San Diegans react to conflict between Israel and Hamas

Good Morning, I’m John Carroll, in for Debbie Cruz… it’s Tuesday, October 10th.

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San Diegans react to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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Kaiser and union negotiators are expected to return to bargaining again on Thursday…

And around 45-hundred health care workers across the county are prepared to go on strike again if a deal isn't reached.

A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson told KPBS that the union issued a notice to strike over the weekend.

Workers would walk off the job November first through the 8th.

Outsourcing, in particular, has emerged as a sticking point in negotiations.

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Governor Gavin Newsom has hundreds of bills left to sign or veto before Sunday.

Over the weekend, he vetoed a bill that would have decriminalized plant-based hallucinogens such as magic mushrooms.

State lawmakers hoped to legalize them so they could be used to treat mental disorders like P-T-S-D.

Cap-radio’s politics reporter Nicole Nixon says Newsom signaled he may support future legislation, though.

"In a letter to lawmakers, Newsom said any measure to decriminalize psychedelics should come with regulations and focus on therapeutic benefits. "

The bill’s author, democratic state senator Scott Wiener said he would author legislation following Newsom’s guidelines, next year.

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It’s expected to start getting cooler this week.

The National Weather Service says there’s a slight chance of patchy drizzle overnight tonight.

There’s also a wind advisory in effect from 2 p-m today through 11 tomorrow morning, for the county’s mountain and desert areas.

Forecasters say gusts could reach up to 50 miles per hour.

Temperatures in the county’s inland areas are expected to be in the mid 70s today, it’ll be in the high 60s by the coast, in the mid 60s in the mountain areas and in the low 90s in the deserts.

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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 events in Israel over the weekend hit close to home for San Diegans on both sides of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Reporter Matt Hoffman has more.

The number of casualties the amount of destruction, the targeting of innocent civilians and the numbers missing - captured, held hostage it is almost impossible to hold president and ceo of the jewish federation of san diego heidi gantwerk says she hasn’t seen conflict like this in 50 years since the yom kippur war.. the community here is in shock. we have a big israeli community here -- many of them have family or friends who have been missing or injured the jewish federation is holding a vigil tuesday evening in la jolla for those who have lost their lives and to show support for israel.. they’re also collecting donations. sdsu political science professor farid abdel-nour expects to see more palestinian casualties in the coming days.. he grew up in the west bank and is looking for positive action from the u-s and neighboring countries --to help resolve this conflict in a manner that is fair and just to both peoples. that respects the dignity and humanity of both equally. we have had no such proposals anytime in recent memory he says it’s important to people to understand that this conflict started long before saturday.. mh kpbs news.

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San Diego's goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions depends largely on phasing out the use of natural gas.

But metro reporter Andrew Bowen says a recent court decision has put that goal in jeopardy.

AB: San Diego had hoped to update its building code to require all new buildings be fully electric. But last spring, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found a similar ban on natural gas in Berkeley was illegal. Serena Pelka is a policy advocate for the nonprofit Climate Action Campaign. She says the city can still offer stronger incentives to phase out natural gas. SP: We need to see our jurisdictions tackling all of these challenges using as many tools and strategies as they can. We want them to be creative, we want them to be innovative, and ultimately that's what we're going to need to reach zero carbon and have the quality of life and future that we all deserve. AB: Natural gas accounts for 21% of San Diego's carbon emissions, second only to transportation. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

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After more than three years, the “water divorce” saga between the San Diego County Water Authority and two North County water agencies could be over soon.

North County reporter Alexander Nguyen explains what Rainbow and Fallbrook residents will be seeing on their ballot this November.

In July the local agency formation commission or lafco approved the “divorce”. it’s the agency overseeing disputes like this. detachment is a two-step process. now … voters in rainbow and fallbrook will have their say. like with any divorce … the problems started brewing years ago. the water authority started making infrastructure improvements for water reliability about 30 years ago. and like any infrastructure project… there were costs. the projects raised water rates for everyone. “while san diego county ratepayers have been paying somewhat higher rates, it's because we can count on that water supply.”that’s kelly gage … the assistant manager of the san diego county water authority. but for residents and farmers in rainbow and fallbrook … the costs were too much and they say they weren’t benefiting from the projects. nick krnick is a farmer in fallbrook. “i'm really hoping this will open up an opportunity for farmers to actually get fair water rates." according to a lafco analysis … rainbow and fallbrook residents could save an estimated 7-point-7 million dollars a year by leaving. if residents vote yes to leave … they will still need to pay an “exit” fee of roughly 25 million dollars over the next 5 years. an/kpbs.

TAG: Early voting has begun.

If you want to drop off your ballot in person, the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa is open from 8 in the morning to 5 p-m on weekdays.

You can also return your ballot through the mail, or at any of the Registrar’s official ballot drop boxes, starting today through the final day of voting.

The same goes for the Chula Vista city attorney and District 4 supervisor races.

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A growing number of American residents are going to college in Tijuana.

Border reporter Gustavo Solis says cheaper tuition is just one of the perks.

Meliza Perez lives in National City. Every morning she has to take the trolley, walk across the border and get a ride from a friend to campus. It’s an hour and a half commute. But once she sees her friends, Perez says it’s totally worth it. “Like, I’ll be in a really bad mood in the morning but I’ll get over here and my mood just instantly goes ah, I’m here.” Perez is one of approximately 350 students who live in the U.S. but are enrolled in the private Mexican university called CETYS – which stands for Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica y Superior. CETYS has campuses in Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ensenada. Classes are in English and Spanish. Perez loves the small class sizes - especially compared to large lecture halls in the U.S. “You know the classes are really big over there and it’s like 40 students to 1 teacher, they can’t pay attention to you. And over here it’s 20 students to 1 teacher.” Fernando Leon Garcia is CETYS president. He says it’s common for people who live along the border to split their time between both countries – they will live on one side but shop or work on the other. “But we know that here – especially those who are in the SanDijuana area – it goes both directions. And education is not an exception.” Leon Garcia says several factors contribute to the high number of American resident students. Tuition is $5,000 per semester. Slightly cheaper than in-state rates at UC San Diego but a little more than SDSU.  CETYS also has the same level of accreditation given to all universities in California, like UCLA and Stanford. CETYS specializes in business and engineering. The university has partnerships with multinational companies in Tijuana where students can work and earn school credit. “Metronix is one across. Another one a few blocks form here is FoxCon – it’s the largest subcontractor for Apple worldwide.” In the world of international higher education, what is happening at CETYS is an outlier. “In fact, the opposite direction is what we traditionally observe.” Gerardo Blanco is the academic director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. “We know the most frequent destinations for international students are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, to some extend New Zealand. Normally we think of these as the big five.” What is happening in CETYS bucks that trend. And speaks to an increase in student mobility. Back in Tijuana, Ezekiel Abundis enrolled in CETYS after graduating from Southwestern College. He’ll have the option of working in the U.S. or Mexico. Most people expect him to go back to San Diego. But he plans to stay in Tijuana. “El saber que pude y lo hice en Mexico, como Mexicano, siento que es como hacer un juego nivel leyenda. Que si se puede.” He says that, as a Mexican, it is important for him to succeed in Mexico – to be an example for others that they don’t have to leave in order to get ahead in life. Still, even students who plan to return to San Diego see value in their Mexican education.“Confident. Confident in myself and what I want to do. Cause everybody is supporting me. I’ve literally had no negative comments. Perez says she has reconnected with her Mexican heritage She’s also made a lot of new friends. Something she credits to Mexican students being a bit more outgoing than the ones she’s used to. “American students are kidna mean. They keep to themselves and it’s not the same atmosphere. Over here, you literally don’t know anybody and immediately start making jokes. Gustavo Solis KPBS News.

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Coming up.... How S-D-S-U helps its Hispanic and Latino students find a sense of identity and community.

“What we do at SDSU and other institutions do across the nation, is try to think about in what ways we are intentionally serving our Hispanic, Latinx population in ways that make them feel the campus is culturally affirming and welcoming.” 

We’ll have that and more, just after the break.

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Thousands of people throughout the county celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day yesterday.

The holiday replaced Columbus Day in California four years ago.

North County reporter Alexander Nguyen takes us to one of the multiple celebrations across the county.

Bringing the songs of their ancestors to life … the bird singers are passing down thousands of years of tradition to the next generation. raymond belardes is a bird singer from the san pasqual band of mission indians. they hosted the all-day celebration at the san diego zoo safari park today. he says these songs are not just a story but also a way of life. raymond balardes iii bird singer, san pasqual band of mission indians “it's how our people should live. and it tells a story from sun up, sundown and all around so these songs are very sacred to us … i always tell the kids, keep learning, keep dancing, keep trying.” bird singing and keep the traditions alive for the next thousand years. an/kpbs.

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S-D-S-U is one of many Hispanic-serving Institutions in California and across the country, with a Latin-x Resource Center, a Chicana and Chicano Studies department, and a center for Latin American studies.

So how is the university supporting its Hispanic and Latino students in finding a sense of identity and community?

Emilio Ulloa is an Associate Chief Diversity Officer at S-D-S-U.

And Renzo Lara is the director of S-D-S-U’s Latin-x Resource Center.

They joined my colleague Jade Hindmon, to talk about their lived experiences with navigating their own identity, and helping students on campus do the same.

Emilio, I want to start with you. SDSU is designated as a Hispanic-serving Institution (H-S-I for short). What does it mean for a college campus to be an H-S-I?

And Renzo. How does the Latinx Resource Center work with the Office of HSI affairs to help Hispanic and Latino students adjust to college life?

I also want to dig into what Hispanic, Latino, and Chicano identity means. And each term has its own different history. How do you each personally define yourselves? 

TAG: That was Emilio Ulloa, the Associate Chief Diversity Officer of H-S-I and Regional Affairs at S-D-S-U, and Renzo Lara, the director of S-D-S-U’s Latin-x Resource Center, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition host, Jade Hindmon.

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Día de Muertos is a Mexican tradition that celebrates death, life and memories of the departed.

This year, KPBS is hosting a digital community ofrenda or altar, where you can celebrate a loved one who has passed away.

You can share photos and memories at KPBS dot org slash day of the dead.

Or you can call ‪6-1-9-4-5-2-0-2-2-8‬ and leave a message.

Make sure to include your loved one’s name, their relationship to you, your name, and where you are from.

We are accepting submissions through October 22nd.

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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. It’s been fun hosting the podcast over the last week with you all. My colleague Debbie Cruz will be back tomorrow. Join her for the day’s top stories, plus, a story on how people are handling their student loan repayments resuming. I’m John Carroll. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.