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Pentagon considers plan to lease parts of Camp Pendleton

 September 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT

Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH>>>>

Why is the Pentagon considering leasing parts of Camp Pendleton? More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########

THOSE THAT FREQUENT THE PATH ALONG SUNSET CLIFFS KNOW  THAT ITS BEAUTY ALSO COMES WITH THE CONSTANT THOUGHT OF COULD THIS ALL ONE DAY CRUMBLE INTO THE SEA? 

WELL, THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS THINKING THAT TOO. THE VOICE OF SAN DIEGO REPORTED THAT THE CITY’S ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE APPROVED A PLAN IN JUNE TO ADDRESS EROSION AND SEA LEVEL RISE AT THE CLIFFS. 

AND  NOW THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER THE PLAN  ON TUESDAY 

IT INCLUDES  MOVING THE PARKING LOTS OFF THE CLIFF’S EDGE AND ONTO THE STREET

AND CHANGING TRAFFIC  TO ONE-WAY ON MONACO STREET

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THE OCEANSIDE CITY COUNCIL EARLIER THIS WEEK APPROVED ENHANCED MEASURES AIMED AT SAFEGUARDING RENTERS AMID RISING HOUSING COSTS

DATA FROM 10NEWS  SHOWS NEARLY 74 PERCENT OF ALL RENTERS IN OCEANSIDE PAY AROUND ONE-THIRD OF THEIR MONTHLY BUDGET ON RENT 

44 PERCENT PAY AS MUCH AS HALF 

THE COUNCIL VOTED TO CREATE A LEGAL DEFENSE FUND FOR RESIDENTS FACING EVICTION AND REQUIRE LANDLORDS TO PROVIDE TENANTS WITH EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND SUMMARIES OF THEIR LEASE RIGHTS 

THE PROTECTIONS ARE GEARED TOWARDS WORKING FAMILIES WHO AFTER PAYING RENT AND BILLS MIGHT NOT HAVE ANYTHING LEFT FOR EMERGENCIES 

OPPOSING COUNCIL MEMBERS SAID  THESE PROTECTIONS COULD HURT LANDLORDS AND THEIR ABILITY TO MANAGE PROPERTIES   

A FINAL VOTE WILL TAKE PLACE IN TWO WEEKS

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THE U-T REPORTS THAT UC SAN DIEGO IS ON THE MOVE ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME JOINING THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE 

IT WAS JUST FOUR YEARS AGO THAT THE UNIVERSITY JOINED THE BIG WEST CONFERENCE 

AND JUST ONE YEAR SINCE THEY GAINED DIVISION 1 STATUS WITH BOTH THEIR MEN AND WOMENS BASKETBALL TEAMS MAKING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

NOW THEY SHIFT AGAIN AND JOIN A CONFERENCE THAT EXCLUSIVELY CONSISTS OF SMALL, PRIVATE, FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS LIKE U-S-D 

FOR REFERENCE, UCSD HAS ALMOST FORTY THOUSAND UNDERGRADUATES ENROLLED WHILE U-S-D HAS ALMOST SIX THOUSAND 

UCSD IS EXPECTED TO PAY AN EXIT FEE IN THE MILLIONS IN ORDER TO LEAVE THEIR CURRENT CONFERENCE

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

<<<UNDERWRITING BREAK>>

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<<<MUSIC BUMP INTO A BLOCK>>

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THE PENTAGON IS CONSIDERING A PLAN TO LEASE PARTS OF CAMP PENDLETON TO HELP FUND PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PROPOSED MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM.  MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER S AYS NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE.

PENDLETON 1 (ad) 1:00 SOQ

A spokesperson for Navy Secretary John Phelan confirms to KPBS that during his visit to the base last week, there were initial conversations about possible commercial leasing opportunities of Camp Pendleton land

The base spans more than 125,000 acres and is the largest undeveloped stretch of shoreline in Southern California.

Phelan told sailors on the USS Somerset last week he was bringing a different mindset to running the service.

“more business practices and thought processes to how we approach things. We, we are right now. I think we have to fundamentally make an enormous number of changes.

Further development raises environmental questions — the base is home to several threatened and endangered species. It’s an important stop for migrating monarch butterflies and last year the base partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to preserve them.

Wildfires are also common on the base.

The Navy Secretary’s office says additional discussions are needed and no decisions have been made.

Andrew Dyer, KPBS News

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WILL RODRIGUEZ-KENNEDY IS AGAIN LEADING THE SAN DIEGO DEMOCRATIC PARTY. HE LEFT AFTER HIS FORMER PARTNER ACCUSED HIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. THE CIVIL LAWSUIT WAS DISMISSED. AMITA SHARMA SPOKE WITH RODRIGUEZ-KENNEDY. 

WILLRK (as) TRT 5:01 last words "yes on prop 50"

KPBS:Will, you won a fairly acrimonious race to head the local Democratic Party. Anonymous letters circulated calling you a Trumpian narcissist. They also focused on the now-dropped sexual assault allegations against you, and those letters talked about the allegations against your opponent, consultant Sarah Achoa's husband. Is there lingering bad blood within the party over all of that? And if so, what do you plan to do to heal it?

Rodriguez-Kennedy:Well, I think that the fact that those were anonymous was indicative of the reality that that is a minority of the Democratic Party. There is an element who favors drama over doing the work. Luckily, my opponent and I have met, and we favor doing the work over the drama. So we're working together. There's a committee that I've appointed her co-chair of moving forward, and we're going to work together to put the party back together as a family. We have a common cause. We have a common foe, and we have a clear understanding of the stakes ahead of us. So it's actually rather easy to unite when there is a clear boss, baddie, or whatever to fight.

KPBS:So amid those stakes, as you know, the Democratic Party is bleeding voters nationally. Locally, 120,000 fewer people voted for Democrats last November than four years ago. In Southeastern San Diego alone, Democrats lost 11,000 voters. Republicans gained 2,000 voters. Why do you think that happened?

Rodriguez-Kennedy:Well, it's 124,735 voters. So I've looked at the number very closely. The reason that happened is because, one, particularly in the South Bay, the Democratic Party did not run as extensive a Spanish-language program as they did in 2020 when I was chair last time. The other reason that happened is that the Democratic Party has not shown a level of focus and discipline on the issues that affect the day-to-day lives of voters. So, for example, affecting and addressing the cost of living, the cost of housing, raising wages, things like that. Voters care most about their quality of life. They care most about whether or not they're able to put food on the table. They care most whether or not they can afford gas, groceries, things like that. So the fact that the party has not had that level of discipline and has not acted with a sense of urgency in the 2024 election would lead to a bleed of voters that we saw in 2024. So that's one of the reasons I was elected. If you look at what I put out in terms of the campaign, we're talking about having message consistency, message discipline, but also making sure that we're talking to those voters who we left behind.

Rodriguez-Kennedy:Voters not showing up is not their fault. It's our fault. We did not communicate to them on the issues that they care about, in the languages that they speak, through the media that they consume. We're going to change that in 2025 and 2026.

KPBS:Aside from trying to win those voters back, what else is on your to-do list that you consider urgent?

Rodriguez-Kennedy:Well, Prop 50 is obviously top of mind because we have a special election that is coming up in November fourth. It is absolutely essential that we do our part as a county to take back our country. We have a significant problem at the federal level with the Trump administration instilling fear in our communities. They are affecting our economy. If you look at the unemployment and job numbers that have happened recently, you can draw a direct line into the instability in federal economic policy, whether it's the tariffs which affect our trade, which is a major part of the San Diego economy, whether it's the immigration chaos and fear that has been caused by the administration, which affects our economy and our ability on the border. The federal government has affected San Diego in a negative way. And the best way for us to do that, especially considering our economy, is to make sure that we vote yes on Prop 50.

KPBS:Prop 50 being Governor Newsom's ballot measure that redraws congressional districts to favor Democrats, and this is in response to Texas's redistricting. You're at the ground level of the Democratic Party. What's your sense about how local voters feel about Prop 50?

Rodriguez-Kennedy:Well, we're all Californians, and I don't think we want Texans to decide the future of our country. A difference between the way the Republicans are doing and the way the Democrats are doing is that we're asking our voters for their permission. The Texan Republican legislature, they're just shoving it down the throat of Texans. The most important thing people can do to resist the Trump administration and its horrible effects in our communities and with our economy is to vote yes on Prop 50.

TAG: THAT WAS WILL RODRIGUEZ-KENNEDY SPEAKING TO AMITA SHARMA.

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A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL PLANNED FOR THE NORTH COUNTY HAS JUST LOST A BIG CHUNK OF STATE FUNDING. 

IN  MAY … PALOMAR HEALTH RECEIVED A $50 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FROM THE STATE TO BUILD A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL IN ESCONDIDO..

BUT THE GRANT REQUIRES A MATCHING FUND. 

THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES SAYS PALOMAR DID NOT MEET THE MATCH DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS, SO THE STATE ISN’T GIVING THEM THE MONEY.JOHN CLARK IS A BOARD MEMBER FOR PALOMAR HEALTH.

PHMENTAL 2A (0:07)

“I CAN'T TELL YOU AT THIS POINT IF THE PROJECT'S GOING FORWARD. WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, BEEN EXPERIENCING SEVERE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES THAT COULD IMPACT THAT RELATIONSHIP.”

PALOMAR HEALTH DECLINED TO COMMENT.

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JUST WEEKS BEFORE THE NEW TERMINAL ONE OPENS AT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ONE OF ITS TENANTS SAYS THEY’RE STOPPING SERVICE HERE. 

REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS SPIRIT AIRLINES SERVICE WILL END  IN EARLY OCTOBER.

_____________________________________________________

SPIRIT 1 (ja) :44

Spirit is a budget airline that can get you from San Diego to places like Las Vegas for as little as 25 dollars one way.

But it’s faced recent financial troubles… and last week, announced that it was entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in just under a year.

In a move to restructure the company … Spirit is dropping service to San Diego and ten other US cities.

Spirit is set to be one of seven carriers at the new Terminal 1, which opens on Sept. 22.

In a statement, Airport spokesperson Nicole Hall says Spirit will operate at San Diego through October 4… and their gate in the new Terminal 1 will be utilized by another carrier when Spirit is no longer using it. JA KPBS News.

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THERE'S A NEW READING SERIES IN NORTH PARK THAT COMBINES LITERATURE WITH MUSIC AND MOVEMENT. ARTS REPORTER JULIA DIXON EVANS SPEAKS WITH THE ORGANIZERS ABOUT THE ALL-AGES PARTY.

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BOOKDANCE 1 (1:18) SOQ

By day, Verbatim Books is an air-conditioned refuge for booklovers, bursting with shoppers browsing used books.

But this Saturday night, the indie bookstore transforms... into…

"... a party that would break out in your kitchen"

"... like Whitney Houston, Chappell Roan, super low stakes…"

"It will be loud"

That's Carly Marie DeMento, local writer and one of the organizers of Desire, Calling, a new queer reading series and dance party.

"Right now with everything that's going on, people are really seeking just a little bit beyond normal small talk, and hearing poetry and prose is really a way of doing that.

Readings from four LGBTQ+ writers will be followed by music and dancing — offering a multigenerational, alcohol-free evening of community.

"We want people to walk home feeling a sense of being moved by the words that they heard, a sense that they can come out into the world and there's good people, kind people waiting for them there."

Saturday's free event is a fundraiser for TransFamily Support Services, a local nonprofit that provides resources for transgender and non-binary youth.

Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news

<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>

That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by 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.

Ways To Subscribe
The Pentagon is considering a plan that would lease parts of Camp Pendleton, we tell you why. Then, we hear from Will Rodriguez-Kennedy who is back as the head of the San Diego Democratic Party. And, a psychiatric hospital set for North County just lost a chunk of funding. Plus, just weeks before the new Terminal 1 opens at San Diego International, one airline is opting out.