The controversy around choosing Imperial Beach’s new mayor
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH>>>>
IMPERIAL BEACH HAS A NEW MAYOR. More on the controversy behind it, next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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SAN DIEGO STATE BROKE GROUND WEDNESDAY ON THE FIRST RESIDENTIAL AND RETAIL DEVELOPMENT AT SDSU MISSION VALLEY
THE DEVELOPMENT WILL INCLUDE 621 APARTMENTS RANGING FROM STUDIOS TO THREE-BEDROOM UNITS
AND RETAIL SPACE ANCHORED BY A GROCERY STORE
IT WILL BE LOCATED EAST OF SNAPDRAGON STADIUM
PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO START MOVING IN IN 2028.
THE PLANS FOR SDSU MISSION VALLEY ALSO INCLUDE 80 ACRES OF PARK AND OPEN SPACE, RESEARCH FACILITIES AND A HOTEL.
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AS SDSU EXPANDS, SAN DIEGO’S COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE GETTING SOME RECOGNITION OF THEIR OWN
THREE LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGES RANKED AMONG THE TOP IN CALIFORNIA FOR AFFORDABILITY. A NEW STUDY TITLED “THE GOLDEN RETURNS” DETAILS HOW QUICKLY CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS PAY BACK THEIR EDUCATIONAL COSTS
MIRAMAR, MESA AND CITY COLLEGES EACH RANKED IN THE TOP FIVE
STUDENTS AT 40% OF THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ARE RECOUPING THEIR COSTS IN LESS THAN A YEAR COMPARED TO FIVE PERCENT OF PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS ACCORDING TO THE STUDY
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THE PADRES HAVE WON NINE OF THEIR LAST ELEVEN GAMES AFTER ALSO BEING EXTREMELY ACTIVE BEFORE THE MLB TRADE DEADLINE
ACQUIRING EIGHT TOTAL PLAYERS AND TRADING AWAY FOURTEEN ACROSS FIVE SEPARATE TRADES THE NEW FRIAR ADDITIONS ARE PAYING OFF AS THE TEAM MAKES A PLAYOFF PUSH
NESTOR CORTES PITCHED ALMOST FIVE INNINGS, RYAN O’HEARN TIED THE GAME IN THE NINTH WITH A HOME RUN AND MASON MILLER EARNED HIS FIRST SAVE AS THE PADRES BEAT THE DIAMONDBACKS 3 TO 2 WEDNESDAY.
ALL THREE WERE PART OF DEALS MADE AT THE TRADE DEADLINE
WE’LL SEE IF THEY CAN KEEP THE MOMENTUM THIS SATURDAY AGAINST THE RED SOX
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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IN A WHIRLWIND DECISION WEDNESDAY, THE IMPERIAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL CHOSE COUNCILMEMBER MITCH MCKAY [muh-KAY] TO SERVE AS THE CITY’S NEW MAYOR. REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS THE SPEED OF THE DECISION DIDN’T SIT WELL WITH EVERYONE.
IBMAYOR 1:03 SOQ
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The mayor’s seat in Imperial Beach has been vacant for a little over two weeks now. After former-mayor Paloma Aguirre was sworn in as San Diego County’s newest supervisor in late July.
The City Council had several options for choosing a replacement. Including holding a special election – or appointing someone after an open application process.
But on Wednesday night, they decided to appoint someone immediately: Councilmember Mitch McKay.
…McKay statement / 04:25
I have no desires to undo any ordinance or any other things that we've passed in the past under different previous mayors. [...] I want to move the city forward. I'm not looking backwards.
McKay had his share of supporters on Wednesday night. But many spoke out against the quick appointment.
Imperial Beach resident Rachel Orozco doesn’t think the Council should make a decision immediately.
Rachel Orozco statement / 01:07
Give people the opportunity to have a voice, listen to what's going on. And if it's one of you, then let us see why. Why is it going to be one of you?
McKay will serve out the rest of Aguirre’s term, which ends in November 2026.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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A GROWING NUMBER OF SCAMS ARE TARGETING OLDER ADULTS IN THE COUNTY. HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO INTRODUCES US TO ONE LOCAL MAN WHOSE STORY SHOWS JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO GET PULLED IN.
ELDERFRAUD TRT: SOQ
SOT: I need to get my coffee…
Every weekday morning you can find 86-year-old Bob Duff sitting at the same table inside the La Mesa Senior Center. He’s social, quick to laugh..
SOT: Legitimate coffee, laughs…
And always up for a conversation.
A couple of months ago, someone new reached out. Not at the center, but on his phone.
BOB DUFFAre you busy tomorrow? And I thought, okay, who's this? So I said, then came back and I said busy for what? And it came back at, are you coming to the barbecue? I thought, who is this?
What started as a confusing text turned into a friendly pen-pal exchange with someone claiming to be a 37-year-old South Korean woman named Calista. She shared a photo and they chatted for two days on Telegram, a text messenger application she asked Bob to download.
BOB DUFF
She said this is a friendly conversation. I'm going to be kind of like a pen pal. I thought, I have no problem with that. I think it's kind of fun.
Bob retired years ago and spends most of his days between the senior center and home, where he cares for his wife, Judi.
SOT: C’mon Judi. I’ll get there when I get there…
He says he’s not lonely, but admits the idea of making a new friend felt nice.
BOB DUFF
And we just kind of talk back and forth about many stuff. I don't even remember. It was so innocent to me. But as I reflect back on it, maybe it wasn't so innocent, she was baiting.
It felt genuine, until his daughter saw the messages.
BOB DUFF
She didn’t say it sounds like a scam. She said, that's a scam! What are you doing? And I thought, well, you make me think I'm an idiot or something. And so I put my defenses up.
Scam attempts like this are becoming alarmingly common, often slipping into inboxes and phones disguised as friendship, romance, or urgent financial alerts.
Bob was lucky. His daughter helped him catch it before any money was lost. But many older adults aren’t as fortunate.
In 2024, San Diego seniors victimized by scammers lost an average of more than $30,000.
Scott Pirrello
San Diego Deputy District Attorney
We are getting over a thousand cases a year reported to us and the reality is that we are only able to work less than 1% of those cases.
Many of these scams originate overseas. Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello says that makes prosecution incredibly difficult.
Scott Pirrello
So it does drive us to really push for prevention and education, because in some cases it really is, the best defense is to educate the community so that they don't become victims in the first place.
Still, many scams go unreported.
JENNIFER SOVAY
These victims oftentimes don't report or self-disclose because of embarrassment.
Jennifer Sovay oversees the Elder Justice Task Force, which works to connect individual cases to larger criminal networks. She says technology is a major challenge.
JENNIFER SOVAY
Still many older adults are not savvy to technology and how it works. So that's oftentimes how they've fallen victim to these crimes.
Even when victims catch on early, the emotional toll can linger, says UCSD geriatrician Dr. Ian Neel.
DR. IAN NEEL
UCSD HEALTH GERIATRICIANThere's a higher incidence of depression, of anxiety, of even just technology avoidance. Which then leads to further isolation. Which leads to further loneliness. So there can be kind of a cascading snowball effect.
Neel says trust tends to increase with age. Something scammers exploit.
DR. IAN NEEL
And the older we get the more friends and loved ones we lose. And so there is a high incidence of loneliness and isolation and that can make us more prone to looking for friendship wherever we can.
And for some, like Bob, that trust is hard to let go of.
BOB DUFF
Ya, I think you have to be real cautious. Does that mean you don't talk to anybody? No, I don't believe in that. Does that mean you should say everything is cheating you? No, I don't believe that either. Cause I still believe in honest people.
Now, he keeps a close eye on his messages.
SOT: It’s my latest scam.
At the senior center, he pulls out his phone to show a new scam message.
BOB DUFF
If I click on it, maybe I'm downloading something which I don't want to do.
Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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A FINANCIAL AUDIT FOR THE FOUNDATION THAT HANDLES FUNDRAISING FOR CANYON CREST ACADEMY IS NOW OUT …
AUDITORS FOUND INACCURATE FINANCIAL REPORTING, MISSING RECORDS AND MORE.
THE INVESTIGATION WAS SPURRED BY A REPORT LAST YEAR… FROM TWO OF THE SCHOOL’S STUDENTS.
LITONG TIAN (LEE-tong TEE-een) IS ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS.
CCAFRPT 2A (0:13)
“many of our key points were vindicated by the report. For example. They confirmed that the foundation failed to disclose salaries under IRS form nine 90s, which was what we claimed. They confirmed that their balance sheets did not line up another one of our claims.”
TIAN (TEE-een) HOPES THE SAN DIEGUITO (DI-GITO) UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD WILL IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE AUDITORS’ RECOMMENDATIONS.
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AUTHENTICITY IS A CATCHWORD THROWN AROUND A LOT IN RECENT YEARS. BUT EVEN THE ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHER PLATO STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF SEPARATING AUTHENTICITY FROM FAKERY. THAT WAS SOME 25-HUNDRED YEARS AGO. REPORTER AMITA SHARMA LOOKS AT AUTHENTICITY IN AMERICAN POLITICAL LIFE IN THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF HER SERIES ON CIVIC VALUES.
AUTHENTICITY 1 (AS) TRT 1:45 SOQ
Authenticity is a group of attributes deemed truthful and genuine. UC Berkeley Business Professor Erica Bailey says authenticity is strongly linked to an individual’s and a society’s well-being. People crave authenticity in their candidates. Bailey says voters felt President Trump saw them, heard them and empathized with their economic pain, And that’s why he rose to power. But she contends a truer measure of authenticity is when words match deeds. Cuts to Medicaid and food stamps as well as the Supreme Court’s expansion of presidential power might weaken Trump and Republicans’ authenticity.
[00:22:03.13] “That's where the cynical view can come in, that they're completely being inauthentic to what we've elected them to be, which is some superior level of morality above us.”
Bailey says the gap between what politicians say and what they actually do is an authenticity crisis. The antidote she says is improving our own genuineness with fellow citizens regardless of political party ties.
[00:30:47.13] “I do think people are realizing they do have some power. And when we do speak with one voice, you start to see, okay, a couple of defections, a couple of people who will say, talk to journalists, bring some things to light.”
Baileys says the more both Democrats and Republicans do that, the more their distrust of one another will decrease. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>
That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is edited by Brooke Ruth. This podcast is 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 weekend.
