Local politics, policies in 2026 could have major impact
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s MONDAY, JANUARY FIFTH
>>>> WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR IN SAN DIEGO POLITICS THIS NEW YEAR[]More on that next. But first...the headlines…#######
ROUGHLY NINE MILLION CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS COULD BENEFIT FROM EX PANDED ACCESS TO IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION OR I-V-F TREATMENT. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE NON-PROFIT NEWSROOM CAL-MATTERS.
THIS NEWS COMES FROM YET ANOTHER LAW THAT WENT INTO EFFECT JANUARY FIRST
S-B-729 REQUIRES LARGE GROUP INSURERS TO COVER THE DIAGNOSIS AND INFERTILITY TREATMENT
THE NEW LAW ALSO NOW INCLUDES SINGLE AND SAME-SEX COUPLES
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THOSE RECEIVING FEDERALLY REGULATED BENEFITS LIKE MEDI-CAL OR MEDI-CARE...OR THOSE WHO GET THEIR INSURANCE THROUGH RELIGIOUS EMPLOYERS
CAL-MATTERS SAYS THAT ADVOCATES OF THE BILL ANTICIPATE
COVERAGE COULD IN TIME EXTEND TO SMALL GROUP INSURERS AS WELL
IF APPROVED, THE EXPANSION WOULD INCLUDE MOST CALIFORNIANS WITH EMPLOYER-SPONSORED HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS
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IF YOU ARE HEADING SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 5 NEAR THE SAN YSIDRO BORDER CROSSING BE AWARE THAT SIGNIFICANT DELAYS ARE EXPECTED
THE FIRST PHASE OF A NEARLY THREE MILLION DOLLAR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IS SET TO START AT 9 AM TOMORROW
THE CAMINO DE LA PLAZA ON-RAMP AS WELL AS PARTS OF THE 5 ARE CLOSING FOR MORE THAN TWO DAYS
YOU WILL SEE FEWER LANES IF YOU ARE HEADING TOWARDS THE BORDER
THIS FIRST PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION WILL CONCLUDE ON JANUARY 9TH
CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL SAYS THE WORK WILL IMPROVE SECURITY, SAFETY AND TRAFFIC FLOW
THEY ARE URGING DRIVERS TO EXPECT DELAYS AND TO PLEASE PLAN AHEAD
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JUST DAYS BEFORE 20-25 DREW TO A CLOSE, A HEROIC RESCUE TOOK PLACE IN LA MESA.
THE SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY RESPONDED TO AN ANIMAL HOARDING CASE AT A 500-SQUARE FOOT RESIDENCE
THEY FOUND NEARLY FORTY DOGS AND PUPPIES LEFT ALONE, WALKING AROUND IN FECES AND LIVING IN OVERALL UNSANITARY CONDITIONS
AUTHORITIES BELIEVE THE DOGS MAY HAVE BEEN ALONE FOR ALMOST A WEEK
EACH DOG HAS NOW BEEN MICROCHIPPED, DEWORMED AND RECEIVED A MEDICAL EXAM
HOWEVER THE HUMANE SOCIETY SAYS MANY HAVE MEDICAL AND
BEHAVIORAL NEEDS THAT WILL TAKE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND TIME TO WORK THROUGH
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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2026 IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR IN LOCAL POLITICS. SOME POLICY DECISIONS COULD HAVE MAJOR IMPACTS ON THE FUTURE OF SAN DIEGO.
FOR THIS YEAR’S FIRST WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S SCOTT LEWIS OFFERS THREE THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE NEW YEAR.
NEWYEAR(vosd) TRT 1:15 last words "why it matters"
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At the top of the list is a possible ballot measure to address the border sewage crisis.
A coalition of labor unions and nonprofits is asking voters to put a half-cent sales tax on purchases county-wide. The tax would fund a solution to the sewage crisis that has plagued the border for decades. The only problem is, they’re not sure what exactly that solution is. We’ll be monitoring to see what they come up with.
Next, the city of San Diego has a waste problem of its own. Proponents will soon be gathering signatures to repeal the trash fee the city started charging single-family homeowners last year.
If voters support the referendum, the city’s already serious budget problems could get very intense.
And third on the list, finding a path forward for Midway Rising.
That's the project aims to revitalize the Sports Arena neighborhood and build thousands of new homes. But the courts threw out the two ballot measures that lifted the building height limit in the Midway area, effectively stalling the project.
The developers said though, no problem. They could use another state law to build higher than 30 feet.
But the city attorney and the mayor still haven’t said they agree that it’s a viable plan. We’re still waiting to hear from them.
Local politics will be fun this year and we’ll be there to help you follow it. For Voice of San Diego, I’m Scott Lewis and that’s why it matters.
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SAN DIEGO'S CROWN JEWEL, BALBOA PARK, NOW HAS PARKING FEES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS LONG HISTORY.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THE NEW FEES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT FOR RESIDENTS AND THOSE BEYOND CITY LIMITS.
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BALBOAPARKING1 (ja) :50
Today marks the first day the city of San Diego will charge visitors to park a vehicle in Balboa Park.
That’s upset some local residents, like Roberta Henry and Joyce Clagett (CLAG-it). They visit the park multiple times a week.
“To have to pay is not right” …”“I don't care for it, I think it's going to keep locals away.”
Balboa’s new parking fees are a tier-based system that comes with higher costs the closer a car is to the heart of the park.
Meters start at 2.50 an hour and the cost for daily parking lot use ranges from $5 to $16 dollars.
Discounted rates are available for city residents … if they register their license plate online.
The portal to do that went live Friday. A city spokesperson says there will be a one month grace period for enforcement. JA KPBS News.
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SAN DIEGO IS PREPARING TO ENFORCE NEW WILDFIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR DEFENSIBLE SPACE AROUND HOMES.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THEY'LL APPLY IN MOST OF THE CITY.
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FIREZONE 1 (ab) 1:18 soq
AB: San Diego's canyons can be both beautiful and hazardous. They provide greenery and habitat for wildlife, but can also fuel wildfires. Dry and windy weather can sweep embers into the air and ignite homes that are blocks, even miles away from a fire's front line, says San Diego Fire Marshal Tony Tosca..
TT: You could have an ember cast, a singular ember, and you have ember load, which is multiple embers just raining down on a structure. And one of those, if that gets into the structure, increases the likelihood that that's going to transmit fire to that structure.
AB: Embers are especially dangerous in what's called "zone zero" — a five-foot buffer zone surrounding a home or structure. New rules will soon ban combustible materials within zone zero. Assistant Fire Marshal Daniel Hypes says the rules are also meant to protect the fire department's resources in the event of a major fire storm.
DH: We know we can protect homes if it's one or two structures threatened. But when we get thousands of homes, we need a lot of those homes to be able to survive without the firefighters being able to protect each individual one.
AB: Officials say the regulations will apply to existing homes starting in February 2027. And they're limited to San Diego's wildfire hazard zones, which cover roughly two-thirds of the city. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CHURCH IN LOGAN HEIGHTS HAS A HISTORY OF ACTIVISM. NOW, REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS THE CHURCH IS OPENING AN IMMIGRANT RESOURCE CENTER TO HELP PEOPLE TARGETED BY MASS DEPORTATIONS.
POPECENTER 1:14 SOQ
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Over the last few months, Father Scott Santarosa has noticed that less people are going to church.
It’s not exactly a mystery. Most of the members of this Catholic church in Logan Heights are Latino immigrants or children of immigrants. They’re scared of being deported.
Rev. Scott 00:06:53:14“One woman, one Sunday, outside of church. She said to me, Padre, estan tratandonos como animals. Estan cazandonos como si fueramos animales. That’s what she said. They’re hunting us as if they’re animals.”
Father Santarosa has heard from multiple families impacted by arrests – someone’s husband, grandparent, partner or niece. The first thing he does for those families is acknowledge their pain.
Rev. Scott 00:07:43:13“At least they feel like ahh, someone recognizes that I’m living in this state of worry and anxiety and fear. So that’s step one. Step two is to say what can we do together about it.”
For now, an answer to that question is The Pope Francis Center. It is a resource center being built inside the church where immigrants from the community will be able to connect with lawyers, attend legal workshops, and get access to mental health services.
The center will have a soft opening Monday and celebrate its official grand opening on February first.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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AND NOW, SOME PERSONAL NEWS ABOUT ONE OF OUR LONGEST SERVING K-P-B-S JOURNALISTS.
FOR NEARLY THREE DECADES, THOMAS FUDGE HAS BEEN A TRUSTED VOICE HERE. AS A K-P-B-S REPORTER, HOST AND EDITOR, TOM WOVE HIS JOURNALISTIC INSIGHT INTO THE FABRIC OF SAN DIEGO.
AND TODAY, HE’S RETIRING.
HE JOINED KATIE ANASTAS TO REFLECT ON HIS BROADCASTING CAREER AND THE EVOLUTION OF SAN DIEGO JOURNALISM AS HE EXPERIENCED IT.
FUDGE (ka/tf) TRT (4:41) SOQ: “journalism to the public.”
[00:00]
Tom, you spent most of your career here at KPBS, but it all started in the Midwest at WSUI Radio in Iowa City. Take us back to 1980s public radio. What guy you interested in reporting and what was it like as you were first starting out? Well, I was interested in reporting because I was interested in talking about what I considered to be big issues, you know, society, politics, and I love to write. Those were kind of the two things that made me a journalist.
[00:28]
And I got into public broadcasting. You Like you said, my first public radio job was in Iowa City. And I got into that because my parents listen to public radio. So even as a kid, I became familiar with all things considered and then they added Morning Edition and then they added all sorts of other things. I ended up getting into public radio.
[00:53]
I graduated from college in Minnesota, moved to Iowa, moved back to Minnesota to work for Minnesota Public Radio. until I was laid off. And freelance for a couple of years and in Minnesota I was getting tired of the weather and my then wife was really getting tired of the weather. So and she wasn't crazy about her job. So I said, "Well, I'll look elsewhere." And this is where I ended up thankfully in San Diego.
[01:22]
And you joined KPBS in the late 90s and then began hosting the interview talk show these days. We went back into the archives and we found one episode that really stood out. It aired in April of 2000. And you were questioning whether new technology at the time was killing the written literary novel as it was traditionally known. And we have a clip from your introduction to that episode. Let's hear it now. Everybody likes a good story. And maybe the definition of a good story today isn't much different from what it was 200 years ago.
[01:52]
But the means of storytelling are very different now. Movies, TV, and computers have tended to emphasize the visual image over the written word. The sheer volume of information we receive on a daily basis and the speed at which we receive it have created new ways of seeing and understanding.
[02:10]
Well, I feel like that new ways of seeing and understanding certainly holds true today. I I really don't remember doing that show by the way. I I don't know. I interviewed and talked to so many people and some of it has been lost to my memory but that was that It was fun listening to that. Well, I'm sure you've seen in over the course of your career we as journalists have kind of taken on this new way of seeing and understanding.
[02:39]
What comes to mind for you as a journalist when you hear that back? Well, different ways of seeing and understanding. Uh, there have been a lot of changes in journalism since I graduated from J School in Minnesota. Um, that was in the late 80s and at that point daily newspaper employment was at its height. And it has been falling ever since then. As, you know, new modalities have come into play, the internet.
[03:08]
I mean, the old economic model of the daily newspaper just is really barely there anymore. And so, there have been a lot of changes. When I first got to KPBS, we were a public radio newsroom. That's what we did. We had a website. KPBS had a website, but it was really nothing more than an marketing vehicle. and something that people could go to on the internet. Now we present a lot of news.
[03:35]
With all those changes happening, are there things that give you hope for the future of San Diego News and and for KPBS? Oh, I do have hope. Things are changing and of course public broadcasting got a hit this year when President Trump eliminated funding for the corporation for public broadcasting. So there are going to be challenges and there are challenges, but I spent my My career as a journalist and it was a great privilege for me to do that.
[04:04]
I I was really very lucky and I think in the future people are still going to want to hear the facts and want to hear present people present facts in their best effort to get to the truth. There There's always going to be a demand for that. And so I guess that's the thing that gives me hope. Um when young people ask me if they should become a journalist I asked them, "Well, is it something you love to do. And if they say yes, I say go ahead.
[04:33]
Um, there will be a way in the future. It's going to look different, but there will be a way to present journalism to the public.
TAG: THAT WAS K-P-B-S’ KATIE ANASTAS SPEAKING WITH SCI-TECH REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE. CONGRATULATIONS ON RETIRING, TOM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR 27 YEARS AT K-P-B-S.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and subscribing; by doing so you are supporting public media and I really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!
