San Diego City Council holds final vote on ADU rules
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, happy to be here with you….it’s Wednesday, July 23rd >>>>
Transit agencies are stepping up to keep crowds moving during a packed Comic-Con
More on that next. But first... the headlines….
########ADUDIEGO
THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL HAS HELD A FINAL VOTE ON ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS ALSO KNOWN AS A-D-U’S
REFORMS TO CURRENT ADU REGULATIONS WERE APPROVED LAST MONTH WITH HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS SHOWING UP TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS
THE PLAN CALLS FOR NO MORE THAN 4 ADU’S ON LOTS SMALLER THAN 8,000 SQUARE FEET AND NO MORE THAN 6 ON LOTS LARGER THAN 10 THOUSAND SQUARE FEET
MAYOR GLORIA WILL NEED TO SIGN OFF ON THE NEW RULES BEFORE THEY GO INTO EFFECT 30 DAYS LATER
####### JUNE DROP IN HOME SALES
HOME SALES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY ARE SLIGHTLY DOWN FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE WITH A SMALL INCREASE IN SALES FOR CALIFORNIA AS A WHOLE
NOW LET ME ADD SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT THERE FOR YOU. OVER 250 THOUSAND HOMES WERE SOLD IN JUNE IN CALIFORNIA, THAT NUMBER REPRESENTS A 4 PERCENT BOOST FROM TOTAL SALES THIS TIME LAST MONTH
HOWEVER! THAT NUMBER IS STILL A DECLINE FROM TOTAL HOME SALES THIS TIME, LAST YEAR
######## FREEWAYCAMPS
MAYOR TODD GLORIA HAS AGREED TO CLEAR ENCAMPMENTS CONSIDERED “UNSAFE OR UNSANITARY” FROM AROUND STATE FREEWAYS
AN AGREEMENT HAS NOW BEEN REACHED WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AKA CALTRANS TO TAKE ON THE TASK
THE ONE-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM WILL PERMIT CITY CREWS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO EITHER CLEAN OR CLEAR ENCAMPMENTS
OFFICIALS ARE FOCUSING ON STATE FREEWAYS THAT RUN THROUGH PARTS OF LITTLE ITALY, DOWNTOWN, SHERMAN HEIGHTS, EAST VILLAGE AND BARRIO LOGAN
THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO ADHERE TO CALIFORNIA STATE POLICY
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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########## >> SDCCTRANSIT
COMIC CON IS HERE, AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FANS AND SPECTATORS ARE EXPECTED TO FILL THE GASLAMP QUARTER THIS WEEK. VIDEO JOURNALIST MATTHEW BOWLER SAYS WHILE YOU CAN DRIVE DOWNTOWN, YOU DON’T HAVE TO.
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SDCCTRANSIT 1 trt: 1:10 soq
PARKING IN DOWNTOWN IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE. BUT THIS IS COMIC CON.
Christopher Canole - Dude Vader
11;23;25;04
We’re back in force at san diego comic con and everything is perfect
CHRISTOPHER CANOLE wears a gold darth vader costume he calls DUDE VADER. He SAYS HE’S TAKING THE TROLLEY EVERY DAY TO THE CON FROM HIS ALMAMATER, UC SAN DIEGO.
FOR HIM IT’S PART OF THE FUN.
11;19;52;21
If you take the trolley from anywhere in San Diego you’re going to see cosplayers on the trolley.
COMIC CON ORGANIZERS SAY IN RECENT YEARS ATTENDANCE HAS TOPPED 130,000.
SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCILMAN STEPHEN WHITBURN IS CHAIR OF THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SYSTEM (MTS) BOARD OF DIRECTORS. HE SAYS TRANSIT RIDERSHIP SPIKES DURING THE CON.
11;03;01;29
Last year MTS saw more than 265 thousand additional passenger trips during comic con weekend.
WHITBURN SAYS HE TAKES THE TROLLEY TO COMIC CON BECAUSE IT’S PART OF THE COMIC CON EXPERIENCE.
11;17;22;22
you’ve got a lot of people who are dressed up in costume on the trolley with you it is an absolute ball.
DUDE VADER SAYS HE’S CATCHING THE 9AM BLUE LINE FROM UC SAN DIEGO ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. HE’S HAPPY TO POSE FOR PICTURES AND SPREAD COMIC CON JOY, AS LONG AS HE DOESN’T MISS HIS TRANSFER AT THE SANTA FE STATION TO THE GREEN LINE.
MATTHEW BOWLER KPBS NEWS
TAG: STAY WITH ME FOR MORE ON COMIC-CON LATER IN THE SHOW.
########## >> PREDICT
SCIENTISTS AT UC SAN DIEGO’S SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY HAVE CREATED A NEW FIVE-DAY FORECAST. NOT FOR THE WEATHER BUT FOR FOR WATER POLLUTION. SCI-TECH REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE FILLS US IN.
PREDICT 1 (tf) :51 …SOQ.
Raw sewage flows from the Tijuana region have forced the closure of San Diego beaches countless times. So scientists have found a way to forecast how clean or dirty that water will be. They’re using data about winds, tides, waves and currents to determine when pollution from south of the border will show up along beaches like Imperial Beach and the Silver Strand. Oceanographer Falk Feddersen led the project called the pathogen forecast model, now found on a website people can use.
“The overall goal of the project can be stated this way. We want to be able to allow families to know whether they can take their kids to the beach on the weekend.”
The model can predict coastal pollution five days into the future. People can use it by going to the website, pfmweb.ucsd.edu. SOQ.
########## >>SHELTERpt-1
A KPBS INVESTIGATION FOUND THE EUTHANASIA RATE FOR DOGS AT SAN DIEGO COUNTY-RUN ANIMAL SHELTERS HAS SKYROCKETED IN RECENT YEARS. REPORTER SCOTT RODD SAYS VOLUNTEERS AND FORMER EMPLOYEES CLAIM MANY DOGS ARE BEING PUT DOWN UNNECESSARILY.
SHELTERS PT1 (4:54) SOC (FEATURE) TAG OUT
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LILY JEAN ON LEASH 3 [00:00-00:08]
“Hi pretty girl. Are you Lily Jean? Oh you just want love, you just want lots of love…” [fade down]
Lily Jean was a one-and-a-half year old German Shepherd mix with black fur and touches of white. She entered San Diego County’s animal shelter system as a stray last spring.
In a video provided to KPBS, she approaches the camera when she wants pets and scratches.
LILY JEAN ON LEASH 1[00:00-00:05]
“Hello, hello, hi…look how pretty you are…”[fade down]
Days after this video was taken, the shelter euthanized Lily Jean.
DETAR [20:43]
“I am left with the same questions you are—I don't understand the decision-making process for this dog.”
Lena DeTar is an associate clinical professor at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. She reviewed Lily Jean’s medical and behavioral file.
The paperwork shows someone adopted the shepherd mix…but returned her after a few days. They said Lily Jean was “scared of a lot of things” and wasn’t potty trained.
Later, a shelter supervisor described her as “frantic while leashing” and “nervous of [her] surroundings.”
The shelter labeled Lily Jean as a [quote] “fearful” dog…and decided this behavioral condition was simply untreatable.
DETAR [20:58]
“Nothing in that behavior memo tells me why you would make a behavioral euthanasia decision on this dog. There are no red flags. The fact that a dog is not potty trained — we see that all the time in shelters.”
A volunteer had reached out to foster Lily Jean the day before she was put down. The shelter moved forward with euthanizing her anyways.
San Diego County’s shelters serve the county’s unincorporated areas and take in thousands of dogs every year. Most are adopted out or reunited with their owners. But a growing number of dogs are being put down for “behavioral” reasons.
A monthslong investigation by KPBS found the county shelters’ euthanasia rate for dogs has more than doubled since 2019. The shelters euthanized over 400 canines last year.
The county’s Department of Animal Services declined an interview request. In a statement, county spokesperson Chuck Westerheide said: “Euthanasia decisions in animal shelters are among the most difficult and emotionally challenging responsibilities in the field of animal welfare … These decisions are never made lightly. They involve careful assessment by veterinary staff with behavioral training and management teams.”
The county says it stands by its decision to euthanize Lily Jean and other dogs with behavioral issues … because their conditions were [quote] “untreatable.”
In fact, the Department of Animal Services claims it hasn’t euthanized a single dog with a treatable medical or behavioral condition in a decade.
KPBS interviewed nearly a dozen former staffers and volunteers … who say they’re skeptical of this claim. So is DeTar.
DETAR [53:29]
“It’s just semantics.”
She reviewed the county’s shelter statistics and the paperwork for several euthanized dogs.
DETAR [53:47]
“Any animal that they make a decision that euthanasia is the right thing for it, automatically becomes classified as ‘untreatable’ and ‘unhealthy. And this happens all the time. Like, shelters do this all the time because these terms are vague.”
The county says it has a committee of department leaders and medical professionals that examines the case files of dogs before deciding their fate.
But it doesn’t keep records of these meetings. KPBS reviewed nearly 200 pages of paperwork on euthanized dogs and found no mention of this committee.
The staffers and volunteers interviewed by KPBS acknowledge euthanasia may be necessary when dogs are seriously ill or aggressive.
But they say the county euthanizes many dogs with mild behavioral issues that could be treated with the right training.
SMITH [26:26]
“In my opinion, I feel like the county takes the easy way out, saying, ‘Oh, we'll just euthanize and it's not our problem.’”
Kristina Smith is a former animal care attendant at the county’s Carlsbad shelter.
Smith previously worked at an animal rescue that specialized in rehabilitating dogs with behavioral problems. She wanted to bring that expertise to the county shelter system.
SMITH
[17:05] “My skills were being not utilized. I feel like I got a lot of backlash for trying.”
Animal care attendants are often responsible for euthanizing dogs. Smith spoke up when she disagreed with management’s decisions
SMITH [18:51]
“When multiple of us would vouch for a dog and say like, ‘Don't do this, because this is workable,’ the decision was still made. So I feel like we had no voice.”
Smith resigned last year…in part because of the mental and emotional toll.
Many of her colleagues also left. The Department of Animal Services had a staff turnover rate of nearly 70% last year.
TAGOUT: KPBS journalist Lainie Alfaro contributed research and reporting to this investigation. Tomorrow on the pod, we’ll bring you part two.
########## >> AGUIRRESWORN
AFTER MORE THAN HALF A YEAR WITHOUT ONE, THE COUNTY’S DISTRICT ONE HAS A SUPERVISOR AGAIN.
PALOMA AGUIRRE WAS SWORN IN YESTERDAY (TUESDAY)
REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN WAS AT THE CEREMONY.
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AGUIRRESWORN 1(an) TRT: 0:45 SOQ
NATS “We did it guys, we did it!”
To cheers and applause … Paloma Aguirre is now officially the new county supervisor for District 1.
NATPOP “I’m ready to lead and we’re just getting started.”
Aguirre says she is ready to fight for the South Bay and the people have made their voices heard.
“you demanded real urgency, veradado urgencia. Because the slow status quo isn't working. To the people of District One. I hear you loud and clear. I didn't come to the county to sit back. I came here to fight back. (applause)”
One of Aguirre’s first actions as supervisor was bringing attention to the border sewage crisis.
She says she will be calling a sewage crisis action meeting on Thursday.
AN/KPBS
########## >>LUCASHALLH
COMIC-CON KICKS OFF TONIGHT, AND IF YOU WANT TO SEE GEORGE LUCAS MAKE HIS FIRST-EVER APPEARANCE THIS SUNDAY IN HALL H, YOU MIGHT WANT TO LISTEN TO THESE TIPS FROM ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO.
LUCASHALLH (ba) 1:17 SOQ
Kerry Dixon is a veteran Comic-Con attendee and editor in chief of the San Diego Comic-Con Unofficial Blog. But even she is uncertain of how intense the Hall H lines will be for George Lucas’ first ever panel on Sunday morning.
KERRY DIXON … I think that panel in particular is why if you are attending Comic-Con, it is so incredibly important that you are on social media.
Hall H seats 6400 but with more than 135,000 attendees you’ll have to plan ahead. That could mean lining up a day or even two early to get a wristband. Comic-Con’s website has the full rules. But Dixon has a few general tips for Hall H.
KERRY DIXON … My first, I would not try to do Hall H alone. I think working in groups is definitely the single biggest advantage. And if you're like, well, I don't know anyone. There are so many places that you can go online to try to find others, there's a lot of people forming lines. Number two, don't be afraid to just get that wristband and go back to your hotel. And then the third, just be willing to adapt. So you can go in with a plan, but you just have to be willing to adapt and keep your phone on because who knows?
Everything we just said? It might change. So may the Force be with you.
Beth Accomando, 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 Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
