People living at San Diego’s camping sites for the homeless are suing
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27TH>>>>
WHY ARE PEOPLE LIVING AT SAN DIEGO’S CAMPING SITES FOR THE HOMELESS SUING?More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
A MILLION DOLLAR HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE THAT BEGAN THIS WEEK AIMS TO ADDRESS INEQUALITY IN MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH
THE ‘BORN WELL’ PROGRAM – SUPPORTED BY THE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION – IS TAKING A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH TO IMPROVE BIRTH OUTCOMES AND LOOKS TO BRING MORE PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENT TO PUBLIC HEALTH STRATEGY
AROUND 38 THOUSAND BABIES ARE BORN ANNUALLY ACROSS THE COUNTY. AROUND 15 HUNDRED OF THEM ARE CONSIDERED HIGH-RISK
AN INITIAL 1 MILLION DOLLARS HAS BEEN COMMITTED WITH PLANS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO DOULAS, MIDWIVES, PRENATAL AND POSTPARTUM CARE
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THINGS SHOULD BE A BIT MORE MILD OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS WEATHER WISE
THE COAST TODAY WILL BE MOSTLY SUNNY WITH HIGHS IN THE SEVENTIES AND INLAND AREAS WILL RANGE ANYWHERE FROM 78 TO 82 DEGREES
ON MONDAY, THUNDERSTORMS CAUSED SOME DAMAGE IN OUR MOUNTAIN AND DESSERT AREAS WITH DOWNED POWERLINES AND ROADCLOSURES
THE RAINFALL BROUGHT MORE THAN 3 INCHES IN SOME AREAS AND PROMPTED FLASH FLOOD ADVISORIES
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THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS TRYING OUT A NEW TRASH COLLECTION PROGRAM THAT ALSO SERVES AS A JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
THE “FOLLOW THE COMPOST PILE” PROJECT WRAPPED UP A PILOT PROGRAM LAST WEEK
PEOPLE TRANSITIONING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS WERE HIRED TO PICK CONTAMINANTS OUT OF ORGANIC WASTE IN THE CITY’S GREEN BINS
PLASTIC BAGS, SCRAP METAL, GLASS BOTTLES AND OTHERS ITEMS CAN RUIN ORGANIC COMPOST
THE NEW INITIATIVE IS PART OF A CAMPAIGN THIS FALL TO INFORM CITY RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT CAN AND CANNOT GO INTO GREEN BINS
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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SOME RESIDENTS OF SAN DIEGO’S CAMPING SITES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE SAY THAT CONDITIONS ARE INHUMANE. REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS THEY ARE NOW SUING THE CITY ASKING FOR IMPROVEMENTS.
Laura Zaleta says she can’t survive without her walker. She’s on her fourth one.
She says it’s because the cracked and hot asphalt at San Diego’s safe sleeping camps, peels the wheels.
She sometimes hears rats outside her tent and has experienced harassment.
“Something has to be done about these places. At times, I felt I was safer sleeping on the street than I am in there.”
Zaleta and seven other homeless people are suing the city of San Diego and two organizations it hired to run its safe sleeping camps.
Residents allege in the lawsuit that camps are rodent infested and lack adequate food, shade and shelter.
“We are here today to shed light on a grave injustice hidden at a public view.”
Ann Menasche is an attorney representing the residents. Clients with disabilities have told her about some of their experiences at the sites.
“Showers are full of rust. The one disabled shower was broken for two months, causing serious health problems for disabled residents who had no way of staying clean.”
In an emailed statement spokesman Matt Hoffman told KPBS the city takes any claims of unsafe conditions seriously. He says they have increased pest control services and have clean up protocols at the sites. He did not immediately respond to questions about the lawsuit.
Zaleta says she just got approved for permanent housing. She hopes that speaking out about her experience will lead to improvements for future residents.
Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY IS IN SAN DIEGO THIS WEEK VISITING SAILORS AND MARINES ACROSS THE COUNTY.
SECRETARY JOHN PHELAN (LIKE FELON) SPOKE TO SAILORS ON THE WATERFRONT YESTERDAY (TUESDAY) ON BOARD THE USS SOMERSET.
HE SAYS HE WANTS TO HEAR FROM TROOPS HOW THINGS ARE GOING.
NAVYSEC 2a ( :18)
BUT I'M HOPING TO LEARN FROM THEM. YOU KNOW, LOOK, WHAT I WANT TO UNDERSTAND IS WHY'D YOU JOIN? ARE YOU GOING TO STAY? WHAT CAN WE DO TO KEEP YOU? WHY? YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT WHAT ARE THE GOOD PARTS OF THE JOB? WHAT ARE THE BAD PARTS OF THE JOB? HOW DO WE GET BETTER? HOW DO WE ITERATE AND IMPROVE? HOW DO WE MOVE QUICKER?
IN HIS COMMENTS TO THE SAILORS PHELAN TALKED ABOUT PLANS TO INCREASE SHIPBUILDING AND THE ROLE OF A-I IN THE NAVY.
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS PHELAN PLANS TO VISIT SAILORS AT SPECIAL WARFARE COMMAND, NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND AND TOUR MARINE BARRACKS AT CAMP PENDLETON.
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SAN DIEGANS ARE SPENDING MORE ON FOOD, HOUSING, MEDICAL CARE AND DAYCARE AMID RISING UNEMPLOYMENT. THEY’RE WITNESSING ICE RAIDS AT WORKPLACES, COURTHOUSES AND OUTSIDE SCHOOLS. AMID THESE REALITIES, PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER AMITA SHARMA SPOKE TO KATIE ANASTIS ABOUT WHETHER SAN DIEGANS STILL HAVE HOPE.
HOPE 1(AS) TRT: 04:19 Last words: “Thank you”
Q. Why did you decide to explore hope and what did you find?
I talk to a lot of people, whether in interviews for work or when I’m out there just living life. I speak with people across generations. My mom is in an assisted living facility, I speak with caregivers and seniors almost every day. My daughter is 22, about to launch. I talk to her friends about their wishes and fears in today’s world, and of course my own friends. The throughline - regardless of political party - is uncertainty and dread about the future. And so I was curious about where hope stands these days. I asked three San Diegans how hopeful they are. Even the most troubled by political events and the economy refuse to jettison hope entirely. And the biggest boosters of what’s happening politically, still have reservations. Take Mayeli Ho. She’s 22 and works and goes to school full-time. She’s also a No Party Preference voter.
“OK, so on a broader scale, like society level, I think I do not have hope because we are so divided.”
To her, the world feels chaotic and drenched in negativity. She’s studying fashion merchandising and is now confronting sudden, shrinking career prospects.
“Vogue just featured their first AI models. So for me, this does not make me feel hopeful at all for my career in photography and styling and fashion just because AI is now like taking my dream job.”
But she still believes she’ll find a way to realize her dreams.
18:35: I do have hope, just because I feel like the things I've experienced in my life, I've come out of a lot of like dark moments and a lot of like adversities, I would say that I could never imagine coming out of, or coming out of the way I did, I would say, and I I believe everything does happen for a reason. And you kind of just have to like trust and hope that everything will work itself out how it needs to.
Q. You also spoke to 26-year-old Victor Lopez. He used to head the local pro-business group The Lincoln Club. How hopeful is he?
He’s bullish. He is a small business owner and really loves what he’s seen from the Trump Administration so far.
Victor Lopez/Small Business Owner
“I'm actually hopeful because I feel like there's a surge of momentum in the air. I think with the growth of what's happened on the AI side and crypto and what the current administration has been doing. There's just so much investment going into the United States right now And now there's more patriotism. I think people feel like they can speak more freely.”
At the same time, Lopez says the Trump Administration can do a better job on tariffs, the economy AND immigration.
“As a Latino myself, I know that there is a growing amount of people that would like to see a fair process of addressing some of the people that are here in this country illegally that have been working here for a long time, that have not committed any crimes and are filling up a certain part of the workforce that is not necessarily going to be filled by anybody else.”
Q. Hope is often associated with religion. Did anyone bring up the role their personal beliefs play in feeling hopeful?
A. Yes, Democrat Ellen Nash. She’s a pastor’s daughter, born and raised in the church. Her optimism is powered by both scripture and the past.
Ellen Nash/ Chair of the SD Chapter of The Black American Political Association of California
“The 400 plus years of history that shows if you hold on to hope and faith that you will win at the end.”
But unlike other times in history, Nash doesn’t believe any one leader will surface to show the way out and to get to that win.
“Hope, the evidence that we now are going to create for the next generation is based on all of us and how we respond in this time from a boycott to having a community gathering in your home to creating these self-care spaces.”
And next we’ll hear from the experts on where to find hope and the importance of it. BUT they say hope must be paired with action to bring about change.
Amita, thank you
Thank you.
TAG: THAT WAS KPBS'S AMITA SHARMA SPEAKING WITH KATIE ANASTAS.
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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 thank you for that. Have a great day!
