New scholarship program trains frontline healthcare workers
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s THURSDAY, JANUARY 29TH>>>> [A PROGRAM THAT COULD HELP WITH HEALTH CARE STAFFING SHORTAGES IN OUR REGION….]More on that next. But first... the headlines…#######
THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS YESTERDAY APPROVED THE 'CIVIL LIBERTIES ENFORCEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY RULES' ORDINANCE
IT RESTRICTS FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT'S ACCESS TO COUNTY FACILITIES…WITHOUT A WARRANT
AND REQUIRES A YEARLY REPORT ON D-H-S ACTIVITY INCLUDING ANY INTERACTIONS OR COOPERATION WITH THE COUNTY SHERIFF
IT PASSED ON A THREE TO ONE VOTE
DISTRICT 5 SUPERVISOR JIM DESMOND VOTED AGAINST IT
Jim Desmond / SD County Supervisor, District 5
"That's what Minnesotans and San Diegans deserve going forward - law enforcement agencies working together. So I'm going to be registering a no vote on item 9. I feel this is a divisive and restrictive and not collaborative.
ACCORDING TO LAWSON-REMER'S OFFICE, THE ORDINANCE WILL GO INTO EFFECT IN 30 DAYS
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MORE NEWS COMING FROM THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
YESTERDAY THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE RELEASE OF 4
MILLION DOLLARS IN RESERVE FUNDS
THE FUNDS WILL GO TOWARDS EXPANDING A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES AIR PURIFIERS TO HOUSEHOLDS SUFFERING FROM SEVERE AIR POLLUTION
THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN SPEARHEADED BY SUPERVISOR PALOMA AGUIRRE WHO SPOKE WITH ME RECENTLY ABOUT JUST HOW ESSENTIAL SHE FEELS THIS EXPANSION IS FOR MEMBERS OF OUR SOUTH BAY COMMUNITY
(0:00) Now, the last year and a half, we've had a cohort of four different universities studying the air, (0:06) the soil, the water. And now there's empirical evidence that that is actually contributing to (0:12) the pollution, not just of our coastal waters, but of the air we breathe. And we as humans breathe (0:17) about 11,000 liters of air in a day.
So people who live in these affected communities don't have (0:24) the option to not breathe clean air.
AGUIRRE'S OFFICE SAYS PARTICIPANTS OF THE PROGRAM REPORT A REDUCTION IN SEWAGE ODORS IN THEIR HOMES IMPROVED BREATHING, BETTER SLEEP AND FEWER HEADACHES
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THE PORT OF SAN DIEGO JUST RECEIVED A 2 HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLAR GRANT TO FUND THE FIGHT AGAINST AN INVASIVE ALGAE
THAT'S SPREADING IN OUR BAYS
THE SPECIES IS KNOWN AS CAULERPA [CUH-LER-PUH] AND IS
NATIVE TO FLORIDA AND OTHER TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL CLIMATES
IT CAN TAKE OVER NON-NATIVE HABITATS, AND DISPLACE NATIVE PLANTS AND THE ANIMALS THAT RELY ON THOSE PLANTS, FOR FOOD
TRAINED DIVERS WILL COVER AND SEAL THE ALGAE WHICH KILLS IT BY BLOCKING IT FROM LIGHT AND OXYGEN
IT THEN NEEDS TO BE MONITORED FOR TWO YEARS TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN’T GROW BACK
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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A NEW SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM IN THE COUNTY IS TRAINING MORE FRONTLINE HEALTH CARE WORKERS.
REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS THE REGION HAS A HEALTH CARE STAFFING SHORTAGE.
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MEDTRAIN 1 TRT: 1:21 SOQ
SULEIMAN ABUBAKAR
00;03;09;10 - 00;03;13;25
I had a passion for being a medical doctor one day.
Suleiman (SUE LEE MAN) Abubakar (AH BOO BAH KAR) is from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
SULEIMAN ABUBAKAR
I was able to do a certificate in nursing.
He immigrated to the United States in 2023 as a refugee. Today, he’s enrolled in the Laura Rodriguez Medical Assistant Institute at Family Health Centers of San Diego.
An $80,000 investment from Blue Shield covers tuition, books, and uniforms for 10 students.
MEREDITH JOHNSTON
It's such a great pathway as a first step into a career in health care.
Meredith Johnston manages development for the Family Health Centers. She says jobs like medical assistants are one of the fastest ways to expand the workforce.
MEREDITH JOHNSTON
Some go on to be licensed vocational nurses and nurse practitioners.
She says medical assistant programs typically take less than a year. They allow students to quickly enter clinics and relieve pressure on overwhelmed staff.
A report from the San Diego Workforce Partnership found medical assistants are among the most in-demand health care jobs in the region.
SULEIMAN ABUBAKAR
After finishing the program, I'm hoping I'll be getting $26 dollars, which I feel like it's a good start.
Johnston says scholarships like this train workers from the communities most affected by the health worker shortage.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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A PROPOSAL TO TAX EMPTY SECOND HOMES AND SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN SAN DIEGO FAILED TO MOVE FORWARD YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY)
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE TAX WOULD HAVE APPEARED ON THE JUNE BALLOT.
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RENTALTAX 1 (ab) 0:49 soq
AB: The proposal would have applied to homes that are vacant for most of the year, and those rented short-term on platforms like AirBnb. Both kinds of homes would have been taxed at $8,000 per year. The tax faced intense opposition from short-term rental hosts. Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera proposed the tax measure and urged his colleagues to support it.
SER: I will not for a second say that this will solve San Diego's housing affordability issue. But I am trying to maintain some consistency in saying that every time we build a home, we are … doing what we can to try to make it better. And the same applies to a home that is turned from an empty home or a short-term vacation rental into a home for a San Diegan.
AB: Ultimately the City Council's Rules Committee voted 3-2 on Wednesday to reject the tax proposal, meaning it will not appear on the city's June ballot. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF LOCAL PROTESTS AGAINST ICE TACTICS TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT IN OCEANSIDE
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS PROTESTERS ARE RESPONDING TO THE DEATH OF A SECOND PERSON IN MINNESOTA AT THE HANDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS.
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ICEPROTEST 1 (ja) 0:46
Organizers of the protest say their message to the Trump administration is: end ICE violence and deportations.
They are responding to what protestors say is escalating violence from federal immigration officers, including the killings of Renee (ruh-NAY) Good and Alex Pretti (PREHD-ee) in Minneapolis.
Larry Warner says he's one of the protest organizers.
“What we saw in both of those, immediately the administration vilified the victim, justifies the actions. And yet as we watch the videos they don't go together. So there's been this ongoing lack of accountability and transparency with the actions of ICE.”
Warner says he’s seen a lot of fear and anger in his community over ICE enforcement across the country.
JA KPBS News.
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MEANWHILE OVER IN EL CAJON, RESIDENTS MADE THEIR VOICES HEARD AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON TUESDAY.
EAST COUNTY REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS MANY SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CITY’S CONTINUED SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES
ELCAJONIMMIGRATION 1 (1:13) SOQ
**Nat pop of protesters**
“Shame! Shame”
An El Cajon City Council meeting was once again the setting for public clashes over immigration.
This time, it came after the killings of Rene Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents this month.
Last February, council members approved a resolution declaring that El Cajon is not an immigrant “sanctuary city.” This despite San Diego being a sanctuary county and California being a sanctuary state.
Alicia Aguauo (Ah-gw-eye-oh) was among more than a dozen people who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting.
Aguauo SOT
“I was born and raised in East County. I own a home in East County in El Cajon. And these are not our values…” BUTT TO “They're trying to get the attention of this federal administration”
Most speakers joined Aguauo (Ah-gw-eye-oh) in condemning the council’s action. But a handful voiced their support.
In an interview with KPBS after the meeting, Mayor Bill Wells said he thinks critics are mischaracterizing the resolution.
Wells SOT
“We're not asking our police officers to break the law. What we did was we voiced our opinion that the federal law supersedes the state law. That's it.”
The council has not made any plans to address the resolution at future meetings.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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A KPBS INVESTIGATION THIS MONTH SHED LIGHT ON HOW A DATABASE MANAGED BY THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS MIGHT HELP FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENCIES AVOID STATE IMMIGRANT SANCTUARY LAWS.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS THE AGENCY’S BOARD MEMBERS ARE NOW VOICING CONCERNS.
ARJISREACT (gs) 4:34 SOQ
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The KPBS investigation found SANDAG gives some federal immigration agencies access to the database known as ARJIS. And there is little oversight to ensure agencies like Customs and Border Protection follow rules that prohibit them from using the database for immigration enforcement.
In response to the investigation, members of the SANDAG’s board of directors asked staff for a presentation. At the agency’s public meeting last week, ARJIS Director Anthony Ray described how the database works.
21:10“The mission is to get the right information to the right people at the right time.”
Every law enforcement agency in San Diego County feeds data into ARJIS. The data includes traffic citations, arrest records, field interviews, a local jail census and some driver license records.
Ray talked at the meeting about some of the ways the data is being used.
30:09 – “The way it works is if a deputy in Vista was looking for Tony Ray as a suspect, witness, victim, they would put it in the Officer Notification System and if an officer in El Cajon were to contact Tony Ray and run them through the system, they would get an immediate alert.”
The SANDAG Board of Directors includes elected officials from the county government and the region’s 18 cities. Board members agreed that sharing information with federal agencies is – generally – a good thing. But many questioned whether federal immigration agencies can be trusted.
Carlsbad Councilman Kevin Shin referenced the arrest of U.S. citizens and veterans.
Before 1:33:46The relationship the with the federal government does need to exist – the only problem is the fact that one layer of this cake is so pronounces and - this is my military side - it looks like tactics are being taken without any strategic objective.
Other board of directors referenced the killings by federal agents in Minneapolis …, and the detention of a 5-year-old boy in that city.
The main concern is that – without independent oversight – SANDAG has no way of knowing whether CBP is using ARJIS to evade California’s immigrant sanctuary law known as SB 54. Here is how Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner summed it up.
1:55:12“The question is basically are all ARJIS member agencies complying with SB 54 and to me the answer is we don’t know.
Local privacy advocates have long criticized the relationship between Border Patrol and ARJIS. That relationship is even more concerning amidst the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. Here are some comments from members of the public who attended the meeting.
We are trying to have safeguards in place and that’s what the future of ARJIS should be about
More data does not equal more safety. More surveillance does not equal more trust.
Over the last year we have witnesses these agencies show a blatant disregard for the rule of law and the constitution. Arresting individuals without warrants, assaulting, detaining and killing individuals on the streets.
After the public comment portion of the meeting, ARJIS Director Ray confirmed KPBS’ reporting. That ARJIS cannot run independent audits. That the immigration agencies are essentially policing themselves.
Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow dug a little further. She asked whether SANDAG could simply look to see how often certain agencies use ARJIS.
Snow – 1:24:20 – Q: Have we conducted an audit to see what the actual usage is and who is obtaining this data, have there been spikes in data usage from particular departments?
A: Are you asking if ARJIS is doing that? No.”
County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre questioned whether CBP should have access to ARJIS going forward.
Aguirre – 01:10:44 – What we’re seeing is no due process and and what we are seeing is violation of the constitution from this agency so I think this merits further discussion
San Diego Councilmember Vivian Moreno was even more blunt. She called on SANDAG to terminate its relationship with federal immigration agencies.
1:52:10“I’ve seen enough from our federal agencies to know that I do not want to participate in what ICE is doing
Other members cautioned against removing CBP from ARJIS because it may have negative public safety impacts.
The board asked SANDAG’s lawyer to write a report on ARJIS use, oversight and what options they can take in future meetings.
Gustavo Solis, 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 subscribing; by doing so you are supporting public media and I really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!
