San Diego County supports effort to bring back Medi-Cal for Planned Parenthood
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson it’s WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH>>>> THE COUNTY VOTES TO SUPPORT LEGAL EFFORTS TO RESTORE MEDI-CAL FUNDS FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD
More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THE OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS IMPLEMENTING A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO VOLUNTARILY REGISTER THEIR SECURITY CAMERAS INTO A POLICE DATABASE
ITS PART OF THEIR CONNECT OCEANSIDE PROGRAM
VOLUNTEERS ARE THEN ADDED TO A NETWORK OF CAMERAS
O-P-D SAYS THAT REGISTERING DOES NOT GIVE THE DEPARTMENT A LIVE FEED INTO THE CAMERAS BUT INSTEAD PROVIDES EXACT CAMERA LOCATION INFORMATION
IF AN INCIDENT OCCURS NEAR A REGISTERED CAMERA,
OFFICERS CAN THEN REQUEST FOOTAGE FROM THE CAMERAS’ OWNER, WHICH COULD AID IN AN INVESTIGATION
O-P-D CLAIMS THAT ANY VIDEO RECEIVED WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND IS ONLY USED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES
CRITICS OF MASS SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGIES WORRY THESE PROGRAMS DO NOT HAVE PROPER COMMUNITY OVERSIGHT AND SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE
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HOMES SALES ACROSS THE COUNTY ARE SLIGHTLY UP
THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS SAYS SINGLE-FAMILY, DETACHED HOMES SALES ROSE ALMOST 3 PERCENT IN OCTOBER
A HOME IN LA JOLLA SOLD FOR 47 MILLION DOLLARS WITH ANOTHER IN DEL MAR SELLING FOR FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS; BOTH IN OCTOBER
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BROKER AND REALTOR TAMARA SUMINSKI [TAM-RUH SIMIN-SKEE] SAYS HOME PRICES ARE GROWING AT A MANAGEABLE PACE AND WE’RE SEEING A HEALTHIER BALANCE BETWEEN BUYERS AND SELLERS
THE UNION-TRIBUNE REPORTS WE ARE IN A ‘K-SHAPED ECONOMY’ REFERRING TO THE GAP BETWEEN AFFLUENT CONSUMERS WHO ARE SEEING THEIR WEALTH INCREASE AND LOWER AND MIDDLE INCOME CONSUMERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY
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THE 17TH ANNUAL USA PICKLEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE MAKING THEIR SAN DIEGO DEBUT !
USA PICKLEBALL ORGANIZERS SAY IT’S THE LONGEST-RUNNING EVENT IN THE PICKLEBALL WORLD WITH EVENTS GOING THROUGH THIS SUNDAY
ABOUT TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED ATHLETES ARE COMPETING IN THIS YEAR’S EVENT
LAST YEAR’S EVENT HELD IN ARIZONA CONTRIBUTED OVER THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY ACCORDING TO U-S-A PICKLEBALL
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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SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS NOW SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO BRING BACK THE ABILITY TO USE MEDI-CAL INSURANCE AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINICS.
HERE’S REPORTER JOHN CARROLL.
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PARENTHOOD 1 1:09 SOQ
“We are here today because Donald Trump is trying to take basic health care away from tens of thousands of San Diegans.”
SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERVISOR BOARD CHAIR TERRA LAWSON-REMER AT A TUESDAY MORNING NEWS CONFERENCE… SPELLING OUT WHAT SHE SAYS ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF A PROVISION IN THE SO-CALLED BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL. THAT LEGISLATION, PASSED LAST JULY, FORBIDS MEDI-CAL FROM REIMBURSING NONPROFIT HEALTH CENTERS, LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD, THAT ALSO OFFER ABORTION SERVICES. VICTORIA LARA IS A PATIENT AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD.
“I myself have counted on Planned Parenthood for compassionate and affordable sexual and reproductive health care. If I didn’t have Planned Parenthood, it would have devastating consequences for myself and for hundreds of thousands of other patients across San Diego county.”
LATER ON TUESDAY MORNING, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS VOTED TO DIRECT THE COUNTY’S LAWYER TO SUPPORT EFFORTS BY CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA, AND OTHER STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL TO REPEAL THE DEFUND PROVISION. A DECISION FROM A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IS PENDING. JC, KPBS NEWS.
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SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERVISORS APPROVED A NEW PARTNERSHIP THIS WEEK (Tuesday) THAT THEY SAY WILL DELAY THE IMPACT OF FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS IT RELIES ON MONEY FROM LOCAL PHILANTHROPISTS.
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PARTNERSHIP 1 trt: 53 soq
San Diego County leaders say families are already feeling the effect of federal funding cuts. To help fill the 300 million dollar budget hole, the County is partnering with three local philanthropic organizations.
TARA LAWSON REMER
We have to be creative and collaborative and build safety nets to protect San Diego families.
Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer says The County and the San Diego Foundation would each put in $18 million dollars over two years. It will create a $36 million dollar fund to shield existing County-funded nonprofit programs from federal cuts. The money will support…
TARA LAWSON REMER
Food banks, housing and homelessness efforts and fill health care gaps.
It also includes 8 million dollars in additional funds that will provide emergency food and housing support for families who have lost federal benefits.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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WHILE PATRIOTS FOUGHT AGAINST THE BRITISH IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 250 YEARS AGO ON THE EAST COAST, PEOPLE IN THE SAN DIEGO REGION WERE ON A PARALLEL TRACK.
LOCAL HISTORIAN AND UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO PROFESSOR DAVID MILLER TOLD AMITA SHARMA RECENTLY THAT IN SOME CASES, PEOPLE ON BOTH COASTS WERE MOTIVATED BY ONE KEY EVENT.
SDHISTORY (AS) (4:12) “....national and global histories.” (FEATURE)
Q. Set the scene for me, David. It's 1775. The American Revolution has just started on the East Coast. What had happened recently in the San Diego region?
It was a few years before in 1769 that the Spanish first arrived in a permanent way. They'd been here very briefly with Cabrio in 1542. But 1769 is the first permanent Spanish settlement. And so you would have had above what is now Old Town and the Presidio Hill, the establishment of the Presidio. And the Mission had moved to its present location up in Mission Valley. It was a mix of Spanish soldiers and civil officials. And then over at the Mission, a couple of padres, friars, and then, of course, a mix of the native Kumuyaay people, some who lived around the Presidio, some who lived at the Mission, and the vast majority who lived out in their traditional villages and towns around the county.
Q. So in 1775, on the East Coast, the people living in the colonies were waging war against the British for independence in Indigenous people in the San Diego region were getting started on their own revolt. Tell me about that.
Yes. So at almost the exact same time, in 1775, November of 1775, the Kumeyaay, specifically the Kumeyaay that lived south of the San Diego River, the Tipai. They organized a revolt against the presence of the Spanish. And so November fourth and fifth, they sent soldiers, warriors to around the Presidio and occupy the Spanish soldiers, keep them at bay, while another contingent went over to the mission itself and actually attacked the mission, burned it down, dragged one of the fathers, Father Jaime, out down to the San Diego River where they murdered him. But this was all in the big picture, a response to Spanish colonial presence in San Diego. And so the Kumeyaay were, not to draw too many parallels, it's certainly different. But while the Americans are responding in their own way to English colonial realities, the Kumeyaay were responding to the Spanish colonial realities.
Q. What's the connection between the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the Kumeyaay Revolt, and the founding of San Diego?
The result of it was that essentially Britain was ascendant in North America, and the French left for the most part. And it set the conditions that would eventually lead to the American Revolution, specifically issues about land, the presence of British troops, and taxes. At the exact same time, it sets the conditions for what's going to become the establishment of San Diego. Remember, the Spanish had been here in 1542, but left. There was no permanent Spanish settlement here in San Diego. But as a result of the war and the reshuffling of global powers, the Spanish realized we need to have a stronger claim on our lands in Alta, California, in case the British get any ideas.
Q. What is your sense about what people on the East Coast knew about what was happening here in San Diego at the time?
I suspect not much, just given distances and times and the ability to get information across those distances. But what's interesting is the other direction, many of the people in San Diego were aware of what was happening. And so the Spanish soldiers at the Presidio collected money and funds to donate to the Spanish military that were then used in the Spanish alliance with the Americans against the British.
Q. I've worked as a reporter in San Diego for a very long time now, and what's always stood out for me is any time there is a big national story, there's always a San Diego connection. And what you've just recited to me about local history basically tells me that that tie has existed for some time now, right?
Yes. Absolutely. San Diego is just as old as the United States, certainly in the European history. Obviously, it's older in terms of Native Americans. But what you see is a lot of the things that are happening on the East Coast that we take to be fundamentally part of American history, US history, are shaping events here in San Diego, and that they're happening in some cases simultaneously. So San Diego history is unique. but it is always connected to these broader national and global histories.
TAG: That was Amita Sharma speaking with San Diego historian David Miller.
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FOR YEARS, JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS RESIDENTS HAVE PUSHED BACK ON A SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT THAT WOULD SURROUND THE TOWN.
REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAID THE PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS THE TENSION BETWEEN THE NEED FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND PRESERVING A COMMUNITY’S HISTORY.
JACUMBASOLAR (4:39) SOC
“Good morning!”
The teal doors of Jacumba’s community center welcome residents every Wednesday and Sunday.
Behind the doors, Tanya Wilkins and her crew of volunteers are hard at work crafting a home cooked meal for the community.
Tanya Wilkins SOT
“It’s been awesome for all of us just to have a place to get together to visit”
It serves as a sort of public square for Jacumba … a backcountry that’s home to about 600 people.
Earlier that morning, Wilkins stood in the vacant field next to the community center. She talks about the spiritual connection she has to her home. Its open spaces, rugged beauty and Native American history.
Tanya Wilkins SOT
“I just feel like this long, like whispers and voices and calm and together. Like a soft swirl of creation and life. Everything old up until now. Because it’s all still here. All of that old energy is still out here”
That old energy ... which also bubbles up through Jacumba's hot springs ... is part of what keeps the tight community together. It's also the lifeblood of their economy.
One of the local hotel owners, Jeff Osborne, says his business attracts about 120 visitors a day.
However, change is coming to Jacumba … that could soon make it look and feel a lot different.
Tanya Wilkins SOT
“We are in the field that they want to turn into the solar farm - the Jacumba Valley Ranch solar farm. And that is right outside of our community center. It’s going to be 15 feet tall”
A more than 600-acre solar project is in the works. Plans call for vast arrays of solar panels. If completed, Wilkins and others fear it will cast a long shadow over Jacumba and everything that makes it special.
Tanya Wilkins SOT
“It can’t happen. It just can’t happen”
The County of San Diego approved the 90-megawatt solar energy project back in 2021. Its official name is the Jacumba Valley Ranch Energy Park… known in the community as JVR.
The community filed a lawsuit against the project in 2021 but lost.
Tanya Wilkins SOT
“This is still not fair. And we’re not going to give up.”
Earlier this month, the county’s planning department approved one of the final permits for JVR. A county representative said in an emailed statement that development could start any day now.
There is little argument in Jacumba about the ongoing need to produce renewable energy. The JVR project promises to produce a 20-year supply of renewable energy for San Diego Community Power, one of the regional energy providers.
But residents and advocates see inequities. While some of JVR’S energy will go back into Jacumba, it will also power multiple communities far from the town.
Bill Powers is an engineer in San Diego and a board member of Protect Our Communities. He’s a critic of how community power handles these projects.
Bill Powers SOT
“The JVR contract will be paid for by the Jacumba Hot Springs residents, and everyone else who's a customer. It’s fundamental that whatever price is negotiated for that contract, will either make the total bill a little more or a little less. The problem is, we just don't know, because we can't see the contract terms.”
San Diego Community Power sent KPBS a copy of the power purchase agreement, also known as a PPA. But it was heavily redacted and did not contain key information regarding the project’s price and rates.
Bill Powers SOT
“We don't know if they're getting the lowest cost PPAs they can find. In fact, it would really help in the case of JVR, to know, are you at least getting a good deal?”
KPBS requested an interview with San Diego Community Power but they declined.
Jeff Osborne is a local business owner and a leader of the community’s opposition.
Jeff Osborne SOT
Timestamp: 00:01:20:09-00:01:32:13
“In terms of scale, we thought it was too big and we just wanted it to be smaller. We’re not against all of it. We just feel like the developer and county could probably help us come to some sort of compromise.”
In recent years, the county required the project’s developer to increase the setback distance between residential homes and the project. The developer, BayWare Americas, also created a $4 million community fund.
Representatives from BayWare were not available for an interview in time for this story. But they sent an emailed statement saying quote.
“JVR Energy Park will provide a robust local renewable energy supply, improving grid reliability in San Diego County by increasing access to local sources of energy."
Community members say they’re not giving up. Osborne said he’s preparing another suit.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
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LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE HAS ANNOUNCED THAT TONY-NOMINATED DIRECTOR JESSICA STONE WILL BE ITS NEXT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, FOLLOWING THE DEPARTURE OF CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO SPOKE WITH STONE ABOUT HER NEW ROLE.
LJPARTDIRECT (ba) 1:13 SOQ
Jessica Stone considered herself rooted in East Coast life and a freelancer not tied to any company. So applying to be the artistic director at La Jolla Playhouse was not on her to-do list. Then a friend asked, have you ever had an artistic home?
JESSICA STONE And that was the moment of pivot. One of the things that occurred to me was not so much that I could have an artistic home, which is an amazing notion, but that I could actually be a part of making an artistic home for others. I would love to deepen the incubator that we already are. And I'm really interested, even in always in physically, pushing the boundaries of what the physical expression of a playwright’s idea is. I'm really interested in jumping in that sandbox with the amazing production team at La Jolla.
Managing director Debby Buchholz was thrilled Stone applied.
DEBBY BUCHHOLZ She's described co-leading an institution as linking arms, and I am excited by that term and also can't wait to link arms with her.
Stone will assume her new duties in early 2026.
JESSICA STONE And I'm just pinching myself. And it's an honor to be a part of carrying on the legacy left by Chris Ashley and Michael Greif and Des McAnuff, these Titans. So I really am thrilled.
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 subscribing by doing so you are supporting public media and I thank you for that. Have a great day!
