Proposal to change domestic violence reporting
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, July 10th.
A proposed bill would change how domestic violence is reported.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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A vote on whether the Fallbrook and Rainbow water districts can leave the county Water Authority is slated for today.
The two water districts want to switch to Eastern Municipal in Riverside.
That’s projected to save them 7-million dollars a year.
The water authority says if Fallbrook and Rainbow are allowed to leave … it would mean higher rates for the rest of the county… to the tune of 18-point-9 million dollars a year.
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Three UC-SD student workers will be in court this afternoon, to face felony charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and vandalism during a protest where they used chalk and washable markers to write slogans on school property.
The student workers are all members of the U-A-W local 28-65…which negotiated and ratified new contracts with the U-C last December.
They were protesting against what they say is the administration’s refusal to honor the contract requirements.
Jessica Ng is one of the workers who will be in court today.
“It is really clearly to me an attempt to repress union activity and to continue circumventing the really much needed wage increases.”
UC-SD claims the students did 12-thousand dollars worth of damage to university property.
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It’s going to be a hot week!
The National Weather Service says a heat wave could be in store for the county, and could last more than a week.
Highs are expected to be close to 80 degrees all week.
If you need a place to cool down, you can find a list of cool zones on the county’s website.
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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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California law says when a person with visible injuries shows up at a hospital, and domestic violence is suspected, medical staff must notify police.
But a proposed bill would leave the decision to contact police up to the victim.
Investigative reporter Amita Sharma has more.
Warning: This story contains sounds and discussions of domestic abuse that may be disturbing to some listeners.
Video from a San Diego Police body camera in 2018 captured Isabel Rosales running from her home. She’d been stabbed and had her throat slashed. ISABEL ROSALES-Victim of Domestic Violence/attempted murder "I just started screaming for help, I started screaming that my kids are in my started screaming his name" The name she screamed is David Espinoza, her husband at the time. This scene played out on a street in Old Town San Diego. Espinoza attacked her as she tried to escape through a screen door while her three children watched. ISABEL ROSALES I remember seeing my girls jump up from their bed and my son was laying down right in front of me and, you know, the blood splashed on his bed and, and he pulled me but he had this look like an evil look.” Isabel ended up in an UCSD emergency room. The physician, suspecting domestic violence after treating her, contacted police, as mandated by law. ISABEL interview All I wanted to know was that my kids were unharmed, that they were okay. And he was gonna go away Espinoza did go away … pleading guilty and sentenced to 23 years in prison for attempted murder and spousal rape. In Isabel's case, mandated reporting for suspected abuse worked exactly as the law intended. But Tina McKinnor, a Democratic assemblywoman from Los Angeles County, has proposed a bill to change the law. The bill is supported by more than 60 activist groups. TINA MCKINNOR this makes them safe McKinnor and other supporters of the bill, AB 1028, say mandated reporting infringes on the autonomy of potential domestic violence victims and increases the danger they face. Her proposed legislation would leave it up to victims to decide whether police are called. ASSEMBLYMEMBER TINA MCKINNOR (D61-Inglewood) if the victim wants to press charges or call the police, they're still able to do that. They can ask the doctor at that time to call the police. This just puts the control in the victim's hands. McKinnor argues diminishing the role of police in these cases will encourage more domestic violence victims to seek help. A hospital would be expected to provide phone numbers to victims for services. Nothing more. No police, no health care professionals would be required to get involved. This is a mistake says Hillary Larkin, a physicians assistant and legislative director for the California Sexual Assault Examiners Association. HILLARY LARKIN, California Sexual Assault Examiners Association We are the boots on the ground, we are seeing patients in healthcare settings and documenting injuries She says the bill would reverse years of progress. LARKIN We don't consider it mandated reporting. We consider it documentation of injuries sustained by a victim of a crime. San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan and City Attorney Mara Elliot also oppose the bill as written. So does former San Diego City Attorney Casey Gwinn who prosecuted over 10,000 domestic violence cases. CASEY GWINN Alliance for HOPE International anybody who thinks this bill is pro survivor, or pro Domestic Violence Intervention is deluding themselves" McKinnor and her supporters argue that the current reporting requirements put women of color at greater risk. MCKINNOR So you walk in, you seem to be beat up. And the doctor just calls the police with no services. This is very, very dangerous for women of color, and any type of minority immigrants as well, LGBTQ, folks The new bill would continue to require reporting to law enforcement "where the injury is by means of a firearm.” Larkin says that’s not enough. All violence should be reported. LARKIN not just gunshot wounds, stab wounds, strangulation, run over by a car, beaten with a hammer, all these things I've seen in my practice, within the last six months, AB 1028 has cleared the state assembly and goes before the California Senate's Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
TAG: KPBS freelance reporter J-W August reported and wrote this story.
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One in three students in the county don't have reliable access to food.
Reporter Melissa Mae tells us about a one-time benefit that thousands of students and their families are eligible for… to help with food costs during summer vacation.
MM: 32,500 San Diego County children and their families may not know they are eligible to receive nearly 12-hundred dollars to pay for food this summer. MM: Anahid Brakke is the President & CEO of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, the organization that discovered more than 32-thousand families didn’t get the benefit. “During COVID the schools were not collecting different forms to update addresses, so a lot of these went to old addresses. There was limited public awareness building about the program, so people didn’t know about it.” MM: Eligible Families have until August 1st to claim the benefit. To learn more go to www dot s-d-hunger dot org or call the state hotline at 1(800)887-8230. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
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Coming up.... First it was homeowner's insurance… now, even auto insurance is becoming hard to get... and keep.
“She was one day late on her payment for her auto policy and there's literally no way to insure her.”
We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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Insurance is getting more difficult to get in California, and it’s not just homeowners insurance anymore.
Reporter Kitty Alvarado says the issues are now leaching into the car insurance market too.
KA: Ken May says he used to be ignored at the monthly mixers for local real estate agents and industry leaders. Now everyone wants to hear him speak and ask questions. NATS: What about California Fair Plan? KA: May owns an insurance brokerage firm in Carlsbad. MAY: And if the insurance industry collapses in California, we're all screwed. KA: More and more insurance companies have stopped writing new policies. The most recent, Allstate and State Farm. The companies sent a statement saying it was to protect current customers and that auto insurance was not affected. But when we spent time at May's insurance business, that was not the case. MAY: I just want to show you that how hard it is. KA: May says he could typically get at least 14 quotes for a client and now, MAY: And watch all the rates that come up. Not one. KA: Even grace periods are gone. CASBY: I had this woman call me yesterday. KA: Lanie Casby is an insurance agent in LA. CASBY: Just gotten out of surgery forgot her payment. She was one day late on her payment for her auto policy. There's literally no way to insure her. KA: And another tactic making people go bare: demanding the entire payment up front D'ARELLI: Never in my career have I received so many phone calls and emails. KA: Frustrated agents are turning to Michael Drei, the executive director of the American Agents Alliance. He says the calls go something like this: D'ARELLI: I have consumers in my office literally in tears because they need insurance and I can't fulfill their needs. D'Arelli puts the blame on California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara. D'ARELLI: Admit that there's a crisis. KA: Lara isn't the only one getting the blame.There's also proposition 103 passed by voters in the eighties. Under the law, the commissioner has to approve rate increases, but that didn't happen during the COVID pandemic. D'ARELLI: For 31 months He has clogged all of the years at the department. So all of these rate filings have been stacked up.The department needs to fast track rate approval. ROSENFIELD: The agents are only repeating the misinformation that they're given by the insurance companies. That's Harvey Rosenfield, the guy who wrote prop 103. He says it's not really about California ROSENFIELD: All over the country, The insurance companies are raising rates and pulling out of neighborhoods. The difference is in California, they have to go through a process that protects the public. The insurance companies can't stand that. KA: Rosenfield and D'Arelli do agree on one thing.The commissioner must act or they will. ROSENFIELD: We're, looking at very carefully now is suing the commissioner to force him to obey the law. D'ARELLI: People are asking these questions, "Now, how do you impeach the insurance commissioner? Can they be recalled?" I've never heard this sort of thing. SOLLER: Californians are covered.Those companies are not leaving, they're continuing to serve their existing customers. KA: That's deputy insurance commissioner, Michael Soller. SOLLER: I want to push back on the claims that we're hearing from many, you know, about auto insurance in particular. KAL Well, I do want to push back as well because I, I sat in an insurance agency yesterday, SOLLER: Our consumer service branch is looking into these, we're going to take these all very seriously. For anyone going through a situation like you described, we urge people to contact the Department of Insurance. KA: But he says the insurance commissioner can't force insurance companies to reverse their actions. SOLLER: There's a reason why, what they are saying has never been done by any insurance commissioner and it's because it's not supported by law. KA: And mass approving rate increases SOLLER: We're not going to cut corners on consumer protection. KA: Some feel the solutions needed may not exist or will come too late to change their fortunes. MAY: I'm worried for my business, I'm worried for my clients, I'm worried for me. KA: For now, they say, don't make any changes to your coverage or try to change companies. And don't miss a payment -- or you may find yourself among California's uninsured. Kitty Alvarado KPBS News.
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San Diegans are finally getting what they were promised for ambulance services.
Health reporter Matt Hoffman says that’s thanks in-part to the city allowing ambulance provider Falck to subcontract with another ambulance company.
Falck began running ambulances in San Diego full time back in November of 2021.. To get the contract they promised 900 daily ambulance hours.. And they hit that target for the first time last month.. Falck says subcontracting for extra ambulances and staff with competitor American medical response helped.. Falck also attributes the increases to hiring more staff by offering a $50 thousand dollar sign on bonus and giving existing employees a pay raise.. Toni Sorci is president of the San Diego Association of Prehospital Professionals. They represent Falck paramedics and EMTs. We’ve increased our service levels to the citizens. The men and women of our workforce are experiencing exceptional changes in our working conditions and consequently a happier workforce is a sustainable workforce Falck had pointed to the pandemic and a nationwide shortage of paramedics for why they weren’t delivering what they promised before.. The company says the increased staffing levels will improve response times. MH KPBS News.
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More child care centers have been closing their doors, and providers say part of the reason is the low pay and lack of benefits they receive.
But after months of advocating, the Child Care Providers United union won a pay increase and funding for benefits in the state’s budget.
Reporter Tania Thorne has the story.
For months, members of the California Child Care Providers United union had been rallying and marching for better pay and benefits. This was ahead of their contract expiring and Governor Gavin Newsom signing the state’s budget. After taking their demands to the state’s capital, an agreement was reached. It includes a pay increase and funds for retirement and healthcare. this is the highest rate increase they've ever received at 20% calculated at 20% their historic retirement funded by the State at 80 million dollars ongoing Johanna Puno Hester is with the San Diego chapter of the Child Care providers united union. She hopes this will help strengthen the San Diego workforce and child care industry. TT KPBS News.
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And congrats to Tijuana’s little league All-star baseball team!
The team of 10 and 11 year olds won the Mexican national tournament on Friday and will represent Mexico in this year’s Little League World Series.
This is the first time the Tijuana little leaguers have made the World Series since 20-13.
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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 Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Monday.
