San Diego’s youngest students will have less access to screens next year

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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson, it’s THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH>>>>  [SOME OF SAN DIEGO’S YOUNGEST STUDENTS WILL HAVE LESS ACCESS TO SCREENS NEXT YEAR ]More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….########

AN EFFORT TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY AROUND LOBBYING SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IS MOVING FORWARD.

THE COUNCIL’S RULES COMMITTEE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO HAVE CITY STAFF DRAFT THE  PROPOSED ORDINANCE

THE ORDINANCE WOULD BAN CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALL REGISTERED LOBBYISTS 

AND WOULD  REQUIRE  WRITTEN DISCLOSURE REPORTS FOR ANY PERSON OR GROUP SPENDING MORE THAN A 1,000-DOLLARS TO INFLUENCE A LOCAL DECISION

THE LIMIT IS CURRENTLY 5,000 DOLLARS

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A REPORT RECENTLY FOUND THAT SAN DIEGO SPLITTING FROM S-D-G-&-E COULD BE QUOTE FEASIBLE … BUT IT WOULD COME AT A STEEP, INITIAL COST

THE REPORT WHICH WAS PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOUND THAT IF SAN DIEGO SWITCHES OVER TO A PUBLICALLY-OWNED POWER UTILITY IT COULD SAVE RATE PAYERS ROUGHLY SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS ACROSS THIRTY YEARS …

THE TRANSITION HOWEVER HAS AN ESTIMATED COST OF ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN UPFRONT COSTS AND AN ESTIMATED EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS TO MAKE THE SWITCH HAPPEN

THE REPORT SAYS THE TRANSITION COULD TAKE ANYWHERE FROM TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS TO COMPLETE

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ON TUESDAY NIGHT, THE 20-26 N-B-A DRAFT TOOK PLACE AND HISTORY WAS MADE 

WITH THE 21ST PICK IN THE DRAFT, NINETEEN YEAR-OLD KARIM LOPEZ FROM HERMOSILLA {AIR-MO-SEEYA} BECAME THE FIRST MEXICAN-BORN FIRST-ROUND PICK IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA

LOPEZ WAS OVERCOME WITH EMOTIONS FROM BEING DRAFTED, CALLING IT SUPER SPECIAL 

WHILE FIGHTING BACK TEARS KARIM THANKED HIS MOTHER WHO SAT ALONGSIDE HIM FOR HER CONSTANT SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY 

LOPEZ’S LOVE FOR HIS HOME COUNTRY WAS EVIDENT AS THE INTERIOR LINING OF HIS DRAFT SUIT FEATURED MEXICO’S FLAG AND OTHER HOMAGES TO MEXICAN CULTURE AND HIS FAITH

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’S YOUNGEST STUDENTS WILL HAVE LESS ACCESS TO SCREENS IN SCHOOL NEXT YEAR. THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED A RESOLUTION THIS WEEK [Tuesday] KICKING OFF A REVIEW OF CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY USE. 

EDUCATION REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS PARENTS ARE STILL PUSHING FOR TIGHTER RESTRICTIONS.

SCREENSFOLO1 0:55 SOQ

This fall, students will no longer have access to YouTube or gaming platforms on their school laptops. Students in transitional kindergarten won’t have Chromebooks in their classrooms.

The district also plans to create grade-level guidelines and time limits for using laptops. The move comes after months of advocacy by local parents.

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It is a great first step toward future, measured reform.

Erin Payne, with Schools Beyond Screens, says they’ll keep pushing for:

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ERIN PAYNE, SCHOOLS BEYOND SCREENS SAN DIEGO

Age appropriate reform for middle and high school students who also suffer from excessive screen time just as our youngest kiddos do, a real moratorium on all student-facing generative AI, and public disclosure of technology investments, because this is a public, taxpayer funded institution, after all.

District leaders plan to set time limits for laptops by winter break. The district’s technology teams say they’ll give an update to the board in January.

Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

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AN INITIATIVE TO HELP SAN DIEGANS AT RISK OF LOSING FOOD ASSISTANCE IS GOING TO A VOTE BEFORE THE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TODAY (THURSDAY).

THE COUNTY SAYS OVER 93 THOUSAND LOCAL RESIDENTS COULD HAVE THEIR CALFRESH BENEFITS REDUCED OR ELIMINATED IN THE NEXT YEAR. REPORTER JACOB AERE TELLS US ABOUT THE PROPOSED COUNTY INITIATIVE.

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SAFETYNET 1 (ja) :56

As of June first, many who receive food benefits now have to prove they’ve satisfied new federal work requirements

The county says this could lead to thousands of local residents having their food benefits reduced or eliminated.

In response, Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe is proposing the Safety Net Bridge Program.

It would use 1 million dollars in the county’s upcoming yearly budget to add food distribution events at six sites.

“Working alongside Feeding Sd and Sd foodbank we will bring food directly into communities expected to be hit hardest by hr1. We will follow the data and adjust as needed to make sure resources are reaching people who need them the most”

If approved, the additional food distribution events will be held at library branches, community centers, and family resource centers.

The proposed sites are in El Cajon, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Kearny Mesa and two locations in Spring Valley. JA KPBS News.

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TIJUANA RESIDENTS MAY HAVE TO RATION WATER THIS SUMMER. A WATER SUPPLY CRISIS IS PUSHING CITY LEADERS TO LOOK INTO RECYCLING SEWAGE FOR DRINKING. ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS THIS WEEK, THEY VISITED OCEANSIDE TO LEARN ABOUT A DROUGHT-PROOF SOLUTION.

TJWATER 1 trt: 1:05 soq

This week, some residents in Tijuana had their water cut off. It’s become a common occurrence.

Tijuana Councilmember Gina Arana says that’s because pipes break repeatedly.

TJWATER 1a 00:03

“Por esos hacen los cierres porque nos estamos quedando sin agua.”

She says the city is running out of water.

And the Colorado River, the city’s main water source, is drying up. Arana says recycling wastewater is one way to fix the problem.

To learn from a city already doing that, she and other Baja California officials visited Oceanside’s Pure Water facility.

*Nat*

“What if you take this wastewater, right, and you clean it enough so you can drink it? Crazy idea, right? But we did it.”

Esther Sanchez is Oceanside’s mayor. She says the new water source has reduced her city’s reliance on the Colorado River. She believes the solution will work in Tijuana as it has for her city.

TJWATER 1a 00:05

“The only way to get there is through sharing information and having this ongoing dialog.”

Tijuana officials say they plan to meet with other cities in the region and Mexico that are investing in water recycling. Tammy Murga, KPBS News

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DOZENS OF IMMIGRANTS HAVE DESCRIBED HEALTH CONCERNS OR A LACK OF ADEQUATE MEDICAL CARE AT THE ICE DETENTION CENTER IN SAN DIEGO. THAT’S ACCORDING TO AN INVESTIGATION FROM OUR NONPROFIT PARTNER INEWSOURCE. REPORTER SOFÍA MEJÍAS (mah-HEE-is) PASCOE (pass-CO) HAS THE STORY. 

OTAY (inews)  TRT: 4:13   SOQ

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MEJIAS-PASCOE: During President Donald Trump’s second term, calls for emergency medical care to the Otay Mesa Detention Center happen about two to three times a week.

911: Tell me exactly what’s happening. We have a detainee here that is constantly seizing and does not stop. <4 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: A month later. Another call from Otay Mesa staff to 911.

911: What’s wrong with the patient? I have a pregnant female with abdominal pain. <4 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: And more recently.

911: What’s the chief complaint? She has a miscarriage. <4 seconds.

MEJIAS-PASCOE: The calls provide a rare window into a facility that has received a growing number of complaints as the president tries to bring mass deportations to San Diego. One 24-year-old from Norway who spent nine days at Otay Mesa said she feared for her life.

ENGAN: I knew it was possible that I wouldn’t make it out. <3 seconds>

MEJIAS PASCOE: That’s Hanne Engan. She came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2022. She met Joshua Daguman while playing volleyball. He’s a U.S. citizen, and now her husband. At an appointment in November for Engan’s green card application, everything at first went fine. Then ICE agents arrested her. Here’s the husband.

DAGUMAN: My first thought was, Where is she going? And how do I stop it? <4 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: Engan has Type 1 diabetes. She needs insulin to manage her blood sugar level, and without it, she could die. But inside Otay Mesa, Engan said she had to beg medical staff to give her insulin. When they did, it wasn’t at the right times, she said. One morning after breakfast–

ENGAN: I start feeling very very very sick. I'm nauseous. My vision is blurry. I can barely stand up, like I fall down when I try to get up multiple times. Like I black out. <12 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: When she was seen by medical staff that day, she said her blood sugar had spiked far above what doctors say is safe.

William Weber is a doctor in Minneapolis with the Medical Justice Alliance, which advocates for improved health care in detention settings.

WEBER: “It feels like a handbook of like what not to do with the type one diabetic. <4 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: At another point, Engan said she was moved to a single cell in the medical department to receive treatment. She called it solitary confinement.

ENGAN: For two hours, I'm trying to bang on the door and ask for help, and it's just very stressful. I just felt ignored and unsafe. <11 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: CoreCivic, the private prison company that manages Otay Mesa, said it does not use solitary confinement. Instead, it uses medical housing units when – quote – “closer medical observation is warranted.”

Engan said she was held in one such unit for five days — at times confined for stretches lasting more than 24 hours. Her meals arrived through a slot in the door. She was allowed one shower during that time. And while her treatment improved there, it came at a cost.

ENGAN: I was already like losing my mind. <3 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: In court records, inewsource has identified dozens of immigrants who have mentioned health concerns or inadequate care at the detention center. One man said he had a heart attack while detained and feared he would die in custody. One woman said she was given the wrong medication by staff.

Katherine McKenzie is a professor at the Yale School of Medicine and director of itsthe Yale Center for Asylum Medicine. She said people with serious conditions like Engan’s are generally harder to treat inside detention centers.

MCKENZIE: They are just not well equipped to care for people who are chronically ill or acutely ill. <6 seconds>

MEJIAS-PASCOE: Spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security declined multiple requests for an interview with inewsource. Same for CoreCivic. In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said that medical care in its detention centers Otay Mesa’s medical care is the best that many immigrants have received in their entire lives.

A spokesperson for CoreCivic said they take seriously their responsibility to care for patients and that medical, mental health and emergency services are available to detainees. The spokesperson added that diabetics like Engan are given blood sugar tests and insulin “when indicated” but did not respond to specific allegations about her care.

For KPBS, I’m inewsource reporter Sofia Mejias-Pascoe

TAG: JAKE KINCAID CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT. INEWSOURCE IS AN INDEPENDENTLY FUNDED, NONPROFIT PARTNER OF KPBS.

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NEXT WEDNESDAY IS THE START OF THE NEW FISCAL YEAR IN SAN DIEGO. AND CHANGES ARE COMING TO THE CITY'S PARKS AND RECREATION CENTERS.

METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN JOINED ANCHOR DEBBIE CRUZ TO RECAP HOW THE NEW BUDGET WILL IMPACT CITY SERVICES. 

PARKSANDARTS ME (4:46) SOQ: “even next year.”

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[00:00]

Andrew, what might city residents notice after July 1st? So some recreation centers will see their hours reduced. other rec centers will actually have the same hours and the city uses a pretty complex data based on neighborhood demographics or utilization rates of those rec centers to determine which ones have the remaining hours and which ones will be reduced and how to make those decisions equitably. Uh you know, it's summer now and most kids are out of school.

[00:29]

So these These rec centers give those kids something to do. They're really important social infrastructure. There's art classes, sports, dance, there's programming for seniors. And so, while this programming isn't going away entirely, it is being significantly reduced in some areas. And just to be clear, nobody likes this. The city does, you know, it's legally required to balance its budget. It cannot spend more money than it takes in in a given year.

[00:57]

And this deficit that the city was has been building for many years. it's an unhappy situation for everyone. How do these budget cuts translate to actual jobs in the city's parks and rec department? So, the parks and rec department is actually losing more positions than any other department at the city. The original budget proposal that was released by the mayor in May had about 90 positions cut from parks and rec.

[01:27]

That eventually got whittled down to a little over 50 positions. Uh, most uh, or, you know, the largest number of those positions that are going to be gone or unfunded in the budget are uh the people, the staff who run the rec center programming. In addition, however, there are also positions related to turf maintenance, tree maintenance at parks, um public bathroom maintenance, and park rangers.

[01:51]

So, you might have noticed not just impacts to, you know, rec center program, but also just how nice and how well maintained the parks are. Um, some of these positions that are being unfunded in the budget to balance the budget are actually vacant currently. And so the funding has gone from the department but no one is actually being laid off in those cases. Other positions are filled and those employees might be laid off. They might also be able to move into another vacant position at the city if they are qualified for that position.

[02:22]

And there was also a big debate over arts funding in the city budget. Remind us what happened there. Yeah, Mayor Todd Gloria's first draft budget did in uh released in April, totally eliminated all grant funding for uh the city's arts and culture organizations. That totaled about $12 million. Um and so it represents about a half a percent of the city's total general fund spending, not a huge amount, you know, when you think of how big the city's budget is.

[02:51]

t Shortly before the city council budget vote, two council members announced a deal. And what they had proposed was keeping $6 million in grant funding for the arts coming from the city budget. And the county of San Diego and the Prebys Foundation each pledged $3 million in matching funds.

[03:21]

This was so it was conditioned on the city approving that $6 million. Each of these other entities would put in another $3 million and that would take us back to the $12 million in arts funding that um should be available to uh those organizations in the coming 12 months. So, how did the city council find this additional funding for arts in the budget? It actually has to do with the San Diego Convention Center.

[03:43]

So, the city is still paying off bonds that it issued more than 20 years ago to expand the Convention Center, and it has a payment uh due on that debt in the coming fiscal year of about 12 million. So, instead of making that payment on that debt from the city's general fund. The city council decided to make it from the pot of money that is being raised by Measure C. Now, Measure C was a ballot measure in 2020. It raised the city's hotel tax.

[04:13]

And uh, you know, Measure C was intended to fund another convention center expansion in addition to road repair and homelessness. At least these were the issues that were sold to voters as reasons to vote for it.

[04:34]

, so this decision to divert some of the money from Measure C to pre-existing debt rather than um paying, you know, saving money for a future expansion of the convention center, um it is allowed. It's legal. There's no question about that. Um, but the mayor says that it is unsustainable in the long term and that's because the convention center has many capital needs.

[04:55]

Uh, it has a lot of maintenance needs and, you know, the this money for that measure C can't be just continuously used as this little budget trick to maintain arts funding. So what this really means is arts organizations are just going to have to keep on fighting to defend their funding in the city budget even next year.

ME TAG: THAT WAS METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SPEAKING WITH ANCHOR DEBBIE CRUZ.

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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth and  hosted and produced by me, Lawrence K. Jackson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great day/weekend.