Report: Women politicians receive more threats

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, August 4th.

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A report finds women politicians are threatened more than men. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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A 22-year-old San Diego sailor was arrested by federal agents earlier this week when he showed up for work on the amphibious assault ship, Essex.

Prosecutors say two sailors had been spying for China.

Jinchao Wei is the San Diego based sailor.

He allegedly sold documents, manuals, photos and videos pertaining to the Essex and other San Diego ships to a Chinese intelligence officer.

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Indicators are showing that COVID is on the rise across the county.

Cases and hospitalizations were up in July, compared to previous months.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, positive covid tests have increased by 5-percent between the end of May and the end of July.

The amount of coronavirus material in wastewater has also increased during the same time period.

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A proposal to allow more housing in San Diego's low-density neighborhoods faces an uncertain future, after the city's planning commission voted to oppose it yesterday.

The policy is Mayor Todd Gloria's attempt to implement Senate Bill 10.

It’s a state law that allows cities to streamline the approval of up to 10 homes on lots that would otherwise be restricted to single-family homes.

Barrio Logan resident Julie Corrales supported the measure because it would allow more people to live in exclusive, white-majority neighborhoods.

“JC: We do need to desegregate San Diego. My friends and neighbors are living in crowded housing and underserved communities. Homeownership is out of our reach. So it is very much a race issue.”

Mayor Gloria says he won't be taking S-B 10 to the council, but will hold more workshops to try and craft a compromise.

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Coming up, local politicians are being threatened.

“It's a form of verbal terrorism designed to basically beat your target into submission.” 

More on that story, coming up, after the break.

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U-S-D is expected to release its final report on threats against local elected officials any day now.

Preliminary findings show politicians who are women are targeted more frequently than men.

Investigative reporter Amita Sharma spoke to women who’ve been threatened.

A WARNING, this story contains graphic language.

Kate Bishop/Chula Vista Elementary School Board Member “You disgusting, fat pig. I hope they gut you for the slob that you are and hang you up to drip dry.” That’s Chula Vista Elementary School Board member Kate Bishop reading a message she received on social media.. She says threats like this intensify when she advocates for issues like closing the achievement gap between Black and white students. Or being more inclusive of LGBTQ students and staff. Alejandra Sotelo-Solis/Former National City Mayor “You're a and you are a dog on a leash and you're wrong.” That’s former National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis recounting an attack from a man after a city council meeting in 2014. The experiences of  Bishop and Sotelo-Solis align with a recent USD poll aimed at gauging threats against local elected officials. The survey found 66 % of male office holders reported being threatened or harassed, compared to 82 % of their female counterparts. And two-thirds of those polled said the intimidation has worsened since they first entered office. UC San Diego political science professor Barbara Walter said the election of former President Donald Trump in 2016 is a big reason for the jump. Barbara Walter UC San Diego Political Science Professor “Trump was the first president who vocalized violence as a legitimate tool so we know that is increasing. It tracks with a rise in all sorts of other types of violent behavior and violent language.” Walter says part of the current backlash against women politicians is tied to the far right. The white, Christian element of the movement wants American society to revert back to a time when women were subservient to men. “They feel that women are not equal to men, that they should not be empowered to make decisions that could affect men.They don't even believe women should be empowered to make decisions about themselves. “ More than half of San Diego elected officials in the USD poll say they’ve considered leaving office. Walter says that finding shows threats are effective. “It's a form of verbal terrorism designed to basically  beat your target into submission. The threats against the women have an added layer of “You don't belong in this space.” Bishop and Sotelo-Solis say the threats haven’t driven them from public service. But they do seek accountability. Bishop contacts police when she receives severe threats. Sotelo-Solis got a three-year restraining order against the man who berated her outside the council meeting in 2014. “We’ve earned the ability to say, `This is wrong.’ And if we know that this has happened to us, then what is this person doing behind closed doors? Bishop says she has developed a thick skin. But it is still hard not to internalize the vitriol. “I'm a human being. So first, for a second, it hits me hard and I say, God, that's scary.  When it's like really graphic or sexual, I'll usually talk to my husband and then  I realize that the person making the threat  doesn't have the words  to express their emotions healthily.” Bishop believes expanded mental health care and teaching schoolchildren  how to communicate without rancor are among the solutions to restoring civility in public discourse. Walter says any attempt to decrease threats against elected officials is incomplete unless social media platforms face tighter controls. She argues it’s possible while still protecting free speech. “Let people put whatever they want on the Internet, regulate the algorithms that right now are all designed to disproportionately favor the most incendiary material, the stuff that triggers fear and anger and hate because that's what our brains are designed to focus on more heavily,” Bishop says despite her experience, she encourages women to run for office. And she coaches them on how to shield themselves from the threats. “Keep your cool, keep your resolve and keep going.” Amita Sharma, KPBS News.

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Speaking of local elected officials, the upcoming special primary election to fill Nathan Fletcher’s vacant seat on the county’s board of supervisors is less than two weeks away (August 15th). Voting is now underway, but starting tomorrow, there will be more ways to vote in the election (vote centers open August 5).

Here to fill us in, is my colleague Andrew Bowen. He’s the metro reporter at KPBS. Andrew, welcome to the San Diego News Now podcast.

So Andrew, for anyone who doesn’t know, what does a county supervisor do? 

There are four candidates in the running. Can you give us a little bit of  background on each of them? 

Tell us how people can vote in this election.

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Coming up.... If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, we have some ideas. We’ll have that and more, just after the break.

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A former UC-SD researcher has been awarded a multi-million dollar settlement, after a jury found the university liable for retaliation.

Education reporter M.G. Perez has more.

In 2015, Dr. Kevin Murphy was a prominent pediatric oncologist and researcher at UC San Diego. When one of his patients who was a local philanthropist died of cancer, the man donated 10-million dollars specifically for Murphy’s experimental treatment of brain disorders in children and adults. He sued the U-C for mis-allocating the donation money and university regents then counter sued him for fraud after firing him. Murphy says his victory was necessary to protect future whistleblowers. “I think the goal is to make an example of someone like me and that, of course, affects anybody else that wants to raise their hand and say I see a problem here UC San Diego regents did not respond to KPBS for comment. MGP KPBS News. 

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Logan Heights restaurants are hoping people from outside the neighborhood will venture in for food and fun at the Taste of Imperial event today.

Reporter Katie Hyson spoke with one of the business owners participating in the event.

“Seis empanadas!” Empanadas are Javier Rodriguez’s specialty at Antojitos Colombianos in Logan Heights. If you come to the restaurant, you don't taste empanada, I think you're losing something good. He wants others to sample the flavors of the community and get to know what it’s really like. A lot of people doesn't know Logan Heights and they think it's like a scary area. Logan Heights has been historically separated from the rest of San Diego, first by redlining and then by freeway construction. The predominantly Latino neighborhood was disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. And digital and language access barriers caused many of the area’s restaurants to miss out on small business aid. The Logan Heights Community Development Corporation is putting on Taste of Imperial to continue post-pandemic recovery. And celebrate the neighborhood’s identity, which development director Natasha Salgado says is one of resilience. It's almost like you think of all of the horrible things that could happen to a community. Segregated housing, redlining . . . Yet we're still here. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.

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And before we go, we have recommendations from Julia Dixon Evans on arts events to check out this weekend.

First, the "Phantom of the Opera" opens at the Palomar College theater, today.

In April, the musical ended its 35-year run on Broadway.

It was the longest running show in the history of Broadway.

If you’re not familiar with the musical, it’s about a Phantom who lives under a Parisian opera house and becomes obsessed with an actress.

It will be performed at the Howard Brubeck Theatre at Palomar College in San Marcos at 7 tonight and tomorrow, and 2 P-M on Sunday.

It will run at the same times next weekend.

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If you enjoy watching dance performances, Julia recommends watching movement artist Giovanna Francisco in action.

She’s currently in residence at Art Produce in North Park.

She’ll perform in the garden at Art Produce tomorrow at 7 p.m.

Her performance is called "Nectar."

It's a dance inspired by the creatures in the garden.

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For more info on these events and others, visit kpbs-dot-org-slash-arts.

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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by KPBS Producer Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by KPBS Senior Producer Brooke Ruth. We’d like to thank KPBS reporter Erik Anderson and KPBS editors Joe Guerin and Nic McVicker for helping the podcast team this week. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.