Local leaders want to postpone surveillance technology review
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, July 18th.
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The San Diego City council is voting today on postponing its review of how it uses surveillance technology. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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We won’t be escaping the heat anytime soon, so brace for another hot week.
Temps will be in the high 80s, almost jumping into the 90s.
And an excessive heat warning has been extended in the county’s desert areas until 8 p-m on Saturday.
If you need a place to cool down, there’s a list of cool zones on the county’s website.
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The San Clemente City Council, today will be discussing a permanent solution to stop landslides over the train tracks in the city.
Right now there is a temporary wall in place, so the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink passenger service between Orange County and San Diego is running again.
Metrolink and the Orange County Transit Authority built the temporary barrier wall protecting the tracks from debris.
Chris Duncan is San Clemente’s mayor.
“Credit to octa for really getting after it, getting the crew out here that put these beams in and got the wall built. this is the retaining wall at the bottom of the hill. … it should keep i mean, you've got a lot of dirt and material still up the hill, but it should keep that, i would think, off the tracks.”
Train travel had been stopped since early last month.
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More voting options are now available for the District 4 special primary election.
If you’re a registered voter living in District 4, starting today, you can drop off your ballot at any of the 29 official ballot drop boxes around the district.
You can find the one closest to you on the Registrar of Voters website.
The August 15th election is to fill Nathan Fletcher’s vacant seat on the county’s board of supervisors.
If no candidate receives a majority of the vote during the primary, a special general election will be held in November.
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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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San Diego leaders are reconsidering a key transparency pledge regarding how the city uses surveillance technology.
Reporter Scott Rodd says the city council will vote on the issue today.
An ordinance passed last year set a one-year deadline for the city to identify existing surveillance technologies…solicit community input…and ultimately get City Council approval for their continued use. The city has identified hundreds of technologies. They include remote-operated drones, DNA databases and equipment that can access personal devices. But none have gone before the City Council for approval. Now Mayor Todd Gloria and Council President Sean Elo-Rivera are proposing a three-year extension of that review deadline. That’s gotten the attention of community advocates. Yusufi-1: “We want to make sure that we have transparency.” Homayra Yusufi is executive director of the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. The organization is a member of the TRUST SD Coalition, a privacy and surveillance advocacy group. Gloria originally proposed eliminating the review deadline altogether. The coalition criticized the plan…and instead proposed a three year extension. Late Friday, Gloria and Elo-Rivera put forward a new proposal that adopted the coalition’s suggestion. Yusufi-2: “I think three years is more than enough time to be able to go through all of these technologies.” City spokesperson Nicole Darling said in an email that extending the deadline is required to avoid hindering city operations. SOC.
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More S-D-G-AND-E natural gas customers are getting money back thanks to a utility review.
That happened after KPBS raised questions about a Fallbrook customer’s oversized bill.
Environment reporter Erik Anderson has details.
Jack Babbitt’s grandson reached out to KPBS after Babbitt got a 13-hundred dollar natural gas bill. There were several months of low estimates before a meter reading in January caught up. Problem was, January had the highest gas prices ever. SDG&E recalculated the winter bills and Babbitt got a 350 dollar rebate. It turns out, about 100 other SDG&E customers were affected by the same issue. Most will get small refunds. SDG&E's Anthony Wagner says 10-to-20 had situations very much like Babbitt. “Those customers will also receive a similar credit to Mr. Babbitt about $350 or so.” SDG&E is also tweaking its computer algorithms to be better at estimating bills. Erik Anderson KPBS News.
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Coming up.... Our KPBS arts reporter has the 4-1-1 on Comic-Con. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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San Diego Pride 20-23 is now just a memory.
Reporter John Carroll talked to the head of the Pride organization about how things went this year.
“It was the smoothest, best-running pride parade, festival, rally that i’ve been through in my 13 years.” san diego pride executive director fernando lopez is all smiles on the monday following pride. he says it appears the event attracted the 300-thousand people that were projected… maybe even more. given the rise of violence against the lgbtq-plus community nationwide, and anti-lgbtq-plus legislation being introduced in a number of states, there were concerns about this year’s event. but lopez says, in that regard, things were actually better this year than in the past. “there was a dramatic reduction in the number of aggressive emails that we received, or communications. so, i probably felt the safest i ever did going into this year’s event.” lopez says planning for pride 2024 has been underway for months. jc, kpbs news.
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And now on to another big event for our area – Comic-Con.
Arts reporter Beth Accomando has been going to the convention for almost 50 years and has learned how to navigate it.
Taking her cue from pop culture, she offers this geeky list of the top ten survival tips to make the most of your Con.
Number 1, Badges: You need a badge for Comic-Con so keep it with you at all times. Remember to always both tap in and out at the convention center or you may not be able to re-enter. If you have any problems, go to the RFID Badge Help Desk. And badge sharing is not allowed. Two, check out the official website. This is the way. Comic-Con puts a lot of work into its website and packs it with information: You can explore the exhibit floor, check out who will be in Artist Alley, and scope out all the programming. And important for this year, there is a list of canceled panels reflecting the impact of the writers and actors strikes.. I have spoken… Three, transportation. Transporter operation but this Gerry rigging won’t last for long Getting back and forth from the Con can be a challenge. Parking is expensive and hard to find so consider using the trolley or the Comic-Con shuttles that are free with your badge. And learn the lay of the land so you don’t waste time getting lost. And without a transporter comfortable shoes are a must. Four, pack a survival kit: Survival Kit contents check…Water, snacks, caffeine, chocolate, battery chargers, jacket, check. Deodorant -- if you want to be considerate of others. Pretend you are heading out on a mission and don't know how long you’ll be gone. Five. Make a plan: To complete the plan I need that guy’s eye No, no you don’t but you will benefit from some kind of plan whether it’s highly detailed strategy or just a casual idea to hit the exhibit floor. But decide how you want to tackle the Con and what’s important to you. And figure out the geography -- you cannot go from the Bayfront Hilton to Hall A in five minutes. Understand that it’s not just a question of distance but of what stands between you and your destination. Six, be flexible. Adopt, adapt and improve Heed Monty Python’s advice and b e ready to pivot. If you get shut out of a panel, don't let that ruin your day. Instead walk into a random panel and maybe you’ll discover something new. Or check out the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival and chill out watching a pop culture inspired film. Seven. Lines do NOT have to be a bad thing: 'I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship' Attendees form lifelong friendships with people they meet in line so if you are stuck waiting for something, chat with the geeky fan standing next to you because a beautiful friendship might lie ahead. Eight, Express yourself: Nice Spidey costume… Wear a costume or just a tee shirt showing your fandom. Comic-Con is the best place to celebrate what you love and to find others who share your passion. Nine, Step out of your comfort zone: 'I’m going on an adventure' Explore! Seek out something new. If you don't know what an inker or a letterer does, then go to a panel about them. And ten, support an independent artist or publisher. Consider hitting the floor for a day or an hour and spend some time AND money in artist alley or small press. There are treasures out there waiting to be discovered and you can feel great knowing you are supporting independent creators. And finally… Enjoy the little things That’s right, just remember to have fun no matter how many zombies might be chasing you. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
TAG: For more of KPBS’ Comic-Con coverage, go to K-P-B-S-dot-O-R-G-slash-comic-dash-con.
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That’s it for the podcast today. Join us again tomorrow for more of the day’s top local stories, plus, we’ll hear from a group of geeky lawyers who use pop culture to teach law. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.
