San Diego sues recycling company over noise, air pollution allegations
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH
>>>> [COMPLAINTS ABOUT A RECYCLING COMPANY DATE BACK 6 YEARS… NOW SAN DIEGO IS SUING}More on that next. But first... the headlines…########
TIME IS ALMOST UP FOR SAN DIEGANS WHO HAVE YET TO SELECT THEIR TRASH SERVICE AND BIN SIZE
ELIGIBLE RESIDENTS HAVE A DEADLINE OF MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO LOG IN TO THE CITY’S NEW RESIDENTIAL WASTE COLLECTION SERVICES PORTAL
THE WEBSITE FOR THAT IS WASTEPORTAL.SANDIEGO.GOV
THE PORTAL WILL ALLOW RESIDENTS TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT UNIQUE TO THEIR PROPERTY. TWO MAILERS CONTAINING THE UNIQUE PROPERTY CODE FOR OWNERS WERE SENT OUT THIS YEAR
RESIDENTS WHO CAN’T LOCATE THE MAILER OR CODE CAN SEND AN EMAIL TO TRASH AT SAN DIEGO DOT GOV FOR NEXT STEPS
IF NO SELECTION IS MADE VIA THE PORTAL, A 95-GALLON TRASH AND RECYCLING BIN WILL BE ASSIGNED TO YOU
CITY CREWS WILL BEGIN DELIVERING BINS STARTING OCTOBER 6TH
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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS PLANS TO BUILD NEARLY TEN MILES OF NEW BORDER BARRIERS ALONG THE SAN DIEGO-MEXICAN BORDER
HOMELAND S ECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM ISSUED WAIVERS TO EXEMPT THE PROJECT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
THAT DECISION IS BEING CHALLENGED BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS
FUNDS WILL COME FROM TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT.’ THE MASSIVE SPENDING BILL DIRECTED 46 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO BORDER SECURITY CONSTRUCTION
THE LONGEST STRETCH WILL RUN MORE THAN 7 MILES BETWEEN OTAY MESA AND TECATE
THE ADMINISTRATION ALSO PLANS TO BUILD LESS THAN A MILE OF SECONDARY BARRIER EAST OF THE OTAY MESA PORT OF ENTRY
CREWS WILL ALSO ADD ROADS, LIGHTING AND SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ALONG EXISTING BARRIERS FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN OVER TO JACUMBA (HA-COOM-BUH) HOT SPRINGS
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A DECADES OLD CALIFORNIA PERK WILL SOON BE COMING TO AN END ACCORDING TO THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
THE CLEAN AIR VEHICLE DECAL PROGRAM ALLOWS OR I SHOULD SAY ALLOWED SOLO DRIVERS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO USE CARPOOL LANES
CONGRESS CHOSE NOT TO EXTEND THE H-O-V LANE EXEMPTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT
E-V DRIVERS HAVE A 60-DAY GRACE PERIOD STARTING OCTOBER 1ST BEFORE C-H-P OFFICERS BEGIN ENFORCING AND TICKETING THE CHANGE
THE PROGRAM WAS POPULAR AMONG EV OWNERS FOR SAVING ON COMMUTE TIME AND PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TRANSPORTATION
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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BARRIO LOGAN RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT A RECYCLING COMPANY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR AT LEAST SIX YEARS.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS NOW SUING THE COMPANY.
RECYCLER 1 trt: 1:02 SOQ
Loud pounding from dismantling cars and construction work. Rumbling vibrations from trucks starting early in the morning. Diesel trucks idling throughout the day near homes.
Those are some of the complaints Barrio Logan residents have had against their neighbor, SA Recycling. Julie Corrales has advocated for separating industry from homes in Barrio Logan.
“It definitely affected their quality of life.”
SA Recycling sits across the street from multiple single-family homes and apartments.
In its lawsuit, the San Diego City Attorney’s Office alleges the scrap metal recycler is violating permitting law and creating a public nuisance.
“So that's encouraging cause a lot of times it felt like this was all falling on deaf ears at the city.”
SA Recycling said in a statement, in part, quote, “We are confident the facts will show that our operations are permitted and not a nuisance.” Tammy Murga, KPBS News
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FORMER STATE SENATE LEADER TONI ATKINS HAS DROPPED OUT OF THE 2026 CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR'S RACE.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE SAN DIEGO DEMOCRAT FACED TOUGH ODDS.
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ATKINS 1 (ab) 0:35 SOQ
AB: Atkins is pretty widely known in San Diego. Voters here elected her to the City Council, and the state Assembly and Senate. But she wasn't a household name across California. Despite having more than $4 million in her campaign account, polling suggested her support was in the single digits. Atkins posted to Instagram QUOTE "there is simply no viable path forward to victory." Other high profile candidates for governor include former Congresswoman Katie Porter, former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state attorney general and US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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DUST STORMS ARE A GROWING PART OF LIFE IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY AND EASTERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY.
REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SPOKE TO ONE SCIENTIST ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN STAY SAFE.
DUSTTIPS :49 SOQ
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From far away, the largest storms can look like they’re from another world — towering walls of dust that can reach as high as 10,000 feet.
They carry tons of tiny particles that can get into our lungs.
But experts say there are several things you can do today to prepare and protect yourself.
20250922_dusttips_william porter / 15:46
A good mask um is always going to be effective for cleaning out those particles before they get into your into your body.
William Porter is a professor with UC Dust, a research team that studies dust storms. If you have to be outside, he says wearing an N95 mask will help a lot.
If you can, Porter says you should try and stay inside as much as possible.
Finally, he says people should consider making a DIY air filter.
20250922_dusttips_william porter / 16:27
DIY filters, you know, just basically just the HVAC filters duct tape to a box fan can be really effective at bringing down particulate levels indoors.
Porters says you can build your own air filter for less than a hundred dollars.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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DESPITE ITS DESIGNATION AS TREE CITY USA … POWAY IS CUTTING DOWN HUNDREDS OF TREES.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN SAYS IT’S TO HELP WITH WILDFIRE EVACUATIONS.
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POWAYTREES 1 (an) TRT: 0:52 SOQ
NATS tree trimming
This project was years in the making.
Poway got nearly 2 million dollars
NATS more tree trimming
From FEMA Hazardous Tree Removal Mitigation grants to remove mostly dead or dying treeson two major evacuation routes in the city.
Poway was devastated by wildfires in the past, namely the Cedar Fire in 2003 and the Witch Creek Fire in 2007.
NATPOP 7180 07;29;59;06 → 07;30;01;20 “It absolutely could be a matter of life and death.”
Jenna Stein is the city's Emergency Preparedness Program Manager.
SOT 7180 07;29;11;28 → 07;29;23;26CG: Jenna Stein // Poway’s Emergency Preparedness Program Manager“We lost homes during both of those fires and the threat continues to this day. It's a part of where we live. The countryside is beautiful, but there is an inherent fire risk.”
The main areas where trees will be removed are Twin Peaks Road, Espola Road, and Green Valley Open Space.
The city hopes to have most of the trees removed by the end of the year.
AN/KPBS
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FOR DECADES, THE CITY OF LA MESA HAS CHIPPED AWAY AT PLANS TO REDEVELOP ITS CITY CENTER.
REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS RESIDENTS ARE READY TO SEE PROGRESS ON THE GROUND.
LIBRARY (1:01) SOC (SS)
La Mesa’s City Manager Greg Humora has been working on plans for a revamped city center since the turn of the century.
The goal is to update the city’s public safety and administrative buildings in an area known as the “Civic Center.”
SOT
Greg Humora | City manager
“I'm really anxious to, keep this project moving, as quickly as possible to, you know, finish the build out of the Civic Center.”
The city made solid progress early on, building a new fire station, post office, “interim” library and police department building.
But development has slowed since 2010. The City Council reviewed an estimated timeline at last week’s council meeting to build a new city hall by 2029.
Longtime resident John Schmitz said he’s optimistic about the new plan.
SOT
John Schmitz:
“That made my heart skip a beat, because there's been no vision, no timeline at all to consider. I'm not a young man anymore — I'd like to be able to see this in my lifetime.”
Elaine Alfaro, 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!
