Trump pulls millions in grants from San Diego-area schools

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, May 1st.

The Trump Administration is pulling millions in funding from two local school districts.

More on that next. But first... the headlines….

Construction is underway at the former county Family Court in Cortez Hill to turn the building into 125 affordable housing units.

The Kindred Apartments will remain affordable for the next century.

The apartments are a joint project of the city and county.

Construction began this week and should be complete by early 20-27.

San Diego lacks transparency when it comes to how it uses parking revenue and needs to improve.

That’s according to a report from the San Diego County Grand Jury.

The April report says an array of rules, meters, apps and signage confuse drivers and includes several recommendations.

Among them, it says the city should disband community parking districts in favor of community planning groups.

It also recommends the city require private parking lots to display their rates so they can be seen from the street.

The grand jury also took aim at Petco Park, which it says doesn’t always follow signage rules for special events.

The Napoleonic Wars are coming to Julian this weekend.

More than two dozen reenactors will assume roles as members of Napoleon’s Grand Armee (Arm-may) focused on the 1811 Battle of Fuentes de Oñoros.

They’ll demonstrate duels, skirmishes and cavalry action at Julian Farm and Orchard Saturday and Sunday.

An organizer told the Union-Tribune the goal is to bring history to life.

Admission to the event is ten dollars.

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.

Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

TWO LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE SET TO LOSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FEDERAL MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING. REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS ENDING A FIVE-YEAR GRANT PROGRAM EARLY.

The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District has used the money to hire 30 social workers and counselors. Those staff help with mental health crises, social skills and absenteeism. The district received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday saying the grant funds would end in December. David Feliciano is the district’s superintendent. The president's gone on record saying that they're going to continue to fund programs that are for kids in need. So, you know, specifically, he called out Title I and special ed. This very much falls into the category that those funds serve. The Lemon Grove School District received the same letter. Both districts say they plan to request that the department reconsider. The department told KPBS in an email that grant recipients were using the funds to train counselors on antiracism and set diversity goals for staff. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

ONE OF THE MEN ARRESTED DURING A MARCH IMMIGRATION RAID IN EL CAJON IS NOW FREE FROM FEDERAL DETENTION. REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SPOKE TO HIM ABOUT THE CASE AND HOW IT HAS IMPACTED HIS FAMILY.

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested her husband, Blanca Corona’s life was thrust into chaos. In an instant, she was shouldering tremendous financial and emotional burdens. “Now I have to pick up more than I normally picked up shifts. Then we have to take our kids to practices, my other ones have to go to boxing. And its tiring.” Corona’s husband - Jorge Lopez - was one of 15 people arrested during a workplace raid near El Cajon In March. Lopez came to the U.S. when he was 13 and has been the primary breadwinner for his family.  But he does not have legal status. Corona is a U.S. citizen. And so are the couple’s four children. But they are still directly impacted by President Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation. Corona works extra hours to keep the family afloat. She’s also coping with the emotional toll on her children. “My other daughter would sleep with either his shirt or a picture of him. All night crying.” Another daughter became obsessed with the idea of her father missing her upcoming birthday. “She was – everyday – is my dad coming back for my birthday? Is my dad coming? The only thing I want for my birthday is for my dad to be home.” Last Saturday, that eight-year-old girl’s wish came true. On April 18 an immigration judge released Lopez on bond. He will fight a pending deportation case from his home in Escondido. Lopez says the month he spent at the Otay Mesa Detention Center is the longest he’s ever been away from his children. “It was nice seeing my family. Cried. I hadn’t seen them in so long. Because we are always together most of the time. We are pretty close.” Lopez is in touch with co-workers who are still inside the detention center. He says most of the men are terrified of being deported. “Depression, some people crying most of the time.” He noticed that a lot of them aren’t violent or dangerous. Some had been arrested for driving without a license. In Lopez’s case, his only blemish is a DUI conviction … and he completed more than 350 hours of court-ordered community service. “You see different people from different cells. You start talking to people – oh yea I’m here for license or a DUI that had 23 – 30 years ago and they have their green card.” Lopez’s observations stand in stark contrast from the Trump administration’s rhetoric … that they are rounding up murderers, rapists and other dangerous criminals. “They don’t tell the true story, what is going on.” Federal data supports his point. The vast majority of people detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center are categorized as non-criminal. Lopez has been in the U.S. most of his life. Says he wouldn’t know what to do in Mexico. “I haven’t been in Mexico so long. My whole family is here. The guys asked me, do you want to go to Mexico, what do you want to do? No, I want to fight. I want to fight my case.” He won an early round in his fight by getting out of the detention center. In the days leading up to the bond hearing, friends and family offered to help. Tessa Cabrera is his immigration lawyer. “We get letters of support so that the judge and the court can hear from the community and how much he means to the community and his family and his children.” Cabrera found a lot of support from the parents and coaches of a youth soccer team Lopez volunteers with. People like Berenice Lopez - whose daughter plays on the team. “That’s a lot of what I wrote in there. He’s always willing to see or help those around him.” “My kids love him so to me, it was a big thing when I found out.” And head coach Rafael Blanco. “He’s awesome with the kids. The girls love him. They were upset when they found out what happened. Now when they saw him they were excited to see him back again on the field.” How do you feel about having coach back? Gooood. We like him But the happiest person to have him back on the field was his daughter Yaretzi.  “It was really great. Everybody was there to see my dad. Happy. They enjoyed it… Even her sister’s birthday party was more like Father’s Day. It felt like it wasn’t even my sister’s birthday, it felt like it was my dad’s.” Lopez says coaching helps him deal with the stress of a pending deportation case.  He’s happy to be back in the community - surrounded by friends and family.  Gustavo Solis, KPBS News

FOR OUR NEXT WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT…WE LOOK AT BIG NEWS AROUND HOW WE GET OUR WATER. VOICE OF SAN DIEGO CEO SCOTT LEWIS EXPLAINS.

We are right now seeing earthquake-level news in the water politics world. City leaders are so upset about the rising cost of water that they are proposing something shocking: dissolving the agency that provides our city with water. That agency is called the San Diego County Water Authority.   And it recently said another 12 percent water rate increase could be coming next year. Remember, last month, we talked about how hard it was for the city of San Diego to raise rates just 5.5 percent. It provoked Councilmember Marni von Wilpert to say something shocking: “I mean do we even need to be a part of the water authority any more? With our pure water systems? Maybe we don’t” I’ll be honest, I thought she didn’t know what she was talking about. The city of San Diego basically controls the county Water Authority. The idea of the city leaving the Water Authority … would be like the captain of a cruise ship jumping off right as a storm approaches. To be clear. The city can’t leave the water authority. But now, San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera has also sent a letter with the same threat. And there’s a big deal coming that’s exacerbating this conversation: The city is building wastewater recycling. That will be very expensive and raise rates more. But when it’s done, the city can buy half as much water from the Water Authority as it does now.  I’m Scott Lewis for Voice of San Diego and that’s why it matters.

CATHOLICS ACROSS SAN DIEGO HONORED AND CELEBRATED POPE FRANCIS WITH SPECIAL MEMORIAL MASSES YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS AMONG THE LOCAL FAITHFUL, HE MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.

Prayers for Pope Francis  Wednesday morning … at Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church in La Jolla.Catholic school students from the parish's affiliated school – Stella Maris Academy – attended the mass, like 5th grader Roxy Watson.“Well I really loved how we honored Pope Francis – all the wonderful things he did for us. And how he really showed our connection to our God.”4th grader Ryder Fisher was also there. He has some expectations for the next Pope.“Well he might try to do the same as Pope Francis. Like, be kind to others and do a good job.”The Vatican says the conclave to elect the next Pope will start May 7. Jacob Aere KPBS News.

A NEW EXHIBIT BRINGS HUICHOL CULTURE TO THE OCEANSIDE MUSEUM OF ART.

REPORTER KATIE HYSON TOOK A LOOK.

Natalie Gonzalez learned to make tsikuri, or God’s Eyes, as a kid in Guadalajara. As an adult in San Diego, she turned back to the vibrant, concentric squares of yarn. The rhythm of doing this, the act of weaving and following this pattern, I noticed that makes me, like, calm . . . It became therapy for her. And then suddenly, when I look on my side, I had like 30 of them, like a box. It's like, what am I gonna do with all this? What she did was make art – big hanging panels of them. And she taught others how to make them at workshops. Thirty turned into hundreds, that now form a towering wave structure inside the Oceanside Museum of Art. Not a place tsikuri would normally hang. They’re sacred to the indigenous Huichol people. They don't do this as an art. They do this for offerings and for protection for children. They also place them wherever there’s life –  water, caves, crops. Thank you, Mother Earth, for doing this. So this is my way to say to Oceanside, thank you so much for everything you have offered me. The tsikuri will be in the museum through late September. Katie Hyson, KPBS News

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. For your next listen, check out the KPBS Midday Edition podcast. They have an interview with Tara Monsod, a local chef who is a finalist for a James Beard award. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.