Newsom faces deadline to veto or sign California reparations package
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson … it’s FRIDAY, OCTOBER TENTH
>>>> [A HISTORIC REPARATIONS PACKAGE SITS ON GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM’S DESK, ]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines…#######
TSA AGENTS ARE AMONG THE MANY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE STILL WORKING WITHOUT GUARANTEED PAY AS DAY 10 OF THE U-S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MOVES ALONG
ROBERT MACK IS A LEAD TSA OFFICER AT THE SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND ALSO CHIEF STEWARD FOR THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE UNION REPRESENTING TSA WORKERS.
HE SAYS THIS WEEKEND THOSE WORKERS WILL GET PAID FOR HOURS WORKED UP UNTIL THE SHUTDOWN.
TSA 1A (:08)
“Pretty much our last paycheck, that partial paycheck, will be coming out this weekend. But there's no sign of when the next one will come.”
MACK SAYS THERE ARE ABOUT 600 TSA OFFICERS ACROSS SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THEY ARE STILL AT FULL STAFFING AS OF NOW…
BUT DURING PAST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS SOME OFFICERS STOPPED COMING TO WORK.
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SAN DIEGO’S PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM IS BOASTING A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN CRIME
OVERALL CRIME RATES THROUGHOUT THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SYSTEM DROPPED BY TWENTY FOUR PERCENT IN RECENT MONTHS
BETWEEN JANUARY AND AUGUST OF THIS YEAR, ALMOST ONE THOUSAND CRIMES WERE REPORTED
COMPARE THAT TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, WHEN THIRTEEN HUNDRED CRIMES WERE REPORTED
MTS CREDITS THE DECREASE TO AN EXPANDED SECURITY EFFORT AFTER TRAVELERS SURVEYED BY MTS ASKED FOR A LARGER SECURITY PRESENCE
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THE APPLICATION PERIOD IS NOW OPEN FOR THE CITY’S LATEST ARTS AND CULTURE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE JUST OVER A MONTH FROM NOW ON NOVEMBER 13TH
MORE THAN ELEVEN MILLION DOLLARS IS SET ASIDE FROM THE SAN DIEGO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
THEIR DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS PROVIDES SUPPORT TO 198 NONPROFITS THIS YEAR
CHRISTINE E. JONES WITH CULTURAL AFFAIRS SAID ITS PART OF A COMMITMENT TO A CREATIVE SECTOR THAT NOT ONLY GENERATE JOBS AND BOOSTS LOCAL ECONOMY BUT EXPANDS ACCESS TO ARTS AND CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
TO APPLY OR LEARN MORE YOU CAN VISIT SAN DIEGO DOT GOV FORWARD SLASH CULTURAL AFFAIRS
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 HISTORIC PACKAGE OF REPARATIONS BILLS SITS ON CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM'S DESK. HE MUST VETO OR SIGN THEM BY SUNDAY NIGHT.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SPOKE WITH A MEMBER OF THE STATE’S REPARATIONS TASK FORCE ABOUT WHAT’S AT STAKE.
REPARATIONS FT. trt : SOQ (kh/mb)
The bills create a reparations bureau in the state’s civil rights department. A system for determining who’s eligible. And other financial supports.
Cheryl Grills is a member of the state’s reparations task force.
SOT :31 We spent two years doing research to try to uncover what was done.
We uncovered so much that it led to an 1100 page report with 115 recommendations for repair.
So we're talking about a beast here, right? And that requires a beast level response to repair the damage that was done. So these bills represent a first step.
After that report, Governor Gavin Newsom formally apologized for California’s role in slavery and racism.
Grills says the public’s trust is now at stake. If he vetoes these bills –
SOT :24 It would smack of dishonesty, right? Because, on one hand you're saying, ‘Yes, something happened and we need to understand it to its fullest extent, and then we need to address it.’ And so then when we point out everything and then nothing is done, how can I trust you? How can I trust government?
A couple of these bills failed to pass the state legislature last year.
Grills says there was disagreement over the requirement to be a direct descendant of an enslaved person of African descent. Because all Black Americans are harmed by the legacy of slavery.
SOT :25 It's, ‘Are you Black?’ That's all the police officers looking at. When they pull you over, they're not gonna ask you, ‘Are you a direct descendant? Oh, okay. I'm not gonna bother you.’ Or, ‘Are you of Jamaican ancestry or are you some from somewhere on the continent?’ They're not doing that. And so all Black people, we're equally, you know, exposed.
Grills says they passed this year because of a groundswell of community support.
SOT :20 At this moment, over 4,000 letters have been flooded into the governor's office in support of, you know, these bills. And, and that's across racial lines. What people are recognizing is that this is not a Black thing. This is a California thing.
The legislature estimated it could cost anywhere from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars to create and run the reparations bureau. At a time when California is running a budget deficit in the billions.
To people who say the state can’t afford it, Grills says –
SOT :15 If not now, when? We're gonna always have budget challenges and thank God no one said that when they were trying to advance ending enslavement. It does not have to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to establish this bureau. We can figure out a cost efficient way to do it.
The bill to develop the eligibility system does face some opposition, even from reparations advocates. Some argue there’s been plenty of research already. And this would only slow down reparations long overdue.
Grills disagrees.
SOT :39 It's actually to speed up a process. It took me somewhere around five, six years to establish my direct descendancy. And it's not because I had any question about that. But records were poor. The courthouse in Manning burned down. You know, people in the family, went into hiding because they were probably afraid of being lynched. So it can take an inordinate amount of time to establish lineage, and for some vulnerable populations, you may not be able to do it at all.
She says if the governor vetoes the bills?
SOT :29 Oh, we keep on going. *laughs* I mean it took a lot of effort for, for Black folk to be free. And then it took a lot of effort to be free within the context of being so-called “free.” *laughs* And so it's gonna take effort to push forward an agenda that America is ill-informed about, unclear about, and full of biases about.
We’re gonna keep at it. You know, like that Energizer battery commercial from back in the day? We're gonna keep going and going and going until we receive true repair.
Katie Hyson, KPBS News
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THE COLLEGE AREA IS CLOSER TO HAVING A NEW COMMUNITY PLAN.
REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS SAN DIEGO'S PLANNING COMMISSION YESTERDAY ENDORSED A PUSH FOR HIGHER DENSITY NEAR SAN DIEGO STATE.
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COLLEGEPLAN 1 (ab) 0:42 soq
AB: SDSU's student population has grown significantly in recent decades. The city's Community Plan Update would keep most of the surrounding neighborhood zoned for low-density, single-family homes. But properties on major roads could see more high-density housing. Commissioner Matthew Boomhower acknowledged that level of change can be scary for longtime residents.
MB: But the staff and the Planning Commission have a job, and that's to consider the concerns of current residents but to balance that with the needs for future generations that are going to live, work and play in this neighborhood, long after many of the older current residents have moved on.
AB: The College Area Community Plan Update is set to go before the City Council in December. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news
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WITH NO END IN SIGHT FOR THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND SAN DIEGO SERVICE MEMBERS ARE LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY FROM MISSING A PAYCHECK.
MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER HAS BEEN CATALOGING RESOURCES TO HELP FAMILIES BRIDGE THE PAY GAP.
SHUTDOWNSUPPORT 1 (ad) :55 SOQ
"THERE IS DEFINITELY A FEELING OF ANXIETY"
AT THE SAY SAN DIEGO MILITARY FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER, DIRECTOR MONICA MOON SAYS THEY’VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN FOOT TRAFFIC SINCE THE GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN.
UNCERTAINTY, TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT ON TOP OF A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE.
THE RESOURCE CENTER IS IN THE MURPHY CANYON MILITARY HOUSING AREA RIGHT BY THE NAVY EXCHANGE.
MOON AND HER TEAM ARE STANDING BY TO HELP CONNECT MILITARY FAMILIES WITH THE ALMOST 100 MILITARY AND VETERAN NON-PROFITS IN THE COUNTY.
HER ADVICE FOR EVERYONE IS NOT TO PAY FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN GET FOR FREE — LIKE FOOD.
"AND THEN SAVE THAT MONEY TO GO TOWARDS THINGS THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN."
SAY SAN DIEGO HAS INFORMATION ON FOOD BANKS AND POP-UP FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS AMONG OTHER AID RESOURCES.
MORE INFORMATION ON WHERE TO TURN FOR SUPPORT OR HOW TO OFFER SUPPORT IS LINKED ON OUR WEBSITE, KPBS.ORG.
ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS##########
THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL E-D-C HAS A NEW REPORT ABOUT WHAT FUSION ENERGY COULD MEAN TO THE POWER AND WEALTH OF THE STATE.
FUSION IS THE ENERGY THAT COMES FROM ATOMS COLLIDING. CALIFORNIA IS A LEADER IN FUSION RESEARCH BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING POWER PLANTS, IT MUST ACCOUNT FOR HIGH LAND COSTS AND REGULATORY UNCERTAINTY.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN SCOTT PETERS SAYS CALIFORNIANS MUST BE RECEPTIVE TO FUSION POWER PLANTS.
FUSIONECON 2A :12 “This is not fission. This is not the stuff that generates waste. It doesn’t generate the risk that traditional nuclear power generates. So it’s a very safe thing. It should be easy.”
EXPERTS IN THE FIELD SAY FUSION POWER COULD BECOME A REALITY FOR AMERICAN ENERGY CONSUMERS WITHIN TEN YEARS – IF TALENT AND RESOURCES ARE DEVOTED TO IT.
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THE CHICANO PARK MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER IS CELEBRATING 3 YEARS IN ITS BARRIO LOGAN SPACE — AND TEN YEARS AS AN ORGANIZATION. FOUNDER JOSIE TALAMANTEZ (tal-uh-MON-tez) SAYS THAT BEYOND ITS THRIVING VISUAL ARTS GALLERY, THE MUSEUM'S ARCHIVES AND PROGRAMS SERVE AS A VITAL RESOURCE FOR THE CHICANO COMMUNITY.
CHICANOMUSEUM 2A (:14)
We're hoping that our museum is the sanctuary site that people come.
They can learn, they can participate in classes, they can document their history, and they can validate their existence in this country
THE CHICANO PARK MUSEUM'S FREE ANNIVERSARY EVENT IS SATURDAY FROM 3 TO 7 P.M.
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AS WE DO EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY, HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND IDEAS FOR YOU AND YOURS
FOR THE OCEAN VIDEOGRAPHY LOVER … YOU CAN TRAVEL TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA …
I’M TALKING ABOUT THE 26th ANNUAL SAN DIEGO UNDERSEA EXHIBITION KICKING OFF TONIGHT ON FRIDAY!
THEY’LL SCREEN MOVIES SHOT ENTIRELY UNDERWATER
YOU CAN CHECK S-D-U-F-E-X DOT COM FOR MORE INFO
WE ALSO HAVE BATES PUMPKIN PATCH THIS WEEKEND
A BOUNCE HOUSE, HAY RIDES, A PETTING ZOO AND PONY RIDES IS HOPEFULLY ENOUGH TO TIRE THE KIDDOS OUT!
THERE IS FREE ADMISSION AND TEN DOLLARS FOR PARKING
VISIT BATES NUT FARM DOT BIZ FOR MORE DETAILS
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THE LA JOLLA ARTS AND WINE FESTIVAL IS THIS WEEKEND
MONEY RAISED WILL HELP TO SUPPORT LA JOLLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ON-SITE MEDICAL CARE
THEY’LL BE A SILENT AUCTION, FOOD VENDORS AND OF COURSE A WINE AND BEER GARDEN
VISIT L-J-A-W-F DOT COM FOR EXACT INFO
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That is it for the San Diego News Now podcast this week! Serving as editor for the pod this week is Quinn Owen and Brooke Ruth. This podcast is 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.
