Mayor Todd Gloria discusses budget deficit in State of the City address
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH>>>> [SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA GAVE HIS STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS YESTERDAY]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines…########
YESTERDAY A FOUR PERSON SPACE CAPSULE SPLASHED DOWN OFF OUR COAST.
NATPOP “Splash down of Crew-11 after 167 days in space.”
AND, WE COULD SEE MORE IN THE FUTURE
NASA ADMINISTRATORS SAY THEY’RE ALREADY PREPARING FOR THE NEXT SPACE MISSIONS
THAT WILL INCLUDE THE ARTEMIS II MISSION … NASA’S FIRST MOON MISSION SINCE APOLLO 17 IN 1972
NASA AND SPACEX SWITCHED TO WEST COAST SPLASHDOWNS TWO YEARS AGO FOR EASIER RECOVERY OPERATIONS AND TO AVOID DEBRIS FALLING ON LAND
AND THE CALM PACIFIC OCEAN IS ALSO A FACTOR.
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THE FORMER PALOMAR MOTEL IN CHULA VISTA IS BEING CONVERTED INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
THE UNION TRIBUNE REPORTED THAT THE MOTEL WILL BE TURNED INTO 27 APARTMENTS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
SEVEN OF THE UNITS WILL GO TO VETERANS
THE COMPANY THAT’S RENOVATING THE MOTEL WILL ALSO RUN IT AND WILL HAVE A CASE MANAGER AND ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR FOR RESIDENTS.
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CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS RECENTLY RECOGNIZED DOZENS OF COLLEGES AS BLACK-SERVING INSTITUTIONS
TWO OF THEM ARE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY : CITY COLLEGE AND MESA COLLEGE.
ASHANTI [UH-SHAWN-TAY] HANDS IS THE PRESIDENT OF MESA COLLEGE. SHE SAYS THIS DESIGNATION WILL OPEN MORE DOORS FOR BLACK STUDENTS
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“this is not about fixing our students because they are talented, they are capable. It really is about redesigning institutions, right? Our colleges to expand opportunity. so that a lot of the barriers are removed.
SHE SAYS THAT MEANS STRENGTHENING BLACK COMMUNITIES BY GROWING THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE
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 MAYOR TODD GLORIA GAVE HIS ANNUAL STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS YESTERDAY AT CITY HALL.
ONE OF THE FIRST TOPICS GLORIA TOUCHED ON WAS THE CITY’S BUDGET DEFICIT.
HE SAID HE'S CUT MANAGEMENT POSITIONS AND OUTSIDE CONTRACTS, AND MOVED CITY EMPLOYEES FROM RENTED OFFICE SPACES INTO BUILDINGS OWNED BY THE CITY.
HE ACKNOWLEDGED THESE MEASURES HAVE NOT BEEN ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY BALANCE THE CITY'S BUDGET.
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"That does mean we will have more tough decisions and cuts this year to solve for the remainder of the deficit, as well as the unanticipated economic challenges posed by the Trump Administration’s tariffs and budget cuts that are beyond our control.
GLORIA ALSO CALLED OUT THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES AND SAID TRUMP IS WAGING A CAMPAIGN OF FEAR AND TERRORIZING COMMUNITIES.
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AT A SENATE HEARING THIS WEEK REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS ACCUSED THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OF RESETTLING UN-VETTED AFGHANS.
MILITARY AND VETERANS REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS THE RENEWED SCRUTINY COMES AFTER A FORMER AFGHAN ALLY SHOT TWO NATIONAL GUARDSMEN IN NOVEMBER, KILLING ONE.
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TWO DAYS AFTER THE SHOOTING THE STATE DEPARTMENT INDEFINITELY PAUSED THE AFGHAN SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM – THE LAST REMAINING IMMIGRATION OPTION FOR AFGHANS UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
MISSOURI SENATOR JOSH HAWLEY AND OTHER REPUBLICANS CLAIMED RESETTLED AFGHANS HADN’T BEEN VETTED.
JH: “WE HAVE NO IDEA OF THEIR ACTUAL BACKGROUND. WE HAVE NO IDEA OF THEIR POTENTIAL TERRORIST CONNECTIONS.”
INSPECTORS GENERAL REPORTS FOUND A FEW GAPS IN THE PROCESS IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THE FALL OF KABUL BUT SAID THEY WERE SOON FIXED.
CALIFORNIA SENATOR ALEX PADILLA ACCUSED TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS OF EXPLOITING THE SHOOTING.
AP: “IT'S BEEN USED TO JUSTIFY SYSTEMATICALLY DIGGING UP OF OLD IMMIGRATION CASES AND THE REVOCATION OF GREEN CARDS. IT'S BEEN USED TO INSTITUTE NEW TRAVEL BANS THAT ENCOMPASS POTENTIALLY A BILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE.”
DOZENS OF VETERANS ATTENDED WEDNESDAY’S HEARING TO SUPPORT AFGHANS, INCLUDING #AFGHANEVAC CO-FOUNDER, SAN DIEGO NAVY VETERAN SHAWN VANDIVER.
SVD: EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THAT ROOM THAT WASN'T A GOVERNMENT WITNESS WAS SOMEBODY THERE SUPPORTING AFGHANS.
AS OF JANUARY 21ST, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS SUSPENDING ALL VISA PROCESSING FROM 75 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING AFGHANISTAN.
ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS.
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RADY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FRONT LINE WORKERS ARE THE LATEST TO VOTE TO UNIONIZE IN THE COUNTY. THEY SAY STAFFING SHORTAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS ARE AFFECTING PATIENT CARE.
THIS WEEK, HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS THE HOSPITAL CHALLENGED THE VOTE.
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Patient care assistants, food service workers and medical interpreters are among the groups that voted to unionize this month. They say the delay means ongoing staffing problems remain unresolved. Jose Barrios is a medical interpreter at Rady Children’s Hospital.
JOSE BARRIOS
We experience those burdens of feeling like we're letting families down because we simply have too much on our plates.
In a statement, Rady Children’s Hospital says concerns about union conduct during the election campaign and in-person voting prompted them to file an objection with the National Labor Relations Board.
JOSE BARRIOS
I think that this was a tactic to delay the inevitable outcome of our victory.
Until the labor board rules, the hospital is not required to begin contract negotiations.
If the objections are overruled, the union will be certified and negotiations can begin. If the objections are upheld, the election could be thrown out and redone.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News
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AS OF THIS MONTH, PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS ARE NO LONGER AN OPTION AT CHECKOUT. A NEW LAW MADE CALIFORNIA THE NATION’S FIRST STATE TO BAN THEM. AND …
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS THE STATE ISN’T STOPPING AT PLASTIC BAGS.
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Plastic is in abundance. Janis Jones sees it everywhere.
Janis Jones | environmental advocate
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“I’m an avid beach walker, have been for decades, and over time started to see more and more plastics washing up on the beach and became very concerned about it.”
She thought plastic reduction should be tackled with policy. So, she began advocating. Now she leads the Surfrider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastics program.
Jones has successfully pushed San Diego cities to adopt plastic laws. And most recently, California’s ban on all plastic bags at grocery stores, including those thicker bags.
But Jones says they are only half the battle.
Janis Jones | environmental advocate
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“When you go into a grocery store, there is so much packaged in plastic that it’s really difficult to avoid.”
Jones avoids single-use plastic products wherever she can.
Janis Jones | environmental advocate
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“When I walk into the market where I regularly shop, I first encounter the bakery section where all the baked goods are in plastic clamshells. And I can walk past that area and go to their actual bakery counter or their deli counter or their meat counter, and now and purchase things there that I can ask to have placed in my own container.”
She also shops at local refillery stores, like Sonora Refillery in Oceanside.
Janis Jones | environmental advocate
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“I come here to refill my shampoo bottle, refill my conditioner bottle, refill my laundry detergent.”
Jones says the plastic bag ban may seem like a small action, but …
Janis Jones | environmental advocate
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“It actually will make a big difference even though there are so many other plastic products that we’re encountering every day.”
She says they saw that big difference in a reduction in plastic waste that advocates attribute to bag bans across California.
California Coastal Cleanup data show volunteers removed 65,000 plastic bags from the shoreline in 2010. That figure dropped to about 11,000 in 2017.
But then came the pandemic.
Jenn Engstrom | California Public Interest Research Group
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“It actually went up to an all-time high. So, in 2021, alone, California discarded over 230,000 tons of plastic bags.”
Jenn Engstrom is with the California Public Interest Research Group. She says plastic bag manufacturers …
Jenn Engstrom | California Public Interest Research Group
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“Took advantage of people being nervous about bringing their own bag during the pandemic to really push these bags as, as kind of the default.”
Catherine Blakespear says those bags were seldom recycled, even though they were branded as recyclable.
She’s the state senator from Encinitas who authored the bag ban law.
Banning plastic bags is California’s latest big step. But Blakespear says the bigger effort is in tackling all single-use plastics.
Catherine Blakespear | (D) State Senator, District 38
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“Everything you see is in a single-use plastic product, whether it's the plastic that's wrapped around a sandwich or it's what the cucumbers come in.”
California is drafting rules for a landmark law. It will require producers to make packaging and foodware reusable or compostable by 2032.
CalRecycle is leading that effort.
Jones says you don’t have to wait for new laws to take effect. You can start making small changes today.
Janis Jones | environmental advocate
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“The best bag is the bag you already have.”
This year, Jones says she will push more San Diego County cities to adopt universal plastic laws. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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THE 3RD ANNUAL SAN DIEGO RODEO KICKS OFF TODAY AT PETCO PARK.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS IT BEGINS RIGHT AFTER A LAWSUIT AGAINST RODEO ORGANIZERS ALLEGING ANIMAL CRUELTY WRAPPED CLOSING ARGUMENTS.
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**nat pop of horses running**
Cowboys and cowgirls, horses and cattle … all will be on full display this weekend at the San Diego Rodeo.
Suhjey Rosas (SU-hay RO-saws) is Miss Rodeo California. She lives in Tecate and grew up on both sides of the border in the rodeo scene.
“Here specifically at San Diego Rodeo I'm excited for team roping – it's my favorite event. We have two cowboys – a header and a heeler who will both rope the head and legs of the calf, for the fastest time.”
The rodeo’s use of animals for sport is the subject of a lawsuit alleging animal cruelty. Attorney Bryan Pease gave closing arguments in the lawsuit Thursday.
He represents animal rights groups.
“What we are seeking is an unfair business practices injunction that would prohibit san diego padres and C5 Rodeo from engaging in specific acts of cruelty”
Those specific acts include what Pease describes as roping baby calves and slamming them to the ground, and using bucking straps on animals.
He says at least two horses have been seriously injured or died at the San Diego Rodeo in past years. Pease expects a verdict in the coming weeks.
The San Diego Padres did not immediately respond to a request for comment. JA KPBS News.
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THIS WEEKEND BODHI [BO-DEE] TREE CONCERTS PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE CHILDREN’S OPERA “PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE.” ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS IT IS DESIGNED FOR KIDS, BUT EVERYONE CAN ENJOY ITS THEMES OF LOVE, MIGRATION AND HOPE.
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Bodhi Tree Concerts is dedicated to performing intentional acts of kindness by using music as a path towards enlightenment and understanding. This weekend it presents the world premiere of a chamber opera based on the children’s book Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote. Anthony Davis composed the score.
ANTHONY DAVIS … I was very interested in telling that story about the border with the animal characters. I think it was very liberating for me as a composer to write with animal characters and get away from a realistic telling of the story.
It’s a border story Davis started working on during the first Trump administration.
ANTHONY DAVIS It's even a much more hostile environment now. To me, it's part of the resistance to what I think is a flagrant disregard of human rights and of law, et cetera, that we see at the current time.
Miguel Zazueta sings the role of Senior Rooster, who crosses the border seeking work.
MIGUEL ZAZUETA …A lot of people don't really know about these stories, about the difficulties and the reality of these people. So I think it's important to step into this story and hopefully find empathy and understanding.
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote will be performed this weekend at the Southwestern College Performing Arts Center.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
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ALSO THIS WEEKEND, THE VERY FUNNY COMEDIAN AND PODCASTER, BOBBY LEE WHO IS A NATIVE SAN DIEGAN IS BACK IN TOWN AND PERFORMING ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
LEE’S STAND-UP COMEDY SETS ARE AT THE BALBOA THEATER,
ON SATURDAY, SPACE 4 ART’S EXHIBIT AT ART PRODUCE IN NORTH PARK KICKS OFF
ITS CALLED “NON-OBJECTIVE LESSONS, A SURVEY OF SAN DIEGO ABSTRACT ART”
IT FEATURES PIECES FROM FOURTEEN LOCAL ARTISTS,
TICKETS CAN BE FOUND AT ART PRODUCE DOT ORG
LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST IS M-L-K JR WEEKEND IN AMERICA’S FINEST CITY !
SUNDAY IS THE MLK FESTIVAL AND THE 44TH ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PARADE
THAT’S TAKING PLACE AT WATERFRONT PARK FROM 9 AM UNTIL 3 PM WITH THE PARADE STARTING AT 11 AM
WHATEVER YOU DO DECIDE TO 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.
