJON SAYS LYON'S EXPERIENCE MAKES HER EXCEPTIONALLY WELL QUALIFIED TO PROVIDE LEGAL COUNSEL TO THE CITY
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THE SAN DIEGO BLOOD BANK AND VITALANT {VY-TALENT] AGREED TO MERGE THIS WEEK
VITALANT SAYS THEY ARE THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST NONPROFIT BLOOD SERVICES SUPPLIER WITH QUOTE INTENTIONS OF ENHANCING SERVICES FOR HOSPITALS AND PATIENTS ALIKE
THE MERGING OF THE TWO NONPROFITS IS EXPECTED TO OFFICIALLY GO INTO EFFECT BY THIS SUMMER
THE MERGER ALREADY HAS THE SUPPORT FROM BOTH ORGANIZATIONS' BOARDS BUT IS STILL SUBJECT TO A FINAL AND FORTHCOMING REVIEW
VITALANT SAYS IN A STATEMENT THAT ONCE COMPLETE, SAN DIEGO BLOOD BANK WILL BECOME A SUBSIDIARY OF VITALANT AND A TRANSITION BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL THEN BE PUT IN PLACE
THE BLOOD BANK SAYS COMBINING RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE WILL EXPAND THE REACH AND CAPABILITIES OF BOTH ORGANIZATIONS
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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FOR MONTHS NOW, LOCAL ORGANIZERS IN SAN DIEGO HAVE BEEN HOLDING WEEKLY PROTESTS IN FRONT OF THE FEDERAL BUILDING DOWNTOWN.
BUT FOLLOWING THE FATAL SHOOTING OF A WOMAN IN MINNEAPOLIS BY AN ICE OFFICER, REPORTER JAKE GOTTA SAYS THE SITUATION IN SAN DIEGO YESTERDAY/THURSDAY WAS MORE INTENSE. AND WHEN FEDERAL AGENTS DETAINED ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS, THINGS ONLY INTENSIFIED FURTHER…
ICEPROTEST 1 [1:04] soq
Protesters gathered in front of the Federal Courthouse downtown like they do every Thursday. This protest, however, was different.
Yesterday in Minneapolis, a federal agent shot and killed a US citizen in her car. Her name was Renee Good.
Tensions were already high because of what happened in Minnesota. But before the event even started, DHS agents detained Dan Shook-Castillo as he was dropping off water for the protest.
Castillo is with SEIU local 221, the organizers of the protest. He was released shortly after and given a parking ticket.
Just a few moments later Castillo spoke to the crowd.
“You know what? This is proof…that this is getting to them. They are scared of us. They are scared of our power. They are scared of what it looks like when we realize there is more of us than them.”
We have not been able to confirm with DHS if it is their protocol to detain people over an alleged traffic violation.
Jake Gotta, KPBS news
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SOMALI CHILDCARE PROVIDERS IN SAN DIEGO SAY STRANGERS ARE SURVEILLING THEIR CENTERS.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS THE HARASSMENT SPREAD FROM MINNESOTA THIS WEEK.
SOMALICARE 1 s/s trt 1:25 SOQ (kh/mb)
Samsam Khalif provides childcare in San Diego.
Two days ago . . .
SOT :08 Having kids in my car, and I saw a car in front of my house. Two young mans was in there and having a camera.
She was scared. She circled the block, hoping they would leave.
SOT :09 Finally, I go into my house, and I just when I, when they saw me that I have kids, that I'm dropping off in the car, they just pass by to me and drive away.
Khalif isn’t alone.
In December, President Donald Trump called Somali people quote, “garbage.”
Weeks later, a Youtuber began surveilling Somali-run childcare centers in Minnesota. Making unverified claims of fraud.
The harassment spread to San Diego.
A San Diego domestic workers union says its heard of at least seven incidents this week of strangers surveilling, harassing and even stalking Somali childcare providers.
Khalif says she no longer feels safe. She installed a new security system on her house.
SOT :12 I came, you know . . out my country to flew to here to to feel safe. And now I'm feeling this way under the Constitution in America, it surprises me.
The union urged providers to report these incidents as hate crimes to the police.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS MOVING FORWARD WITH PLANS IN LEMON GROVE TO BUILD CABINS FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
BUT REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS THE PROJECT HAS HAD SOME HICCUPS ALONG THE WAY.
LGCABINS 1 SOQ
County officials thought they had a sweet deal here at the corner of Sweetwater Road and Troy Street.
For $1 a month, the county would rent the land from Caltrans and be able to build about 60 cabins for people experiencing homelessness.
The cabins will likely still be built – but the $1-dollar-a-month deal is gone. That’s because the land was bought with federal money. And the Trump administration won’t let it be rented for below market rates.
So the county had to pivot last October and is in negotiations to buy the land from the state for $955,000. Here’s County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.
Montgomery Steppe SOT
“My direction was, let's move forward and see how we can negotiate a sale because it is important to stay the course.”
In addition to the cabins, the county plans to offer onsite case management support to the residents.
Caltrans officials will meet in March to discuss the sale. If approved, the county hopes to break ground on the project this summer.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News
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SAN DIEGO IS A HUB FOR CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY. ONE PLACE THAT SHOWS HOW FAR THAT’S COME IS THE ARTS DISTRICT AT LIBERTY STATION.
LISA JOHNSON: 25 years ago, you would have been in waders slogging through mud
AS THE DISTRICT MARKS ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY,
ARTISTS AND TENANTS REFLECT ON HOW THE FORMER NAVY BASE BECAME A CREATIVE HOME FOR THE COMMUNITY.
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THE GOLDEN GLOBES ARE THIS WEEKEND, SO CINEMA JUNKIE BETH ACCOMANDO IS GIVING OUT HER OWN AWARDS FOR THE BEST FILMS OF 2025.
TOPFILMS2025 (ba) 4:06 SOQ
TAG You can find a complete list of Beth’s Cinema Junkie Awards at K-P-B-S-dot-org.
TZTOPFILMS2025
Coming up on KPBS, Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando picks the best films of 2025, because she’s not entirely happy with what the Golden Globes will serve up Sunday.
CLIP Are you trying to say something?... I never try anything, I just do it.
Find out what made her top ten list.
Top ten lists are agonizing because films are so wildly diverse. Sometimes I want action, sometimes chilled to the bone and other times I want to be challenged by something bold and provocative. I’ll start with a few honorable mentions that brought me joy.
CLIP Whistle.
Superman gave me Krypto… Sisu gave me a senior citizen action hero… The Baltimorons gave me my favorite female performance in Liz Larson and Twinless had the year’s smartest, funniest script.
CLIP Right? I mean whoever invented the fitted sheet should be flagellated and not the fun kind.
Nouvelle Vague and Sentimental Value provided the best behind the scenes look at the creative process…
CLIP Did I say all this will be one shot?
While One Battle After Another delivered the most cleverly executed car chase of the year.
Now to the top ten…
CLIP Gunshots and crowd.
At number 10 is The Secret Agent set in 1970s Brazil, exploring the fallout of an oppressive regime that feels more and more like today’s United States than I want to admit.
Next is the Spanish French co-production Sirat which begins at a crazy desert rave as a father searches for his missing daughter, then takes shocking turns that leave you devastated.
CLIP Explosion
As someone who cares little for Timothee Chalamet’s wispy emo appeal I was delighted to discover he’s perfect as a smug, narcissistic bastard in Marty Supreme and says the most offensive things..
CLIP I am going to do to Kletsky what Auschwitz couldn’t, I’m gonna finish the job… A little strong mate… It’s ok I’m Jewish I can say that.
Kudos to filmmaker Josh Safdie for making an absolutely riveting film about ping pong in the 1950s and making it the nastiest film of the year.
In contrast to the frenzied energy of Marty Supreme is the slow, contemplative style of Lav Diaz’ Magellan. It’s a portrait of the historical figure from the perspective of those he colonized. This character is even more vicious than Marty but Diaz’ filmmaking is all about restraint and giving the audience time to let the themes sink in.
At six and five are a pair of documentaries about cinematic female icons: Tura! and My Mom Jayne. Both play out like tense thrillers revealing hidden stories behind actresses Tura Satana and Jayne Mansfield. The Tura doc really knocks it out of the park showing what a badass Satana was on and off camera. Your jaw will drop at her full story.
CLIP Are you trying to say something?... I never try anything, I just do it.
Next up are two films that celebrate cinema in radically different ways. Reflection in a Dead Diamond is a glorious and audacious homage to 70s giallo and sexy spy films. Every frame drips with style. It is dizzying and delicious.
Bi Gan’s Resurrection from China is equally intoxicating but delivers a far richer emotional experience going beyond just a love of cinema to explore what makes us human.
At number two is a tiny indie film whose very slightness against Hollywood behemoths is part of its charm and radical rebellion. Julian Castronovo’s Debut or Objects in the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued defies categorization but displays an obsessive need to impose order on chaos and beguiles us with a quirky neo noir mystery.
CLIP And thus, the mystery unfolds.
And at number one is the film that deserves all the awards, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners – the performances are great, the script richly layered, the cinematography and editing rock, and the sound and music are next level. It’s a horror film, a vampire tale, a story about race, a celebration of Black culture, and a defiant challenge to Hollywood, showing that a Black filmmaker can negotiate creative control and ownership of his film. To studio execs that’s way scarier than vampires.
CLIP We’re gonna kill every last one of you.
Sinners works as pure entertainment, but resonates on a deeper thematic level. I knew this would be the best film of 2025 as soon as I left the theater.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
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AS WE DO FOR YOU EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY, HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND EVENT IDEAS THAT CAN HOPEFULLY GET YOU AND YOURS OUT OF THE HOUSE AND TOUCHING SOME GRASS THIS WEEKEND
YOU CAN TAKE PART IN POWAY'S WINTER FESTIVAL ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
ITS TAKING PLACE AT THE POWAY COMMUNITY PARK AND ATTENDANCE IS FREE
YOU CAN ROAST SOME MARSHMALLOWS,
TAKE A SLED RIDE DOWN A SNOWY HILL,
OR TAKE A SPIN ON THE SKATE RINK
VISIT POWAY DOT ORG FOR EXACT INFO
AND FOR THOSE OF US A LITTLE SHORT ON TIME THERE IS
THE SAN DIEGO SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
THATS BEING PUT ON BY DIGITAL GYM CINEMA
THEIR WEBSITE SAYS FILM CONTENT RANGES FROM
ANIMATION ALL THE WAY TO DRAMA
THE FILM FESTIVAL FEATURES ESTABLISHED AS WELL
AS EMERGING FILM MAKERS
YOU CAN FIND TICKETS AT SD-S-F-F DOT ORG FORWARD SLASH BOX OFFICE FOR MORE
IF YOU'RE ANYTHING LIKE ME AND FIND FASCINATION
AROUND THE WHIMSYNESS OF A SPINNING POTTERY
WHEEL THEN THIS ONE DAY WORKSHOP MIGHT BE FOR YOU
THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY
ART SAN DIEGO IS HOSTING THE CLASS THIS SUNDAY STARTING AT 4 PM
YOU AND A FRIEND OR DATE CAN VISIT THE CERAMICS
LAB AND GIVE THAT POTTERY WHEEL YOUR BEST EFFORT
VISIT I-C-A SAN DIEGO DOT ORG FOR MORE
WHATEVER YOU DO DECIDE TO DO THIS WEEKEND, ENJOY !
Coming up.... We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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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 weekend.
