State lawmaker says Imperial County failed to answer key questions around data center project
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson - it’s THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH >>>> [A STATE SENATOR IS CALLING FOR A STOP TO A DATA CENTER PROJECT IN IMPERIAL COUNTY]More on that next. But first... the headlines…#######
A STUDY OUT OF U-C SAN DIEGO FINDS THAT RECENT EVENTS HAVE LED TO AN OVERALL DECREASE IN TRUST AROUND U-S ELECTIONS
JUST SIXTY PERCENT OF ALL SURVEY PARTICIPANTS SAID THEY ARE CONFIDENT THAT VOTES WILL BE COUNTED ACCURATELY IN THE UPCOMING 20-26 MIDTERMS
THAT’S DOWN FROM 77 PERCENT FOLLOWING THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
THE DECREASE IN TRUST IS SEEN ACROSS BOTH MAJOR PARTIES AND AMONG INDEPENDENTS
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20-25 WAS A RECORD SETTING YEAR FOR THE SAN DIEGO
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
MORE THAN TWENTY-FIVE MILLION PASSENGERS LAST YEAR
TRAVELED THROUGH THE AIRPORTS TERMINAL'S 1 AND 2
THOSE NUMBERS EQUATE TO THE SINGLE BUSIEST YEAR
EVER AT THE AIRPORT
THE PREVIOUS RECORD-SETTING YEAR WAS JUST LAST YEAR,
SHOWING A STEADY INCREASE IN TRAFFIC YEAR-OVER-YEAR
THE COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY CREDITS THIS IN PART
TO THE OPENING OF THE AIRPORT'S NEW TERMINAL 1
IT SAW A MORE THAN 11 PERCENT INCREASE IN TRAFFIC AS
COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD THE YEAR PRIOR
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL ALSO SAW A BOOST WHICH THE
AIRPORT SAYS IS FUELED BY EXPANDED INTERNATIONAL
FLIGHT OFFERINGS
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SNOW IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY?
A PACIFIC STORM OBVIOUSLY BROUGHT CONSISTENT RAIN
TO OUR REGION FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK
WELL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS THAT SNOW
ALSO MADE AN APPEARANCE
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE,
THREE TOTAL INCHES OF SNOW WAS REPORTED AT MOUNT
LAGUNA LODGE IN EAST COUNTY
FORECASTERS NOW SAY THAT TODAY ANOTHER PACIFIC
STORM WILL BEGIN MOVING IN, BRINGING MORE RAIN
BUT MILDER SHOWERS OVERALL
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE DRIER AND
WARMER
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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A CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER SAYS IMPERIAL COUNTY OFFICIALS FAILED TO ANSWER “CRITICAL QUESTIONS” ABOUT A CONTROVERSIAL DATA CENTER PROJECT.
IMPERIAL VALLEY REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS STATE SENATOR STEVE PADILLA IS PRESSING THE COUNTY TO HALT THE PROJECT.
IVDISPUTE (00:58) SOQ
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Padilla is a Democrat whose district includes Imperial County. Back in December, he sent a letter to the county. Asking for more information about the project’s water and energy needs — and the local planning process.
Last week, Padilla accused county officials of failing to answer his questions. He said their planning process had not been transparent.
20260213_ivdispute_steve padilla / 2:21
I've worked in land use and the public space for decades [2:41] And I can tell you that this is very odd and this is not how you do business.
The proposed computing warehouse would be massive … almost a million square feet. It’s part of a nationwide infrastructure boom around AI. Last month, KPBS reported the developers behind it are openly trying to avoid an in-depth analysis of the potential environmental impacts.
Last week, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors fired back at Padilla. In a letter, they said county staffers had met with his office and provided detailed answers about the county’s development process.
A county spokesperson did not respond to an interview request.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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FARE EVASION IN THE NORTH COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT IS ON THE RISE.
REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS THE INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE NOT PAYING FOR THEIR RIDE COINCIDES WITH THE DISTRICT’S HANDS OFF ENFORCEMENT POLICY.
FAREEVASION PT1 (4:50)
** Nat pop of train
On a Friday afternoon in January, Doug Gillingham and Dana Friehauf jumped on the North County-bound Coaster in Old Town. They were heading back to Solana Beach after a long day of bike riding.
They gladly paid the $6.50 fare for their train ride home.
Doug Gillingham SOT
“I like supporting mass transit. It's a public benefit.”
But these days riders like Gillingham and others who pay their fares on the Coaster and Sprinter have steadily decreased. Since 2023, more than a third of Coaster riders and more than half of Sprinter riders were fare evaders, according to a KPBS analysis of NCTD ridership data. This is a stark change from just a decade ago.
Shawn Donaghy is the transit district’s CEO. He acknowledges they are behind the curve in addressing the problem.
Shawn Donaghy SOT
“When we don't have a system set up like a BART does or a New York Transit or DC where you tap to get into the area and to make sure that that fare's valid. It's very difficult for our frontline employees to manage that.”
He largely blames an erosion of basic civic values for the surging fare evasion rates.
Donaghy SOT
“I think there was a sense of ownership by the riders to pay that fare and do those things. I think the temperature has changed a little bit on what people feel compelled to feel like they can get away with.”
Regardless of the reason why, the impact on the district is significant. It lost upwards of $4.4 million from fare evasion last year.
Donaghy SOT
"It does sound like it's a little bit out of control. I think that's that's the big thing and they're losing a lot of money."
That’s Philip Plotch, a researcher and senior fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington D.C. think tank.
Fare revenues covered less than 8% of the district’s operating costs in the most recent fiscal year. That’s down from 22% a decade ago.
If this downward trend continues, the district might have to cut back on service to the millions of people who rode its trains in the last fiscal year.
Plotch says transit agencies nationwide are suffering from shrinking revenue following the pandemic.
Philip Plotch SOT
“For the most part, we have transit systems that are still operating because of the generosity of the taxpayers.”
In North County, the drastic drop in fare revenues coincides with a hands-off fare enforcement approach the district has established in recent years. Donaghy calls it an “inform not enforce” policy.
Donaghy SOT
“If someone chooses to not pay that fare, we do not intervene at that moment — for the safety of the employee.”
This approach contrasts with an earlier era when the district cracked down on fare evasion and code compliance inspectors wrote citations.
Fare evasion dropped to less than 2% on the Coaster and Sprinter in 2011, according to an agency document uncovered by KPBS.
However, a more detailed analysis of how enforcement impacts fare evasion isn’t possible. That’s because the agency couldn’t produce records prior to 2021.
Donaghy acknowledged the revenue losses from fare evasion impact operations.
Donaghy SOT
“Unfortunately, we're losing out on potential expansion by not having that additional fare revenue.
The Sprinter is one of BK Nicholson’s main ways of getting around. He was puzzled when KPBS told him in January about the district’s hands-off approach.
BK Nicholson SOT
“I don't know if that's a sustainable business model… I mean somebody got to pay for the fuel and the electricity and for the workers.”
But Donaghy says the district’s hands are tied.
Donaghy SOT
“We need to make sure that we're collecting fare and managing our fiscal responsibility, but also making sure that our employees feel like they’re in a space where they’re not going to be physically assaulted or harassed over $2.50.”
Plotch believes the district’s fare evasion challenges could be combatted with a combination of education, engineering and enforcement.
He points to the Metropolitan Transit System in San Diego. Which increased enforcement last year. The Union-Tribune reported that the agency’s fare revenue increased by a half million dollars a month.
Plotch SOT
“Getting more inspectors and police out there not only is raising revenue, but it's making it safer for passengers. And that is probably going to increase passenger revenue even more.”
In North County, the district is currently conducting surveys to determine if fares should increase in order to combat expected budget shortages in the future.
Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.
TAGOUT: JOURNALIST SCOTT RODD CONTRIBUTED RESEARCH AND REPORTING TO THIS INVESTIGATION. TOMORROW IN PART TWO OF THIS SERIES, ELAINE WILL EXAMINE THE RISING NUMBER OF ASSAULTS ON THE DISTRICT’S TRAINS AND BUSES.
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SCIENTISTS AT SCRIPPS RESEARCH MAY HAVE FOUND A WAY TO REDESIGN FENTANYL, KEEPING ITS POWERFUL PAIN RELIEF WHILE REDUCING THE RISK OF OVERDOSING
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO EXPLAINS.
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FENTANYL 1 trt: 1:15 SOQ
Fentanyl has been used for severe pain since the 1960s.
But it’s also a major driver of addiction and overdose deaths.
Scripps Research chemist Kim Janda says his team wanted to see if they could make fentanyl safer by slightly redesigning the drug at the molecular level. They tested the redesigned drug in mice.
KIM JANDA
SCRIPPS RESEARCH
00:01:56:14 - 00:02:09:03
Surprisingly, we found that it still has the ability to block pain, but it doesn’t cause respiratory depression.
Respiratory depression is that dangerous slowing of breathing that makes fentanyl overdoses so deadly.
RICHARD CLARK
UCSD HEALTH
00:07:11:04 - 00:07:25:24
You could stop breathing within minutes of a large dose of fentanyl.
Dr. Richard Clark is an emergency physician and director of toxicology at UC San Diego Health. He treats fentanyl overdoses.
Clark says if a new version of the drug truly reduced that breathing risk, it could make overdoses less deadly.
RICHARD CLARK
00:14:24:15 - 00:14:33:07
If it actually holds true in humans, it has great potential.
Janda says the research could lead to next-generation opioid medications designed to lower the risk of addiction, overdose and death.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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NONPROFIT 2-1-1 SAN DIEGO LAUNCHED A NEW FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN YESTERDAY.
REPORTER ANDREW DYER SAYS LEADERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE IMPACTED BY FEDERAL FUNDING CHANGES.
211AWARE 1 (AD) 1:03 SOQ
THE 2-1-1 CALL CENTER CONNECTS PEOPLE TO FOOD, HOUSING AND DISASTER SERVICES, AMONG MANY OTHERS.
211 SAN DIEGO PRESIDENT AND CEO BILL YORK SAYS THE 24-7 CALL CENTER IS VITAL TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY NEED IT.
BY: WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING SERVICES. WE'RE MAKING SYSTEMS WORK BETTER, AND WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE ACCESS. WE'RE ALSO A LIVE VOICE. HEARING THOSE QUESTIONS, ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS WITH EMPATHY AND CONCERN DURING TRYING TIMES WHEN SYSTEMS GET COMPLICATED.
2-1-1 RECEIVES UP TO 2,000 CALLS A DAY.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL CUT MEDICAID, OR MEDICAL IN CALIFORNIA, AND ADDED STRICTER REQUIREMENTS FOR SNAP BENEFITS.
YORK SAYS THE NONPROFIT IS VITAL IN CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OTHER SERVICES WHEN FEDERAL HELP IS IN QUESTION.
BY: PRIMARILY WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE WE CAN FILL THE GAPS OF WHERE PEOPLE WILL BE LOSING SERVICES, AND ACCESS TO SERVICES.
IF YOU NEED HELP OR INFORMATION, YOU CAN CALL 2-1-1 OR GO ONLINE TO 2-1-1 SAN DIEGO DOT ORG.
ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS.
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ON THURSDAY, PHIL UNITT WILL GIVE HIS FINAL LECTURE BEFORE RETIRING AFTER 37 YEARS AS THE SAN DIEGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM’S CURATOR OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS.
ARTS REPORTER BETH ACCOMANDO SAYS THE NAT TALK WILL LET YOU HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE PERSON WHO HAS SHAPED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S WILDLIFE OVER THE DECADES.
NATTALK (ba) 1:14 SOQ
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Phil Unitt’s career has revolved around a basic question: What can the past teach us about the future? The answer: a lot. For one, preserved specimens help us understand environmental change and guide conservation. But Unitt’s talk will not focus only on the specimens.
PHIL UNITT But the people behind it and how they started from absolutely nothing in poverty to develop this incredible resource over 150 years.
Unitt says we’ve witnessed a dehumanization of science that suggests scientific knowledge can occur without passionate people.
PHIL UNITT But nothing happens unless people have ideas and can discuss the ideas and debunk the ideas. So in this talk, I want to talk not only about the collection and its applications, but the people behind it and how we got there and in the process make science a little bit more human, and therefore, I hope, a little bit more accessible.
Phil Unitt’s Journey Through the Collection takes place Thursday at 7pm at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
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.
