San Diego reaction to attacks on Iran

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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s TUESDAY, MARCH 3RD >>>> [We’re bringing you local reaction to the U-S attacks on Iran ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######

A RECENT REPORT FROM THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, A-K-A THE E-D-C, SHOWS THAT EMPLOYMENT DURING LAST YEAR'S FOURTH QUARTER IMPROVED JUST SLIGHTLY 

AN ALMOST ONE AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE OVERALL WAS SEEN COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD IN 20-24

THE E-D-C'S QUARTERLY SNAPSHOT SHOWS DROPS IN SOME AREAS WHILE OTHERS SAW GROWTH 

NEARLY SEVEN PERCENT  GROWTH WAS SEEN IN SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HEALTH CARE JOBS 

WHILE THERE WAS AN ALMOST TWO AND HALF PERCENT DROP IN PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS SERVICES

ACCORDING TO THE E-D-C WHILE THIS FIRST QUARTER OF 20-26 HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF RELIEF, SAN DIEGO'S COST OF LIVING REMAINS A CRUCIAL STICKING POINT FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE YEAR AHEAD

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REGISTRATION FOR CALIFORNIA'S 'DREAM FOR ALL' PROGRAM IS OPEN NOW THROUGH MARCH SIXTEENTH 

THE PROGRAM IS FOR FIRST GENERATION HOME BUYERS AND  WILL COVER  UP TO TWENTY PERCENT IN ASSISTANCE TOWARDS EITHER A DOWN-PAYMENT FOR A HOME OR CLOSING COSTS 

THOSE WHO GET ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE PROGRAM MUST REPAY THE ORIGINAL DOWN PAYMENT PLUS A SHARE OF THE HOME'S APPRECIATION WHEN THEY SELL

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AS OF THIS PAST WEEKEND AND AT LONG-LAST FOR SOME, THE TORREY PINES STATE NATURAL RESERVE IS OPEN AGAIN AND BACK IN ACTION

AFTER FOUR MONTHS OF LIMITED ACCESS ...

THE PARK ROAD, UPPER PARKING LOTS, THE LODGE AND OF COURSE THE VERY POPULAR HIKING TRAILS ARE NOW ALL OPEN 

THIS LATEST PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION WAS FOCUSED ON ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS AND UPGRADES AT THE RESERVE 

CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS SAYS THAT NEW PARKING STALLS, AND NEW PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS ARE JUST SOME OF THE NEW ON-SITE AMENITIES 

THAT YOU CAN ENCOUNTER AT THE NATURAL RESERVE 

CONSTRUCTION IS NOW PAUSED BUT PHASE TWO IS SET TO BEGIN IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER

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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LEADERS IN SAN DIEGO'S IRANIAN COMMUNITY SAY THEY ARE RELIEVED AT THE DEATH OF THAT COUNTRY'S SUPREME LEADER.

BUT REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THEY'RE ALSO EXPRESSING MIXED EMOTIONS FOR WHAT COMES NEXT.

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IRANREAX 1 (ja) 0:55

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (AI-uh-toll-uh AH-lee HAH-muh-NAY-ee), Iran's Supreme leader, was killed Saturday by U.S. and Israeli strikes. He was in power for nearly 37 years.

Locally, news of his assassination brought joy for members of the Iranian Diaspora, says 75 year old Shahram Homayounfar (SHAW-rawm Houm-uh-youn-far).

He’s been helping to organize weekly protests against Iran’s leadership outside the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego.

“We are happy those people have been killed but where is going its concerning. We want to make sure at the end the people of Iran get the democracy and freedom they deserve."

According to one human rights agency, at least 7,000 people have been killed since January in a crushing government response to public protest.

Homayounfar plans another protest in downtown San Diego Tuesday afternoon. JA, KPBS News.

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THOUSANDS OF SAN DIEGO SERVICE MEMBERS ARE PARTICIPATING IN AIR STRIKES AGAINST IRAN. 

MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS THE PENTAGON AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AREN’T OFFERING MANY DETAILS ABOUT WHY THE WAR IS NECESSARY OR WHAT VICTORY LOOKS LIKE.

IRANMIL 3 (AD) 1:01 SOQ

(NATS JET LAUNCH) THE SAN DIEGO BASED AIRCRAFT CARRIER ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ONE OF TWO CARRIERS ENGAGED IN THE AIRSTRIKES.

IN SAN DIEGO MONDAY DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT PETER CRITICIZED THE ADMINISTRATION FOR BYPASSING CONGRESS AND SAID HE’S CONCERNED ABOUT U - S CASUALTIES.

SP: “IN SAN DIEGO, WE FEEL THIS MORE DIRECTLY THAN A LOT OF PLACES. WE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO SEND PEOPLE OVERSEAS. WE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE PEOPLE AND WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR THEIR FOR FOR THEM AND THEIR FOR THEIR FAMILIES.”

THE SAN DIEGO DEMOCRAT’S DISTRICT INCLUDES NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, THE HOMEPORT OF THE LINCOLN. IT ALSO INCLUDES MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, HOME TO THE MARINE F-35 SQUADRON ASSIGNED TO THE CARRIER.

AT THE PENTAGON MONDAY DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH DECLINED TO GO INTO SPECIFICS ABOUT PLANS FOR THE OPERATION.

PH: “GOING FORWARD, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WE TELL YOU, YOU, THE ENEMY, ANYBODY, WHAT WE WILL OR WILL NOT DO IN PURSUIT OF AN OBJECTIVE? WE FIGHT TO WIN. WE FIGHT TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVES THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAS LAID OUT, AND WE WILL DO SO UNAPOLOGETICALLY.”

CRITICS OF THE STRIKES SAY IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT THOSE OBJECTIVES ARE OR WHAT VICTORY LOOKS LIKE.

ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS.

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SOME OF THE WORLD’S WEALTHIEST AND MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LINKED TO SEX OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN. 

ONE OF THEM, DEEPAK [DEE-PAHK CHOPE-RUH] CHOPRA, IS A PROMINENT AUTHOR AND WELLNESS GURU, AND A PROFESSOR AT UC SAN DIEGO. 

THOUSANDS OF PAGES SHOW CHOPRA COMMUNICATED WITH EPSTEIN OVER THE YEARS. NOW, U-C-S-D SAYS CHOPRA’S AFFILIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY WILL END AT THE END OF JUNE. 

MIDDAY EDITION HOST JADE HINDMON WAS JOINED BY VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S EDUCATION REPORTER JAKOB MCWHINNEY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE DOCUMENTS SHOW.

EPSTEIN 1 (midday) (4:21)

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How and when did we first find out that Chopra was included in the Epstein files? Yeah, our first indication came in December with the release of about 20,000 documents and from the house oversight committee.

Those those documents showed that Chopra and Epstein met at least a dozen times from 2016 to 2019 and it's important to note that Chopra and Epstein's relationship began already about a decade after Epstein was arrested arrested for soliciting sex with a minor. And that sweetheart deal back in 2008 during which he was incarcerated at this kind of Cushy prison that allowed him to leave for 12 hours at a time.

Um really kind of set the stage for the whole scandal that we're living through now. In one email between the two men, Epstein shared a link to a 2016 article about a woman who had dropped a civil lawsuit claiming that President Donald Trump had raped her at a sex party hosted by Epstein. How old? I'm sorry. How old? a woman who said that as as a 13-year-old President Donald Trump had raped her. And as And as an adult she Yes, exactly.

So Chopra responded to that email and said that she also dropped the civil case against you. Epstein responded saying yup and Chopra responded good. What kind of rhetoric is used to describe women? Sure. Now just a disclaimer here, you know, there is lots of conversation about girls. It's unclear exactly what they mean by girls, whether these are you know minors.

In addition to that, you know, just being included in the Epstein files, having interacted with him or exchanged messages with him does not by itself mean that somebody has engaged in wrong doing. But that being said, they contain quite a few examples of sort of disturbing language regarding girls and women in one text conversation that I just read Do first you know if they're directed, which the comments if they're directed at girls or women? It's difficult to tell.

I mean, you know, the phrase girls, I think, colloquially can be used to refer to either. And there are not necessarily ages included in these emails, so it's it's difficult to tell.

In one conversation that I referenced earlier, the pair, well, redacted number who appears to be Epstein speaks to Chopra about a girl that he picked up on the street and the person then text Chopra about his Chopra's interaction with the girl that quote I like to watch watching you zero in on your pray made me smile.

In response, Chopra texted back, "I'm not a predator, just a lover." Uh, how has Chopra publicly responded to the release of these files and his name being in them? Yeah, he has responded with a social media post in which he says, um, quote, "I was never involved in nor did I participate in any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and unrelated to abusive activity.

But he also wrote that some past email exchanges have surface that reflect poor judgment in tone. I regret that and understand how they read today given what was publicly known at the time. I mean it is an example though. Chopra was just one of many, many, many wealthy, powerful, many men, but often sometimes women who decided that despite the fact that Epstein was known convicted sex criminal, that they would still interact with him.

And they would still have conversations that uh went not just from the you know sexual, but at times pretty lurid. What information have you been able to get from the university in response to the the this information and the release of recent Epstein files? The university had did not respond to multiple requests uh that I'd made prior um but they have now made a response. They emailed me that um Dr.

Chopra is currently a voluntary clinical professor without salary in the School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine uh and his expected job end date is June 30th 2026.

And uh they say, quote, "He does not have any active responsibilities at UCST or UC San Diego, nor will he have any active responsibilities at any point between now and the conclusion of the appointment term." While we are not able to comment further on personnel matters, the crimes Jeffrey Epstein committed were horrific and any association with him is regrettable.

TAG: THAT WAS VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S EDUCATION REPORTER JAKOB MCWHINNEY SPEAKING TO KPBS MIDDAY EDITION HOST JADE HINDMON

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ANOTHER PROMINENT LOCAL REPUBLICAN HAS LEFT THE G-O-P GOING INTO THIS YEAR’S ELECTION SEASON. 

FOR THIS WEEK’S WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S SCOTT LEWIS EXAMINES WHY FORMER CORONADO MAYOR RICHARD BAILEY LEFT THE PARTY BEHIND AS HE LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN FOR SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL.

BAILEY 1 (vosd) TRT (1:18) SOQ why it matters

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Bailey changed his voter registration from Republican to no party preference the same day he announced he was running.

The switch was not a surprise. He’s running for City Council District 2 and the area does not identify much with Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by 30 points over President Donald Trump.

El Cajon City Councilmember Gary Kendrik is one of the longest serving elected officials in the county and two weeks ago, he also left the Republican Party.

Unlike Kendrik, Bailey is not becoming a Democrat. In a recent interview, he refused to say whether he supported President Donald Trump. And just two years ago, Bailey was one of the leaders of the Republican Party, an active member of its local Central Committee.

He says he does not want to talk about partisan national politics at all.

"At the end of the day it wasn't the President who put the city in the position its in. It was the elected leaders at city hall and hopefully if voters agree with my platform we'll be able to have a say after November."

Bailey’s hoping to tap into resentment about new fees, deteriorating infrastructure and the homeless crisis.

But the race will be a major test.

Nicole Crosby, a former prosecutor in the city attorneys office, Josh Coyne a nonprofit leader and ocean beach activist Mandy Havlik are also running. For Voice of San Diego, I’m Scott Lewis and that’s why it matters. 

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LATE LAST YEAR, THE SAN DIEGO DISTRICT ATTORNEY ANNOUNCED A SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION AGAINST A GANG IN THE CITY'S MOUNTAIN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD. 

IN THE SECOND PART OF A TWO-PART SERIES, REPORTER J.W. AUGUST DETAILS HOW POLICE AND PROSECUTORS MADE THEIR CASE.

MICDROP PT 2 (4:33) SOC

During the summer of 2022, undercover investigators were able to capture surveillance video around Mike’s Market in San Diego’s Mountain View neighborhood. Here’s San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan describing the scene.

Summer Stephen SOT

8:14-8:22

"This wasn't just a gang-controlled area where they were selling drugs and pushing people around"

Add to it gun sales, robberies and murders. The video is the centerpiece of a 3 year effort by Stephan’s office and the San Diego Police Department gang units. Known as Operation Mic Drop.

Stephan SOT

:07-:23

"What is that going on? "It operated like a drive through, so a car could pull in, approach a gang member that was there to sell drugs, pull up alongside him, gang members would reach in, conduct the sale, and then people would go on their merry way."

Deputy District Attorney Miriam Hemming was the lead prosecutor in the effort against the members and associates of the gang, an offshoot of the Bloods gang.

Miriam Hemming SOT

10:56-11:07

“They are what is considered to be a generational gang, which is that it's kept very much within the family. You might have grandparents, uncles, cousins, brothers, etcetera that are in the gang.

And they had a dedicated customer base.

Hemming SOT

6:54-7:06

"The customers at Mike's Market stand every age and every race from the very young to the very old, everyone you can imagine.”

The neighborhood has long been heavily policed. But Stephan says it was traditional policing, responding to calls and making arrests. It was ineffective; members of the community felt unsafe. This already bad situation had gotten worse coming out of the pandemic.

Summers SOT

13:33-13:37

"Essentially holding the community hostage under siege in crime."

Henry Lee Wallace was worried. As a longtime member of the Black Panther Party, he ran a feeding program which included the addicts and homeless who circled the parking lot. He was seeing how the Market had become very dangerous

Wallace SOT

:48-53

"I did time before so I recognized a bad situation.”

:56-1:04 "Should I keep going in there feeding people knowing that this is not legal what they're doing?"

Wallace decided to shut down the feeding.

Steve Marron SOT

6:42-6:47

“There was literally in the air you could feel fear.”

Steve Marron is Pastor of The Bridge Church. Which is right across the street from the market. He and his parishioners had a direct line of sight.

Marron SOT

1:08-1:16

"People would bend over to tie their shoe and you would see that they're you know packing guns and openly selling drugs."

It was what Marron showed to the SDPD Community Affairs Officer for Mountain View. Their meetings played a key role in the decision to launch Operation Mic Drop.

Previously, If a black and white patrol car was spotted, the action moved off the street, into the store. And out of sight of the police.

But once Operation Mic Drop launched, undercover officers joined the dealers inside the market.

Omar SOT

"We did have law enforcement agents that were wearing body wires."

Gang members questioned anyone coming into the store, –Here's part of one conversation heard on undercover wire.

Wire SOT

:51-:57

“What part of town you from? Not here. I clearly just said that earlier. Where you from? Why do I matter?”

11:15-11:18

“You tryin' to send me to jail? I got kids.”

It was discovered that gangsters and two store employees were paying people cash for EBT government assistance cards, At a fraction of their true value. Ring up $200, give them $100 in cash

Omar SOT

10:18-10:24

“They would get cash in hand, and then a gang member would be there and available to sell drugs to them.”

The EBT scam led to the FBI and US Department of Agriculture joining Mic Drop … and ultimately finding more than $2 million in welfare fraud.

Summer SOT

6:07-6:12

“We brought our task force with the partners we needed to get the job done.”

The market was raided in fall of 2022.The payoff of a six-month effort that included 90 days of surveillance. In the end the DA’s Office successfully prosecuted 22 gang members and associates.

Marron SOT

“We begin to see that there was an immediate change immediately.”

And data shows the change has been lasting. Since Mic Drop, the DA’s office says there's been a 75% decrease in service calls and a 50% drop in arrests in the area surrounding the market. And no reported robberies or murders.

JW August, KPBS news.

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CONTROVERSY OVER BIKE LANES IN NORTH COUNTY CONTINUES AFTER THE ENCINITAS CITY COUNCIL UPENDED A RECENT PROJECT THIS PAST WEEK. 

PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER JAKE GOTTA SAYS THE BACK-AND-FORTH IS COSTING THE CITY MILLIONS.

ENCIBIKE 1 jg.wav [1:17] sq

Encinitas is removing a protected bike lane in front of san dieguito academy less than a year after it was installed.

The city council plans to replace it with an unprotected lane sandwiched between parked cars and traffic

Protected bike lanes running to and from the high school were built in 2025 for more than four million dollars.

But the city immediately started getting complaints, primarily over the back-in parking the redesign created.

“most of the rank and file out there drive cars and they don’t understand back in parking. They don’t– they can't use it. They don’t understand how to use it.”

That was mayor bruce ehlers at wednesday’s city council meeting. He also said emergency vehicles can’t get through because of traffic jams.

The city expects this redesign to cost more than $3 million - money that council member joy (linds) said could have gone to other important projects around town.

Linds also said there was plenty of support for keeping protected lanes on both sides of the street.

“at this special meeting there were 121 pages of written public comment submitted with over 90% supporting not wasting the taxpayer money and supporting just finishing and improving, or ‘improve not remove’,”

She was the lone vote against the reconfiguration that ultimately passed.

Jake gotta kpbs news.

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THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO HAS ROLLED OUT ITS NEW PARKING RATES FOR BALBOA PARK.  PARKING IS NOW FREE FOR SAN DIEGO RESIDENTS IN SOME LOTS.  BUT KPBS REPORTER JOHN CARROLL SAYS MUSEUM LEADERS IN THE PARK SAY EVEN THE NEW SITUATION IS UNACCEPTABLE.

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BALBOAUPDATE 1                     1:05                          SOQ

THE CITY HAS BEEN CHARGING FOR PARKING IN BALBOA PARK SINCE JANUARY FIFTH. THEY SAY SINCE THEN, THEY’VE COLLECTED ABOUT ONE MILLION DOLLARS. THAT MONEY AND FUTURE REVENUES FROM PARKING FEES WILL ALL GO TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PARK AND MAINTENANCE… INCLUDING THE MUSEUM BUILDINGS THE CITY OWNS. CITY SPOKESPERSON JOSE YSEA SAYS THE CITY CAN’T AFFORD TO BE A GOOD STEWARD OF THE PARK WITHOUT THOSE FUNDS.

“The beauty of the park is its architecture, are the buildings, and these old trees? And there's just so much history. But to preserve that history, it takes money. And these deteriorated buildings, these old buildings need to be maintained and repaired.”

BUT MUSEUM LEADERS SAY VISITOR NUMBERS HAVE BEEN WAY DOWN SINCE THE FEES WENT INTO EFFECT. AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM PRESIDENT AND CEO JIM KIDRICK SAYS IF THE FEES AREN’T ROLLED BACK, SOME MUSEUMS COULD GO UNDER. THE CITY STARTED ISSUING WARNING NOTICES MONDAY TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T PAY FOR PARKING. THEY SAY THEY’LL START ISSUING TICKETS ON MARCH 16TH. JC, 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 really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!