Veterans Affairs is latest federal agency bracing for job cuts
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, March 7th.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is expecting job cuts from the Trump Administration.
More on that next. But first, let’s do the headlines.
Tariffs that would impact cross-border business are on hold again.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he would pause his plan to impose a 25-percent fee on products from Mexico and Canada.
The President says April 2nd is now the potential start date.
The San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce recently told KPBS that the back-and-forth policy adds uncertainty to the market and could cause investors to hold back, even if tariffs never take hold.
President Trump says the pause affects products covered under the U-S Mexico Canada trade agreement.
Another proposed tariff on aluminum and steel is still on track to begin next week, according to President Trump.
Local brewers have told KPBS that they expect their production costs to rise as a result.
Businesses in City Heights affected by construction along University Avenue are expected to get targeted financial relief.
The assistance is organized by the City Heights Community Development Corporation.
The non-profit says 4 local businesses have shut down due to reduced revenue.
Street repairs to add crosswalks and speed-reducing infrastructure are months overdue.
A “Taste of City Heights” event is planned for April 12th to help boost local restaurants and food vendors.
Students at Spreckles Elementary School have unveiled a mural they made to honor the activism that inspired Chicano Park’s iconic artwork.
More than 600 students helped to create the mural called “Paws for Peace Pillars”.
They say inspiration came from the “KPBS One Book, One San Diego” children’s selection – Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park.
Principal Kamilah Abdul-Alim says the students learn to embrace activism:
“At our school, we really do talk a lot about being an upstander or being a bystander and what that looks like. And so really trying to help support, support a student, our students, knowing that activism is important. And if we see something, we do something.”
Paw prints on the top of the painting represent the Spreckels Wildcat students, along with other images of diversity, equity and inclusion.
The painting will be hung outside for all the students to enjoy.
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE,” are planning to fire more than 70,000 veterans affairs employees.
V-A Secretary Doug Collins confirmed the layoffs are coming in a video message to veterans posted on his X account.
He claims the layoffs will improve veteran care.
“And it's extraordinarily difficult for me, especially as a V-A leader and your secretary, to make these types of decisions. But the federal government does not exist to employ people. It exists to serve people.”
The V-A says more than 25 percent of its workforce are veterans.
V-A San Diego did not respond to questions about layoffs locally this week.
About 150,000 local veterans are enrolled in V-A San Diego healthcare.
Dozens of people rallied outside Parkway Plaza in El Cajon Thursday.
Protesters demanded District 48 Representative Darrell Issa act on a number of issues.
Reporter John Carroll says they had one central demand.
The protest outside Parkway Plaza in El Cajon attracted about 50-people Thursday. Protesters held signs demanding things like support for ukraine… and support for medicare and medicaid. But there was one central demand.
“Hold a town hall.”
That's protest organizer Connie Elder. The district 48-resident says Issa's constituents deserve nothing less than the chance to speak to him in person. Retired dentist David Willner held a sign saying - dentists against political decay.
“We need our congressman to vote for what is right when it comes to saving our democracy.”
We reached out to Congressman Issa's office for a comment, but didn’t hear back. Elder says she and her fellow protesters will be out in the same place every Thursday between 11 and one until Issa agrees to hold a town hall.
John Carroll, KPBS News.
The Wave waterpark in Vista needs millions of dollars in repairs.
It's a city-owned park, but north county reporter Alexander Nguyen says the mayor wants to hire a private entity to run it.
A recent analysis shows the waterpark needs around 3-point-5 million dollars in repairs to bring it up to code.
And another 15 million over the next 10 years to keep it safe and operational.
“upgrades that we’re struggling to afford.”
Mayor John Franklin says one way is to turn it over to a private entity to run and make it profitable.
The water park has never made a profit.
“The goal is to bring someone who might have better business acumen than the city of Vista does to make sure that we lose as little as possible and hopefully turn a profit. That profit would give us the ability to reinvest in the Wave and make it a great asset for years to come.”
The city council, however, rejected that idea at its last meeting.
The council will discuss the future of the Wave at its meeting in June.
Alexander Nguyen, KPBS News.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park just opened a brand new depot where visitors can embark on safari excursions to experience animals up close.
Arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke with Marco Wendt, wildlife ambassador for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, about what’s new and the conservation efforts that continue.
BETH ACCOMANDO: “We are here in this gorgeous park with all these trees, but remind people, when this started, you guys had nothing here.”
MARCO WENDT: “We're over 50 years of conservation here in the beautiful town of Escondido. This is called the Safari Park. The San Diego Zoo in the heart of San Diego over 100 years got established, and we were inspired and wanted to give back more to conservation. Now we have this beautiful 1800 conservation park with a new exploratory experience for our guests called Safari Excursions, where we're at right now.”
BETH ACCOMANDO: “What will Safari Excursions offer people?”
MARCO WENDT: “This is the perfect point to embark in all the adventures and safaris that you can take part in here at the Safari Park. We have a multitude of different tours, from getting in the back of a safari truck and getting right in the thick of it with rhinos and giraffes, or maybe a roar and snore. You can spend the night and maybe hear a lion roar at 2: 00 in the morning. There's quite a few things you can experience out here.”
BETH ACCOMANDO: “Now, just recently, there was a baby koala at the zoo. Baby animals get lots of clicks and a lot of attention. But what things go on here that people are not seeing that you want them to be aware of?”
MARCO WENDT: “No, thank you. I love that question. We're San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as a whole organization, an international nonprofit, and we have conservation work all over the world. You touched upon it already with the koalas, as you mentioned. Here, whether it be Asia or Africa, we have hubs all over the world where we focus on conservation. And guests, when they come to these experiences, for instance, going here to Safari Excursions, jumping on a truck, they are directly helping out in conservation worldwide. And so I tell people this is an opportunity to have an adventure, get inspired about Mother Nature, but also take part in something bigger than yourself and all this community work that we do globally.”
BETH ACCOMANDO: “What's important about people coming to be able to see animals like this? Do they need to be aware of these animals to be concerned and have an interest in their future?”
MARCO WENDT: “100%. I think I started here as a wildlife care specialist or a zookeeper, the other term for it. It started because I didn't want to work with people. I loved animals. But then a lot of us here in this field realized that conservation 100% begins with human beings, and we want to inspire that desire to get connected with Mother Nature. Maybe a small child from the local school comes into the safari park and sees tiger face-to-face for the first time and gets that excitement over that animal, and then hopefully in the future, possibly they can become an advocate for conservation or maybe take part and get hands-deep with these conservation efforts happening globally.”
BETH ACCOMANDO: “What does park offer the animals in the sense of how big is it? What do they have here?”
MARCO WENDT: “It's over 3,500 animals that thrive here, and it represents over 300 different species. Not only that, if you look above us, all these beautiful trees, there's 1.3 million plants that live here as well. We're Botanical Gardens. We're helping out right now with Sumatra Tiger populations, baby tigers that people can experience. But all this work is helping out with all the wildlife found around the world. For instance, the tiger work that we do here, we share with our partners in Sumatra, and that's going to help out with the wild populations of tigers. And that is community engagement. So I'm always saying I don't care if you're the Emperor of the Universe or a kid from the barrio, that wildlife is for everyone. That's also going to benefit the wildlife that you're going to encounter here at the safari park.”
BETH ACCOMANDO: “Do you have a favorite memory of an animal encounter here or something that really sticks with you?”
MARCO WENDT: “A hundred percent. It's actually about the native wildlife we were just talking. A native hummingbird just flew by. There's so many aspects of what a zoo or an aquarium can do to help out wildlife globally but this 1800 acre conservation park for me, for instance, I see wild turkey vultures behind you right now. And wildlife all over the planet needs our support. Here in San Diego, one of the most biodiverse areas in the entire country. People often forget how unique this area is. So I see local wildlife. So my favorite moment at the park is coming in early before it opens. The sun is rising, and then I see turkey vultures soaring over San Pasquale Valley. And that just highlights to me just the beauty of Mother Nature, and it's right in our own backyard. So I think all wildlife can benefit, of course, to the communities of the world as well.”
San Diego Zoo Safari Park is open 9 am to 5 pm daily with safari excursions starting at 62 dollars per person.
If you’re a fan of unique architecture and design, free guided tours are being offered this weekend in several San Diego neighborhoods.
You can hear more about it from KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans in her weekend preview segment on the latest Midday Edition podcast.
That’s it for today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
