South Bay’s first community-owned grocery store now open

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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson…it’s WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH>>>> [THERE’S A NEW OPTION FOR FRESH FOOD IN IMPERIAL BEACH}More on that next. But first... the headlines…#######

FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS IN CALIFORNIA ARE STILL ALLOWED TO COVER THEIR FACES AFTER A FEDERAL JUDGE’S RULING THIS WEEK. 

JUDGE CHRISTINA SNYDER SAYS THE RECENT STATE LAW BANNING MASKS UNFAIRLY TARGETED FEDERAL AGENTS BY EXEMPTING STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT.  

THE JUDGE HOWEVER DID APPROVE A MEASURE REQUIRING FEDERAL AGENTS TO HAVE THEIR I-D'S OUT WITH THEIR AGENCY AND BADGE NUMBER CLEARLY PRESENT AND VISIBLE

THE RECENT RULING COULD HAVE NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS AS STATES WORK TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ENGAGE WITH FEDERAL AGENTS WHO ARE ENFORCING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

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ONE OF THE LONGEST-SERVING REPUBLICANS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS NOW A DEMOCRAT 

GARY KENDRICK'S BEEN AN EL CAJON CITY COUNCILMAN SINCE 2 

THOUSAND AND TWO 

SAN DIEGO’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY SAID KENDRICK ONCE CONSIDERED HIMSELF TO BE A LIFELONG REPUBLICAN, WINNING HIS LAST ELECTION BY SECURING EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF VOTES

HOWEVER, KENDRICK NOW SAYS TODAY'S REPUBLICAN PARTY IS NO LONGER GROUNDED IN THE ECONOMIC OR PERSONAL WELL-BEING OF THE PEOPLE HE SWORE AN OATH TO SERVE 

KENDRICK ADDED THAT MOMENTS OF CONSEQUENCE CALL FOR CLARITY AND ACTION AND SAYS HE IS FORMALLY RENOUNCING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY 

GARY KENDRICK WILL NOW RUN AS A DEMOCRAT THIS UPCOMING NOVEMBER 

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HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SHOWED SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT AT THE END OF LAST YEAR IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND CALIFORNIA AS A WHOLE

THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS FOUND FIFTEEN PERCENT OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY HOUSEHOLDS COULD AFFORD TO PURCHASE A MEDIAN-PRICED HOME IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 20-25 

THAT'S A SLIGHT JUMP UP FROM JUST TWELVE PERCENT IN 20-24

THE REALTORS ASSOCIATION CREDITS THIS TREND TO A COOLING IN MARKET COMPETITION WHICH LOWERS BORROWING COSTS…. ULTIMATELY ALLOWING FOR MORE CALIFORNIANS TO QUALIFY FOR A MORTGAGE 

ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE DECLINE: 

INTEREST RATES DROPPING TO THEIR LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 20-22

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SAN DIEGO COUNTY HOME PAYMENT ACCORDING TO THE  THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN 6 THOUSAND DOLLARS

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 FIRST COMMUNITY-OWNED GROCERY STORE IN SAN DIEGO’S SOUTH BAY IS NOW OPEN.

REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS SOME RESIDENTS IN IMPERIAL BEACH ARE EXCITED THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THEIR CITY FOR WHAT THEY SAY ARE NUTRITIOUS FOOD OPTIONS.

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IBGROCOPEN1 (ja) :50

After a decade of waiting … the shelves and aisles are full … and customers are shopping at Imperial Beach's SunCoast Market Co-op. It's bringing more food options to the community which lacks a full-service grocery store.

Kim Rivero Frink is Board President with the market.

She says the movement for the Co-op was born after Trader Joe’s and Sprouts said they wouldn’t expand to Imperial Beach.

“We didn't have a lot of access to really fresh, quality produce; healthy prepared foods. So we created a grocery store for the community that is by the people and for the people.”

Rivero Frink says many residents used to drive out of town to buy groceries.

SunCoast Market sells local and organic products, bulk bin items … and food from hot and cold bars. JA KPBS News.

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FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SAN DIEGO COUNTY IS CLOSING ITS WAITLIST FOR SECTION 8 HOUSING VOUCHERS. 

REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THIS TYPE OF HOUSING ASSISTANCE  HAS BEEN STAGNANT IN RECENT YEARS.

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SECTION8 1 (ab) 0:45 soq

AB: The county and city of San Diego have separate agencies that distribute housing vouchers, which help low-income families afford rent. Both agencies announced recently their voucher waitlists will be closing in order to better serve the applicants already in the queue. Nick Martinez of the county's Housing and Community Development Services says someone selected today would have spent an average of 18 years waiting for a voucher.

NM: We're not able to select people from the waitlist, we haven't selected from the waitlist since 2022. So the limited funding that we receive from HUD allows us to support the families that are already on the program, but doesn't allow us to add new families to the program.

AB: The county's housing voucher waitlist officially closes on February 20. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

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A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THEIR R-V’S HAVE FORMED A NEW UNION TO PRESS THEIR DEMANDS WITH THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO.  

THEY SAY SAN DIEGO POLICE INDISCRIMINATELY TICKET THEIR RVs… 

REPORTER JOHN CARROLL WAS AT A PROTEST THE GROUP HELD OUTSIDE SAN DIEGO CITY HALL YESTERDAY

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RVRALLY 1                            1:09                               SOQ

((NATS PROTEST))

MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY FORMED SAN DIEGO RV RESIDENTS UNION MADE THEIR DEMANDS LOUD AND CLEAR IN CIVIC CENTER PLAZA. THEY SAY THE CITY IS VIOLATING TERMS OF A 2024 SETTLEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO TICKETING THEIR RVs… TICKETS THEY SAY RUN AROUND 170-DOLLARS A PIECE… UNION MEMBER FRANCES YASMEEN-MOTIWALLA SAYS THAT’S UNAFFORDABLE FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN THEIR RVs.

“These are hardworking San Diegans who are trying to put food into their kids' bellies just like all of us. Right now, they're getting penalized nightly, sometimes twice in the same night. They've gotten ticketed. And all the money that they're making trying to survive is then going into these parking tickets.”

THE CITY SAYS IT HAS CREATED SAFE SPACES TO PARK RVs OVERNIGHT AND THAT IT HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO INSIST PEOPLE AVAIL THEMSELVES OF RESOURCES MEANT TO GET THEM INTO PERMANENT HOUSING. THEY SAY THEY’LL CONTINUE TO ENFORCE PARKING ORDINANCES. JC, KPBS NEWS.

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LAST YEAR, THE WINNER OF ‘AMERICA’S GOT TALENT’ WAS CHULA VISTA-BORN JESSICA SANCHEZ. ALMOST TWENTY YEARS AGO, SHE WAS ON THE VERY FIRST SEASON OF THE SHOW AS AN ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD.

REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS HER RETURN IS A COMEBACK STORY ROOTED IN HOMETOWN PRIDE.

JSANCHEZ 4:55 SOQ

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Jessica Sanchez’s earliest performances probably aren’t the ones you’re thinking of.

Jessica Sanchez

 I even did like a, like a mini concert. I think at Eastlake Middle School I did like a seafood city competition. I think a national city and a, a couple other ones I definitely made my rounds around San Diego

Jessica is from the South Bay. She grew up going to these places — Eastlake Middle School in Chula Vista, and Seafood City, the Filipino supermarket, in National City.

Jessica is the daughter of Filipino and Mexican American parents. And she grew up especially close to her Filipino roots.

Ana Labao Cabato

 For Filipinos, from cradle to grave, you'll always be exposed to music.

 That's Anamaria Labao Cabato. She’s the executive director of PASACAT, San Diego's oldest Philippine performing arts organization. She's describing something she's heard other cultural arts experts say. Ana says many Filipino kids grow up surrounded by music.

Ana Labao Cabato

And especially with the, um, development of the karaoke machine, all the kids were taught to sing.

Jessica didn't always like being the center of attention. Sometimes she stared at the floor while she performed, so she wouldn't have to look at anyone. But she loved to sing.

SOT

When she was 11, Jessica made it onto the very first season of America’s Got Talent. She didn’t make it very far. But she resolved to keep trying. She recorded Youtube covers from her childhood bedroom. And auditioned for other competitions.

At 16, her work paid off. Jessica made it onto another show — American Idol. She captivated her hometown and ended up finishing second to Philip Phillips.

SOT

It was her breakout moment. Jessica left home and moved to Los Angeles with a record deal. In 2013, she released her first album.

But Los Angeles was a little overwhelming. A lot of people around Jessica had their own ideas about what she should sing and how she should dress — about who she should be.

Jessica Sanchez

 I remember guys that were like managers or like producers and stuff like that, that would tell me like, oh, like, you know, we could see you being like this sexy Asian girl, you know, and I'm just like, this is, this is really weird that you're like trying to put me in this like box

 Ana, the San Diego arts leader, says young artists – especially young women of color – often face these pressures.

Ana Labao Cabato

Sometimes as a young person, you don't know how to process what's being thrown at you. So you, you just do what you're, you're asked to do because who are you to question authority and elders?

To Jessica, it felt like the industry was trying to make her into someone else. Even though she was still trying to figure out who she was.

Jessica Sanchez

 Everything was just like a downward spiral. [...] I don't know if I can do this. I really wanna do this. I, I love music and I wanna become a performer and a singer, but I don't know if I can do that.

Jessica decided to take a step back from everything. She went home to do a show in National City.

 Back in her hometown, Jessica was able to slow down. She met her now-husband. Found a deeper relationship with Christianity. And continued to reflect on her purpose as an artist.

The years went by. Jessica and her husband moved to Houston. She started thinking about whether it might be time to move on from music altogether.

Then she heard the news. America's Got Talent was back for its 20th season. Almost two decades after she first appeared on the show. It felt like a sign.

Around the same time, she learned she was pregnant.

Jessica Sanchez

 I kind of feel like there was this sense of peace of like, okay, I feel like it's been so many years and [...] I'm gonna be a mom now and this is a new season in my life. This is a new thing. And, and I talked to God about it and I was like, if this is what he wants, he'll make it happen. If not, then it won't happen.

 Jessica blew through the audition. She advanced through quarter-finals and semi-finals. In September, she reached the final round.

Jessica Sanchez

 I was kind of like scrambling of like, okay, how am I gonna make this, my own rendition instead of it sounding like karaoke, you know? but that song is, it is such a beautiful song and, and kind of, I poured out all of my emotions and like a mix of like grit, but also gentleness.

Back home, Ana was watching.

ANA

You can even hear it in her voice. It was so soulful and it's, it's like you could sense that she knew who she was now.

 SOT: AGT WINNER -- "America has voted. The AGT champion, and the winner of one million dollars is... Jessica Sanchez."

Jessica credits San Diego for giving her the confidence to come back. Even away, in LA or Houston, she says she still carries that sense of support and multicultural pride.

One day, she says, she’ll come home for good.

Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

TAG: TO HEAR MORE OF JESSICA’S STORY, YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE FINEST, AT KPBS DOT ORG.

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HENRIK IBSEN’S PLAY HEDDA GABLER (HED-uh GAHB-luhr) SPARKED CONTROVERSY IN 1891  FOR CREATING A FEMALE CHARACTER WHO DEFIED 19TH-CENTURY NORMS AND CHALLENGED SOCIETAL EXPECTATIONS FOR WOMEN. OVER THE WEEKEND, THE OLD GLOBE  THEATRE OPENED ITS NEWLY COMMISSIONED TRANSLATION OF THE PLAY WHICH WILL RUN UNTIL MARCH 15TH. 

ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO BRINGS US THIS PREVIEW.

HEDDA (ba) 4:04 SOQ

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Hedda Gabler may be 135 years old but she is still turning heads. Henrik Ibsen’s play has inspired countless theater productions as well as dozens of TV and movie adaptations. Just last year, Tessa Thompson starred as the mercurial title character.

CLIP Sometimes I can't help myself. I just do things all of a sudden on a whim. I don't know why.

BARRY EDELSTEIN It's the female Hamlet in many ways, the contemporary female Hamlet.

Barry Edelstein is directing Katie Holmes as Hedda Gabler at The Old Globe. It’s a period play but one that has not lost its bite.

BARRY EDELSTEIN …It's very much a feminist play about a woman whose options are circumscribed in a world of men and the behaviors she is then driven to in order to survive. The critique of the patriarchy is very much still there, but it resonates in a larger context now about a free spirit, a woman of imagination, a woman of wit and irony, a woman of desires for greatness, being put in a box by a world that isn't really comfortable with that.

KATIE HOLMES I think that female rage resonates. Time and time again, right?

Holmes says Hedda, in all her complexity, resonates today.

KATIE HOLMES There's pieces of her experience on that stage, I think, that are very relatable emotionally. Obviously, there's a lot of big metaphors and a lot of actions that seem demonic. But what we've tried to do is give perspective on her perspective.

Helping provide that perspective is playwright Erin Cressida Wilson who was commissioned to create a new translation of the play. In tackling Ibsen’s text, she noticed that in some ways little has changed since the 1890s.

ERIN CRESSIDA WILSON I think that we think that we've come so far as women, and we have, but we all know that we also have not at all… I think that we all relate to Hedda Gabler. And part of it is that she has complex desires, and we relate to that. And we relate also to the world saying, You're not supposed to be that complex… So that's why I call it the kaleidoscope of Hedda.

KATIE HOLMES…Yeah, exactly. She's not one thing.

Holmes appreciates how Wilson has adapted the play.

KATIE HOLMES… I think Erin has this way of getting to the heart of things. In a very direct way, but it's still subtle and gives us room to play. She really brings this character more, to me, more off the page and more present to today's world.

Edelstein adds that Ibsen is known as the father of modern theater.

BARRY EDELSTEIN … He was the first writer to bring psychological realism onto the stage… Recognizable people that are not Kings and Queens… but just regular folks dealing with regular problems, people who are struggling, people who are difficult, people who change their minds, people who are trying to figure out their place in the bigger world. And Hedda Gabler is one of his masterpieces.

Wilson agrees.

ERIN CRESSIDA WILSON I mean, he's really good. That's it. He's psychological. He's funny. He lasts through time, through decades, through centuries. And he's entertaining while being very, very cruel and hard.

BARRY EDELSTEIN …What I love about it is Ibsen is really willing to have characters say to each other what they really mean. There's no sheen of politeness about it. I'm really enjoying the bluntness of it and the frankness of it and the in your face nature of it. It's fun. It's exhilarating.

ERIN CRESSIDA WILSON .. And I just tried to mind that aspect of Ibsen, who was my collaborator. I got to work with him, which is such a blessing.

You can see the fruits of that collaboration in this latest production of Hedda Gabler at the Globe. 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 have a great day.