Prop. 4 sets aside $50 million towards border water quality projects
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22ND>>>> [ A STATE BOARD HAS NEW RULES ON WHO GETS FUNDING FOR WATER QUALITY PROJECTS ALONG THE BORDER ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….########
THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL HAS UNANIMOUSLY VOTED AND APPROVED THE RE-NAMING OF CESAR CHAVEZ DAY TO FARM WORKERS DAY...
AS WELL AS CHANGING THE NEARLYONE MILE-LONG CESAR CHAVEZ PARKWAY TO CHICANO PARK BOULEVARD
NUMEROUS RENAMING EFFORTS BEGAN FOLLOWING SHOCKING ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AND ABUSE AGAINST CHAVEZ AS FIRST REPORTED BY THE N-Y TIMES
THE TIMES BASED THEIR STORY ON MORE THAN SIXTY INTERVIEWS FROM TOP AIDES AND ORGANIZERS TO CHAVEZ
MULTIPLE EFFORTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN UNDERWAY TO RENAME FACILITIES THAT HONOR CHAVEZ, WITH THE HOLIDAY AND PARKWAY BEING THE LATEST
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BALBOA PARK MUSEUM ATTENDANCE IS REPORTEDLY DOWN BY AN AVERAGE OF THIRTY-FOUR PERCENT SINCE PAID PARKING FIRST WENT INTO EFFECT
THIS IS ACCORDING TO DATA RELEASED FROM THE BALBOA PARK CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP
THE PARTNERSHIP FOUND THAT THIS YEAR, BETWEEN JANUARY AND MARCH, ATTENDANCE SAW A 34 PERCENT DECLINE WITH SOME INSTITUTIONS DROPPING AS MUCH AS SIXTY PERCENT OVER THAT SAME PERIOD
THIS PAST JANUARY, PAID PARKING IN THE PARK BEGAN, BREAKING A MORE THAN 100 YEAR STREAK OF FREE PARKING
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BALBOA PARK CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP SAYS THAT THE IMPACTS ON OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE BECOMING MORE SERIOUS AND WE ARE URGING ADDITIONAL ACTION BY OUR REGIONAL LEADERS BEFORE POTENTIALLY IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGES TAKE HOLD
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SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO IS OPENING A NEW UNDER-WATER AND ABOVE-WATER EXPERIENCE NEXT MONTH ON MAY TWENTY-SECOND
THE NEW "SHARK ENCOUNTER" EXHIBIT REPLACES THEIR ORIGINAL ONE FROM 19-92 AND GIVES VISITORS A CHANCE TO GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ELEVEN DIFFERENT SHARK SPECIES
THIS INCLUDES SAND TIGER SHARKS AND EVEN THE ENDANGERGED AUSTRALIAN LEOPARD SHARK
SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO SAYS THAT VISITORS TO THE PARK WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPGRADE THEIR TICKET AND OBSERVE A LIVE FEEDING SESSION OF THE MORE THAN 400 SHARKS IN THE EXHIBIT, LEARN ABOUT THEIR DIETS AND DISCOVER THE ROLES THAT SHARKS PLAY IN OUR ECOSYSTEM
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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PROPOSITION 4 EARMARKS FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS FOR WATER QUALITY PROJECTS ALONG THE BORDER. BUT IT DOESN'T SAY WHO GETS THE MONEY.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS A STATE BOARD HAS NEW RULES TO HELP IT DECIDE.
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Leaders in San Diego and Imperial counties have been making their case for why the Tijuana and New rivers deserve all the Proposition 4 funding.
On Tuesday, the state Water Resources Control Board approved rules to guide who should get funds and how much.
Joaquin Esquivel is the board’s chairperson.
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“50 million can go very quickly, especially between the two border communities that the dollars can go. And there's just an incredible amount of need.
Officials say at least 20 projects are seeking funding and it’s unlikely one project will get the full amount.
The board will soon solicit applications and rank them. Projects must show how they will reduce pollution and protect public health. The state agency says funding will be allocated early next year. Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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PUSHBACK CONTINUES AGAINST SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA’S CITY BUDGET PROPOSAL.
REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS ONE OF THE CUTS IS TO A DAY CENTER PROVIDING BASIC SERVICES TO HOMELESS SAN DIEGANS.
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Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget would cut nearly $950,000 in funding for the Neil Good Day Center.
Father Joe’s Villages operates the center. It offers bathrooms, laundry, storage and mail services. It’s also a safe place to nap after a night on the street.
Peter Alcock has been homeless for about a month. He says he comes here every morning to charge his phone and laptop.
ALCOCK
This is a pulse. And if you cut this pulse, you're going to leave all the people who have almost no hope with no other option.
Deacon Jim Vargas is president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages. He says the city typically gives the nonprofit about $850,000 per year to run the center. Father Joe’s spends about $500,000.
Vargas says Father Joe’s is willing to keep it open even without city funding.
VARGAS
We would have to curtail our services tremendously.
A spokesperson from Mayor Todd Gloria’s office says they’re prioritizing programs that QUOTE “maximize shelter capacity and help move people into permanent housing.”
City leaders will continue discussing the budget over the next several weeks. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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LAST WEEK, LA MESA BECAME THE LATEST CITY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY TO APPROVE AN E-BIKE ORDINANCE.
REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS IT WILL PROHIBIT KIDS UNDER TWELVE FROM RIDING E-BIKES.
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The City Council passed the ordinance with a unanimous FIVE-ZERO vote. Council member Genevieve Suzuki said the issue is personal for her.
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“I have a 10 year old. He’s almost 11, he has no business going anywhere near anything faster than 5. While I understand we want to give our kids the opportunity to have a good time, this is a safety issue.”
The ordinance prohibits kids under the age of 12 from operating standard e-bikes that can reach up to 20 mph. It also allows the city to confiscate modified bikes.
La Mesa is among several San Diego County cities that have recently passed e-bike ordinances, including Santee, Chula Vista and Coronado.
La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis says this is largely in response to community complaints and concerns about e-bikes.
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“This is mostly for the people who are behaving poorly or making choices that could put them in danger.”
The council is set to make a final vote on the ordinance next Tuesday. It is scheduled to take effect after a 30-day outreach campaign.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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EARTH DAY TURNS 56 TODAY. THE ANNUAL, GLOBAL EVENT CELEBRATES ALL THE WAYS PEOPLE PROTECT THE PLANET.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA ALSO BRINGS US THIS STORY AS SHE SPOKE WITH DOCTOR VI NGUYEN (VEE WINN). SHE’S A LOCAL PEDIATRICIAN WHO’S BEEN PICKING UP TRASH ALONG SAN DIEGO’S COASTLINE FOR YEARS. THIS SMALL ACT HAS LED HER TO DO BIGGER CLIMATE ADVOCACY WORK. HERE SHE IS PICKING IN PACIFIC BEACH ON SATURDAY.
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“It's kind of weird, but people, like, just leave everything on the track, the beach, like, unopened alcohol and, like, I would not drink it because I don't drink, but I made vinegar out of it because you can just take alcohol and ferment it, you know?
And then I use it to clean. And I was just using like I was just like, I just had had these adventures, like just random. And then I would find a lot of vapes. That's why we end up doing a lot of anti-vaping legislation because I was like, what are all these things, you know, and then like you just add the litter, like really connects us all, you know. It’s like, I think trash is really interesting.”
*Nat pop of waves* (KAWK8370.MOV)
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“I was like burnt out, like questioning my career trajectory. Like, you know, I was very sad. I mean, honestly, like thinking back to it, it was really kind of a, you know, dark place in life when as a physician thinks about leaving medicine.
And so that was like jogging. And then I kind of realized, like, oh, I could pick up trash at the same time. Let me just be a plogger. I think I was around Earth Day or something. And then, then I found out about Instagram. Like, I know it's been around for a decade or so, but and then my husband was like, I was like, yeah, when I got Instagram and he there's a Doctor Pimple Popper. So, I was like, yeah, let's be Doctor Plastic Picker.”
*Nat pop of beach*
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“I promise, at that moment, ten years of advocacy, I was like, I'm going to do this for ten years. I'm at year seven. So I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do over seven, ten years. But that's when I kind of started, okay, I'm going to do it.”
*Nat pop of picking*
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“You have all this plastic pollution that's land-based, and you get all these little like, you know, you get like you definitely get like big pieces of plastic, but you also get just little corners of like this, like here, like little like tags here, like little corners of, like, snack bags.”
*Nat pop of beach*
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07:19:20:01-07:19:33:21
“I used to count the number of cans I got, count this, count that. And I was just really, you know, and just but in that process, you know, there's so many different ways to pick up trash. There's an infinite amount of trash, like, and it just kind of informs how I think of life now.”
*Nat pop of beach*
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“We talk about scary things like extreme heat and cardiac death, extreme heat and this and that and this. But realizing how bad it is, we're only going to get through this if we're connected. However it is. I don't know, I'm super scared too, but I’m not because I'm like, I'm doing stuff. You know, I get like and my job is not to fix the climate crisis. My job is to do my part.”
*Nat pop of beach*
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“What I'm most proud of is the summit we do at UCSD. It's called H3SD. And it's the Heat and Human Health Summit at UCSD Medical School. This is going to be our fourth or fifth year. And I'm so proud of us because, really, it was, we actually came up with the idea on the wetlands. And honestly, we push the agenda, like this year, we’re gonna do a session on AI and heat.”
*Nat pop of beach*
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“Pick your spot and it sounds kind of crazy, but I sometimes because I live near the spot, right? So I pick the spot and you will save what you love. You will fight for what you love, right? And that is why I am so. Fight for San Diego, right? Fight for my community.”
OVER SEVEN YEARS OF PICKING UP PLASTIC, DR VI NGUYEN SAYS SHE’S PICKED UP THOUSANDS OF BOTTLES, CANS, BEACH TOYS AND OTHER ITEMS. SHE RECYCLES OR DONATES WHAT’S SALVAGEABLE.
KPBS WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT THE LITTLE AND BIG THINGS YOU ARE DOING TO PROTECT THE EARTH. GO TO KPBS DOT ORG AND TELL US ABOUT IT…
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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!
