San Diego County sees slight increase in COVID hospitalizations

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, June 23rd.>>>>

San Diego’s mayor says no to some additional spending in the city’s budget, but will it stick? More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######

San Diego County leaders will need to come up with an extra 286 million dollars a year. Or more. That’s if congressional Republicans “one big beautiful bill act” passes.

That’s according to reporting from the San Diego Union Tribune.

Under the bill, certain counties would have to pay 25 percent of SNAP or food benefits. The county’s cost for administering the program would also increase.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) county supervisors are considering a proposal that would direct staff to look at services most at risk under the bill, and to come up with a plan on how the county could cover the additional costs.

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Seven vote centers in the county’s first supervisorial district are now open.

Imperial Beach mayor Paloma Aguirre is running against Chula Vista mayor John McCann to represent the first district on the county’s board of supervisors.

The vote centers are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day until June 30th.

For a list of where the vote centers are located go to kpbs.org.

On Election day, July 1, six more vote centers will be open and all of them will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. that day.

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Home prices in the county increased last month, while sales dipped. That’s according to the California Association of Realtors.

Sales of single family homes dropped by just over SEVEN PERCENT from April… sales prices increased by over THREE PERCENT.

The median home price is now at ONE POINT ZERO FIVE MILLION for an existing single family home in San Diego County.

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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 SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL TODAY (MONDAY) WILL CONSIDER WHETHER TO OVERRIDE MAYOR TODD GLORIA'S PARTIAL VETO OF THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET. METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN EXPLAINS WHAT'S AT STAKE.

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Last week, Gloria agreed to accept some of the council's additional spending on libraries, rec centers and public restrooms. But he used his line-item veto power to block nearly $5 million in spending, including $1 million for brush management. The city has long faced a structural budget deficit, using one-time resources to cover ongoing expenses. Gloria says it's time for fiscal discipline. The council passed its preferred version of the budget with seven votes. It only needs six to override some or all of Gloria's budget modifications. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

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A NEW COVID VARIANT NICKNAMED RAZOR BLADE IS SPREADING ACROSS THE STATE. WHILE SAN DIEGO COUNTY’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS REMAIN LOW, HOSPITALIZATIONS INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE LAST MONTH.

DR DAVEY SMITH IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT UC SAN DIEGO HEALTH.

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Some people with this new strain have a very bad sore throat. So basically the back of their throat is all irritated, and when they're trying to swallow something it feels like that's been described as shards of glass.

A NEW PEW RESEARCH SURVEY REPORTS MOST AMERICANS DON’T SEE COVID AS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT AND RARELY WEAR MASKS.

SMITH SAYS THAT WHILE COVID FATIGUE IS NATURAL, THE VIRUS HAS NOT GONE AWAY. VULNERABLE GROUPS LIKE THE ELDERLY AND IMMUNOCOMPROMISED ARE STILL AT RISK OF HOSPITALIZATION AND DEATH.

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CATHOLIC AND OTHER FAITH LEADERS CAME TOGETHER IN SAN DIEGO FRIDAY TO SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS IN HONOR OF WORLD REFUGEE DAY.

REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THEY SPENT A FEW HOURS IN DOWNTOWN COURTROOMS, WHERE DEPORTATION HEARINGS WERE TAKING PLACE.

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A group of leaders from Catholic and other faith traditions observed court proceedings in the Federal Building…

There they say they provided prayers and presence for immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers during their court appearances.

Imam Taha Hassane (TAH-ha ha-SAN) is one of a few local religious leaders who joined the Catholic clergy … in a show of unity.

“As faith leaders we preach from the pulpit – we preach and talk about justice and love and compassion and all that stuff. Now it's time for us to show these principles and values on the street.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Pastor Scott Santarosa says he did not see any arrests. He heard two cases that were given a continuance.

“We saw ICE officers in the hallways with masks. And that was of course an intimidating presence.”

The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego Bishop Michael Pham says the diocese will continue to support immigrants at the federal building as needed. JA KPBS News.

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80 YEARS AGO NEXT MONTH, A ROCK AND ROLL LEGEND WAS BORN – ROSIE HAMLIN, AN ICON TO THE CHICANO COMMUNITY. AS ALEXA LIMA REPORTS, HAMLIN GOT HER START RIGHT HERE IN NATIONAL CITY.

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Rosalie Hamlin Mendez was originally born in Oregon. But her father was in the military, and their family moved around for years. Eventually, they settled here in National City.

Rogelio Cazares was Hamlin’s neighbor and a close friend. He used to hang out at her house. He didn’t like classical music. But he liked listening to Hamlin.

She played the classical piano and her mother used to buy us beer when we were in high school to listen to her play. 

National City is a mostly Latino community. Gerardo Rios is a professor of Mexican American Studies and History at Southwestern College. He says this decade, the 1960s, was a time of social and political awakening for Chicanos and Latinos.

Many in the community, by the 1960’s felt that it was a time for liberation, a time to stake their own claim in American society,but more so to build their own space.

Hamlin’s biggest dream was to become a singer. She was 14 when she wrote one of her first songs. It was a love poem. She called it “Angel Baby”. 

In the summer of 1960, Hamlin and her friends drove to a makeshift recording studio in rural San Marcos to tape the song.  They went to the manager of a Kresge’s department store in San Diego – and asked if he would play the record in the listening booth.

It was a hit.

Teenagers who heard the song  at Kresge’s clamored to buy it. Hamlin and her friends got the attention of an employee at Highland Records. Soon after they got a contract. 

They called themselves Rosie & The Originals.

“Angel Baby” was put on regular rotation across the nation with DJs from San Ysidro to New York City, from Seattle to Key Largo.

Two months after its release, it hit number five on the Billboard's Hot 100. It was the number one cruising song in National City. A song that changed popular music and reshaped Chicano culture.

Cazares, Hamlin’s childhood friend, had joined the Army and was stationed near Monterey, California.

When I was at Fort Ord, Angel Baby came out and so I said I know that girl. She was my friend of mine and nobody believed me.

Rios says this was all happening against the backdrop of the emergence of civil rights leaders like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta ... who founded the United Farm Workers. Chicanos were starting to advocate for themselves and push back against systematic inequalities.

Chicanismo was their third space. It was a space where they would thrive, they would carve out their own destinies where people would look for greater communal affirmations and where people decided to stake a claim at autonomy politically, socially and educational.

But Hamlin also had to confront the widespread misogyny and machismo Chicanas faced at the time. Women were expected to take traditional domestic roles … And when women did work, they earned significantly less than men for comparable work and experienced discrimination in the workplace.

Norma Cazares, grew up in National City at the time when Angel Baby was a hit.

It was difficult times, difficult times because there was a lot of racism back then, certainly misogynistic people who to the point they wouldn’t allow her to put her name on it. 

For Hamlin the record label didn’t give her credit for writing “Angel Baby.” Because she wasn’t 18 when she wrote it – and because she was a woman.

Still, Hamlin continued to become even more famous.

Rosie and the Originals performed with some of the greats like Jackie Wilson, Chuck Berry, and Big Momma Thornton. In 1964, they opened for the Rolling Stones, at the historical Balboa Park Bowl. 

John Lennon called “Angel Baby” one of his all-time favorite songs and recorded his own version in 1973.

Hamlin was also the first Latina to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame. The first Latina ever to perform on the legendary Dick Clark TV show.. 

Through all of this, Hamlin fought to reclaim the rights to “Angel Baby”. She filed a series of lawsuits. Demanding royalties for its use over the years. And credit for her writing.

Almost 20 years later, Hamlin won her case.

 In 2001, Rosie and the Originals released a new version of “Angel Baby.” This time in Spanglish. 

The song Angel baby became an anthem for many chicana/ chicano families, mexican american people, hispanics in general. 

Norma Cazares says Hamlin is an inspiration to many chicanas. Encouraging women to pursue their dreams in a time where women were oppressed by misogynist views.

ROSIE_ksuzuki_roger and norma 20250417 3/ 11:41 She brought pride to the city of Nation City, to this day people talk about it, young people know about it.

Hamlin died in her sleep in New Mexico in 2017. She was 71 

Rosie Hamlin proved that love can even transcend death. Her music has. Rosie and the Originals have entered immortality.

In National City, I’m Alexa Lima for 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.