Many San Diegans are putting major life decisions on hold
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER EIGHTH
PEOPLE ARE PUTTING MAJOR LIFE DECISIONS ON HOLD…
More on why next. But first... the headlines….#######
AN APPEALS COURT RULED LATE LAST WEEK THAT MEASURE C PASSED
THE MEASURE INCREASED THE HOTEL TAX IN THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO AND WILL FUND UPGRADES TO THE SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER, HOMELESS SERVICES AND STREET IMPROVEMENTS
65 PERCENT OF VOTERS APPROVED IT IN 2020, BUT THE BALLOT MATERIALS SAID IT NEEDED APPROVAL BY 2/3RDS OF VOTERS
THE CITY WENT TO COURT OVER IT AND NOW AN APPEALS COURT HAS RULED THAT A SIMPLE MAJORITY WAS SUFFICIENT, MEANING THE MEASURE PASSED.
NOW THAT MEASURE C IS A GO, THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL WILL DRAFT A TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION
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THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS NOW IN ITS EIGHT DAY
AND AIR TRAVEL DELAYS ARE AMONG THE LATEST IMPACTS
TRAVELERS AT BURBANK AIRPORT FACED DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS ON MONDAY DUE TO AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER STAFFING SHORTAGE CAUSED BY THE SHUTDOWN
THE SHORTAGE PROMPTED A SAN DIEGO-BASED TEAM TO STEP UP AND COORDINATE WITH PILOTS ARRIVING AND DEPARTING FROM BURBANK AIRPORT
THE F-A-A SAID FLIGHT DELAYS TOPPED TWO AND A HALF HOURS AND IMPACTED AIRPORTS IN OTHER CITIES
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY SAYS THE SHUTDOWN IS PUTTING MORE STRESS ON CONTROLLERS WHO ALREADY HAVE AN EXTREMELY STRESSFUL JOB
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ATTENTION! CALLING ALL ARTISTS!
THE PORT OF SAN DIEGO IS LOOKING FOR ARTISTS TO CREATE ART FOR A NEW SPLASH PAD AT THE PORTWOOD PIER PLAZA IN IMPERIAL BEACH
IT’S PART OF THE PORT AND CITY OF IMPERIAL BEACH’S EFFORT TO “ACTIVATE AND BEAUTIFY” THE I-B PIER AND PORTWOOD PIER PLAZA NEXT TO IT
THE ARTWORK WILL BE DISPLAYED ON AN OUTDOOR METAL ENCLOSURE NEXT TO THE SPLASH PAD
THE SELECTED ARTIST OR TEAM WILL RECEIVE UP TO 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE THE WORK
FOR MORE INFO AND TO APPLY VISIT PORT OF SAN DIEGO DOT ORG
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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LIFE IS IN LIMBO FOR SOME SAN DIEGANS AS THEY TRY TO NAVIGATE CHOPPY POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. WITH THE COST OF LIVING INCREASING AND NEWS GROWING MORE TURBULENT, THEY’RE DELAYING BIG PURCHASES AND MILESTONE DREAMS.
AMITA SHARMA TOLD DEBBIE CRUZ WHAT EXACTLY PEOPLE ARE PUTTING ON HOLD.
ONHOLD (AS) TRT: 4:24 last words “thank you” LIVE TAG That was KPBS’s Amita Sharma speaking with Debbie Cruz.
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Q. Amita, what are local people telling you about what they’re putting off and why?
You know what stands out is how much of what they’re postponing or struggling with is what previous generations took for granted. It also tracks with Yale economist Raj Chetty’s research. His data shows that a pillar of the American dream – being more prosperous than your parents - is withering away. More than 90 percent of people born in 1940 made more money than their parents. People born in the mid 1980s have a 50-50 chance of doing so. Even if they are, their money buys less. San Diegan Jeremy Tolley, 37, and his wife are engineers with graduate degrees. They have a young daughter but are delaying a second child because of the high cost of daycare.
Jeremy Tolley/Engineer 7:31: “It seems we're getting squeezed harder and harder, from how I thought I experienced my childhood, with my parents who gave us a pretty good childhood growing up. I'm just worried I can’t really provide something comparable.”
Part of Tolley’s worry also stems from America’s chaotic politics and polarization.
7:11 “Honestly, I think we're in the fall of our empire right now. I don't see a way out of this until like after we separate, so it's fairly doom and gloom.
10:14: I think we have kind of reached just that tipping point because we live in different realities.”
On a brighter note, Tolley and his wife just learned their offer on a home was accepted. So home ownership is in their future.
Q. But Amita, home ownership, especially in this region remains illusive for San Diegans, right?
Yes. At 51.7 percent, San Diego has among the lowest homeownership rates of the 50 largest metros in the country, Buying a home has been a lifetime dream of San Diegan Melissa Hernandez..a place to live for her and generational wealth for her kids and grandchildren. The 43-year-old paralegal iced that dream after talking to a realtor recently.
Melissa Hernandez/Paralegal
18:05: “And they were like, no, don't do it. The market is gonna crash.
And I'm like, whoof, OK, well, there, there that goes.”
Other dreams are also on pause. Her long days of advocacy work for immigrants has ramped up under the Trump Administration. She says the extra hours cost her a nine-year romantic relationship.
10:21 “Arguments were behind how much I work, the lack of intimacy, the lack of affection, the lack of attention, and we all know what that can do to a partner.”
As much as she believes in love, she’s deferring romance for now.
Q. Amita, you also spoke with a woman who worries she and her partner might be targets because of today’s political environment.
That’s right Debbi. Juliana Collins is a 33-year-old freelance graphic designer. She and her wife have shelved a plan to have a child for now because she worries her wife could be fired due to her transgender status and they could lose their health insurance, or worse.
Juliana Collins/Freelance Graphic Designer
9:14: “What if because of our sexual orientation, it's deemed by the state that we're not fit to have a child and our child is taken away.”
And they wonder whether it’s even wise to have a child in today’s world. It’s hard to make a plan.
9:46 “You're like, well, next week, when I was planning on doing this, am I instead going to be packing up my life to potentially flee the country for my wife's safety or my own safety?”
Some San Diegans told KPBS the country’s political and economic situation has caused them to delay retirement. One man said he thinks he’ll now work until the day he dies. One woman says she’s anxious social security may not be viable for all the years she and her husband need it. Others have dramatically scaled back their purchases and are only buying essentials.
Amita, thank you.
Thank you.
TAG: THAT WAS AMITA SHARMA SPEAKING WITH DEBBIE CRUZ.
Collins described the current political and economic moment as absolute turmoil. She says she doesn’t know what the right decision is ever. She doesn’t know what to commit to and what the future holds.
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THE SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK CONTINUES ITS WORK AMID FEDERAL SPENDING CUTS AND A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. YESTERDAY MORNING THEY WERE DISTRIBUTING FOOD TO SOME SAN DIEGO SENIORS.
REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE HAS THE STORY.
SRFOOD 1 (tf) :49 …SOQ.
The San Diego Food Bank says the US government shutdown has diminished the supply of food for people reliant on government paychecks or food assistance. They distribute food in the Mountain View neighborhood for low income seniors. Brigitte Wesselink (brih-JEET WESS-link) is the VP of Operations for the Food Bank. She says there are 15 thousand seniors in San Diego County who are food insecure. And the government shutdown is just one of the factors that makes it hard for some people to get adequate nutrition.
“So right now we are facing a tough challenge. We see rising costs, therefore rising need and rising hunger, even before the government shutdown, all in the midst of facing government funding cuts.
She says they depend on the community to chip in with donations and volunteers. Wesselink adds the Mountain View location is one of 70 places throughout the county where their food is distributed.
SOQ.
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A NEW CALIFORNIA LAW WILL REQUIRE CERTAIN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO START TRANSLATING PUBLIC MEETING AGENDAS STARTING NEXT YEAR.
REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS THAT COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY.
IVTRANSLATE FOLO 1:02 SOQ
The bill was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday. It’s mostly about making it easier for people to tune into local government meetings online. But it also includes a set of requirements meant to improve access for people who aren’t fluent English speakers.
In Imperial County, almost three quarters of residents speak mostly Spanish at home, and more than a quarter don’t speak English fluently, according to federal data.
But the county government and many cities only publish their agendas and other key documents in English.
“I think first and foremost it means that they now are able to participate”
Fernanda Vega is with the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition. She says the new law will allow more people to understand the decisions their elected officials are making.
“I would say that's power. Now community has the power to be involved. Not only the power to be involved, but also to demand for more.”
The Board of Supervisors had opposed the bill, citing the costs of implementing it. A county spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by KPBS’s deadline.
The translated agendas will be required starting next summer.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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A PETITION TO KEEP THE TIJUANA RIVER COMMUNITY GARDEN OPEN IS BEING HEARD.
COUNTY SUPERVISOR PALOMA AGUIRRE MET WITH SEVERAL GARDENERS AND FARMERS WHO LEASE PLOTS ON MONDAY.
THEY WANT HER HELP TO ENSURE THEY CAN STAY.
THAT’S AFTER THE AGENCY MANAGING THE PROPERTY ORDERED THEM TO VACATE OVER CONCERNS ABOUT CROSS BORDER POLLUTION.
AGUIRRE SAYS SHE'S BRAINSTORMING IDEAS TO HELP THE GARDENERS KEEP THEIR PLOTS.
TJFOLO 1A :27
"We have to figure that fine balance of ensuring that people are able to maintain as much as they can a quality of life for themselves, be able to engage in healthy activities like gardening, like farming, like being out in the sun and breathing in the air. That’s all important, but we need to also do it in a safe and responsible way.”
AGUIRRE SAYS SHE’S SCHEDULING MORE MEETINGS LATER THIS MONTH WITH GARDENERS TO SOLIDIFY A PATH FORWARD.
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THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS GRADUATING FROM SAN DIEGO UNIFIED PREPARED FOR COLLEGE OR A CAREER IS AT AN EIGHT-YEAR HIGH.
EDUCATION REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS THREE THINGS ARE DRIVING IMPROVEMENT.
CAREER 1:12 SOQ
New district data show 67% of last year’s graduates were prepared for college or a career. That number has been steadily climbing over the last several years.
The district says three things are driving improvement.
The first is that more students are getting college credit while they’re in high school. Superintendent Fabiola Bagula says teachers and counselors are empowering students.
BAGULA
Encouraging students to make sure that they push themselves for more rigorous coursework is really important. And that includes not only AP and IB, but I'm also going to say community college courses that are on our, on our sites.
The second is an increase in students earning an award for fluency in a second language. Bagula says the district is expanding its high school language opportunities.
BAGULA
We have, for example, really beautiful traditional dual language schools like Language Academy and Longfellow. But what we didn't have was a continuation on into high school.
The third is that more students are meeting state college admissions requirements.
District leaders say changing some high schools’ schedules could give students more opportunities to meet those requirements. They’ll discuss that potential change at their next meeting on Oct. 14. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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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 have a great day.
