Remain in Mexico policy over
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, August 10th.
An end to Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Monkeypox cases are increasing in San Diego County… as officials work to get information out to those most at risk and try to contain the spread..
There are at least 98 cases in the county.
The F-D-A has given emergency authorization for monkeypox vaccines to be administered just under the skin, as opposed to into tissue or muscle..
The process could turn one dose into five.
The virus is spread through close contact.
Those at the highest risk include gay and bisexual men, although the virus can infect anyone.
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Late last month, another resident at a renowned rehab center for veterans died of a suspected fentanyl overdose.
Now, San Diego County officials have decided to stop sending clients to a rehab program run by Veterans Village of San Diego.
The major announcement follows the fourth death this year at the nonprofit’s main campus.
The county said it’s putting a hold on admissions to - quote - “ensure the safety, support and clinical wellbeing of those with behavioral health needs.”
Veterans Village C-E-O, Akilah Templeton, said the pause will give them an opportunity to better assess potential clients from the county.
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The site of a former homeless encampment just outside of El Cajon …has been transformed into a safe parking lot for people living in their cars.
It’s the first one in East County and will open today.
The lots provide a legal place for people to sleep in their cars overnight, restrooms and supportive services.
It will have 16 spaces, and will be operated by the nonprofit, ‘Dreams for Change.’
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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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The Department of Homeland Security is ending the controversial Trump-era program known as Remain in Mexico.
Ending the program was one of President Joe Biden’s first campaign promises.
KPBS border reporter Gustavo Solis has more.
Remain in Mexico forced thousands of asylum seekers to live and wait in Mexico while their cases were adjudicated. While in Mexico, many were robbed, beaten, sexually assaulted and kidnapped. Blaine Bookey “The direct effect of the policy was exactly what the Trump administration wanted, which was to deny people access to asylum.” That was Blaine Bookey. She is the Legal Director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies. Local advocates welcomed the news. But say other Trump-era policies will continue to keep asylum seekers out of the country. Blaine Bookey “I think that the legacy is that there’s just a complete dismantling, destruction of our asylum system.” Gustavo Solis, KPBS News.
There are currently about six-thousand people enrolled in Remain in Mexico.
They will be allowed to enter the United States as they return for their next scheduled court dates.
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A new ordinance to create oversight of surveillance technologies is waiting for a signature by San Diego mayor Todd Gloria.
KPBS reporter Jacob Aere says it will govern how police can use surveillance technology in their jobs.
Under the ordinance, the City Council must approve the use of technology that can monitor and identify individuals. Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans’ Homayra Yusufi says the ordinance has been years in the making. “The surveillance oversight ordinance came about after it was made aware that the City of San Diego had smart street light cameras, thousands of them, installed all over the city without any education or information to the public.” The ordinance includes a one-year grace period, which is intended to give the city time to assemble the privacy advisory board and allow city departments to survey which technologies they use. But the ordinance includes an exemption for police officers on federal task forces, at the request of police Chief David Nisleit. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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Police departments throughout the county are attempting to engage more with the community in hopes of building trust with the people they serve.
And Carlsbad Police says, it is creating a Community-Police Engagement Commission to do just that.
KPBS North County reporter Tania Thorne tells us activists see some problems with this effort.
Earlier this year, Carlsbad City Council voted to form a community-police engagement commission. The goal of the commission is to foster strong police-community relations. The commission will allow the public to give recommendations on police policies but, Yusef Miller with the North County equity and Justice coalition says, its missing key elements. “It doesn't have enough power behind it and not enough teeth behind it to hold law enforcement responsible or accountable In a statement the Carlsbad Police Department said “We encourage and maintain an open dialog with our community and advocacy groups so we can better understand their concerns and work together toward solutions. We understand strong relationships and transparency are essential to effective community policing.” An ordinance will be developed for city council review later this year before recruiting for the commission begins. TT KPBS News
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The Pandemic has taken a toll on the mental and emotional health of California’s school-age kids.
Now, the state department of education is launching a program that aims to recruit 10-thousand new mental health professionals to school campuses.
Here’s California state superintendent of schools Tony Thurmond.
“Our students deserve and need to have more support and we’re grateful to have resources we can use to help them. We recognize it will take time to build out many of these resources…that’s why we’ve embarked on such a big number.”
The program includes 20-thousand dollar grants to graduate students who complete their advanced degrees and work in K-12 schools.
Amy Bintliff is a professor and developmental psychologist who researches adolescent well being at UC San Diego.
She joined KPBS’s Maureen Cavanaugh to talk about the need for school counselors..
How great is the need for more school counselors in California and San Diego specifically?
What have you been hearing about the kind of Pandemic impacts that have been showing up in children in the classroom?
How do school counselors intervene to help struggling kids? Can you give us examples?
That was Amy Bintliff, a professor and developmental psychologist at UC San Diego, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition host Maureen Cavanaugh.
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Coming up.... Drama around where San Diego pickleball enthusiasts can play. We’ll have that story and more, next, just after the break.
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S-D-G and E and the city of San Diego …announced a program yesterday to bring rooftop solar to moderate and low-income neighborhoods… at little or no cost to homeowners.
KPBS reporter Alexander Nguyen says the program is part of S-D-G and E’s franchise agreement with the city.
It’s called the San Diego Solar Equity Program. It aims to cover 100% of the cost … and up to 35-HUNDRED DOLLARS in upgrades for homes that need extra preparation for solar installation. SDG&E will commit TEN MILLION DOLLARS toward the TEN YEAR program. Larry Goldenhersh is the CEO of the Center for Sustainable Energy … which will oversee the program. LARRY GOLDENHERSH / Center for Sustainable Energy CEO “It’s designed to serve the equity community in San Diego using the climate equity index, which combines economic factors, environmental factors to identify those families in San Diego most at risk for climate change.” Applications for the program open next month. To see if you qualify, visit S-D Solar Equity-dot- org. AN, KPBS News.
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San Diego pickleball enthusiasts have found themselves in a bit of a sour situation.
The game requires a special court and there are few places to play in the city.
KPBS reporter Claire Trageser says this has led to drama.
You can hear it from the parking lot. Emanating from a Chula Vista park on a warm Thursday evening is the sound of hundreds of plastic pickleballs slamming into the hard asphalt. Men and women, young and old gathered to play the trendy sport that has exploded in popularity in recent years. Mark Brisebois Pickleball Enthusiast “If you look at my contact list on my cell phone, I probably have 400 people I've met playing pickleball.” One of them is 71-year-old Mark Brisebois, who switched to pickleball from tennis 10 years ago and never looked back. But these picklers have a, well, pickle. “I'm appalled at the fact that San Diego does not jump on the bandwagon and get into the pickleball swing.” Local picklers are led by Stefan Boyland, one of the founders of Pickleball SD. In pickleball, there are dinkers, who make soft shots; and bangers, who drive the ball hard to overpower their opponents. In his dealings with the city, Boyland is definitely a banger. Stefan Boyland Pickleball SD Founder “We've gotten a lot of lip service, but we haven't gotten a lot of action, we still have zero dedicated public pickleball courts in the city of San Diego… That's right, zero. You heard me right. We're about five years behind every other city.” Boyland clearly has a mission to bring pickleball to the masses. But like many before him who have attempted to get the city of San Diego to do anything in a timely fashion, Boyland is stymied. To build new courts, he needs meetings, plans, approvals, permits and construction. Pickleball, he says, can not wait. So Boyland rose up, staging what amounted to an #OccupyTennis protest, or maybe a pickle-in! Last week, he and other picklers stormed the courts at Robb Field in Ocean Beach, set up their own pickleball net, and started to play. A tennis player called the police, and a dispute erupted over whether they had an active permit. No charges were filed. Tim Graham Parks & Recreation Spokesperson “The city wants both of the sports to thrive, but not with hindering one over the other.” Tim Graham is a spokesman for the parks department, and says the city has no plans to change the tennis courts at Robb Field to pickleball. “The city is trying to find ways to provide as many pickleball courts as possible without displacing other organizations or to try and find them to put them together as quickly as possible without building an entirely new facility.” Options include taking over unused shuffleboard courts—apparently there’s no shuffleboard lobby in the city to protest—plus striping new pickleball courts on basketball courts or other hard surfaces. And the city has brought in a national expert to interview both sides and come up with a pickleball-tennis peace treaty. “I understand that once people get into this sport, it's pretty addictive, and people seem to really love it… But the city's doing its best to provide these services as quickly as we can.” At noon on a recent Friday, only a few courts at Robb Field were being used by tennis players. While outsiders might wonder why they can’t share tennis courts with pickleball, that just won’t work, says Todd Sprague. Todd Sprague Peninsula Tennis Club Member “If you play pickleball, it has a very different sound, OK? Those sports are not necessarily compatible next to each other.” Plus the lines on the courts are different, the nets are different, and players would want the courts at the same time. Sprague says he agrees there is a need for more pickleball facilities in San Diego. “But cannibalizing tennis facilities when tennis is growing and has grown, doesn’t make any sense at all.” So the city is left working on a compromise…that doesn’t involve cannibalism. CT KPBS News
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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 day.
