New county survey looks to measure economic impact of Tijuana River sewage crisis
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, MAY 29TH>>>> [ A NEW SURVEY IS TRYING TO MEASURE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE TIJUANA RIVER SEWAGE CRISIS ]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########
SAN MARCOS ARTIST CHRIS POLENTZ IS ON A TEAM OF MORE THAN 30 ARTISTS, CHARGED WITH DESIGNING COINS AND MEDALS FOR AMERICA'S UPCOMING 250TH ANNIVERSARY
THE UNION TRIBUNE SAYS CHRIS HAS BEEN TEACHING ART COURSES FOR NEARLY FORTY YEARS WHILE ALSO WORKING AS A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR
CHRIS AND THE GROUP WERE FLOWN TO PHILADELPHIA FOR AN EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE HISTORY OF COIN DESIGN IN AMERICA AND GIVEN ALL REQUIRED GUIDELINES TO BE WHAT THEY CALL MINTABLE
CHRIS'S FIRST DESIGN, THE 2025 AMERICAN LIBERTY HIGH RELIEF GOLD COIN WAS MINTED LAST YEAR
THE U-T SAYS POLENTZ HAS NOW WORKED ON 30 COIN DESIGNS AND HAD THREE OF HIS DESIGNS MINTED SO FAR
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THE STATE OF THE SAN DIEGO WINE INDUSTRY 20-26 REPORT HAS BEEN RELEASED AND THE RESULTS FIND THAT DEMAND IS STABLE, DESPITE GROWING INDUSTRY COSTS
THE REPORT IS PUT OUT BY THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY VINTERS ASSOCIATION
TWO-THIRDS OF OUR LOCAL WINERIES REPORTED GOOD TO EXCELLENT GROWING CONDITIONS FOR LAST YEAR’S HARVEST
THE NUMBER OF WINERIES IN THE REGION STAYED THE SAME AT 172 IN 2026.
EVEN WITH FORTY-ONE PERCENT OF SURVEY-TAKERS SAYING THEY FEEL SALES HAVE DECLINED, MANY FIND THE REPORT'S FINDINGS TO BE WORTHY OF A TOAST
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CHULA VISTA'S NEW FERRY SERVICE STARTS ON MONDAY
THE NEW ROUTE CAN TAKE YOU BETWEEN THE CHULA VISTA WATERFRONT AND DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO IN AROUND 45 MINUTES
FERRY OPERATOR, FLAGSHIP CRUISES AND EVENTS SAYS THE NEW ROUTE WILL RUN EVERY TWO HOURS; SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
TICKETS ARE ONLY BEING SOLD AS ONE-WAY RIDES AND WILL COST FIFTEEN DOLLARS
THE CHULA VISTA LIVING BLOG SAYS THAT SOME LOCALS FEEL THAT FIFTEEN DOLLARS EACH WAY IS TOO STEEP OF A COST...
WHILE OTHERS ARE EXCITED FOR A NO-TRAFFIC OPTION FOR THOSE TRAVELING
FROM CHULA VISTA TO DOWNTOWN FOR EVENTS LIKE PADRES GAMES AND COMIC CON
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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HAS TIJUANA RIVER POLLUTION AFFECTED YOUR BUSINESS OR QUALITY OF LIFE? THE COUNTY WANTS TO KNOW.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS A NEW SURVEY WILL MEASURE ECONOMIC IMPACTS ON RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES.
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The Tijuana River has been polluted with sewage for as long as Diana Santana can remember.
She says it’s affected all aspects of life for people living and working nearby.
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“The beach closures, the pollution, odors, health concerns. We’re like a biohazard city.”
The county is looking for testimonials like Santana’s. It’s launched a new survey to evaluate how contamination has affected businesses, tourism and other public costs over time.
Santana is a property manager. She says the crisis is driving tenants away.
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“Since 2014, I have not had this many vacancies. Right now, we have over 14 vacancies.”
The county says the findings will help guide future funding and long-term solutions.
The survey is available at Tijuana River Econ Impacts Dot Com. Findings will be published this fall. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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THE COUNTY IS CHANGING THE WAY IT PAYS FOR HOMELESS CASE MANAGEMENT. THE EFFORT IS EXPECTED TO SAVE TAXPAYER MONEY WITHOUT CUTTING BACK ON SERVICES.
PENNER FELLOW EMMY BURRUS FOUND OUT WHAT’S CHANGING.
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THE COUNTY’S OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS WILL NOW BE CHARGING THE STATE’S LOW INCOME HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM MEDI-CAL FOR ITS CASE MANAGEMENT WORK.
THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS VOTED TO EXPAND A PILOT MEDI-CAL INITIATIVE LAST WEEK.
VICE CHAIR MONICA MONTGOMERY STEPP SAID THIS PROGRAM WILL FUND AN ESTIMATED 78% OF CASE MANAGEMENT FOR HOMELESSNESS IN 2027.
“Under this new system, our county's homeless outreach team can actually bill for the work that we are already doing. Housing navigation, case management, and getting people off the streets and into stable housing.”
DIJANA BECK IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE COUNTY’S OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS. SHE SAYS MEDI-CAL WILL REIMBURSE CERTAIN HOUSING AND MOVING COSTS.
"I think it's super important that we are looking at all the potential funding that we can bring down, from all levels of state to taxpayers, local taxpayers… and primarily serve the people that have these needs and expand those services so that they can access them in a way that they're eligible for."
BECK’S OFFICE WILL STILL SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO DON’T QUALIFY FOR MEDI-CAL THROUGH COUNTY FUNDS.
EMMY BURRUS, KPBS NEWS.
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SCREEN TIME IN SCHOOLS IS A GROWING CONCERN THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. PARENTS IN LOS ANGELES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PUSHED THEIR DISTRICT TO LIMIT SCREEN USE.
REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS PARENTS ARE BRINGING THAT MOVEMENT TO SAN DIEGO.
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(Cheering)
It’s an April morning in downtown San Diego. Elizabeth Johnson and other parents with children in San Diego Unified have gathered to protest.
Johnson sticks letters onto a piece of cardstock to spell “teachers over tech.”
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Inside is a sold-out conference. School district leaders, college presidents, tech executives and startup founders talk about the latest in AI and educational technology.
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DAVID CISNEROS, CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES
What are tools and resources that we can do to make that work easier…
Johnson and a growing number of other parents are asking the district to reduce screen use in its classrooms. They’re part of an advocacy group called Schools Beyond Screens.
Johnson started worrying about screens even before she became a parent. In 2010, she was studying to become a psychologist and learned about the drawbacks. There were already studies linking high mobile phone use to depression, stress and sleep deprivation.
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ELIZABETH JOHNSON
And I thought that if I ever had kids of my own, I would do everything I could to give them a screen free childhood.
When her daughter went to kindergarten at Ocean Beach Elementary, she started using a Chromebook at school.
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ELIZABETH JOHNSON
It was ubiquitous. And it kind of made me sit up in a different way. I didn't realize just how much they were going to be on it.
In San Diego Unified, students in transitional kindergarten through first grade have Chromebooks in their classrooms. Starting in second grade, students can take them home.
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ELIZABETH JOHNSON
There was a point where giving everyone a laptop was the great equalizer. Hey, not just the rich kids have tech at home. Now, this is for people who have been systematically disenfranchised or people who don't have as much access and as many resources. Now it's shifted again. What is valued is this information that screens are an inferior way to teach.
In January, a Senate committee heard testimony on kids’ screen time. Jean Twenge is a psychology professor at San Diego State University. She told the committee that standardized test scores started declining around 2012.
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JEAN TWENGE, SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
One reason for that? The use of phones and tablets and laptops for leisure purposes during the school day.
She says one thing districts can do is prevent that from happening.
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JEAN TWENGE, SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
…that school issued devices are used for school, are used for educational purposes, that they block social media, that they block streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus, and that they block pornography sites.
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath also spoke to the committee. He points to research that shows reading comprehension and retention are stronger on paper than on screens.
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JARED COONEY HORVATH, NEUROSCIENTIST
It's not that the tech isn't being used well enough. We haven't been trained enough. We need better programs. It's, we have evolved biologically to learn from other human beings, not from screens, and screens circumvent that process.
Renne Catalano-Gussman also leads San Diego’s Schools Beyond Screens chapter. She says the Senate hearing made something clear.
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RENNE CATALANO-GUSSMAN, SCHOOLS BEYOND SCREENS
Learning works best when students are in practices that are teacher-led, pencil and paper, and specifically not on screens. What's awesome about having that data now is that it's validating people's intuitions.
Last month [April 21], the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to limit its students’ screen time, especially in younger grades. The push was led by an LA chapter of Schools Beyond Screens.
Taylor Ortiz Franklin is an LA Unified board member.
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TAYLOR ORTIZ FRANKLIN, BOARD MEMBER, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED
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We want to be places of learning, not places of distraction. And so I appreciate the advocates who've been coming to us. You've really been speaking to our hearts.
San Diego’s chapter has proposed its own resolution for San Diego Unified.
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RENNE CATALANO-GUSSMAN, SCHOOLS BEYOND SCREENS
What we'd like to see for next year is a path for opting out. Yeah, that has reasonable accommodations and supports teachers in making those accommodations.
It would also direct the district to set daily and weekly screen time limits, block YouTube on school-issued devices and require instructional apps to be ad-free.
A district spokesperson says Superintendent Fabiola Bagula has been talking with various groups about screen use.
Board president Richard Barrera says he’s working with parents on a board resolution.
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RICHARD BARRERA, SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT
We're going to be asking the superintendent to develop a comprehensive plan that weighs the benefits of multiple technologies against the risks.
Barrera says he wants teachers to be involved in shaping any new district policies. He says many decisions about technology use in classrooms are left up to teachers. But he says many teachers worry about distractions in class.
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I think that not just our district, but school systems, you know, in general, have purchased this technology over many years, with a lot of assumptions, you know, built in. And it's time for us to listen to students, parents and educators about what in this technology actually is helping learning, and what is getting in the way.
He says the goal is to bring a resolution to the board on June 23.
Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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NOW REPORTER KATIE BRINGS YOU A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
SHE TAKES US TO A HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH CLASSROOM, WHERE THE TEACHER SAYS A-I TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING HER BETTER AT HER JOB.
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ROBERTS
Alright, you still have your books, right? We’re reading? Books books books.
Jen Roberts teaches ninth and twelfth grade English at Point Loma High School.
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JEN ROBERTS, TEACHER
I'm an English teacher, and I believe very strongly in the power of reading. So my class period always starts with ten minutes of silent reading.
Her seniors are learning about the American food system. They’re reading books like “Fast Food Nation” by Eric Schlosser and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.
After 10 minutes of reading, they open their laptops and launch an AI tool.
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JEN ROBERTS, TEACHER
You're going to see my students use a tool today called Brisk Boost, where they have something that they've already read.
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And the Brisk Boost is going to ask them some questions about what they read.
Questions meant to keep students thinking. Point Loma High School senior Taylor Ashton says it works.
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TAYLOR ASHTON, POINT LOMA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
I could go through the text multiple times and just like read it and be done with it, but not like fully process any of it. So this like forces me to process it by keeping me interacted with it.
Roberts says the AI she uses doesn’t do the work for students. Instead, she says, it provides feedback more quickly and more frequently than she could on her own.
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JEN ROBERTS, TEACHER
I could come around and have an individual conversation with every one of my 36 kids to see if they all understand the article. I could give them a quiz that would be like five static questions and give them the results two days later. But it's so much better when they can, in real time, find out what they do and don't understand.
She touts an AI program called MagicSchool. It has a tool that’s useful for generating writing topics. She says it helps students know where to start.
[RADIO ONLY?: For example, she might ask students to write a narrative. The goal for the assignment is to have a beginning, middle and end to a story, and for it to include dialogue.]
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Rather than letting a student sit there staring at a blank screen or a blank piece of paper for 45 minutes, I'll give them a tool in a MagicSchool student room that's limited to that one tool. That's an idea generator. And I say, ‘You're interested in baseball. Why don't you write a story about baseball?’ They're like, ‘I don't know what to write.’ I'm like, well, let's put it in here, tell it you're interested in baseball. And it spits back three story ideas about baseball.
Alfonso Jacinto is another senior in Roberts’ class. He’s used AI tools to help him create study guides for classes like economics and statistics. He says it can be tempting to use it for more than that, like answering homework questions.
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ALFONSO JACINTO, POINT LOMA HIGH SCHOOL
It's very easy to fall into temptation. It’s very hard to get out of it. And I think just try your best not to fall under temptation and more use it as a tool.
The temptation to cheat is just one concern about AI in schools. Another is privacy.
Last year, researchers at Stanford University found that leading AI companies use conversations people have with their chatbots to train their large language models. Some of them collect data from teens.
Roberts says student safety and privacy are at top of mind when she’s picking digital tools to use in class. MagicSchool, for example, doesn’t sell data to third parties or use it for targeted advertising.
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Parents should know what AI tools their kids are using.
MagicSchool founder Adeel Khan is a former teacher and principal. He shares a lot of the concerns that parents have about AI, like kids forming an emotional attachment to a chatbot.
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ADEEL KHAN, CEO, MAGICSCHOOL AI
Consumer AI tools are not safe for kids. Point blank. Like, if you, your kid's using an unsafe guardrail version of ChatGPT or Gemini at home without supervision are not under the guidance of you as an adult, that is a scary premise.
He says he’d rather have kids learn about generative AI on a safe platform with guidance from a teacher.
Still, many parents worry about AI in schools. A group of parents is asking San Diego Unified to limit screen time in its classrooms. Their proposed board resolution would prohibit students from using AI tools.
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Back at Point Loma High School, Roberts says she knows there’s concern about screen use. But she says phones are a bigger problem than school laptops.
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JEN ROBERTS, TEACHER
With screen time, it's more about how you're using the screen, not just the fact that the screen is on. If you're using it for an educational purpose, if the kids are collaborating with it, if they're building a slide deck together with it, that is useful, that is purposeful, that is engaging, that is cognitive processing going on, as opposed to I'm sitting on my phone watching YouTube videos or participating in social media. That is not helpful screen time.
She says it would be a mistake for schools to ignore AI tools designed with student learning and privacy in mind. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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AS WE DO FOR YOU EACH FRIDAY, HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND EVENT IDEAS FOR YOU AND YOURS
YOU COULD SEE AN AWARD-WINNING PLAY THAT INSPIRED A NETFLIX COMEDY AT THE OLD GLOBE
ALL WEEKEND LONG, THERE WILL BE PERFORMANCESS OF KIM’S CONVENIENCE
THE GLOBE SAYS IS A LAUGH-OUT-LOUD STORY OF LOVE, IDENTITY AND RESILIENCE
ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, THINGS MAY-METAPHORICALLY WARM UP AT THE 45TH ANNUAL FIESTA DEL SOL FREE BEACHSIDE MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
IT ALL HAPPENS AT SOLANA BEACH’S FLETCHER COVE PARK AND FEATURES FOOD, DRINKS, AND A KIDS ZONE PACKED WITH ACTIVITIES
AND ON SUNDAY, FOR ANY STAR WARS FANS THAT ALSO LOVE TO LAUGH, MIC DROP
COMEDY IS HOSTING A STAR WARS THEMED-BRUNCH
THERE WILL BE STAR WARS TRIVIA WITH CHANCES TO WIN PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS
PLUS COME DRESSED AS YOUR FAVORITE JEDI OR SITH FOR THEIR COSTUME CONTEST!
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.
