Privacy advocates raise concerns over use of local government database
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson… it’s MONDAY, JANUARY 12TH>>>> [THE USE OF A LOCAL GOVERNMENT DATABASE IS RE-IGNITING CONCERN AMONG PRIVACY ADVOCATES]More on that next. But first... the headlines…########
USING A PATIENT'S D-N-A TO CUSTOMIZE DRUG TREATMENTS COULD IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR THOSE BATTLING CANCER. THAT’S ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY LED BY THE U-C SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
THE STUDY FOUND SUCCESS IN TAILORING DRUG TREATMENTS TO EACH PATIENT, BASED ON THEIR TUMOR'S DISTINCTIVE D-N-A AND INDIVIDUAL MUTATIONS
AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE AT U-C-S-D SAYS THE RESEARCH SHOWS WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN A PATIENTS BIOLOGY GUIDES THEIR TREATMENT
A CO-LEADER OF THE U-C-S-D MOORES CANCER CENTER ADDED THAT INSTEAD OF A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL THEY ARE MOVING TOWARDS A ONE-SIZE-FITS ONE MODEL
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TEACHERS IN THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE PLANNING A ONE-DAY STRIKE OVER AN ALLEGED LACK OF SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFFING
THE DISTRICT SAYS SCHOOLS WILL CLOSE NEXT MONTH FOR ONE DAY FOR THE STRIKE
THE TEACHERS’ UNION IS ACCUSING THE DISTRICT OF IGNORING LIMITS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION CASELOADS.
THE DISTRICT SAYS 97-PERCENT OF ITS SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER POSITIONS ARE FILLED…AND THAT THERE'S A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE OF THOSE SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTORS .
STUDENTS WILL MAKE UP THE MISSED DAY OF CLASS ON MARCH 9
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A COMMUNITY BBQ HELPED FEED LOW INCOME FAMILIES OVER THE WEEKEND…
MADE POSSIBLE DUE TO A QUARTER MILLION DOLLAR DONATION FROM THE SAN DIEGO UNITY FUND GRANT...
'THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE ASSOCIATION' GAVE OUT MEAL KITS TO DOZENS OF FAMILIES INVOLVED IN THE HEAD START PROGRAM
THE ASSOCIATION SAYS THE KITS FEATURED SHELF-STABLE ITEMS LIKE PB&J, PASTA AND OATMEAL
HEAD START IS A FEDERALLY-FUNDED CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM LOOKING TO BREAK CYCLES OF POVERTY BY PROVIDING PRESCHOOL CHILDREN OF LOW-INCOME FAMILIES WITH SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, NUTRITIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT
THEY BELIEVE IT TAKES THE ENTIRE FAMILY AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY TO GUIDE AND NURTURE CHILDREN
THIS PAST WEEKEND WAS JUST THE INITIAL KICKOFF.
THERE ARE FUTURE GOALS TO MAKE IT A WEEKLY EVENT
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 LITTLE-KNOWN DATABASE CONTROLLED BY THE SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS HAS LONG CONCERNED LOCAL PRIVACY ADVOCATES.
NOW AS WE ENTER THE SECOND YEAR OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DEPORTATION CAMPAIGN, REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS ADVOCATES ARE MORE WORRIED THAN EVER ABOUT HOW FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS, USE THAT DATA
ARJIS (gs) 4:47 SOQ
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For an annual fee of about $200,000, SANDAG allows Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection access to the database known as ARJIS.
Every law enforcement agency in San Diego County feeds information into ARJIS … including traffic citations, arrest records, field interviews, and a jail census.
SDTRUST 00:01:57:20“Personal details like their driver license data might be stored in ARJIS. Criminal backgrounds or criminal records might be stored in ARJIS.
Seth Hall is a privacy advocate with the TRUST SD Coalition.
Local police agencies have shared data through ARJIS for decades. But now Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics are raising new questions about sharing local data with the federal government.
SDTRUST 00:03:26:17“The flipside to that is that it is not always great to share data. Because sometimes you don’t know who you’re sharing it with and you don’t know what the motivations of those people might be.”
Most concerning is the lack of protections in place to ensure Border Patrol agents are not using ARJIS for immigration enforcement.
SDTRUST 00:04:19:24“We are at a time where the Trump administration is attacking all immigrants. People with status, without status, with no criminal record. CBP, HSI are literally just out there to find as many individuals to detain and deport as possible.”
Homayra Yusufi is a senior policy strategist for the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, or PANA.
Last year, Border Patrol agents gained backdoor access to license plate reader databases across the country - including El Cajon. In Chicago, a federal judge wrote that Border Patrol leadership was “outright lying” in her injunction limiting the agency’s use of force.
Yusufi argues those incidents show CBP isn’t a trustworthy law enforcement partner.
SDTRUST 00:04:38:19“And in the midst of that, these types of systems that share data indiscriminately is putting our immigrant communities in harm’s way.”
In a statement, a CBP spokesperson said agents use ARJIS in the vast majority of their criminal cases - but wouldn’t say whether they use it for immigration enforcement - which they are not supposed to do.
SANDAG has several restrictions in place aimed at preventing federal agents from using the database for immigration enforcement. But it’s unclear whether they are following those rules.
SANDAG officials say the ARJIS user agreement prevents them from auditing the system. Instead, audits only happen when they are requested by a member agency - or by the California Department of Justice. And SANDAG told KPBS that it cannot release an audit without the approval from the agency being audited.
The last audit of CBP usage was in 2017. SANGAG officials say CBP won’t allow them to share a copy of that audit with KPBS.
Yusufi says the lack of oversight from SANDAG and minimal interest from local politicians may be putting San Diego’s immigrant population at risk of deportation.
SDTRUST 00:14:05:20“It’s time for us to get our heads out of the sand and recognize the reality of the threats that are facing all of our communities right now. And we have to reconsider selling this data with agencies that we know will harm San Diegans.”
The SANDAG board consists of a county supervisor and elected officials from each of the 18 cities in the county. None of the board members agreed to an interview with KPBS as of the deadline for this story.
Erin Tsurumoto-Grassi is with Alliance San Diego. She has a lot of questions for San Diego’s political leaders.
00:17:19:00“What accountability measures are you going to put in place? Can you get those audits? Can you require the auditing to happen? How else can you make it transparent and accountable?”
She also argues that ARJIS’s data sharing practices undermine local sanctuary laws.
ERIN 00:05:57:07“Our local law enforcement agencies are able to say yea, we don’t directly share this. But if you are sharing it through your ARJIS database and then ARJIS is selling that information – you may not be directly sharing it but that information is still being shared and I think that’s something we should be concerned with.”
One of the SANDAG board members is San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. Gloria’s office sent a statement that touted his commitment to strengthening local projections for immigrant families. And it referenced an executive order the mayor signed in July reaffirming that city resources will not be used for immigration enforcement.
But when asked whether the mayor thought ARJIS was undermining that executive order, his office did not respond.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL RETURNS FOR ITS FIRST SESSION OF THE NEW YEAR TODAY.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS WATER AND SEWER RATES ARE LOOMING LARGE.
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COUNCILPREVIEW 1 (ab) 0:36 soq
AB: The council will hear a report on the financial outlook of the city's water and wastewater utility funds. The council approved two years of water rate increases last October. They're necessary to fund federally-mandated water infrastructure, and to keep up with the rising cost of water, which is linked in part to climate change and drought. The report makes clear two years of rate hikes will not be enough to fund the city's water needs. Barring a major change in costs and revenues, the city will need to raise water and sewer rates each year through 2031. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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A FEDERAL JUDGE (FRIDAY) BLOCKED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM FREEZING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CHILDCARE FUNDING FOR FIVE DEMOCRATIC-LED STATES
REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS THAT INCLUDES ABOUT $5 BILLION DOLLARS FOR CALIFORNIA
CHILDCARE 1 (AD) :47 SOQ
CALIFORNIA JOINS NEW YORK, COLORADO, ILLINOIS, AND MINNESOTA IN THE LAWSUIT
CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA SAYS THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO WITHHOLD FUNDS APPROPRIATED BY CONGRESS.
IT'S UNCONSCIONABLE, IT'S UNDEMOCRATIC AND YES, IT'S UNLAWFUL, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE TAKEN TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION TO COURT.
IN IDENTICAL LETTERS SENT TO THE FIVE STATES THIS MONTH THE ADMINISTRATION SAID IT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR FRAUD ACROSS THE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.
JUST A, ALLEGATION OF FRAUD WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE, WITHOUT ANY FACTS, WITHOUT ANY DATA, WITHOUT, ANY, BACKING FOR SUCH AN ALLEGATION
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OVERSEES THE GRANT PROGRAMS. IT DID NOT RESPOND TO A REQUEST FOR COMMENT.
ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST NEW FEDERAL CHILDHOOD VACCINE GUIDELINES.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS THEY ARE URGING PARENTS TO INSTEAD FOLLOW GUIDANCE FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS.
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VAXSCHED 3 trt: 55 soq
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduced the number of vaccines routinely recommended for all children. The changes were made without the usual input from pediatric and vaccine advisory groups.
Dr. John Bradley
American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend any changes in the vaccine schedule.
Dr. John Bradley is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Rady Children’s Hospital. He says the science behind childhood vaccines hasn’t changed. That includes six vaccines the cdc is no longer recommending.
Dr. John Bradley
We believe the vaccines for RSV, hepatitis A and B, rotavirus, flu and meningococcus should continue to be given.
San Diego County health officials say childhood and adolescent vaccines are covered by insurance. They are also available through county clinics for families without coverage.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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THE 90-YEAR-OLD SUNSHINE BROOKS THEATER IN OCEANSIDE IS IN THE MIDST OF A 2-POINT-2 MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATION.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN GOT A LOOK INSIDE
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Right now … the lobby and the studio at the historic Brooks Theater are a mess.
Walls torn down, carpet pulled up and dust and loose wires everywhere.
But once construction is completed … producing artistic director Kevin “Blax” Burroughs says it’ll improve patrons’ experience.
SOT 25s
“the lobby is getting redone, and we're getting our studio wall blown out so we can have direct access from the lobby to the studio. It makes it easier for VIP events or for our youth program, where the kids can be in the studio and come directly to the theater. So it's great. But the big thing they're all excited about is our six new bathrooms. We have two right now. And those intermissions, hoo boy, those are, very long. But now we have the comfort for our patrons to have six unisex bathrooms.”
This is the first phase of the project. It is expected to be completed by the end of March and cost 885-thousand dollars.
Phase two will begin as soon as funding is secured. AN/KPBS News
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(0:00) All right, SDNN listeners, today is yet another episode of Pod Behind the Package. (0:04) Once per week, I bring in a reporter, anchor, or a video journalist for a behind-the-scenes (0:09) deep dive and informal chat. (0:11) Joining me this week is our military and veterans reporter, Andrew Dyer.
(0:14) I invite you to visit his story on our KPBS website under the headline, How Trump's Warrior (0:19) Dividend Checks Impact Troops in Higher Cost of Living Areas. (0:23) Dyer, how are you doing? (0:25) Great. (0:26) It's great to be back in the SDNN fold.
(0:29) Yeah, I was going to say, it feels weird to welcome you to SDNN. (0:32) I mean, you've been hosting and producing before I even joined the company, but welcome. (0:36) No, it's great to be here.
(0:37) I really like that you're doing these little segments with reporters. (0:41) It's really cool. (0:42) Before we jump into your conversation about your latest package and piece, you yourself (0:46) were enlisted in the Navy for over 10 years, and you worked on two aircraft carriers.
(0:51) I'm told you were gifted at fixing and working on these aircraft carriers. (0:55) Is it something you enjoyed and found passion in, or was it just your assignment? (0:59) Was it just your job? (1:00) Well, it was kind of both things. (1:04) It was interesting to learn how to work on radar, and I went to electro-optics school (1:10) and learned how to work on the AT FLIR pods, which is the Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking (1:16) Infrared that basically laser guides bombs on the targets.
(1:20) But, you know, I was pretty good when it was simple. (1:25) I was good working on the automatic carrier landing system and some of the radio stuff (1:30) in the ComNav shop, but once I got in the CAS shop and started needing to work on those (1:37) EOSUs, luckily, by the time I was there, I was a supervisor, so I did not have to do (1:43) a whole lot of wrench turning on those things, and I'm glad, because they're difficult to (1:48) work on. (1:48) So the technical expertise was there, but it was very limited to the last generation (1:56) of avionic equipment.
(1:58) Gotcha, gotcha. (1:58) Yeah, it's funny, because I always come to you, obviously, to fact-check anything dealing (2:02) with military veterans. (2:04) I am the definition of a civilian, but obviously, Andrew Dyer, thank you for your service.
(2:08) Thank you for your service. (2:10) Regarding your transition to civilian life, and therefore into journalism, it involves (2:15) a local favorite of craft beer, I believe. (2:17) Can you talk to me about how craft beer plays a role in you becoming a journalist? (2:22) Sure.
(2:23) Well, I was in community college after leaving the service, and I was in a creative writing (2:31) class, and I was just interested in writing, and San Diego City Beat, the former Alt Weekly, (2:38) needed a beer writer. (2:41) I was in this Facebook group with the San Diego Beer Facebook group, and the guy who (2:46) was the beer writer posted in there that they needed somebody, and I just emailed the editor (2:52) and sent a writing sample, and that was it. (2:55) I started writing about the beer industry.
(2:58) Awesome. (2:58) Hopefully, the audience gets to know you a little bit better after that. (3:01) Transitioning now to your package.
(3:02) You started off with a really strong quote from Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of the VetVoice (3:07) Foundation. (3:08) The concern is not the idea of supporting troops with more money, but it's how the proposal (3:14) was funded and what it actually displaces. (3:17) Can you talk to me a little bit about what we learn in your piece about what the payment (3:20) displaces? (3:21) Sure.
(3:22) It's really interesting because this big, huge, omnibus spending bill that was passed (3:28) in the summer included almost $3 billion, and it was just one sentence in the appropriations (3:35) thing that said something along the lines of $2.9 billion to subsidize basic allowance (3:43) for housing. (3:44) It was really kind of vague and open to interpretation, but it did include that key term, basic allowance (3:50) for housing, which is kind of what I keyed in on because when it was announced, President (3:56) Trump said that it was being paid for by tariff revenue, which I think Defense One was the (4:03) first outlet to report, like, no, that isn't true. (4:06) It was approved by Congress.
(4:09) This was money that was already going to the Pentagon, and the president just kind of steered (4:15) it toward this one-time payment, which he's got a history of doing things like this. (4:22) And talk to me a little bit about some of the, I don't know if we could call it irony, (4:26) I guess, but the inconsistency as far as, like you say, in higher areas like San Diego, (4:31) you would be getting close to three, somewhere between three and 4,000, but if you were in, (4:35) I believe the Oklahoma City was the example in your piece, you get thousands less. (4:40) So can you talk to me about that difference? (4:41) What jumped out at me was that BAH is tied to both your rank, whether you have dependents, (4:47) and you know, where you live.
(4:49) If you're stationed in San Diego, you get 4,000 a month as an E-5. (4:53) Higher ranks get more. (4:54) But if you're stationed somewhere like Oklahoma, I use that just because that's what Janessa (4:58) Goldbeck, who I interviewed for the story, that's kind of the example she pulled out, (5:02) you know, it's less than $1,700 a month.
(5:04) So that's less than half, right? (5:06) But if then you take money that is for BAH and you just give everybody an equal amount, (5:12) that's not how BAH works, and you know, you're also giving it to everybody, including troops (5:18) that do not receive BAH, people that live in barracks or that live in base housing. (5:22) So I was really kind of, kind of like going back to like when I was in uniform, like thinking (5:27) like what would I think about this? (5:29) So I wanted to talk with somebody about this kind of angle on the story. (5:33) The somebody that Dyer spoke with was Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of VetVoice Foundation.
(5:38) We'll toss to that clip now. (5:39) It does take away from money that was congressionally allocated to do other things. (5:44) And Congress funds military pay and readiness deliberately.
(5:48) So when we, when the president rebrands existing money into a political payout, it undermines (5:54) that planning and it actually sets a dangerous precedent that no matter who's in office, (5:59) you know, that that money could be taken from a planned thing and reallocated for political purposes. (6:06) If we want better pay, we should make it permanent and transparent and not as a short term gimmick. (6:12) That was Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of the VetVoice Foundation.
ONCE AGAIN THAT WAS REPORTER ANDREW DYER WITH US ON SDNN’S POD BEHIND THE PACKAGE
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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!
