More migrants becoming homeless in San Diego

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, July 11th.

Migrants crossing the border, are ending up homeless. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

HUNDREDS OF NURSES AT RADY CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL VOTED TUESDAY TO AUTHORIZE A STRIKE.

THE UNION REPRESENTING THE NURSES SAYS WAGES AT RADY’S AREN’T KEEPING UP WITH OTHER HOSPITALS IN SAN DIEGO.

AND THEY SAY EMPLOYEES’ SHARE OF MEDICAL PREMIUMS HAS RISEN BY MORE THAN 30% IN RECENT YEARS.

THE UNION WOULD GIVE A 10-DAY NOTICE BEFORE A STRIKE STARTS.

CHRIS ABE [“AH-bay”] IS THE HOSPITAL’S VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS.

SHE SAYS THE HOSPITAL IS PREPARED FOR A STRIKE.

We will be bringing in nurses that are pediatric trained, competent, that will be coming in to help provide the care in the hospital and all of our clinics. But we will continue to provide the excellent care that we do every single day.

ABE SAYS THE HOSPITAL’S WAGES ARE COMPETITIVE.

SHE SAYS THEY’VE PROPOSED INCREASING WAGES BY 22% OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

NEGOTIATIONS ARE SET TO CONTINUE ON MONDAY.

San Marcos might join other cities in banning homeless encampments.

The City Council passed a first reading on an encampment ban this week.

If it passes a second reading, the ordinance could become law.

That’s according to our partners at 10News.

The proposal would make it illegal to camp on public property … regardless of shelter beds being available.

The final vote on the ordinance is scheduled for July 23rd.

Former S-D-S-U basketball star — and current L-A Clippers player — Kawhi Leonard is off the U-S Olympic Men’s team.

The announcement was made hours before Team U-S-A’s exhibition game against Canada.

U-S-A Basketball and the Clippers determined it would be better for Leonard to prepare for the upcoming Clippers season.

Leonard had missed 12 of the teams 14 games last season because of a knee injury.

Leonard will be replaced by Derrick White of the Boston Celtics.

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

The county’s Inland valleys are still hot today (Thursday) … with highs expected to be between 95 and 100 degrees.

Clear and sunny skies for the mountains and deserts … with highs in the upper 90s and triple digits throughout the week.

But the excessive heat warning for the valleys and mountains expires tonight (thursday) at 9.

Find free A-C at cool zones dot org.

THE SUMMER HEAT CAN BRING HIDDEN HEALTH RISKS FOR SENIORS. HEAT EXHAUSTION, STROKES AND FALLS. HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO VISITED ONE SENIOR CENTER THAT IS HELPING OLDER PEOPLE STAY COOL.

Dozens of seniors seek relief from the summer heat by spending a few hours inside the Salvation Army in Serra Mesa. They eat lunch, play bingo and most importantly keep cool. Inger Huffman has been coming here since January. She recently learned about the health risks seniors face during the summer, including preventative tips. That you need to drink water all the time or as much as you can and be in the shade and stay indoors, not be outdoors during the warmest, only early in the morning and late in the evening. So education that’s what it's about. Geriatrician Ian Neel says it’s also important for seniors to be mindful of their medications. A lot of people as we get older have to take medications that affect blood pressure…If we get dehydrated it can actually lower our blood pressure too much and put us at increased risk of falls. For Huffman, the time spent indoors at the Salvation Army is about more than just staying cool—it's a chance to socialize, connect, and find community. And they get more than be cooled down. The most important thing, really, they be loved. And it just makes a difference in people’s life. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

FOR MOST MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS, SAN DIEGO IS NOT A FINAL DESTINATION. IT'S A LAYOVER. BUT INVESTIGATIVE BORDER REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS MORE MIGRANTS ARE CHOOSING TO STAY IN SAN DIEGO. AND ARE BECOMING HOMELESS.

“Nosotros no nos esperabamos lleguar a vivir asi afuera en la calle pues.” “We didn't expect to end up living like this outside on the street.” We never expected to live on the streets. That is what Colombia asylum seeker Yeslia Gomes says about life in the United States. She lives in a homeless encampment. Sleeps in a tent on a dirt field off the side of the highway near downtown. “Pero si es algo dificil, la verdad.” “This has been very difficult.” The Gomes family is one of more than a dozen living here. They’re all migrants – mostly from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Colombia. All here in search of the American Dream. Albany Hernandez says this is a horrible place for her children. There’s no water. No electricity. “No es bueno estar en este lugar.  Porque usted ve la condiciones. Aqui no temenos bano, no temenos agua.” “This isn’t a good place to live. As you can see, we don’t have bathrooms, we don’t have water.” Hernandez fled Venezuela with her husband and three children. They’ve been living in the encampment for two months. She says they don’t feel safe out here anymore. “No, no no, ya no me siento segura aqui.” “No, no no, I don't feel safe here.” These families are part of a growing number of homeless migrants and asylum seekers. Customs and Border Protection has released more than 100,000 migrants into San Diego in the past year. The vast majority – more than 95% of them – only stay in town for a few days before reuniting with relatives or friends in other parts of the country. That’s according to data from San Diego County. But those with nowhere else to go become homeless. Hanan Scrapper is the regional director for PATH San Diego. It’s just, it’s a crisis right now that we’re trying to really manage the basic human need at the moment.” Starting last September, staff noticed migrants trying to access the city’s shelter system. Since then, they’ve counted more than 1,100 homeless migrants. Those who have family or friends in other cities are referred to a Family Reunification program. Those who need shelter are referred to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church or Father Joe’s Village. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria did not respond to interview requests. Scrapper says that homeless migrants are in particularly vulnerable situations because of their immigration status. “What makes this unique and different also is that they may not be eligible for subsidized assistance right. They may not be eligible for food stamps or medical care and all that so we have to try to figure out how to meet their basic needs.” But they are eligible for shelter. That is – if there were any available. San Diego is already one of the most unaffordable cities in the world. Scrapper says it’s common for struggling families to pay 70 percent of their income just on housing. “We have hundreds of people who show up at the homelessness response center daily seeking shelter and we are often turning most of them away.” And this already overburdened homeless system is where new migrants find themselves. Putting their names on long waitlists for temporary shelters, and even longer lists for permanent housing. “And then people in shelters are waiting a long time to get into housing. So you have this bottleneck of folks who are in shelters waiting for permanent housing and people waiting to access those shelters.” Back at the encampment, families struggle to make the best out of a horrible situation. For Yeslia Gomes, that means cooking. It’s the one thing she has control over. “La comida en Mexico es picante y uno no esta acostumbrado a eso.” “The food in Mexico is spicy and we’re not used to that.” Food throughout Mexico was way too spicy compared to what they ate in Colombia. And food in the migrant shelters was always bland. “Y aqui bueno gracias a dios lo que uno se consige al menos para cosinarlo como uno esta acostumbrado a comer.” “Thank God that out here I can cook what we are used to eating.” But here, she thanks God for the ability to cook whatever she wants – on her makeshift kitchen. She uses a gas-powered hot plate to cook some rice with pasta while chopping yucca and onions on a nearby picnic table. Albany Hernandez isn’t letting homelessness get in the way of her American dream. At least not for her children. “Yo cuando llegue a mi me dijieron que la educacion aqui no se la niegan a ningun nino.” “When I arrived they told me that education here is not denied to any child.” She already enrolled them in school – where they are learning English. They also get a Trolley pass and free meals. While the kids are in school Hernandez and her husband work. “Si ellos ven que somos personas que estamos trabajando, ninos que estan estudiando. Que nos ayuden. Nosotros no queremos que nos esten regalando nada.” “If they see that we are people who are working, children who are studying. We don’t want a handout. We just need a little help.” She wants to show San Diego that they are hard-working people. They just need a little help. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News

A NEW LAW WILL MANDATE CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOLS TO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL.

HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS WHILE THE NUMBER OF FENTANYL-RELATED DEATHS AMONG CHILDREN UNDER 18 IN THE COUNTY IS DECREASING – FROM 6 DEATHS IN 2022 TO 2 LAST YEAR, ADVOCATES SAY EDUCATION REMAINS CRUCIAL.

When Arianna Alvarado was 12 years old, she got a phone call she wasn’t prepared for. At the time I didn't even know what fentanyl really was. Her childhood friend overdosed. Now 17 and a senior at Lincoln High school she is  educating her peers about the dangers of fentanyl. Like you never know what has fentanyl in it. You never know when somebody could need their life saved. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law this month mandating California schools to teach high school students about the risks associated with fentanyl starting in 2026. San Diego Assemblymember David Alvarez authored the legislation. Hopefully this starts to open that door so that families can feel comfortable and also can feel that their children are receiving the right and the right information in order to make better decisions. Arianna believes that if more kids were educated about fentanyl at a younger age, it might have saved her friend's life. Like she would still be here. She'd been able to graduate college, but unfortunately, like, it was too late. And then it kills just like that. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

Coming up.... Remembering an award-winning local arts leader. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.

IN 1981, THE FILM “TIME BANDITS” OPENED A PORTAL TO A WILD ADVENTURE THROUGH TIME AND HISTORY. LATER THIS MONTH APPLE TV PLUS LAUNCHES A SERIES INSPIRED BY THAT CULT FAVORITE. ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO HAS THIS PREVIEW.

Anyone who saw Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits will remember the moment a horse burst through a child’s closet and exposed the holes in the fabric of time. Taika Watiti was six years old when he saw the movie. It freaked me out, but I remember loving it, but also being a little scared for Kevin. Kevin is the young boy whose love for history makes him the perfect time traveler. CLIP Stonehenge… under construction! For the new streaming series Time Bandits, Waititi updates the story with things like Wikipedia and allows us more time with Kevin before he heads off on his time-hopping adventure. One notable change is that the band of little people who served as Kevin’s traveling companions in the original film have been replaced by a ragtag and diverse gang of new characters. But Kevin remains the anchor for the story. One of the special things about that character is that he's the only one who really knows anything along the way. And he really becomes the most valuable member of the team in a lot of ways. The 10-part Time Bandits series will premiere on Apple TV+ on July 24. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.

San Diego’s theater community is mourning the loss of Dea (dee-uh) Hurston – a playwright, philanthropist, and advocate for people of color in the theater space. North County reporter Tania Thorne tells us her story and how her legacy continues.

Dea Hurston died on Sunday night, 15 years after being diagnosed with cancer. She was 73. She was focused, she was driven, and she was funny. Kristianne Kurner is the founder and executive artistic director of New Village Arts in Carlsbad. The center underwent a renovation two years ago, and when thinking of a new name, Kurner’s first thoughts turned to Hurston. We really wanted to take a moment and acknowledge who we thought in San Diego was most deserving of the honor, who had had the biggest impact in the arts in San Diego. And without question, that was Dea. The Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center is believed to be the first US arts center outside of New York  to be named after a Black woman in the past 50 years. A memorial service is planned at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center in Carlsbad at the end of the month.. A chance for people to remember Hurston and her legacy. TT KPBS News 

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Thursday.